Project Civic ~ All Motor & Fully Loaded

In my 5 years of ownership of this little sedan, she has had her fair share of adventures in the quest for more power; from a simple B16A transplant just a day after getting her keys (she was originally a single-cam non-VTEC), picking up basic bolt-on upgrades along the way, to a loaded & extensively modified NA machine she is today.
It has taken 3 dyno sessions to get the settings & tuning dialled in, with progressive improvements. Essentially, she's still retains her 1.6 litre naturally aspirated heart, with extensive work done on the engine head, the engine block receiving some beefing up to handle the power, & a transmission swap to the rare & highly coveted 98' ITR gearbox with LSD & a 4.785 final drive to exploit the increased capacity of the powerband.

From Rides

The final output on the dyno reads 168.12whp & 147nm, which translates to 205.5bhp & 179.3nm at the crank (considering 18% transmission loss, which is typical for B-series engines). A stock B16A is rated to make 170bhp at the crank, & typically 120+ to 130whp. While the figures may not be much to shout about, if you put it in the same league with high performance cars like EVOs, STis or 350Zs; to put things into perspective, 168.12whp from a 1.6 litre NA engine ~ that's already an output of more than 100 wheel-horsepower per litre! 105.1 whp per litre to be exact, achieved without resorting to turbocharging or supercharging. Admittedly, that's a consolation for me, for not breaching 200whp mark which I earlier thought was easily achievable (not unless I stroke it to 2 litres *will discuss about it another time*).
Power figures aside, it's the driving impression that will matter most, at the end of the day. In terms of response & power delivery, it's very swift, extremely smooth & linear all the way to the redline (as evidenced in the last dyno chart); to the extent that the 'VTEC kick' typically felt during the VTEC transition could no longer be felt or heard as distinctly. Such is the characteristics of the most aggressive camshaft design from Skunk2, the Pro Series Stage 3 bumpsticks. *It takes a little used to (without the VTEC signature loud bark), to start appreciating how much faster it is from point to point*. To sum it up, the car pulls much harder now, with significant gains & useable power throughout the rev range, especially from mid range all the way to the redline. The real fun starts from 7,300rpm onwards ~ watch the needle sweep across to the limit in one fluid motion =D
The torque band feels pretty broad & easily accesible from as low as past 2,300rpm, making hard launches prone to wheelspin, but the forward motion & traction is effectively remedied by the LSD & the thicker profile rubbers in using.
0 - 100km/h? With this setup, I reckon it should be in the mid, to low 6 secs *if i don't get sucky on my shifting
Quarter mile? Yet to try, I'd be very happy to be able to run 14 second-ish passes
It just takes a spirited drive out in the open roads to put a grin on my face. Quoted "there isn't much out there that will beat the thrill of a high strung, naturally aspirated engine, angrily & furiously screaming its way up to 9,000rpm" ~ I can't agree more... =)
It feels much faster in the open roads, pulling easily across at century speeds (80km/h - 160km/h), and acceleration is ample even at high gears (got to love the close-ratio gears & high final drive). Though it may not be a blistering straight line performer (by tuned car's standard), I believe it's got enough to hold its own against higher spec-ced performance cars out on the open roads ~ "may not be able to beat, but won't go down easily either".
Though, she still needs a little more upgrade in the handling department. Now, I'm fairly contented with the new found power she's making, still getting accustomed to driving her effectively to exploit the finer points of her potential =)

From Rides

Here's a bio profile on Project Civic:

Engine 1.6L NA JDM B16A2

Engine Upgrades Skunk2 Pro+3 camshafts, Skunk2 Pro-series valve springs, Skunk2 hi-comp forged valves, Skunk2 Pro-series titanium retainers, Toda Racing adjustable cam gears, head port & polish, Power Enterprise Kevlar timing belt, lightened crank pulley, B16B (PCT) hi-comp pistons, aluminium engine block guard, ACL main & rod race bearings, Walbro 255lph fuel pump, B18CR fuel injectors, NGK Iriway 8 spark plugs, Ultra power cables, Arospeed voltage stabilizer, Skunk2 Pro-series 68mm throttle body, Skunk2 Pro-series intake manifold, Top Fuel air ram + K&N open pod intake, Skunk2 Black Series billet oil cap, custom tuned-lenght 4-1 header + 2.5” stainless steel piping system, and Skunk2 Mega Power (60mm) universal muffler + silencer

