Inaccurate

Yes. The glove box cover can be completely reassembled without the steel plate. After removing the steel plate, the glove box will look 100% original.

When you ask about the rear door panels, are you asking how much weight was saved? Or, increase in noise, etc.?

jpm3071

[QUOTE=Inaccurate;13299195]Yes. The glove box cover can be completely reassembled without the steel plate. After removing the steel plate, the glove box will look 100% original.

When you ask about the rear door panels, are you asking how much weight was saved? Or, increase in noise, etc.

Yes how much weight did you save by using the acoustic foam?

Inaccurate

^ Removing the interior panels from the rear doors will remove 14.0 pounds.

The 14.0 lbs reduction includes the electrical switches too (built into the panels) for the windows. Please note that the rear windows are inoperative with the switches disconnected. If you want to retain the electric window function, you would need to remove the switches from the panel to keep them in the car like I did with the front window switches.

Although I purchased the foam, I never did install the foam. I grew to like the bare metal appearance. If you add foam, I estimate that the foam would weigh approximately 1/2 lb per door.

KN_TL

iTrader: (3)

Hey Inacc, what have you been up to?

Inaccurate

^ If you mean weight wise...... don't worry. I have plans.

jpm3071

So it wouldnt really be beneficial weight wise to just swap the sound insulation with the acoustical foam while keeping the panels and switches?

Thanks for the info by the way. I shed 108 pounds the other day

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

One day, I may go on one too...but overall, I get overwhelmed just looking at the list and knowing that I have many on there that I wouldn't give up. I should go through and add up the ones I WOULD give up to see how much weight it would save.

JohnnyP912

Just an engineers two cents here ... and i don't know if anyone else has mentioned this in the thread but removing the plastic "Ground Effects" is not a good idea...

Air gets forced under the car and up creating drag actually making your car slower then removing a .5 Lb plastic panel (About the difference between going to the bathroom that day) which helps your car become more streamline and aerodynamic.

My advice to you is buy an aftermarket SS exhaust... Improves airflow = +HP and Stainless steel is a lot lighter then the Steel used for your OEM Exhaust. You will probably save more weight switching to an aftermarket exhaust then you have by taking out your airbags etc.

jpm3071

I hear you on that,
-Stripped trunk
-removed spare
-sound deadening underneath rear seat
-glove box plate
-all plastic covering accept under front of car
-reducing the amount in washer fluid
-trunk and front dampener
Im working on the subframe dampener and the splash guards right now

The car drives and looks exactly stock inside and out (minus the trunk). I did notice my gas mileage went up one mpg and the car is a little faster.

jpm3071

Inaccurate,

I understand you didn't install the foam but I'm sure you have a sense of how heavy the insulation is. Is it worth solely replacing it with foam while keeping the rest of the doors components to save weight? How much weight would be saved?

Inaccurate

I am sorry. I am still not understanding which insulation that you are asking about. Can you explain which insulation?

civicdrivr

iTrader: (9)

I think he means the stock stuff.

Inaccurate

^ That's the issue. I don't recall any stock insulation in the doors or behind the door panels or elsewhere. I need somone to draw me a picture please.

Majofo

I have foam blocks inside some of my panels. I think it was added by the service shop.. probably to fix the rattles claimed by the previous owner.

Inaccurate

^ The huge hard foam blocks (approx 5"x6"x7") are standard equipment. I did, at one time , have them too. They are glue to the backside of the door panels.

jpm3071

Ahh I see. Ok.

gwiffer

iTrader: (7)

There was a post above about the negative effects of removing the side skirts. I've always been interested in using rubber skirts that can scrape the ground, but not deflect when subjected to the force of air. Here is a rubber lip builder that I once contacted about making a rubber lip for my Accord. It would be interesting to see this same material used as a replacement for the sideskirts.

I've read that there are oem and aftermarket replacement windshields. I think I remember reading that some of the aftermarket windshields were actually made thinner and subsequently lighter than the heavy OEM acoustic glass. Do you have any information about this?

BTW, I like the huge wheel gaps from all of your weight reduction.

