Tractor Boy
- Thread starter ///M
- Start date
///M
Gold Member
lovely shot..bet the car feels totally different..glad you find it an improvement...
I was expecting an improvement Pav but I did think the Cup set up on these cars was really excellent out of the box. But it's now on a whole other level. It's a massive improvement. Rides SO well.
Clap clap clap!! [emoji122] [emoji122]
Still holding myself for some pics in the sun!
It's hard to swallow that oem setup can be that much improved I bet, because it is really a good setup out of the box... but seeing as I only fitted Eibachs and it made quite a difference, can't imagine how this feels like.
Thumbs up [emoji106]
Still holding myself for some pics in the sun!
It's hard to swallow that oem setup can be that much improved I bet, because it is really a good setup out of the box... but seeing as I only fitted Eibachs and it made quite a difference, can't imagine how this feels like.
Thumbs up [emoji106]
///M
Gold Member
THANKS Peter!
They're Pilot Super Sports mate. And yes Bilstein developed the suspension to Jade's specifications so it's an exclusive as far as I'm aware.
///M
Gold Member
Mate, I was REALLY impressed with how the Cup set up worked. I think they pitched it absolutely perfectly for what it is. Never driven a 197 on the regular set up so I can't compare with that but yeah, it was excellent as it was.
This is a HUGE improvement. If anything it's even better over the bumps, but obviously that just makes me think we can go stiffer
Super pleased is an understatement.
Sunny pics to come soon I promise.
Thanks again for your help in getting us here mate!
THANKS Peter!
And yes Bilstein developed the suspension to Jade's specifications so it's an exclusive as far as I'm aware.
Hmm intersting stuff now need to know prices - doe you have solid top mounts now?
///M
Gold Member
Oh my dear lord. Look at the fronts especially ! What bloody arch-gap ? That has some serious stance now......
Have you put spacers on too Mes.....or is that accentuated at the front because the wheel is turned slightly ?
Need some daytime pics now to show off the colour. Can tell already its going to be orgasmic looking though. And if you say the ride / handling is epic; anyone driving that car is in for a treat......
LOVE IT ! All worth the anticipation ten-fold
Sorry Shuv, meant to reply properly to this.
Go no! NO spacers mate! The front wheel is at a daft angle. But the space at the top of the wheel you can see is about right, it's not totally slammed but it's pretty low. The angle of the pic accentuates the gap too.
///M
Gold Member
Thanks mate, appreciate it. Top mounts were a step too far at this stage given the way we use the car. In all honesty, the suspension is probably way over specified as it is with the car being a road car. But we just couldn't say no when offered. And it's ready for track time in the future. Which will happen at some point.
Price wise, it's a variable as there are options. Best to give Sean a shout mate.
Sorry Shuv, meant to reply properly to this.
Go no! NO spacers mate! The front wheel is at a daft angle. But the space at the top of the wheel you can see is about right, it's not totally slammed but it's pretty low. The angle of the pic accentuates the gap too.
Didnt strike me as your cup of tea (Spacers). But i did wonder. Looks very well indeed as it is !
Jimmy
Good cop
Well Mes, that looks superb!! Loving the stance, and those wheels are something else Really happy for you that you're so pleased with the setup and the way it rides now. I'm sure you'll give Tractor Boy a really good run out on the drive tomorrow - looking forward to even more feedback and photos!
Oh, and your car is 'dirty' is it?? Could have fooled me
Really happy for you that you're so pleased with the setup and the way it rides now. I'm sure you'll give Tractor Boy a really good run out on the drive tomorrow - looking forward to even more feedback and photos!Oh, and your car is 'dirty' is it?? Could have fooled me
///M
Gold Member
Well Mes, that looks superb!! Loving the stance, and those wheels are something else
Oh, and your car is 'dirty' is it?? Could have fooled me
Thanks for the kind words Jimmy! And you're right, SO looking forward to tomorrow!
As for it being dirty, it's not completely hanging but there's no way it's in forum meet condition! But we're rectifying this as I type
///M
Gold Member
Great work Mes! Car looks fantastic, perfect stance, can't wait to see it tomorrow
Thanks mate. Yours too!
Looks the mutt's nuts! So glad I get to see it for real tomorrow.@peter @Pav @sevenfourate
Sorry guys! Shuv was kind of right, been too busy enjoying it. Also the car desperately needs a wash, so I don't really wanna show new rims off with a dirty car. Gonna go and do a proper job on it shortly and should have some photos and a proper report for later. However, we're going out tonight so may be Sunday after the meet.