Engine Management Hondata S300

Transmission S80 (98’ DC2R) manual gearbox with Helical LSD + 4.785 final drive, Exedy 4-puck Stage 2 racing clutch kit + lightened & balanced flywheel (3.8kg)

Handling / Chassis GAB HA series coilovers with AVCS, EG9 front lower arm & undercarriage assembly

Brakes EG9 front + rear disc brake system conversion, dual layer brake servo, and Improve stainless steel braided brake hose kit

Wheels & Tires Sparco Racing NSII 15”, Bridgestone Potenza RE001 195/55/15 semi-slicks (front), and Toyo Trampio R1R 195/55/15 semi-slicks (rear)

Exterior OEM stock standard, EG9 rear boot lid spoiler, and OEM EK9 rear emblem

Interior EG6 meter cluster panel + dashboard, Nardi Torino 3-spoke steering wheel, Skunk2 billet shift knob, Apexi’ auto-timer, EK4 semi-bucket seats

I try to keep the exterior & visible interior stock, simple & clean coz 'less is more' & to avoid unwanted attention. It's already enough having a bloody loud exhaust system. I had to cap it with a silencer to keep the noise levels within acceptable levels, & so that my neighbors don't hate me, at the expense of a few horses & a bit of fuel consumption due to back pressure from the restrictive silencer outlet -_-"
Measured fuel consumption now is 7.54 kms/litre, down from a fairly efficient 10.9 kms/litre before the extensive upgrade. So Project Civic is now officially a fuel guzzler that takes in premium 97-octane or higher fuel only (high-compression-engine friendly).
You got to be hardcore to be driving Project Civic on a daily basis. With the level of mods, she's a car that begs to be driven hard & fast. More effort & coaxing is required to drive her in a civilized manner (already detuned, with emphasis on favorable daily driving, rather than all-out track days), to blend in with the masses & keep under the radar of the men in blue. Yes, she's definitely a bitch to drive, in heavy traffic... xp
Project Civic ~ that's a true driver's car, for me =)

That familiar blue top ~

From Rides

Came across this photo while browsing through FB ~ a press coverage of the other day's dyno session! My friend's exotic NSX takes the center stage here =)
Looking further on the photos in the upper left ~ that engine bay with blue top looks suspiciously familiar.... Project Civic on its maiden dyno run!
Now i finally recalled, there was a guy with a DSLR taking random shots during the dyno session; must be from the press. Can't quite make out what the text are about coz i'm chinese-character blind ~ it's got to be about Sarawak getting its very 1st dyno facility. The guys at Pro Dyno has got to be happy to be getting these free publicity... =)

Project Civic on the Dyno

Project Civic was put on its maiden dyno run at Pro Dyno in Kuching last Saturday, tested on the very 1st dyno machine brought into Kuching, if not the state which, was only set up & commissioned recently. The availability of these test machines would definitely give a big boost to the local tuning scene; as prior to this, to get a thorough quantitative & qualitative gauge on their engine performance, enthusiasts could either a) take out the engine, pack & ship it to KL, b) ship the whole car to KL, or c) put it on a trailer, or drive it to Brunei ~ just to put it on a dyno test *maybe PUSPAKOM would have one, but they're strictly for inspection only*. For a start, there are rumours that 2 more of the dyno machines are being shipped in ~ that's just a testament of the maturing tuning scene here =)

It took quite a while to prep the car up for the dyno run & getting machine calibration settings set. The machine is a 2-wheel dyno manufactured by Dynojet. Okay, i'm not going to bore you guys with anymore mundane details, but a couple of amusing dramas did unfold during the session; here are some photos & captions posted by the Pro Dyno guy himself, Clement Chong:

this is a scary car, why!!

