Achilles ATR Sport

it has been sometime since i swapped my old Falken Zeix912 with some new rubbers... Falken Zeix912 are considered top of the range for ZE version but the grip and traction is rather disappointing... after reading a few reviews from friends, i've decided to get these Indonesia tyres as they are within my budget... Yes, Indon tyres... don't be alarmed as past reviews and old timers would ask u to stay away from Indon tyres... no idea why and what is the myth behind it, but i guess it would have something to do with reliability...

anyhow, fast forward current technologies had reduced tyre blowout till zero if not minimal... proper maintenance of the tyres is the key towards longevity... properly inflated tyre with correct tyre pressure ensure even wear of the tyres... this also reduces chances of sidewall cracks due to under inflated tyres...

Achilles had been in the local scene for quite some time already... only now it had grown more popular due to involvement in local motorsports, especially the drift scene... Achilles has a wide range of tyres available in the market... but one of the best selling, best bang-for-buck, would be the ATR Sports... this is a directional tyre with wide steel belt to improve traction and cornering capabilities...



i bought 4 units 195/50/R15 size for Rm155 each... Traded in my old Falken for Rm50 each... first impression, feels slightly better grip compare to the old falken... less aquaplanning... after further running in, i found it has far better grip compare to my old Rm180 Falken... can conclude that these tyres can perform what Rm200 tyres do at a cheaper price... what i liked most is its grip under hard braking... it also possesses progressive traction characteristics... it does not lose traction all of a sudden... this allows u to react whenever it starts to slide...



i brought these rubbers to Dato Sagor track day... though they did not perform as much as i expected, it did not failed me either... the track is known to be punishing to any tyres and 1 month into using it, it has left me with this...



it is certainly one of the tyres one should consider if u are within tight budget... but if u are more of an enthusiastic driver who relies greatly on grip and traction (fear of sliding), u would want to go for more expensive UHP tyres...

momo corse

for most car enthusiast, the first thing they will change would be the steering wheel... a smaller steering wheel does affect how you handle the car... less radius means less steering play needed... minor steering corrections can be done very quickly... on some cars it also does improve ergonomics of the car... for example your leg is too long and the steering wheel restricts the leg movement to heel-n-toe... a smaller steering gives more room for your leg to move around...

besides the diameter of the steering wheel, thickness of the handle also matters... in general, a thicker steering wheel gives better grip compare to smaller thin steering wheel...

for many years i did not realize why the need of aftermarket steering wheel... i've done countless touge and daily drive, i've already accustomed myself to the OEM steering wheel... only recently when i've got the mood to beautify the interior of my car only i realize how differently it feels...

there are a few choices i short-listed... momo corse or nardi torino... due to some unknown reason, price for momo corse steering dropped a little... most of them cost approximately Rm350 each... i got this for only Rm200...



original MOMO??...





of course, in order for an aftermarket steering wheel to fit u will need a boss kit... it is basically an adapter which connects the steering shaft with your steering wheel... does an expensive boss kit makes any difference compare with a cheap one??... with the price difference almost thrice as much, i settled for the latter one... here u go, a Rm30 boss kit from any local car accessory shop...





securing it to the steering wheel via 6 Allen key bolts...





and securing it to the steering shaft...





i also bought this original momo corse horn button separately...

full aluminum radiator...

previously i had experienced over heating issue whenever i gets stuck in a traffic jam in a hot day... the thin single layer radiator obviously not providing sufficient cooling capability needed in our hot tropical climate country...



i got this full aluminum radiator from JASMA at an affordable price... it is a single layer 42mm in thickness radiator... it holds higher capacity of cooling liquid, which will improves the overall cooling efficiency...





i also bought along 1L of toyota long life coolant... installation was easy as i DIY it at home... since it is aluminum radiator, i used RO water instead of pipe water to prevent it from getting rusty...



comparison between my old radiator and jasma 42mm full aluminum radiator...





everything is plug and play aside from one issue... the radiator cap is facing the wrong direction and it is slightly too high for iswara hood to clear it... some knocking needs to be done on the hood... for older proton saga, its all plug and play....



so far, there is no overheating issue in traffic jam... it also maintained water temperature below mid-line during hot afternoon track day...