Brief headline report: CAR FEELS AMAZING!!! We're both very very happy indeed. Suspension is actually more like a B16 set up. There's very little B14 left in them apparently. They're set to be about B14 stiffness at the moment (3 or 4 on the dials), we're already confident we can go stiffer. It's so compliant over the bumps. My impression so far is they've done a VERY good job with these.
Quick snap from when we got back home at 1am last night after "testing":
///M
Gold Member
So a proper catch up. Seems to make sense to do this after today seeing as we gave the car a bit more of a proper work out.
Before I get into a review, I should probably catch up on all the work that has happened since Thursday. We all knew about the wheels, suspension and tyres but there were a couple of other things that happened too...
Firstly, in my excited state, here is the only photo I got round to taking of the suspension fitted:
Look at that big heavy old exhaust... Need to do something about that...
So, this happened:
Even the printing is good on it:
So that went on and Sean at Jade did a massively brilliant job chopping the tips off the OEM exhaust and welding them on the the back of the Akrapovic. He was gutted when I asked him to do it as he really didn't want to put the crappy old tips on such a stunning new exhaust. So being the legend that he is, he polished them up and they look absolutely brand spanking new now. Really top job. Such a bang on replica of the OEM look that no one even noticed we'd had a new exhaust during the meet today
In addition, while we were doing the exhaust it really made sense to sort the airbox out too so that's been ditched and replaced with the KTR induction kit.
So the full list of what has happened since Thursday is:
OZ Racing Ultraleggera in matt bronze
Jade Developments Bilstein adjustable B14 coilovers
Full geo set up
TPI wheel bolts
Set of Michelin Pilot Super Sport
Driveshaft
Akrapovic Evo exhaust
KTR induction kit
Oil service
New gearbox oil.
Considering Mrs M was adamant she wasn't going to mod Tractor Boy, turns out she's as good as me at throwing money at a car.
So, some reviews of what we have done.
Ultraleggera
Love them, absolutely love them. The weight difference between the old and new is pretty amazing too. I'm sure their weight and extra width has really added to the experience.
Adjustable B14s
Firstly they're pretty much B16s but Bilstein want to call them B14 so that's that. Marketing bizniz no doubt. Anyway, blown away. Driving normally, you can feel they're pretty stiff but they soak up big bumps with a surprising amount of compliancy. They're set at 3 or 4 right now and I really feel like we'll end up going stiffer. When pushing on, my god. They're such a huge jump from even a Cup set up. I knew these would be good, I wasn't expecting them to be this good. I've spent most of the afternoon giving them proper abuse, trail braking, mid corner lifting, flinging the wheel about like an idiot, they've soaked it all up. When driving properly, I just can't say enough good about them. Superb control under braking, no roll, damping is absolutely BANG on, they deal with bumps so well. Given they're set over half way to soft and that's about what a regular B14 is at, I think they'll be pitched really well for the track. And thanks to Sean for the excellent geo. The car just feels SO well balanced. I'm much more aware of the rear and the confidence they give me has made the car really special. Very happy indeed.
Akrapovic Evo
I'm sure everyone else who has one will say the same. Worth every single penny. It's absolutely perfect at everything. Sounds meaty and mean ticking over, plods around town with pretty much no more fuss than the OEM exhaust, yet screams at the top end and makes tunnels almost as fun as they are in my car. Every single sound it makes couldn't be better. And coupled with the induction kit it's made the car MUCH more alive.
KTR Induction
What a bloody fantastic bit of kit this is for the price. I'd talked to a few people and was close to going full R3 carbon intake but Yianni and Sean talked some sense into me and I'm glad they did. It's just as civilised as normal when not pressing on, but sounds like throttle bodies when your foot is down. Not a fan of the company, they were not great to deal with and we're still trying to get a receipt out of them but this is still brilliant. And cheap.
Michelin Pilot Super Sport
Superb. Griped like a limpet all day. Seemed good from cold and just got better. Have these on the BMW, they're fantastic.
Overall
So massively happy with everything. The car is completely transformed. Love how it sits and Sean has absolutely optimised the set up. No rubbing what so ever either and if it didn't rub today, it's never going to. I'm most surprised by how much difference the exhaust and induction kit have made. I really wasn't expecting that at all. I knew we'd get something but I'd have thought we'd have had to wait until after mapping to get much benefit from them. But no, massive difference right away. Throttle response is SO much better. It was one of the things that really bothered me about the car, could still be better but it's more than enough improvement for me to be much happier. Noise, BRILLIANT. Handling, BRILLIANT. The car feels all of a sudden riotous, agile and so well balanced.