kanasaii!! THIS CAR IS SO SCARY UNTIL MY TWO NUTS NEARLY DROP OFF MY PANT.

guess how much the tuner want me to rev the car???
6000rpm... NO!
7000rpm... NO!
8000rpm... NO!
9000r...pm.... this is the max rpm range on the rpm meter....NO!
10000rpm...... you must be insane............NO!
i finally rev the car pass the 9000rpm mark and over the mark which has no more readindg and continue until about the 0rpm mark. walau A!!! i only show this type of engine in japan magazine many year ago and thats a SPOON for honda . scary neh!!! i rev it i think pass 11000rpm, i myself cant believe it, can you???
FB link to ProDyno

He was behind the wheel, while my friend Ricky was busy dialling in the tuning for the Hondata S300 via his laptop in the passenger seat. Though, my dyno session did came to an abrupt end following a bang complemented with a spectacular exhaust flame sprouting antic ~ did my engine blow up after repeated rev runs to stratospheric 11,000rpm?? Fortunately no, *phew!(in relief)* the upgraded valvetrain assemblies & strengthened block held its worth against the abuse. It was actually the stock ignition coils that got toasted on the last dyno run... *now i know why modded hondas run pricey aftermarket ignition coils (MSD)* and that was the only extent of damage...

Here's a clip of one of the dyno runs

& the result which, i wasn't too enthusiastic about:

158.55whp @ 8,800rpm; 137.79 Nm (14.05kgm) @ 5,800rpm

~ which, translates to

193.35bhp & 168.04 Nm (17.14kgm) ~ estimated output at the crank / engine, assuming transmission loss of 18%.

Compared to the stock output of B16A 1.6 liter naturally aspirated engine on papers of 170bhp @ 8,200rpm & 157Nm (16kgm) ~ there are some considerable gains, but still leaves much to be desired as the current setup is supposedly capable of pushing over 200bhp at the crank.
The max torque figure isn't exactly impressive too, although it is quite close to the mark of a 1.8liter B18C GSR. There's an apparent torque dip around 4,400 to 5,200rpm that needs to be remedied with further tweaking. *may be running slightly higher profile tyres of 195/55/15 compared to the standard 195/50/15 does play a bit of reducing factor in the torque output to the ground*
The hp curve towards the higher rpm range is expected to spike higher, but it could be due to my current setup not giving sufficiently high (crazy high like 11.6 or higher) to fully capitalize on the potential gain of the hi-cams... currently in the progress of addressing this compression issue, hopefully it will net more gain to achieve 170whp on the next run.
Since the peak power has been shifted upwards to almost 9,000rpm, the B16A stock, & relatively long gear ratios (compared to aftermarket gear ratios la..) will make it a little tricky to keep up & stay in the powerband when shifting gears. In short, the real sweat-in-pants action only happens beyond the 7,000rpm & it literally it takes ages for the rpm needle to swoop past that magical mark with my current gear ratio!! After all, how much horses your engine makes should take a backseat to how much horses your car can effectively put to the ground... *the gear ratios surely determines how the power gets delivered to the ground, but i'm not sure to what extent it will affect the max hp output as well??
From the low to mid range, the power delivery feels a bit flat (& torque-less too, ~ inherent characteristics of small naturally aspirated engines; the mantra "there is no replacement for displacement" reigns here). Maybe i felt it increasingly so, coz i drove it right after i took Ricky's impressive 211whp & 233Nm FD2R for a spin... xp

Among the other 2 Hondas on dyno that afternoon was Ricky's K20A FD2R (superb output !) & another Steven's NA1 NSX which netted 218whp & a whooping 300Nm!

I just had to settle being the slow-poke for that day.... Until the next dyno run....
=)

~ coming soon ~

From Rides

Project Civic Revisit

This is what a 200whp All-Motor 1.6L sounds like ~ also what i aspire to realistically achieve with my Project Civic *soon; 200 naturally aspirated horses, at the flywheel, at least - to hit that magical output of 125hp per litre from a high revving potent little engine =)

Skunk in my Car

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In the past week...