extractor 2.0

extractor or exhaust header is one most important component in a car exhaust system... as its name says, it extracts exhaust gas out from the engine into the exhaust down pipe... a tuned-length header does allows the engine exhale much more easily compare to stock exhaust manifold... mainly for a 4-cylinder exhaust header consist of 2 common configuration; 4-1 setup or 4-2-1 setup...

so how does a tuned-length extractor works??... given for example a 4-cylinder engine with a 4-2-1 exhaust manifold... when the first exhaust pulse exits the engine and travels down into the exhaust header, it creates low pressure behind which will then siphons out the second exhaust pulse... this allows the engine to exhale easily without having the piston to push out the exhaust pulse... siphoning effect will continue as long as the exhaust has travels out without clashing into each other at the primary joints... hence, it is important to have a tuned length extractor so that exhaust pulse will not clash with each other at joints...

besides having an ideal length extractor, primary and secondary piping size as well as smooth bends is equally important... mandrel bend is always the ideal choice as there is no reduction in piping diameter at bends... piping size go according to engine displacement... and smooth Y-joints are good to allow exhaust pulse flow smoothly from primary piping to the secondary piping....



my old extractor does not have nice bend in its piping as they are badly crushed bent... the material used already show sign of rusting...



so, i got it replaced with another cheap extractor... this one is made of aluminized steel which can resist rust far better than the old one... it also has better bend in the primary and secondary piping...



however, i made a mistake in purchasing a unit which is meant for Proton Wira... after fitting it to my car, i noticed it is slightly angled towards the center which came very close to the cross member...



the header was torched at the elbow section till it is smoking red to allow it to be forcefully bent away from the cross member... i also had it flexible pipe replaced with a 2 inch in diameter unit...



at the end of the extractor i made an adapter for easy fitting and removal of the exhaust piping... hence, now my exhaust system consist of 3 removable section; extractor, mid piping and muffler...

first impression, revs climb slightly smoother at mid-higher revs... overall gain was noticeable...

anti roll bar link modifications...

low stance does cause lots of minor problem... one of it indefinitely will be deformation of your anti roll bar bush... when the car sits lower, the anti roll bar will be slightly angled upwards at both ends... this creates stress on one side of the bush... hence, deforming most rubber bush...

as i've mentioned earlier that i had mine changed to teflon, this does not stop the anti roll bar from grinding away one side of my teflon bush... this premature wear will reduce the lifespan of the bush altogether...

as u see on the stock satay bush, there is a spacer in between to separate the lower arm and anti roll bar...



i've bought another pair of satay rod... saw off the spacer half the height... this is what i got after installation...



i've also got this opportunity to change the inner anti roll bar bush...



not easy to change if don't have proper tools... because the tie-rod end is blocking your spanner movement inside and both sides need to be aligned in order to fit in properly... the bush needs to be cut so it can be fitted into the bar and bracket...

SSR Type-C RS...

its been more than 5 years since i first started using this rim... it has gone through humps, bumps, tarmac, gravel, and all sorts of road Malaysia can offer... the last wheel balancing shows that 3 out of 4 wheel is badly deformed... its time to say good bye...



i'm keen on a few models which i had short listed... SSR Type-C RS, Advan RG II, RAYS CE28n and TE37... in fact, any JDM'ish 5 to 6 spoke rim will fancy me... i got this offer from a local tyre shop somewhere in Melaka... they offered me this new set of rim plus trade in my old rims, all i had to top up was Rm360... price was around that range after consulting a few more tyre shop... so, here it is...



SSR Type-C RS... 4 lugs with PCD 114.3... offset +38... rim width 6.5jj... and of coz, its a replica of the real one... lolz...

installation was swift... everything was bolted back on within 30 minutes... as for performance difference, everything felt the same... because this rim weighs approximately same with my old set of rims, which is about 6kg each...



nice isnt it??... and yeah, i tore off the sticker and labels before i rolled out from the workshop... adding some JayDeeEm flavor to it...

high speed starter...

well.. this does not make any difference to performance... but it does gives u some excitement each time u crank your engine... even tend to notice the difference of sound each car produces whenever they crank the engine??... older proton models such as saga/wira/satria tend to have a very dull sound... proton perdana on the other hand, sounds really nice... while perodua starter motor creates one of the worse cranking sound of all car manufacturers...

