Winter car preparations

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Last years blog on ‘Preparing your car for winter’ was very popular and therefore we wanted to update our key tips ready for the cold weather coming round again.

Here’s our guide to preparing for Winter driving

1. Breakdown cover

After the year that we have had one of the most important this going into this winter is ensuring you can get home if the worst was to happen and you breakdown. With it looking more likely that restrictions will still be in place over the winter it is no longer a given that all garages, hotels and other amenties would be open to you. Therefore investing in breakdown cover is a sensible option. Even during the national lockdown earlier in the year the Rescue & Recovery Industry was recognised as ‘Key Workers’ within a critical sector.

2. Get your Car Serviced before Winter

Cold causes problems for cars but up to half of the problems could have been prevented by a regular servicing. Save yourself the cost and inconvenience and if possible book your car in for a service now. In winter, lots of garages offer discounted or even free ‘winter car checks’ so take advantage of some of these which may be local to you.

3. Battery check

Lights, heaters and blowers suffer from almost double the use in winter. Checking your battery should always be priority. If your car is having trouble when starting, get the battery checked out as soon as possible.

4. Check those Tyres

Your vehicles tyres are important for both braking and steering. It is essential to keep them in good condition. Despite the legal minimum of a 1.6mm depth, we advise that you stick to a minimum of 3mm during winter. This just helps improve the grip of your car on ice and snow.

5. Give your Windscreen a check

Before winter, give your windscreen a thorough check for any cracks and chips. During winter, water can seep into these cracks, freeze and then cause expansion. Getting anything repaired before this can happen can save lots of money.

6. Breakdown Kit

In case of emergency, we advise carrying a breakdown kit in your car during winter. This kit should include some of these essentials if not all:

  • Torch
  • Blanket
  • Shovel
  • Hi-vis vest
  • Food and water
  • De-icer and scraper
  • Phone charger/Power bank

7. Prepare!

If you know you need to be somewhere at a specific time, plan your journey ahead. Check for any road closures or delays and allow plenty of time for your journey. Being in a rush when the weather is bad increases your chances of being in a road car accident – so be prepared!

Reduce connections, reduce leaks with Super-Flex hoses

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superflex silicone hosesInstead of buying and joining multiple joiners, elbows and hose clamps buy 1 length of Super-Flex silicone hose. The more joins you have the more potential for a leak. Often used for marine engines, power generators, science labs and machinery.

With an average life expectancy of 6 times longer than rubber hoses these silicone flexible hoses are a great investment. Manufactured with a steel wire spiral embedded inside the reinforcement plies, allows for a flexibility not possible with most standard straight hoses, and will also take higher pressures compared to standard silicone hoses.

Resistant to glycol and other coolants that are non-organic acid based. Hand build wuth 5mm wall including 1mm inner liner and 3 plies of reinforcement made from high tear strength fabric.

Buy your flexible hoses here

Please see video for demonstrations on how flexible our Super Flex hoses are:

Elbows, Elbows Elbows

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aluminium elbowsViper Performance Aluminium Hose Joiners are designed to fit perfectly with any universal silicone hose. We have a range of elbows available from 15° to 180°.  With such a vast array of bends and sizes available you are sure to find what you need.

Our mandrel bends have the tightest bend radius on the market, most of the mandrel bends are 1.2D. A range of wall thicknesses available and all our pipes have roll beaded ends for the best hose retention out there.

Take a look at the range here

Checkout our blog ‘why choose our aluminium pipes for your next build?’ to find out what sets our aluminium pipes apart.

Former Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali is set to be next F1 CEO

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Senior sources have confirmed that Former Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali is set to replace Chase Carey as the sport’s chief executive before next season.

Domenicali, 55, is currently chairman and chief executive of Italian sportscar maker Lamborghini. He also serves as head of the governing FIA’s single-seater commission.

The appointment would leave three of the sport’s top jobs in the hands of former Ferrari men. The FIA is run by a former Ferrari team boss, Frenchman Jean Todt, while Formula One’s managing director for motorsport Ross Brawn is a former Ferrari technical director.

Racing car driver from Sunningdale wins Le Mans

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Phil Hanson, a racing car driver from Sunningdale Maidenhead, has won the famous 24 hour endurance race Le Mans.

The highly anticipated 88th 24 Hours of Le Mans took on the weekend of September 19th, after a three-month postponement due to the COVID 19 crisis.

While significantly condensed and held behind closed doors this year, the prestigious competition was just as intense. The 21-year-old racing driver, Phil Hanson finished in first place and his team United Autosports won the entire race.

Le Mans is won by the car that covers the greatest distance in 24 hours. Participating teams made up of three drivers must balance the demands of speed with the cars’ ability to run for 24 hours.

