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Mugen Racing III Steering Wheel + Hood paintedPut the steering wheel on today after going back and forth with the cruise control situation. Decided to say screw it for now and threw the wheel on. I can always go back and put it on later. I forget who had it (haga?), but I saw the sparco steering wheel buttons used as cruise control buttons and looks super clean. I might look into that later on down the road. The steering wheel feels GREAT. Love the size of it, look of it, overall really happy and goes well with the rest of the interior bits in my opinion.
ive been meaning to replace the windshield on the car ever since I bought it. There were two minor chips in the windshield that were repaired when I bought it that bugged me and There was also micro cracks all over from being 17years old. so when the sun hit the windshield, it was very hazy and hard to see out of. Safelight did a great job and the mobile service is super convenient. Well worth the money and I'm glad I did it. Night and day difference in visibility.
I also picked up a science of speed nsx shift knob. I wanted something that sat a little higher and had a smaller ball vs the moddiction anvil. Quality is awesome, looks like it belongs on the car in my opinion, and the feel/weight of it is great.
Another quick update. Got the bumper back from paint finally. Fits pretty well, I need to figure out a better solution around the headlights where the bumper meets the hood/fenders. The tabs stick up a bit...the oem brackets that bolt on the bumper then onto the car don't work very well on the aftermarket bumper. If anyone has suggestions, I'm all ears. Other than that I think this rounds out the front end perfectly. Facelift complete.
Just ordered some more motul brake fluid to get started on the brakes as well as some amsoil synchromesh for the trans. More updates shortly.
So recently Ive had more of a "Preventative Maintenance" mindset and decided to get a few things done on the car to make sure it is good for this season. It was also pissing from the sky all weekend, so decided to take advantage of the wonderful "wrenching weather" and knock out:
-Valve adjustment (Intake side was spot on, Exhaust side was in spec but on the tighter side, so i backed it off a little. Good to know and good peace of mind)
-Installed a new OEM Idle Air Control Valve (idles still kinda funky, going to try the idle relearn procedure next)
-Ordered the Ballade Sports TCT
I also got around to installing my Spoon Sports calipers + StopTech Stainless lines that ive been sitting on forever. The procedure is very straightforward and pretty easy, the only mildly annoying part was grinding down the brake indicators on the pads to make them fit. I also used a dremel tool to cut the dust shield vs bending it back for a more clean look. The dual bleeders was a little intimidating at first, but just make sure you go from inner to outer bleeders when performing the brake bleeding process and you should be good. After bleeding the brakes and going for a drive, then coming back and bleeding the brakes a second time, that second time was key in ensuring the most optimal brake pedal feel/bite. Holy sh!t these things bite! One other thing that was slightly sketch during the procedure, was installing the wheels after the calipers were on to make sure the wheels cleared...Theres literally one or two millimeters of clearance! I knew they would fit because thats what the interwebz told me, but still, pretty wild to see just how close these things are to the caliper (picture below). So to anyone curious if Forgestar 17x10 +55 wheels clear Spoon Sports calipers, my answer to you is; BARELY...but it does work!
Future plans:
-Ive got a set of axle spacers that i need to install, then the car is going back to the alignment doctor as the steering wheel isnt straight anymore and pulling to the right for some reason (I just got an alignment not too long ago...).
-Wait for the Ballade Sports TCT to come in and install that
-Ive been talking to a fellow s2ki member regarding pre-load settings for the Ohlins, and might take the rear coilovers off and add a tad bit of pre-load to them to see if that helps with suspension travel and overall feel.
-GO DRIVE THE DAMN THING AND HAVE A BLAST DOING IT
There are still a few things on "the list" that im probably going to pull the trigger on soon. More updates shortly. Thanks for viewing!
Last edited by Cpt. Spock; 05-22-2017 at 06:50 AM.
Well a little bit of an update...I honestly haven't done much since the last update, admittedly. Ive been mega busy with work, extra curricular activities, and a family vacation thrown in the mix, the car has been neglected. When i returned from vacation i picked up a new set of Energy suspension front sway bar bushings as my current ones were toast. I busted out the polisher and gave the car a full paint correction, finishing with CQuartz UK. If you have never tried CQuartz...its pretty gnarly and highly suggest it if youre looking to protect and prolong the life of your paint. Go check out reviews on youtube and see for yourself.
Anyway, I ended up selling the WiseSports to a guy in Texas. Which prompted me to pull the trigger on a set of Advan RSii's, but they HAD to be 17x10 +50 or i didnt want them. So, knowing they didnt make them any longer, i knew it would be a little bit to find the right set. Well after scouring car forums/google/facebook wheel groups for almost a month, i finally found a set in California off craigslist of all places. They were gunmetal, which was probably my least favorite stock color from Advan, but they were in pristine condition. They also came with the Advan boxes and the wheel face condoms (SCORE!), so i decided to pull the trigger knowing they would be going straight to the powdercoater. While they were at the powdercoating shop, i went to discount tire and purchased a set of the new RS4's. Having RS3's on the Forgestars and knowing how well those performed, and reading the good reviews of the RS4's and how people seem to think they're an even better tire than the RS3, i wanted to see what all the hype was about. The wheels took about a week to complete, when i went in to drop them off initially i told the guy "i want the flossyest/glossiest black you have" so apparently they make a "Wet Black" powdercoat, and it looks fantastic! They turned out exactly how i wanted, looked even better with the tire mated to it, and even more killer bolted to the car. Ive always loved the RSii over the ce28 despite their resemblances, especially in the 17x10 +50, its the perfect size and offset for the car in my opinion. These will be my "cars and coffee" wheels, so the Forgestars have officially been promoted to straight track wheels! After the RS's were put on i got an alignment to dial everything back in. Here are some shots after i washed it tonight, sorry it was too dark outside to take proper photos...
Last edited by Cpt. Spock; 07-26-2017 at 06:56 PM.
I love your build! I have a 02 White/Red and I hope I can get it to look as good as yours one day!
Would love to hear how the tires are performing.
thanks man appreciate that. Haven't had a chance to really test the tires just yet. Just some fast entry turns putzing around town kinda thing. Will definitely report back once I have a proper evaluation, curious myself how they perform compared to the rs3s.
03-16-2017, 05:11 PM