it is almost certain that all proton, except perdana, which produces high speed starter bearing sound, has had a transplanted engine from mitsubishi... however there are some which sounds like one, but does not have the equivalent heart of the three diamond logo... so, here it is... high speed ball bearing starter for proton engines...



thinking its just 2 bolts to remove in order to change it, why not DIY at home...
as it turns out, its not just 2 easy bolts... the starter is way beyond reach from the top nor bottom... starter must access through the bottom of the car as the starter position is right above the intake manifold... plugging and unplugging the wire connection was easy... lifting the heavy starter in a very tight space was not easy though... job was completed with the help of a few friends securing the bolt in place from the top while me holding it up from the bottom...

for the record, i changed it because my old starter showed sign of malfunctioning... had a couple of times couldnt get the starter cranking...

teflon anti roll bar bush...

we all know that original rubber bushing are meant to absorb noise, vibration and harshness.. but the downside of using rubber bush is that it keeps breaking and tearing apart under extreme uses...



polyurethane (PU) bushes came into sight... it is far more reliable compare to rubber bush but it still allows fair bit of flex in its structural integrity... polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is by far stiffer compare to polyurethane and rubber bush... it is more well known by the DuPont brand name Teflon...

so far most aftermarket available bush made from polyurethane material... getting a teflon material bush is rather rare, not to mention its price... of all the bushings used in a car, anti roll bar bush has the most simple design... so, why hunt up and down for the product when u can make one yourself??...

i bought myself a 1 meter teflon rod from a local plastic ware factory... i also came to know they do make custom fabrication for PU, PE, teflon as well as plastic for all applications and usage... good info there as i was also looking for custom PU absorber top mount bush...

fully utilizing the campus facility, i fabricated a few sets of these bushing based on standard rubber bushing dimension... the teflon ones are made shorter by 1-2mm due to the fact they do not crumple like rubber bush do when it is being tighten down onto the anti roll bar linkage...



quick installation was done onto my car... mind the wrong side up satay linkage because i did not have suitable tool for the job... the rod just clear my chassis frame by centimeters... during hard cornering it does show some improvement as the car does not bounce up and down anymore... it remains stable through the corner with minimal flex... these bushes would certainly do more for those who has thick anti roll bars because they exert more force to the bushing...



yeah, its for sale anyway... Rm40 per set (8pcs)... any takers??...
be sure to check your anti roll bar linkage because it can only be used on satay-lookalike anti roll bar linkage... drop-linkage ARB which looks like the photo below is not suitable...

ultra racing room bar...

another long awaited bar finally find itself a final home... to be stepped and treated as foot rest...



screwed tight to the ends of B-pillar, it provides a supportive beam to strengthen the middle part of the car... this bar is particularly useful for sedan cars which has B-pillar...



insist only in original product...

E-manage blue...

after long awaited... years of saving... finally... the parcel arrives...



some says its nickname is e-damage... others say its imitation product... whatever it is, it increases horsepower... and more importantly, a stepping stone for me to learn the dark side of software and ecu tuning...



together with it's ignition harness, this is by far the best bang-for-buck piggyback ecu available in the market...



installation was done by an aircond man...



which leaves the tuning part to this nice chap from Millennium Motorsports...



a baseline run was done and it only recorded approximate 80whp at 5500rpm... the AF mixture is also running slightly rich across the rev range, averaging 12.5:1...



after 13 runs fiddling with the air fuel ratio and ignition timing, max result achieved at 96.3whp at 5700rpm... torque peaks at 90FtLb @ 2400rpm and maintain all the way till 5700rpm... fairly satisfactory considering it is running on 95-octane fuel with "paliah" spec setup...



dyno chart speaks for itself...



the AF graph maintains 13:1 ratio all the way and dip down rich slightly at rev cut to prevent any serious engine failure...



FYI, dyno dynamics is an inertia dyno... it is also considerably heavier on load compare to other dynanometer... quick search on the internet reveals that results obtained from dynodynamics is 10-15 percent lower compare to dynojets... with the use of outboard weather station, it detects the ambient temperature and configures the dyno machine correction factors such as barometric pressure, relative humidity, ambient air temperature and inlet air temperature...



so, the disappointing low figures ain't really disappointing after all... :)