I haven’t had much time to update since the past week, with my workload piling up most notably my gunpla WIP =p, & having to put up with the hassles of getting my ride up & operational again after a major brake failure.

From Miscellaneous

Early this week, my eneloop rechargeable batteries shipment from Sashinki finally arrived, but i’ve yet to start playing with my virgin speedlite =p

From Miscellaneous

Focus test chart ~ i guess this is how it’s supposed to work; checked OK!

From Gunpla

Yet another impulse purchase on an impromtu visit to one of the local toy shops, thanks to my gunpla-crazed housemate... 1/200 Speed Grade collection ~ worth every cent of its 39.90 tag. Reviews coming soon.

From Rides

Finally sent my car for its long awaited brake system upgrade in the form of brake pads change & OEM rubber brake hoses replacement with IMP stainless steel braided brake hose kit, for better braking efficiency & eliminate spongy pedal ‘feel’ under heavy braking.

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OEM rubber brake hose kit Vs high performance stainless steel braided brake hose kit

OEM rubber hose kit generally have an average lifespan of about 3 years; in the case of my old ride, it could very well be a ticking time bomb on the countdown to burst. They tend to swell with age and this may restrict fluid flow thus, causing sponginess pedal ‘feel’ when braking.

In comparison, the stainless steel braided hose kit is of sturdier construction with Teflon inner lining & stainless steel overbraid which gives it added strength & flexibility, durability to handle extreme pressures & temperatures without fatigue or failure.

From Rides

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Faded brake pads Vs new pads from AFI

*claimed to bite stronger but at the expense of its slightly shorter than OEM lifespan; we’ll find out soon

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A friend’s car getting its wheels blinged with supercool & expensive TRD lugnut set

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Other nice rides spotted at the establishment...

With weak Point A of the braking system eliminated, unfortunately it wasn’t happily ever after just yet, as the other remaining weak points, namely the brake master pump seal & brake separator valve seal, started to leak not long after (maybe due to the aging rubber components in those part’s inability to handle the pressure exerted by the newly topped up brakefluid couple with a now more efficient back-end of the brake system), rendering me car-less for a couple of days as the problem gets rectified at my friend’s workshop -_-

From Rides

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Once out, it’s back to Big Wheels again, to have 2 of the balding Advan Neovas at the rear replaced with another set of pricey semi-slicks; the Bridgestone Potenza RE001 Adrenalin; sized at 195/55R15, now for the 1^st time in about half-a-year since i replaced 2 of my front rubbers with Toyos, my car will have equal sized tires all around... (previously running AD07 195/55R15 on all fours before i replaced them with the thicker Toyos 2 piece at a time; unfortunately i’ve sourced the whole Miri for the same rubber, but without any success)

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Bumped into another fairly new Japanese exotic ~ the 370Z Fairlady with nice bolt-on mods...

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Checkout the its nice rear – more Porshe-like looking now...

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It’s in the process of getting brand new Volk GT-C 20” wheels fitted on. How much if you may ask? If i sell off my car for cash now, i could probably afford only 2 of those wheels. MYR25,000 for a set of bling-bling; shouldn’t be too much to ask for one who can afford a brand new 370Z. =)

Project Civic: Suspension System Replacement

One of my recond circuit-spec coilovers had succumbed to the daily grind of travelling on the awful pot-hole filled roads of Miri; after only over a year of service *includes just less than 2 months here in Miri*; though it has lived up to my expectations, performance wise.

From Rides

I suspect one of the oil seals in the front-left damping chamber has failed, causing it to make unsettlingly annoying sounds when travelling over undulations on the road. I’m optimistic about getting it fixed& refurbished, but I can’t exactly live without a set of suspension, so I had to shop for replacement shocks; & they only come in a set of 4s; break any one, have to change all four *Ouch! *$-pricey-$*

From Rides

For the ailing coilovers, salvation came in a red box of goodies...