Inaccurate

I recently had my cracked windshield replaced by Safelite. I had some anxiety that the replacement windshield glass might weigh more than my original oem glass. The technician was a friendly guy. So, I felt comfortable to ask him to jump on my bathroom scale (while holding the glass) so I could get the weight of the old glass and the replacement glass. Surprisingly, the Safelite replacement glass and the oem glass weighed the same (31.0 Lbs +/- 0.5 lb).

The large wheel well gap is not entirely due to the removed weight. A lot of the gap is due to the small diameter tires. The tires in the front are even smaller due to the rubber being worn down to the wear bar indicators.

Although the suspension travel has elongated from the reduced weight, the smaller tires compensate for this to a large extent. Thus, the car itself is approximately at oem height overall. I found one Acurazine member (click here) that said his ride height (measured from ground to fender) for his stock 2007 Type S was Front 26.75" and Rear 27.00". Mine is Front 26-1/2 and Rear 27-1/2. So, according to this limited data, my car sets *lower* in the front than a Type S and the rear is a 1/2" higher.

Majofo

I can imagine Safelite coming out, removing the old windshield, then they're about to put in the new windshield when Inacc interjects:

"no, that's good, thanks"

civicdrivr

iTrader: (9)

vill0169

iTrader: (4)

hahahahahahahahahahaha good one.

KN_TL

iTrader: (3)

Too freaking funny. You can guarantee that you were the talk at the Safelite shop.

Inaccurate

Ok, there you all go again... giving me ideas Thanks Majofo

The Safelite guy seemed cool about it (rolling with the punches). I told him that I didn't want him to think this was just a normal Honda Accord. So, I let him sit in the driver seat while I fired it up for him. He was impressed once it fired-up and he experienced the PCD and solid motor mounts.

mrsimeon

Did you Ever install the Side Airbags again?

Also, The smaller Diameter TIRES you put on is a slight change, BUT if you install a smaller overall diameter Tire
*You will Gain Quicker acceleration, from a Start position.
*Your top Speed or Highway speed will be slower,
*Your MPH reading will be off by a few MPH.
*****Your Speed will be recorded slightly higher than your actual speed.

*Most important,
*Your CAR WILL BE RECORDING MORE MILES ON THE ODOMETER THAN THE ACTUAL MILES TRAVELED.

* IF YOU HAD LARGER DIAMETER WHEELS, YOU WILL ACTUALLY BE RECORDING LESS MILES ON THE ODOMETER THAN THE ACTUAL MILES TRAVELED.
*BUT SLOWER ACCELERATION,
*FASTER TOP SPEED,

jpm3071

What are the cowl plastic panels?

Inaccurate

UPDATE

I GOT ANOTHER 98 POUNDS OFF OF THE CAR !!!!!
..........(this includes dynamic loss)

:gheywave::gheywave:




Weight Reduction Since Last Update
-----------------------------------------------
23.7 Lbs - Single 3" Exhaust System
12.0 Lbs - Shaved tires (2/32" thread depth)
10.3 Lbs - BC Racing Coilovers
1.9 Lbs - Rear diffuser plastic panel
1.8 Lbs - EGR Delete
0.6 Lbs - Plastic trim around tail pipes
--------------------------------------------
50.3 Lbs NET TOTAL REMOVED









CUSTOM 3" SINGLE EXHAUST






























The oem exhaust system (minus oem third cat and mid muffler) weighs 43.60 Lbs.

My custom 3" single exhaust system weighs 19.90 Lbs.

The weight reduction from the custom 3" single exhaust is 23.7 Lbs. Before attempting this mod, I had estimated that I could shed 25 pounds. So, I reached my goal for the most part.

The reason that I picked the exhaust as my next diet mod was because it hopefully offered a slight power increase along with the weight reduction. Plus with my previous exhaust, I was getting tired of the intense rasp at 3500-4500 rpm.

My new exhaust sounds identical to Sonnick's Open-Y videos (click here). Although, I don't have the cool popping and the mini backfires..... wish mine did. So if you wish to hear mine, please watch Sonnick's videos (except I have no cool popping). The reason that mine sounds identical is because it is the same engine and the same exhaust.... 3" tube with just one Magnaflow muffler. The difference is that his is the 30" version and mine is the 18" version of the same identical muffler. But this difference is probably balanced out by him having no tail pipe and I do.

