redundant for road use. For anyone
regularly deploying the performance,
it ’s ju s t a m at t e r of t i me u nt i l t he i r
luc k r u n s out. I ’ v e c h a n ge d t o a Da c i a
Duster 4x4, with a Fiesta ST for track
use. It’s a worry-free – and points-
free – combination. I do wonder what
the future holds for 500bhp-plus
cars whose value makes their owners
disinclined to use them extensively
on the track.
Paul Cruci
Via email
Ruined ride reversed
I’ve had a similar experience to
Bob Cosford (Your Views, 24 July):
BMW 530 Touring, ex-demo, 20in
w he e l s w it h r u n-f l at s , a d ap t i v e
suspension. I didn’t test drive it
on bad roads.
After a couple of weeks I found
that the ride was jarringly bad on any
slight imperfection. I stood it for a
y e a r t he n b ou g ht 18i n BM W a l loy s
with non-run-f lats. The ride has been
transformed! Large wheels are a
triumph of style over substance.
Clive Yeoman
Via email
Let it grow
Richard Bremner is so right
about how middle-age spread has
ov e r t a k e n a l mo s t a l l c a r s (‘D o e s my
bumper look big in this?’, 24 July).
One cause he missed was the huge
increase in horsepower that requires
tyres to be several inches wider. The
original 911 had only 130bhp; now a
Porsche 911 Carrera 4S has 450bhp.
The original rode on 165/80 15 tyres;
the current 911 requires 305/30 20s
at the rear, each being 5.5in broader
and accounting for almost all the
g r ow t h i n w idt h of 11 i n.
Dr DD Hebb
Via email
■ In our Skoda Scala road test (31
July) we stated: “After three years and
36,000 miles, our test car is set to hold
38% of its value while the comparable
Golf and Focus models each manage
m o r e th a n h a l f.” T h i s wa s i n co r r e c t.
Both the Golf and Focus residual values
are within a few percentage points of
the Scala. We apologise for the error.
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