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A set of GAB HA height adjustable suspension

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Adjustable damping no longer an option, but it’s got something called AVCS – Auto Valve Control Stability which, automatically adjusts the stiffness of the suspension according to the road condition and driving style; so it’s not that bad, but I have to be realistic not to expect it to better the performance of my previous set of CST Zero-1 fully adjustable coilovers.

From Rides

One thing for sure, it’s going to be a much more comfortable ride with these new red stuff installed. A more practical option for everyday ride, but i’m sure i’ll be missing my stiff kick-ass road hugging handling my ride used to have =(

From Rides

It’s now also got a slightly elevated stance by 5 – 10mm.

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*the height adjustment tool; i doubt i'll be using it often at all... *
That’s as low as she can go, coz the spring rates on this system is considerably softer *stiffer than stock, still*. I’d expect it to perform better than stock suspension + low springs though ~ it’s marketed as a semi-adjustable sports suspension, so it better be. Just had it installed for about 2 days only, so far, so good.

Come to think of it, would it be an upgrade? Or down grade? Geared for reasonably good handling, and for comfort, but surely performance on the higher end would be compromised a little. That’s 2K++ blown, for me *no more budget to upgrade the ECU.. =( *... still waiting for my Ultra Racing rear anti-roll bar to arrive. That should alleviate the understeering problem a bit. Stay tuned for more updates!

Night Cruise

From Rides

From Rides

~ cruising in the blue monster belonging to my housemate; fully clad in the Nismo 400R kit, this GTR look-a-like is actually a GT-T; the standard Skyline steering wheel would have given it away... even at the current level of 'mild' modifications is sufficient to derive some tarmac scorching fun & rear sliding action from this blue baby. As for the future, some serious big-siput *hint* T88* for big-HP upgrade is in the pipeline. * enough powah to give big brother GTR a run for its money *grin* can't wait *grin*
As for my Project Civic, i'm looking at something along the lines of engine management system... *greddy e-manage* Now 6 more days to go til pay day.... =)

Project Civic ~ the Story

*Warning long post ahead, about boring guy’s talk. Don’t bitch yah!

She’s the 1^st car I’ve owned & I’ve had her for almost 4 years now. Decided to get a car not long after I started working; during then, I was contemplating between getting her or a classier E36 318i Beemer ~ with low mileage, in mint condition & at a bargain $$. The mod bug got the better of me & considering the long term maintenance of the Beemer which commands a premium, I finally opted for the humble Japanese workhorse, acquired for a bargain price of 17K.

She didn’t look all that great when I first got her. Her cosmetic bodywork was a mess, the paintjob looked worse than my dad’s then 10-year old faded Iswara, the interior all worn out, came with an ailing ZC engine leaking oil badly & the gears felt like popping out at every gear shift, and even the silver alloy rims accumulated so much dirt to the extent that they looked like painted in matte black. Only the chassis or structure was about the only thing of it that was immaculate.

I only had her for a night on my front porch before sending her away for a heart transplant & paint job make over ~ out came the engine, transmission, brakes, wheels, dashboard & everything that is detachable. So it could be concluded that I bought an EG chassis for 17K.

The thing is, I’ve sourced for a whole EG6 half-cut with the venerable B16A2 powerplant & manual transmission, the disc brake conversion kit, the fuel tank & exhaust a good couple of months before I even got the delivery of the car. Paid a ridiculous amount for that so-called upgraded half-cut which turned out to be quite stock on the inside; in short I got ripped! Sometimes shit like this happens ~ me being a newbie at the tuning scene & not having any relevant reliable inside contacts.

Trusting the right person with the capability & integrity to do the conversion job was also an important, hard learned lesson for me. I put my car in the wrong hands, and that fella fucked up the conversion job; the gearbox turned out pretty screwed up as engaging the 1^st & 3^rd gear was almost impossible; how to drive like that??! It took a hefty repair job by a VTEC specialist before my car was even drivable again, and footed that goddamn bill. Aside from shudding away any responsibility, that loser fella also fleeced me into purchasing some over-priced used parts that turned out to be unsuitable for my ride i.e. non-matching muffler & some strut bars ~ so much for me being ignorant, easily influenced & not doing enough research on the stuffs.

