Yiannis' Albi Blue R27 - Toning down...

[Yiannis197]

So, being the Sprint Booster GB unlucky one (the only faulty one apparently, 1 in 22, less than 5% lol, I should go to the bookers) I finally got the replacement one. Excellent customer service from Dave, he brought it to my door and he got the faulty one back.

I did the fitting today, washers method, 4 at the back, 2 at the front so as the pedal to be slightly tilted, and I fitted the remote to the only available slot on the dash. The size of the remote is ideal so it looks kind of factory fitted (ish). I did the best I could anyway Here are some pics




I also sent the steering wheel insert to SS for respraying. What was I thinking the first time seriously....
I had it sprayed titanium silver. Looking at it from afar looks exactly like the original but if you get a closer look you can definitely see the difference. Like my interior's pearl anthracite mix in a way. From afar it looks stock but it's not. Great work from SS once again.



And one random pic of the car.



Sorry for the crappy pics, iphone at its best. I have to say, very happy with the SB, money well spent I believe, brilliant mod I can easily say that the green option won't be used at all....

Thanks for looking.

 

[Chris197F1]

Nice pic, looks clean there! and yeah......................red light FTW!!!

 

[smoggy mark]

looking good!sprint spoiler would set the back of nice:thumbsup:

 

[Foxspeed]

looks factory fitted - great job!

 

[rbrocky]

I saw the RS badges on the side as i drove past the other day - Yum!

 

[Deaks]

Car looks great mate, I just had a poke around where your SB is fitted, is that little 'cove' removable? I couldn't shift the plastic so there was no way I can hide the wire!

 

[henderson]

looking good mate

 

[Yiannis197]

Cheers guys!

Car looks great mate, I just had a poke around where your SB is fitted, is that little 'cove' removable? I couldn't shift the plastic so there was no way I can hide the wire!

It is removable yes, you have to remove the front panel though. To access the screws take the two strips and the side panel out, then it's just a case of pulling it. That cover clips from the back. Hope that helps Deaks.

 

[Yiannis197]

A few updates are happening today.

I'm changing the lower engine mount which I ordered from Karl, it hasn't ever been replaced and it kind of looks knackered, I wouldn't like to damage my manifold due to excessive engine movement even though my car is still under warranty. I could do without all that fuss...



I'm also dropping the subframe so it would be a good chance to raise the steering rack as well. To be honest I don't know what to expect, it's not that the car misbehaves or anything, I was only thinking that the rack now sits around 40mm lower than it used to and given that these bits are cheap (£7.50 each shim) I thought that every little helps

I ordered the bits (shims and bolts to accommodate them) from Renault Sport.









And an old pic of the 200 cup anti roll bar (still wrapped) I ordered ages ago and fitted alongside the new rack.

 

[rbrocky]

yum yum yum, So much attention to detail my friend!

I hope all is ok, I haven't seen the car parked outside yours in a few weeks.
Have to shoot sometime?

 

[Willis]

Not seen those shims before, interesting.

You'll have to let us know if she feels any better for it.

 

[Sarah A]

How much was the mount? I take it it's the stabiliser mount?

 

[Yiannis197]

I hope all is ok, I haven't seen the car parked outside yours in a few weeks.
Have to shoot sometime?

All good matey, I only moved around the corner though, Nags head road. I need to find some time to pop around yours and get this film for the fog lights sorted!!

Not seen those shims before, interesting.

You'll have to let us know if she feels any better for it.

Of course Willis, the thing is that I wasn't happy with the bolt length, actually the bolts were identical to the stock ones so I'm having a couple ones machined, 10mm longer. I'll update with feedback as soon as

How much was the mount? I take it it's the stabiliser mount?

It's the lower engine mount Sarah, I got it for around £70 from Karl (trader) in here.

 

[rbrocky]

What you doing tomorrow (today)

 

[Yiannis197]

What you doing tomorrow (today)

sorry mate I was working today

Next wkend I'm not though, I'll drop you an email to arrange it, assuming you are gonna be around

 

[rbrocky]

Or anytime in the week? Morning, afternoon, evening, night, I can be available if I know when to be

 

[Yiannis197]

I think it was about time I updated my thread. A few updates the last couple of months and stuff lined up for the next few weeks.

