See this is the
problem with discussing anything about modifications.
IS fitting an OEM ARB from a different model the same as fitting Eibach ARB for example?
Fact remains I do a lot of early morning on very quiet dual carriageways with a LOT of roundabouts. I find the car grips better, handles better, responds to steering input faster and generally feels safer - that's irrespective of driving speed.
How fast i choose to go around a roundabout is down to how quickly I think i can do it safely within the speed limits of the roads i'm driving on. That includes traffic conditions, weather conditions and any other factors at the time.
Fact is without the changes i'd made to the suspension and brakes I couldn't do it as safely or as quickly.
Whether you think i'm a safe driver or not is a completely different discussion to whether modding is a mugs game.
I also have a fairly extensive Hifi install, i don't play it loud in town centres, it's for me to listen to at high volume when i'm on a motorway doing a late night trip - again the standard stereo is fine, but for me, mine is better because it sounds nicer at whatever volume i care to play it at irrespective of the music I play.
Apply that theory to the car, i don't want to drive at 152mph anywhere, i don't want to play traffic light grand prix on a daily basis, what I do want is a car that i can trust to do whatever I ask it to do when I ask it to do it.
As for your comment on Dervs why bother, you went for a remap and didn't use it - hence 600miles per tank - there's no way i ever get that, then again ALL my mileage at the moment is Urban - i'm getting about 180 miles more to a tank than I ever got in a petrol. Since the car was paid for outright, it's ALL about the running costs day to day, I can drive however i like and still put only one tank a month in.
We each buy our cars for different reasons, some subjective, some quantitive - either way a car is for what we want it for, not f or what other people might want it for. I like my diesel, i like the way it delivers power and I like to drive - i don't really care what diesel or petrol are meant to be for in the eyes of others