So far the story of Project Civic has taken bumpy twists after another right from the start. I’ve dealt with the inconveniences of enduring long vehicle down time in the workshop, a couple of bad costly investments in the tuning journey of this project. During the earlier days, I haven’t documented much about each upgrade process, where most I made most of my so-called misjudgments. I’ve experimented with quite a few bolt-on intake & exhaust setups; from the initial loud mismatched oversize fart muffler (that is meant for a 2,000cc or bigger capacity vehicle) that got me pulled over by cops (loud coz it’s already spoiled inside ~ reduced muffling capability) to the current Mugen twin loop replica I’m still running (coz it’s silent when it needs to be, under civilized driving manner); but darn til this day, I have yet to get my whole exhaust piping setup correct! (Still at 2”). Had her hood painted black, & then had a carbon fiber hood mounted for a day, before reverting to the stock bonnet look coz I found it to be a tad too attention seeking. Then some drunken motorcyclist rear ended her, and I made a horrendous decision to install an ah beng custom bodykit ~ what was I thinking??!! That’s pricey bad investment number#2. With that, I had to live as an ah beng ricer for almost 2 years. Well, some people like to bling up the exterior of their rides, some examples turn out nicely, where as most don’t. Maybe I was just going thru that fad phase of exterior personification, but I’m still pretty much an old school JDM enthusiast. Keep it stock, keep it simple. Function over looks. If it’s not going to make my car run faster, then I don’t want it.

Only after I met up with my current mechanic & bunch of kaki-motor did Project Civic get a proper kick-start. It took quite a few servicing & repair visits before I got well acquainted with the guys at Gencool Enterprise, enough to trust them with doing up my ride. Had my ride’s frontal undercarriage fixed to eliminate the alignment caster problem its had since the conversion. Not long after that, I committed to have a proper engine overhaul-cum-rebuild on my car; spent a good 1 & ½ months in the garage for the big job which also includes oversized piston installation, head port & polish job, flywheel lightening & adding reliability upgrades i.e. engine block guide, stiffer valve springs & timing belt upgrade. And then I’ve also upgraded the suspension system by installing a set of used fully adjustable coilovers from CST, definitely money well spent. My ride never felt more responsive & livelier to drive. Towards the end of last year, she gets a major exterior makeover in the form of a new paint job & getting JDM-ized.

Since the mishap I’ve had earlier this year, there hasn’t been much progress for Project Civic, except for tire replacement & air filter upgrade. And there may be no more upgrade, as the days of Project Civic roaming the streets of Kuching are numbered. So I’ll sum up the highlights of my tuning journey with Project Civic

1. What if(s) ~ had I been knowledgeable & resourceful enough to opt for a B16B (Civic type-R) half-cut, my project journey would have been a shortcut & more cost efficient in the long run. This should have been my dilemma.
2. Best bang for buck upgrade ~ invest in a good set of coilovers, you’ll be impressed by how much better & capable your car handles
3. Buck down the drain ~ flimsy over-the-top custom fiber body kits, they’re heavy, crack easily, create more drag if not designed properly, god knows if you’ll still like the way they look 6 months from now
4. Top speed attempted ~ way past 190km/h, can’t tell how fast exactly coz the needle has shot past the max speed gauge
5. Summoned by cops? ~ been chased once for doing 170km/h near residential area in the wee hours
6. Most exciting moment ~ track day 5/04/08; even a fairly stock B16 can be put to blistering paces at the hands of an experienced tracker
7. Possible future upgrades ~ an oversized throttle body, higher flow capacity intake manifold, upgraded valve train, racing cams, balanced & lightened crankshaft, heavy duty clutch, LSD gearbox, oil pressure regulator, oil catch tank, triple core radiator, ECU reprogram, brake pads upgrade & 2’3” exhaust piping system.