First of all - and most importantly - I managed to sort out the ''pulling to the left'' issue implementing Cooper666’s feedback regarding the subframe alignment. To say I was happy is an understatement. While at it I raised the steering rack using some spacers I got from Renault Sport (see above post for pics). However and to my surprise, the bolts I got from Renault were not sufficiently long (gutted) and to make things worse I couldn’t find the right ones! They are 10.9 (strength indication) with fine thread, so after tenths of phone calls and quite some time I ended up using a couple of engine bolts from a VW, similar strength but a bit longer, therefore I had to cut them which of course wasn’t a problem. Unfortunately I haven’t got any pictures because I was abroad when my mechanic sorted it out

I have to say that I’m really happy with the outcome, the steering is now lighter when stationary, I believe as light as it used to be before lowering the car. Renault reports ''better feel at full lock'' but I can’t confirm this, possibly because the cup racers are much more lowered than mine and their steering suffers more? I can’t really say, all I know is that every little helps and the smaller the angle at which the steering rack operates the better (less stress). The fact that it’s a very cheap mod is an added bonus

Then I tackled the dodgy Bluetooth sound. The Bluetooth that comes with my headunit (Alpine KCE-400BT) is an expensive bit of kit; it is powered by parrot so I couldn’t understand why the call quality was terrible. I tried every single spot and messed up with all the settings when fitting the mic but I still couldn’t get rid of the terrible echo. The thing is though, when I got the headunit and bluetooth from fleebay (bargain I might add) it came without a mic so I bought a compatible one without giving it any thought…terrible mistake. To cut the long story short I ended up buying a genuine alpine mic from the states (expensive but pay cheap pay twice…) and boom, problem solved. Apparently the original ones have an integrated echo cancellation technology or whatever, the good thing is that the problem is now solved. I also relocated the mic and I run the cable from inside the cowling. Here is a pic;





Before upgrading to the Alpine headunit I was running an ipod cable from the trim below the main console which I therefore had to cut (butcher is the right word). Then I decided to run it from the glovebox so I ended up with a hole which I covered with a rubber grommet.




Far from ideal but when Jake (forum member) came along selling interior parts I bought the part on question and had it sent to sprayshack for spraying - pearl anthracite is the colour as the rest of my interior. Very happy with the outcome so I decided to send the gear console, steering cowling and the housing of the indicator stalk as well! Great job from SS once again, his work lifted up the interior massively! Also Steve@Edge sorted out the A-pillars which I asked to be stitched as well, handbrake trim and steering wheel (cruise control buttons sprayed by SS as well). All in alcantara with yellow stitching. Pics;

 

[Yiannis197]

Bodywork wise, 197 carbon diffuser fitted alongside streamline mirror covers and trims, all of them I got from a fellow member in here at a great price. IMO they look the biz, especially the diffuser, I really can’t stop staring at it every time I park the car! After fitting the carbon lot, I treated the exterior trims with C4 (scuttle cover, windscreen trims, mirror trims etc), an expensive but very good product indeed! B-pillars are wrapped in gloss black and the RS badges were sent to SS to be done in matt black.


















I also raised the front 5mm (it’s unbelievable how low this suspension can go), left the rear where it was - now being 10mm higher - and had my geo done with 10’ toe out each wheel. Camber needs doing now as well because after raising the car it went to -1.5 degrees (used to be -2.0). I’ll have to get it sorted at some point alongside the rear which to my surprise is very open (right rear is +40 minutes out!), hence the tail happy behavior.








Plans for the summer and before my 2013 alpine trip are service, brakes, K-tec’s induction kit, OZs and tyres. I wanted to do some more bits but I have so many holidays lined up so I can’t really afford the lot I'm afraid

Thanks for looking! C+C welcome

 

[Fernandez]

Absolutely stunning mate. loving the A-Pillars, the steering wheel and handbrake console

 

[Jonesy]

hubba hubba