I designed and built this system myself. I did not drive to a muffler shop, have them throw my car on a lift, and have them crush some bends and weld-up some spaghetti using their cheap and heavy pipes. No muffler shops for me.... I did all the work myself except for the actual welding (MIG/TIG). I cut the tubing myself and measured the angles (or created a makeshift jig) to position the pieces together for the welder. When I arrived at the welder shop, I assembled the pieces (and held them myself) while he welded it. It took three trips (one per day) to finish the system.

I had spent many, many days googling the 3" single exhaust. I was looking for people that had done 3" single exhaust in general and for the J engine in particular. I wish to thank Sonnick for sharing his experiences with his 3" single exhaust. Sonnick's post about his "open Y" experiment was very helpful to me because it was, in essence, what I had in mind for my new exhaust. Sonnick's videos were very helpful because the vids allowed me to hear how my new system would sound before I committed to it. And, obviously, I liked the sound of his open-y exhaust.

To me, my exhaust has no drone and no rasp. But, I am not sensitive to rasp. While maintaining a constant MPH (below 80 mph), it is not really any louder than my oem catback. But obviously the volume increases a lot as the throttle is opened. But at no time does my exhaust have drone or rasp (at least to me).

My exhaust was not cheap. It was actually very expensive.... so much so that I don't want to say. The thin walled 3" tubing was very, very expensive. It was my insisting on using 20 GA tubing that caused the new exhaust system to be so expensive. If I was willing to compromise and use 18 GA tubing, the cost would had been one half of the 20 GA system. But, if I had used the 18 GA tubing, the new exhaust system would had weighed 5 pounds more. The thin walled mandrel bends were super expensive too. The thin tubing is difficult to weld, requiring the welder to go slow. Thus, the welder got $300 for his services too. But, I am extremely happy with how it turned out. The final weight and exhaust sound was on target with my hopes. I would do it again if I had too.













As a side note, I originally had intended to use the larger (and it is LARGE...see pics above) 30" Magnaflow muffler #12641 (click here). I had purchased the 30" already. But, at the last minute, I decided to use the 18" size. The 30" is just too massive and heavy. I decided that I would rather risk being too loud than risk being too heavy.








PART NUMBERS (items pictured above)
Magnaflow Muffler PN #12649 (quantity = 1) (click here)
Burns Stainless Steel Mandrel Bend 90 Degrees (quantity = 2) (click here)
Burns Stainless Steel 3" Tubing (quantity = 10 ft.) (click here)
Burns Stainless Steel Transition (quantity = 1) (click here)




Below are some related links -

1) single exhaust (click here)
2) Diary of an EXHAUST Addict (click here)
3) DUAL Exhaust VS SINGLE Exhaust (click here)
4) Picked up 15 hp...find out how (click here)
5) thinking about single exhaust (click here)
6) 70mm (2.75") piping on J series? (click here)
7) 3 inch piping (click here)
8) 3 INCHES!?!?! (That's what she said) (click here)
9) custom 3" magnaflow exhaust installed (click here)
10) single vs. dual exhaust (click here)
11) Single-Exit HKS Exhaust Writeup (click here)
12) Video Clips! 6MT NA (click here)


For the links below, copy and paste these links into your browser. Remove the red X before submitting. Acurazine blocks these links. So, this is why I must disguise them with a red X.

1) www.v6Xperformance.net/forums/7g-performance-discussion/210172-3-inch-2-5-inch.html

2) www.v6Xperformance.net/forums/7th-generation-honda-accord-2003-2007/210729-magnaflow-exhaust-gurus-opinions-needed.html

3) www.v6Xperformance.net/forums/7g-performance-discussion/209692-best-single-exhaust-setup.html

4) www.v6Xperformance.net/forums/7g-performance-discussion/196600-my-dyno-vid-7th-gen-v6-6-speed-manual-245whp-211wtq-exhaust-no-cats.html

5) www.v6Xperformance.net/forums/7g-performance-discussion/201030-opinions-custom-exhaust-idea.html

6) www.v6Xperformance.net/forums/6g-performance-discussion/209376-straight-pipes.html

7) www.v6Xperformance.net/forums/7g-performance-discussion/209232-v6-accord-tsudo-76mm-single-exhaust.html
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SHAVED TIRES








Full thread tire weighs 21 Lbs.
Shaved tire weighs 18 Lbs.
Weight reduction (static) from shaved tires is 12 Lbs (3 Lbs x 4 tires).
Weight reduction (dynamic) from shaved tires is 60 Lbs (estimated).