My journey of car modification has taken me a long way since I first got my car ~ it has been a steep and exciting learning curve, though frustrating at times, and surely time & $$ consuming; but it gives me a passion I can strive to live out. Since I’ll be embarking on a new chapter in my career soon, maybe it’s time to put a foot hold on Project Civic. Perhaps I should just keep & maintain it as my daily workhorse, & when my $$ capabilities expand in due time, then I’ll look a new proper project car to work on ~ one that fits the bill of a high performance breed of machine; one that I’ll spend more effort in mastering the beast & derive maximum driving pleasure from, I hope. That has always been my dream… =)

Project Civic gets a breather...

When i got her back from the workshop after undergoing some major repair works due to my CNY-wrap-up mishap, everything was restored to satisfactory level, sans the C.A.I intake ; & except the dreaded long downtime of course... the other being that she was fitted back with this:

From Rides

an undersized & mangled open pod air cleaner ~ crushed to its current sorry-but-still useable state at point of crash impact

so i did her justice today, by getting a more than sufficient replacement to ease her breathing complications

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~ a 3" inlet filtercharger from renowned K&N brand with a radical distinct X-stream air flow top design. Fills up my engine bay nicely too...

From Rides

*this particular image stolen from here; coz i missed snapping a shot of my disclaimer sticker, lazy to shoot & edit again*

I parted with 360 bucks for this piece of breathing apparatus... it better live up to its claims, til my ride R.I.P. (rot-in-peace), that is... =p

The Return of Project Civic: Shopping for New Shoes

Finally after a grueling (it’s very bothersome being car-less) near-2-month sitting in some workshop for major repairs I had her back, restored to her glory ~ cosmetically, at least (hardly any traces of damage visible from outside) & surprisingly not much structural damaged sustained, as the wheel alignment check results came back okay. Sent her for service yesterday & the engine health checks turned out good too; except for that mangled open pod filter which I’ll still be using for the time being until I get a proper replacement (K&N). Having survived the potentially horrendous crash (it could have been much worse), I’d decided compromise on safety anymore & replace the balding tires which, I should have done much earlier.

Often overlooked, those four patches of rubbers are your only contacts with road when driving ~ could make the difference between keeping you on the road or careening off-course & worse, into a tree or lamp post if they lose traction. Bad/unmaintained tires ~ usually one of the major factors of an accident

Acknowledging the spirited type of driver I can be at times, I opted for a pair of Toyo Trampio R1R rubbers (made in Japan, babeh!) a unique hybrid ultra high-performance / race tires designed for club-motor sport competitors that regularly use their vehicles on public roads ~ features unidirectional Arrowhead tread design that allows it to achieve balanced performance between wet & dry condition ~ this should suffice for daily use. (it’s a cliché that semi slicks rubbers though known for their superb grip on dry condition, are completely useless when used in wet conditions; so if you’re running a set of those on your ride, when it rains, make sure you drive below 30km/h ~ I kid you not!). The only downside is that it cost a premium (x2 what you would pay for a normal set of tires) & the fact that the TPR1R are performance oriented rubbers ~ meaning that they’ll be noisier that conventional road tires that are designed for comfort; But being a car enthusiast, chances are we’re most likely already running loud aftermarket exhausts that could get us into trouble with the law. Who’s complaining about the extra tire noise anyway?

Since it’s only available in limited sizes, I’m currently running a staggered rubber setup of 195/55R15 upfront (brand new Toyos) & my old 195/50R15 at the rear (but better treaded pair of Neova AD07). My car looks a bit funny with the fatter rubbers in front with a diameter difference of 0.7” larger than my initial setup (filled the wheel arch to the brim!) , so had to dial-in sufficient height increase on the front adjustable coilovers to ensure the wheels don’t chuck against the inner fenders when turning. The fatter rubbers upfront should absorb the bumps better & make for a more comfy drive.

Being a front wheel drive, it would suffice to have more grip on the front tires; this setup should give ample traction… though I have yet to really put it to the test. Have been reluctant to give my ride the trashing drive it deserves since I got her back; maybe someday soon, since her vital checks have been verified okay. =p

* i had a very good company to do my manly shopping trip with today! =)