ok so a little update here of things that have been done the last month or so as the car is now ready for the annual Alpine trip. Things that have been done;
1. AD08Rs all around. I was in two minds between these and the Nankangs but decided to go for the Yokos for now to have a reference point and then switch to NS-2Rs for comparing purposes.
2. Fuchs ester synthetic oil.
3. Fuchs synthetic 75w-80 gearbox oil.
4. SRF brake fluid. I ditched the 11 months old - several times boiled - ATE and got the king of brake fluids. Hopefully I won't have any issues with that.
5. Rear 2 piece discs fitted.
6. Pro friction front pads.
7. Height adjustment, raised both front and rear, forward rake.
8. Cleaned the K-tec induction filter using the ITG cleaning kit.
9. Aggressive tracking with 2.1 degrees negative camber and 12 minutes toe out each side at the front while I left the rear as it was at 2.6 degrees negative camber and 30 minutes toe in each side.
10. Engine mount replaced with an OEM one. I wouldn't like any vibrations so powerflex was not an option.
The car is now ready to rumble and it feels awesome. Awesome indeed. The front pads are from a different universe (thanks to Litchy here), the braking power is simply immense while the pedal feel has been massively improved with the different pads and fluid. It's seriously sharp and less spongy, precise and purposeful. Doesn't require any effort at all for the ABS to kick in, and that is on a super grippy road with bedded Yokos so that will take some time to get used to. Quality! Downside is the brake dust and brake imbalance as I left the old but with plenty of meat DS2500 at the back. Under heavy braking I can feel the rear twitching so this is something to be aware of. Maybe I shouldn't have risen the rear as much as I did nonetheless I tried to counteract it with more damping at the back which seemed to have improved things.
I haven't got time to properly test the car on a bumpy road so as to judge the difference by which the rear suspension now operates under considerably less unsrpung weight, I'll do so very soon and report back. The initial feedback for the ride is positive though, especially on my car with a track focused ASTs where every little in regards to ride is noticeable. Can't wait to nail its neck on the twisties and see how the rear end behaves. 3.1 kgs from the discs and 2.5kgs from the wheels each side is massive improvement in terms of unsprung weight over stock...
Happy with the gearbox oil as well, now the first gear engages when cold, result. It appears that our gearboxes don't like the Redline oil...
Cleaned after a long time therefore an opportunity for some pics;
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YiannisR27, on Flickr
Untitled by
YiannisR27, on Flickr
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YiannisR27, on Flickr
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YiannisR27, on Flickr
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YiannisR27, on Flickr
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YiannisR27, on Flickr
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YiannisR27, on Flickr
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YiannisR27, on Flickr
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YiannisR27, on Flickr
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YiannisR27, on Flickr
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YiannisR27, on Flickr
This is the old brake fluid!
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YiannisR27, on Flickr
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YiannisR27, on Flickr
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YiannisR27, on Flickr
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YiannisR27, on Flickr
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YiannisR27, on Flickr
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YiannisR27, on Flickr
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YiannisR27, on Flickr
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YiannisR27, on Flickr
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YiannisR27, on Flickr
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YiannisR27, on Flickr
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YiannisR27, on Flickr
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YiannisR27, on Flickr
Departing for the Eurotrip on Friday early hours. Can't wait...