Because I had been using Michelin PS2 tires already, my weight reduction calculations for this update are comparing the full thread tires (as my weight baseline) to the shaved tires.

The difficulty of a heavy wheel to get into motion (rotation) and to slow it's rotation speed is more commonly known as the Flywheel Effect. Then, there is the moment-of-inertia aspects to rotational mass. The further out from the axis that the mass is centered, the more flywheel effect the mass will have. With the shaved tires reducing the weight along the very outer diameter of the wheel, this produces big dynamic weight savings (reduced flywheel effect).

Based on the premise that each pound of rotational weight saved at wheel RPM (i.e. wheel weight) is worth 3 pounds of static body weight, weight reduction along the most outer diameter of the tire would yield much more of an improvement than the rims (pound per pound). I would estimate the factor to be maybe a 5 versus the factor of 3 for the rims.

Thus,

12.0 Lbs static weight reduction x 5 Factor = 60 Lbs Dynamic Weight Reduction.







In the pic above, you can see the shaved thread depth is level with the wear bar (2/32").

For several years now, I have purchased fuel each and every morning of my daily commute. I buy just enough fuel for that day's commute (3.0 gallons). Like I do with fuel, I will start doing this with my tires too. Running just enough rubber (thread depth) to last 12 months or less.

I purchased 2 tires shaved down to a 4/32" thread depth and 2 tires shaved down to a 2/32" thread depth (see pic above). The 4/32" tires go on the front and the 2/32" tires go on the rear. The front tires will have an operating range from 4/32" (when new) to 2/32" (when needing replacement). Whereas, the rear tires will always be 2/32" from new until replacement because my rear tires do not experience any wear. However, I will replace the rear tires once every two or three years due to hardening of the rubber (aging).

With these shaved tires, each of my front tires will be between 18.5 lbs when fresh and 18.0 lbs when needing replacement. For this update, I am basing my calculations on the weight of the fully worn tires. I am doing this to emphasize the fullest potential of the shaved tires.

Purchasing the shaved tires was very straightforward. I called Chad at TireRack (800-461-5527 ext 742). He did *not* try to give me a hard time regarding why needed, purpose for the shaved tires, type of vehicle being used on, type of racing that I do, etc. Instead, he was very friendly and just took my order with zero questions and zero comments. It was literally me telling him the brand, model, size, desired depth, address, and credit card. Then he said, "they will be at your door in one week." COOL!!!

It was a strange feeling to spend $1000 for new tires and to see four bald tires arrive at my doorstep. And, I most compliment my wife (again) for her being so loving of me and tolerant of my eccentric (and expensive) hobby. When I purchased the tires, I just told my wife that I needed new tires for my car. But at that time, I didn't tell her about having all of the rubber shaved off of them.

As I was drooling over the tires when they got delivered, she asked me why I was staring at those tires so much. I asked her if she noticed anything unusual with them. She looked at the shaved tires and say "no". I laughed and decided to tell her. As usual, she was happy that I was happy with my new toy.

During the past year, I have noticed my car becoming more quick. Enough so that I am convinced within myself (but not trying to convince the reader, just sharing my feelings) that it was from my tires wearing down. I had made no changes to my car during the times that I noticed these "improvements". I share this with you to help you understand my passion and willingness to spend $1000 for bald tires.

There are many reason for using shaved tires. One reason is based on aging of tires. Tires will become hard over time. Having shaved tires and replacing them often will maximize tire grip.

Besides the weight reduction, another benefit of shaved tires is reduced instability from squirm. I have always hated having new tires and the squirm they have under heavy braking. There is nothing more embarrassing that hot footing thru traffic, applying heavy brakes, and have my car squirm to the edge of my lane. This tends to make others around me very nervous, including me.

Another benefit of shaved tires (compared to full thread) is great steering responsiveness. I had got new coilovers too at the same time that I was getting new tires. So, there is no way that I wanted to destroy the new responsive suspension with new, tall, squeezy rubber thread. This would had been equivalent to "one step forward and two steps backward."