This year there was no official test day or driver parade due to the shortened schedule, however, the ACO introduced a new qualifying format called Hyperpole, where the top six in each class after the qualifying session on Thursday afternoon went on to a further qualifying shootout on Friday morning ahead of the race start on Saturday.

United Autosport’s Hanson came into the race leading both the World and European championships in LMP2 in #22 Oreca 07 with teammates Filipe Albuquerque and Paul Di Resta and they were eager to remain at the top of the victory board.

Brand new 200mm couplers – Pre order today

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straight couplerBrand new 200mm couplers straight hose connectors coming soon very soon to the Viper Performance range.

Highest quality hand made hoses, lined and multi-layered with quality fabric reinforcements. We stock a range of international sizes from 44 to 102mm id in blue, red & black.

You can pre order now on our website. Look out for part numbers with ‘-200’ in them to order.

View Range here (Remember these new parts have ‘-200’ instead of ‘-76’ in the part number.)

Flexibility with our Articulated Bellow Hoses

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Bellow Hump HoseThe Viper Performance articulated bellow is specially designed for areas where the hose acts as a cushion to absorb lateral movement, compression and expansion as well as vibration. For these applications hoses without this construction would otherwise easily split under movement. Highly recommended to connect your charge cooler / Intercooler etc to pipework

These hoses are speciality built with 4 plies of Aramid / NOMEX reinforcements for high temperatures, rated for 250°C, peak for brief period & 220°C maximum working temperature.

Compared to our black Nomex Bellow Hose this offers much more movement, much more compression and expansion. The trade off is a little less pressure handling due to its thinner wall thickness of 4mm and slightly softer grade silicone of 60°ShA. This Articulated bellow would not be so flexible with a thicker wall and harder silicone rubber, it is therefore recommended for use where pressure is not high.

The brown coloured (Iron Oxide) silicone offers better heat stability compared to coloured or black silicone. Also features 3 more pronounced humps for better articulation and 4 Stainless Steel Rings to prevent the hose from ballooning.

The turbo loader hose is reinforced with 4 steel rings to prevent the hose from “ballooning” under boost or pressure, keeping the shape and integrity under any condition.

View Sizes here

The low down on MOTs in 2020

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Due to the coronavirus outbreak, drivers were granted a 6-month exemption from MOT testing in March. However, as restrictions were eased, all drivers whose car, motorcycle or van was due for an MOT test from 1 August were required to get a test certificate to continue driving their vehicle. This means that if your MOT test is due you SHOULD book it in for an MOT.

Drivers with an MOT due date before 1 August still receive a 6-month exemption from testing. However, all vehicles must continue to be properly maintained and kept in a roadworthy condition, and people are able to voluntarily get their MOT sooner should they wish, even if they are exempt from the legal requirement. It is important to remember that as a motorist you can be prosecuted for driving an unsafe vehicle.

While exemptions are still available for vehicle owners with an MOT due date before 1 August, it is vital that drivers still take their vehicle to be checked if they notice something is wrong in the same way that they usually would.

Keeping public transport moving with Rail and Bus Hoses

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Viper Performance flame-retardant hoses are designed for optimum reliability in the demanding environment of transport applications. Our LSLM hoses are made with a specialist grade silicone normally used in applications requiring flame-retardant properties. The material performs mechanically as our normal automotive grade silicone, however, in case of fire, it will take longer to ignite. When burning, only low smoke and low toxic fumes are emitted.

The construction of fire retardant hoses is always made to your bespoke specification. The Viper Performance sales team will work with you on your project should you require specific construction. The number of plies will vary depending on the working pressure, bore size, and required wall thickness. A galvanised spring steel wire helix can be added for high or low pressure applications, or where extra flexibility or movement is required.

Viper Performance will be able to provide tooling for any shape, metal inserts, or complete hose assemblies.

If you are interested in this service please contact us on sales@viper-performance.co.uk

Specially machined T- piece hose joiners

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t piece aluminium pipeViper Performance Aluminium T Piece connecting pipes are CNC machined from thick walled material, and TIG welded offering a very high quality product.

The T-pieces are ideal for connecting dump valves, plumbing in breathers, or water hoses into your connection.

These T piece joiners boast a specially machined out groove area* for clamps to sit firmly into. This ensures the best possible leak free connection.

Many sizes are available with 12mm to 25mm take offs and 32mm-76mm main bodys. Click here to view the sizes and purchase.

Silicone T-piece hoses are also available.

* Please note that HJ-T32-12 and HJ-T32-16 are a slightly different build spec (Just a plain bead each end no machined grooved clamping area). Please email for examples.