I fancy another drive now!
Mapping next.
Oh and still no proper photos of the car, but I grabbed this one today:
Before I get into a review, I should probably catch up on all the work that has happened since Thursday. We all knew about the wheels, suspension and tyres but there were a couple of other things that happened too...
Firstly, in my excited state, here is the only photo I got round to taking of the suspension fitted:
Look at that big heavy old exhaust... Need to do something about that...
So, this happened:
Even the printing is good on it:
So that went on and Sean at Jade did a massively brilliant job chopping the tips off the OEM exhaust and welding them on the the back of the Akrapovic. He was gutted when I asked him to do it as he really didn't want to put the crappy old tips on such a stunning new exhaust. So being the legend that he is, he polished them up and they look absolutely brand spanking new now. Really top job. Such a bang on replica of the OEM look that no one even noticed we'd had a new exhaust during the meet today
In addition, while we were doing the exhaust it really made sense to sort the airbox out too so that's been ditched and replaced with the KTR induction kit.
So the full list of what has happened since Thursday is:
OZ Racing Ultraleggera in matt bronze
Jade Developments Bilstein adjustable B14 coilovers
Full geo set up
TPI wheel bolts
Set of Michelin Pilot Super Sport
Driveshaft
Akrapovic Evo exhaust
KTR induction kit
Oil service
New gearbox oil.
Considering Mrs M was adamant she wasn't going to mod Tractor Boy, turns out she's as good as me at throwing money at a car.
So, some reviews of what we have done.
Ultraleggera
Love them, absolutely love them. The weight difference between the old and new is pretty amazing too. I'm sure their weight and extra width has really added to the experience.
Adjustable B14s
Firstly they're pretty much B16s but Bilstein want to call them B14 so that's that. Marketing bizniz no doubt. Anyway, blown away. Driving normally, you can feel they're pretty stiff but they soak up big bumps with a surprising amount of compliancy. They're set at 3 or 4 right now and I really feel like we'll end up going stiffer. When pushing on, my god. They're such a huge jump from even a Cup set up. I knew these would be good, I wasn't expecting them to be this good. I've spent most of the afternoon giving them proper abuse, trail braking, mid corner lifting, flinging the wheel about like an idiot, they've soaked it all up. When driving properly, I just can't say enough good about them. Superb control under braking, no roll, damping is absolutely BANG on, they deal with bumps so well. Given they're set over half way to soft and that's about what a regular B14 is at, I think they'll be pitched really well for the track. And thanks to Sean for the excellent geo. The car just feels SO well balanced. I'm much more aware of the rear and the confidence they give me has made the car really special. Very happy indeed.
Akrapovic Evo
I'm sure everyone else who has one will say the same. Worth every single penny. It's absolutely perfect at everything. Sounds meaty and mean ticking over, plods around town with pretty much no more fuss than the OEM exhaust, yet screams at the top end and makes tunnels almost as fun as they are in my car. Every single sound it makes couldn't be better. And coupled with the induction kit it's made the car MUCH more alive.
KTR Induction
What a bloody fantastic bit of kit this is for the price. I'd talked to a few people and was close to going full R3 carbon intake but Yianni and Sean talked some sense into me and I'm glad they did. It's just as civilised as normal when not pressing on, but sounds like throttle bodies when your foot is down. Not a fan of the company, they were not great to deal with and we're still trying to get a receipt out of them but this is still brilliant. And cheap.
Michelin Pilot Super Sport
Superb. Griped like a limpet all day. Seemed good from cold and just got better. Have these on the BMW, they're fantastic.
Overall
So massively happy with everything. The car is completely transformed. Love how it sits and Sean has absolutely optimised the set up. No rubbing what so ever either and if it didn't rub today, it's never going to. I'm most surprised by how much difference the exhaust and induction kit have made. I really wasn't expecting that at all. I knew we'd get something but I'd have thought we'd have had to wait until after mapping to get much benefit from them. But no, massive difference right away. Throttle response is SO much better. It was one of the things that really bothered me about the car, could still be better but it's more than enough improvement for me to be much happier. Noise, BRILLIANT. Handling, BRILLIANT. The car feels all of a sudden riotous, agile and so well balanced.
I fancy another drive now!
Mapping next.
Oh and still no proper photos of the car, but I grabbed this one today:
Last edited:
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