A small side benefit of shaved tires is that the tires appear slightly more wide.

A disadvantage of shaved tires is an increased tendency to hydroplane in wet weather. I am willing (and have been already) to make the compromise to drive below 60 MPH when the roads are damp. And, to drive even slower as the rain becomes more heavy.



Below are some related links -

TireRack - Shaving Tires for Competition (click here)
TireRack - Understanding the Benefits of Tire Shaving (click here)
Tire Shaving 101 (click here)
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BC RACING COILOVERS



















Each oem front damper weighs 12.22 Lbs. Each BC Racing front coilover weighs 9.72 Lbs. Weight reduction for two front dampers is 5.0 Lbs.

Each oem rear damper weighs 11.64 Lbs. Each BC Racing rear coilover weighs 9.00 Lbs. Weight reduction for two rear dampers is 5.3 Lbs.

Weight reduction from the four coilovers is 10.3 Lbs.



In the years past, I had resisted getting coilovers. I was happy with my lightweight car on the oem suspension. This happiness had been diminishing in the past year. After I installed RacingBrake ET500 brake pads and RacingBrake rotors, it is now so easy to brake hard that I do it on a regular basis now. But the side effect is the car has excessive nose pitch under hard braking. I hate nose pitching. When alternating between heavy braking and heavy throttle, the car will rock (pitch nose up, pitch nose down) to the point of being embarrassing, So, the day has come for the oem suspension to go. I am simply at the stage in my modding that I am asking too much from the oem suspension, even with my lightweight car.

And, of course, I was hoping to get a weight reduction from the coilovers. I was somewhat disappointed that the coilovers (all 4 combined) where just 10 pounds lighter. But, this is attributed to the oem pieces being fairly lightweight more so than the new coilovers being too heavy. I was aiming for a 20 pound reduction. But, I just remind myself of the coilover's primary purpose was for the handling improvement, which I am very satisfied with.

Please note that I am not interested in lowering my car per se. I have adjusted the coilovers to sit at oem height (distance from center cap to wheelwell arch). I based this decision on wanting the axle to be as level as possible to reduce mechanical inefficiency and to minimize CV joint wear. This distance is 14-1/2" from spindle to wheelwell arch. And not surprisingly, this 14-1/2" distance is also the oem ride height.

However, my car (wheelwell to ground distance) is dropped one inch from oem height in the front and 1/2 inch from oem height in the rear. I like a small amount of rake (having rear higher than front). This drop is due to the small diameter tires (and shaved threads). The typical TL sits at 26-1/2" Front & Rear. With my coilovers, I am sitting at 25-1/2" Front and 26" Rear.

Hopefully, my lightweight car will no longer look like a 4x4 truck. When I look at the car body (and not the wheel gap), I easily see that the car is lowered. That one inch drop from oem height does make a big difference. However, I still have a large wheel gap because of the small diameter tires. It would take more than a 2 inch drop from oem height to close my tire gap. And, I ain't about to do that. I am not interested in lowering my ride nor going slow to prevent scraping. I am interested in going fast. As such, my coilovers have been adjusted (including a custom, "unrecommended" setting) according to my handling goals.



Below are some related links -

BC Racing UK (click here)
BC Racing Superstore (Enjuku Racing) (click here)
BC Racing USA (click here)
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EGR DELETE










In the pic above, the scale is showing the weight in ounces. Converted to pounds, the EGR Valve weighs 1.8 Lbs.

Please see page 2 of this thread (click here) for details or to post comments regarding my EGR Delete.

Below is a related link. Copy and paste the link into your browser. Remove the red X before submitting. Acurazine blocks this link. So, this is why I must disguise it with a red X.

www.v6Xperformance.net/forums/showthread.php?t=195314
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BATTERY UPDATE







This is just an update on my small Braille (B14115) battery.

I have recently installed a new one (same model as before). This is the third small Braille (B14115) for me in the past 5 years. I replace it once every two years as preventative maintenance. My car is a daily driver and in these past 5 years the small Braille (B14115) battery has never failed me.









Thanks for allowing me to share my TL Diet with you !!!










