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EP154 - The Volume of Crisps

EP154 - The Volume of Crisps

RELOAD PODCAST Apr 07, 2026 75 min
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About this episode

Reload Podcast EP154 blends dub shed build updates, show-season planning, and a chaotic April Fools “news” round. Nigel celebrates buying his first personal number plate and Connor/Lee trade workshop war stories, including measuring a Mark II sub box volume using multi-pack crisps. The crew also discusses R32/R32 parts hunting, wheel arch rust cleanup, and the stress of last-minute show prep. Later, they debate EV “reversal” talk, insurance headaches for modified cars, and share near-miss driving tales—plus a stolen F1 KitKat bar tracker story.

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Technical Too Afraid to Ask
Company

Revolut

"So I had money lying in my Revolut account. So it made it even cheaper again."

Revolut is a money app. They’re saying they had funds sitting there, so buying the plate ended up costing less than expected.

Term

boot

"I wanted it to look neat. I didn't want it all shitty and like basically overpowering the boot."

“Boot” means the trunk area of the car. They’re trying to keep their build from taking over too much of that space.

Term

MDF

"[406.7s] No, because the, the, the hole you had been filling it through, that's MDF. So you had [413.1s] been filling it up to the MDF."

MDF is a type of board made from wood fibers. People use it in car projects because it’s easy to cut and helps you build a solid base for custom parts.

Car

Nissan R32

"...afts. Arts and crafts. Just cracking on with the R32. So just like taking more parts off. While I'm t..."

The Nissan Skyline is a performance car, and the R32 is a specific older version people often modify. The episode mentions working on an R32 and removing parts, which is usually done to make the car quicker or lighter. That’s why it’s being talked about in a build or track-prep context.

Concept

wheel arch

"I corner manfully volunteered to help me because it was real spidery in there. I got my hands up into the wheel arch and I could feel all the cobwebs in the back of my hands."

The wheel arch is the curved body area around the tire, and it’s a common place for debris to collect and for corrosion to start. The speaker is describing reaching into the wheel-arch cavity and finding heavy cobwebs/debris, which supports the idea of trapped moisture leading to rust.

Car

Volkswagen Eos

".... Gotcha. Gotcha, bitch. Um, myself. Remember the EOS with the Soraco front? I always liked it. Aye. O..."

The Volkswagen Eos is a Volkswagen model that has a roof that can open like a convertible. The podcast mentions it with a particular front styling look, meaning the car had a specific appearance. It’s brought up because it’s a recognizable, different kind of Volkswagen.

Car

A4 two liter TDI

"Yeah. And some specs. ... There's a A4 two liter TDI I was looking at and it was an extra 380 quid."

This is an Audi A4 described with a “two liter TDI” diesel engine. The speaker uses it to show that even within the same general model family, the TDI engine choice can lead to a large insurance increase. It highlights how insurers may rate engine type and output differently.

Car

Volkswagen Gti

"...d insure a 16 valve carado because it didn't say GTI on it. It was a coupe."

The Volkswagen Golf is a compact car that comes in different versions. In the episode, they talk about a “16 valve” Carado and how the car’s labels (like GTI or not) can change insurance or how it’s identified. So it’s about the specific Golf variant, not just the model name.

Car

Audi TT

"I'm trying to insure the TT at the moment and have you seen this custodian? So I keep getting these targeted ads you've seen lately..."

The Audi TT is a sporty Audi model. The speaker is talking about the hassle/cost of insuring it, which connects to the earlier discussion about insurance rules.

Term

insurance

"I'm really, really particular about insurance. Like I chance many things, but I don't drive without insurance. And I wouldn't even take a car down the road, basically."

Insurance is the coverage you buy so you’re not paying everything out of pocket if something happens with your car. The speaker is saying they won’t drive unless they have it.

Concept

slalom

"[1370.5s] and about the third basic slalom, [1374.0s] the back end just snapped. [1375.7s] And I remember just going sideways and going, oh."

A slalom is a course with cones where you weave left and right. It’s used to see how well a car turns and how stable it feels when you change direction quickly.

Concept

missiles mounted

"A guy in Florida got pulled over because he had missiles mounted in his pickup truck. True or false?"

This is talking about someone attaching missile-type weapons to their vehicle. It’s not a normal car modification and would be extremely dangerous and likely illegal.

Term

bitumen

"UK DOE engineers are road testing self-healing roads [1744.5s] with combining bitumen and gravy."

Bitumen is the tar-like glue in asphalt that holds the road together. If you change how it’s made, you can sometimes make the road last longer.

Concept

potholes

"We were fixing all the potholes and stuff from basically our house down into the village."

Potholes are holes or broken spots in the road. They can make the ride bumpy and can even hurt your tires or suspension if you hit them.

Concept

F1

"was it the last episode Lee, you talked about the F1 KitKat bars? ... Are you going to say that 12 tons of KitKat got stolen? Yes. And it was the F1 branded?"

“F1” is short for Formula 1, a famous kind of racing. The hosts are talking about KitKat bars that were branded with the F1 name.

