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Finally had a chance to take the car for a drive today after installing the sway bars and the motor mounts on the weekend. Install was straightforward and the DIY's helped alot. I had to tighten one 19mm bolts on top of the vibratechnics mounts with an extension because I could not get to the driver side from the bottom. The passenger side I could do with a short socket.
Driving impressions were great! The Ohlins and wider tires were making the steering response sloppy, and exaggerated the body roll with the stock bars. The sway bar kit for both front and rear made the steering response so much better.
As far as the mounts are concerned, there is a little bit of additional vibration at idle when coming to a stop, but when sitting idling its not that bad at all. While driving, the car feels like stock. I haven't had a chance to really rev the engine yet, so I will post further impressions later.
Had a chance to really push the car today, and its like a totally different car. So much confidence and grip, I feel like I can wring every ounce of the stock engine and have control over it. I may end up going with some stiffer diff mounts and tranny mounts and an x brace later on, but overall I really recommend this combination of parts. Shifting is smooth and there are no more hiccups due to the slop in the middle of a shift. Very happy with the setup.
Bride seats finally came in. Ordered from RavSpec.com in Long Island, NY, they gave me a good deal. These are Bride VIOS III Japan editions. Carbon Fiber and only weigh 10lbs.
Seat install was pretty straightforward. You need seatbelt extenders so that the buckle fits on the inside of the seat, you also need to run the other side of the buckle through the harness hole on the opposite side. I'm using the Bride FG seat rails. My garage sucks so I'll hopefully have better pictures outside when the weather is better.
Car as it sits right now. She's a little dirty, but still looks good. Also added a Whiteline front lower X brace today. Noticeable improvement in turn in and grip, definitely worth the money. I think it's save to say I'm done with suspension mods. Thinking about stiffer front sway bar, but I don't think it's needed. Car has an ungodly amount of grip. I can't break the wheels, and I have yet to see the limits of this car. I scared the shit out of my partner on some backroad twisties, but we both had a good laugh, she enjoys it. Unfortunately, her juicy booty doesn't fit comfortably in the Bride seat, but she can tolerate short car rides in it. I offered to swap out the passenger seat for longer car rides.
06-06-2017, 05:56 PM