Term

lorry

"Apparently they were going from Italy to Poland and the hijacked the lorry with 12 tons of these F1 KitKat bars."

A lorry is basically a big delivery truck. It’s the kind of vehicle that would carry a lot of goods—like those KitKat bars.

Term

camouflage paint

"You know, but yeah. It was like, didn't you have somebody in Hallford's corner wanted to know about the camouflage paint? My boss, no joke, when I worked in Hallford's, she walked up to me when I was in the paint aisle and she lifted one of the cans and she went, how did they get at the spray like that?"

Camouflage paint is paint with a pattern meant to make a car harder to recognize at a glance. People use it for fun styling, and sometimes car makers use it to disguise a prototype while it’s being tested.

Concept

Tokyo Auto Salon

"There was one came out in, I think it was January for the Tokyo Auto Salon and it was a little mini R32 that somebody built on like a Suzuki twin platform or like a K-Car platform, but put the kit and all on it."

Tokyo Auto Salon is a big car show in Japan where people bring modified and customized cars. It’s especially known for tuning parts and creative build projects.

Term

kit

"There was one came out in, I think it was January for the Tokyo Auto Salon and it was a little mini R32 that somebody built on like a Suzuki twin platform or like a K-Car platform, but put the kit and all on it. So it's like a little mini R32."

A “kit” here means aftermarket parts that change how the car looks—like bumpers, skirts, and panels. The builder used a kit to make a small car resemble an R32.

Concept

F1 race

"...the start of the race was delayed and everything because of the start of the F1 race was delayed."

“F1” is the highest level of open-wheel racing. If there’s a big crash, officials may delay the start so the track can be made safe.

Concept

halo

"And you know, the halo obviously is a lot to do with that. And then the other crash standards, but it's amazing to see that."

The “halo” is a protective frame on an F1 car that sits in front of the driver’s head area. It’s meant to help keep the driver safer if something hits the car.

Brand

BMW

"But BMW is seeing this support in the older cars. Connor Olds."

BMW is a car company from Germany. In this part of the conversation, they’re talking about how BMW still helps owners of older cars by making parts available.

Term

remap

"Whether you're after quality parts of your car, a remap to squeeze out a few extra horses or factory quality upgrades to make life a little bit sweeter."

A remap is when a specialist updates your car’s computer settings. It can make the engine feel a bit stronger by changing how it responds to throttle and fuel.

Term

diesel

"For the superb, but I'm also like, it's a fucking 10 year old diesel superb. 200,000 miles on it."

Diesel is a different type of fuel than petrol. Diesel cars are often better for long-distance driving, but they can be more expensive to maintain if something goes wrong.

Term

wiper arms

"[3052.5s] And when we got to Nuri, [3055.3s] we realized we hadn't put the wiper arms back on, [3057.7s] so I had to wiper the whole trip. [3058.9s] We had to buy wipers at the Elder Jumble at the show."

Wiper arms are the parts that hold and move the windshield wipers. Without them, the wipers can’t work, so you end up driving with poor visibility in rain.

Term

airbag

"There was something to do with the airbag. [3164.0s] And then when they tried to take the airbag off, [3165.5s] they couldn't."

An airbag is a safety cushion that pops out during a crash. If it’s built into the steering wheel, you can’t just yank the wheel off—people have to disconnect and handle it correctly.

Concept

Autobahn

"It's like people talk about the Autobahn, [3609.0s] you know, they say about like, [3610.3s] our speed limits should be higher and stuff."

The Autobahn is Germany’s highway system, known for very fast driving. They’re saying that if anything goes wrong at those speeds, it can become really dangerous fast.

Term

brake lights

"...because you've no brake lights, you've nothing. And like, because I've tail cars home behind, like, driving behind them, coming home that don't have brake lights..."

Brake lights are the red lights that come on when you slow down. If they don’t work, people behind you won’t know you’re braking until it’s too late.

Part

coilovers

"My car had coilovers, so it handled a bit better. The 14 should have been faster, but I always thought the carb was that, actually, that way a bit quicker."

Coilovers are suspension parts that let you adjust how stiff the car rides. They can make the car feel more controlled in corners.

Concept

first car

"if you were to buy a first car in the morning, what would you buy? ... I take what he means about first car, just when you pass your test."

A first car is the one you learn on. The best ones are usually easy to drive and not too powerful, so you can build confidence and skills.

Term

30,000 mile engine

"It was a 30,000 mile engine, and we put it in it, and it was a 30,000 mile engine, because it was perfect. You would imagine, it was probably a lot of car to replace as well, money-wise, but he probably didn't want to destroy the young fellas."

They’re saying the engine had only about 30,000 miles on it. Lower mileage usually means it’s less worn out, so it’s more likely to run well.

Brand

Vauxhall

"Aye, Vauxhall, old Vauxhall stuff. I don't know why we went to Dunningall for four doors, because he worked in Lisburne."

Vauxhall is a car brand from the UK. When they say “old Vauxhall stuff,” they mean older Vauxhall cars or parts they found or were looking at.

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