ITEMIZED LIST OF WEIGHT REDUCTION
-----------------------------------------------------
84.0 Racing seats and racing restraint system (see Warning #3 below)
44.0 Reduced fuel (buy just 3.0 gallons at a time)
40.0 Rims
36.0 Rear seat delete
34.0 Spare tire delete
31.0 Sunroof delete
31.0 Interior trim & misc pieces
27.5 Braille battery
24.0 Interior carpet
23.7 Single Exhaust System
23.0 Trunk panels
22.0 Lightweight tires
18.0 Front door interior panels
18.0 Firewall Insulation
17.5 Parking brake and lever (see Warning #1 below)
17.0 Front bumper
16.0 Rear bumper
14.0 Rear door interior panels
14.0 RV6 Precat delete (incl race pipe & misc brackets)
13.0 Radio delete
13.0 Personal weight loss (attributed to this project)
12.0 Shaved tires
12.0 Center console
10.9 RacingBrake Two-piece rotors
10.3 BC Racing Coilovers
10.0 Front seat kick panels
9.9 Evap charcoal canister (see Warning #4 below)
9.0 Side curtain airbags (see Warning #2 below)
8.5 Mid muffler delete
8.5 Seatbelts for rear seat
8.0 CAI
7.5 Front damper
7.0 UR crank pulley
6.5 Floor mats (incls driver's too)
6.0 Engine bay panels
6.0 Rear seat arm rest
5.5 Subwoofer speaker
5.5 Ground effect panels
5.5 Rear deck
5.5 Center console armrest
5.0 Headliner
4.5 XLR8 J-Pipe (incls removing misc brackets)
4.3 Shark Mouth grill (incl removed lower duct obstruction)
4.0 Reduced wiper fluid (use 1 pint at a time)
3.7 Rear seat insulation
3.7 Rear speakers
3.5 Engine cradle damper
3.5 Small airbags in front seats (see Warning #2 below)
3.5 Windshield washer reservoir (incl pint of water)
3.4 Glovebox delete
3.0 Megan pipe replacing oem 3rd cat
2.6 Cowl plastic panels
2.5 Glovebox plate
2.5 Innovative engine mounts
2.4 Owner manual
2.0 Roof console
2.0 Grab handles
2.0 Removed 12V air pump
1.9 Rear diffuser plastic panel
1.8 Hood insulation
1.8 Exterior Roof Molding
1.8 EGR Delete
1.5 Trunk damper
1.5 Splash guards for front brake rotors
1.4 Kick panels under front dash
1.4 Footrest
1.2 Xm radio receiver
1.2 Airbag brackets & radio antenna booster
1.2 Trunk panel over latch
1.0 Exhaust heat shield
1.0 Rear Door Hook Pin and Catch
0.6 Plastic trim around tail pipes
0.5 Coin holder & sunglass holders
0.5 Xm antenna
------------------------------------------------------------
793.2 Lbs TOTAL




ESTIMATED DYNAMIC WEIGHT REDUCTION
----------------------------------------------
701 Static weight loss (minus Dynamic items)
120 Dynamic weight loss from rims
105 Dynamic weight loss from UR Pulley
66 Dynamic weight loss from lightweight tires
60 Dynamic weight loss from shaved tires (2/32" thread depth remaining)
20 RacingBrake two-piece rotors
---------------------------------------------
1072 Lbs DYNAMIC TOTAL




ESTIMATED WEIGHT
------------------------------------
3580 - 793 = 2787 Lbs. Static
3580 - 1072 = 2508 Lbs. Dynamic







ESTIMATED EQUIVALENT WHEEL HP WITH MODS
------------------------------------------
364 WHP (equivalent output)

Note: Assuming mods produce 255 WHP
Mods (J32A3 w/5AT) = XLR8 j-pipe, RV6 precat delete, 3rd cat delete,
Custom 3" Single Exhaust, Custom tuned for max timing, UR Pulley undersize,
Custom insulated AEM CAI w/ oversized Dryflow filter, Ultimate Cooling Mod,
Outlaw Engineering Thermoblock Insulator, throttle body coolant bypass.





Warning #1: Parking brake is mandatory to pass state inspection in many states.
Warning #2: Tampering with oem airbags is illegal in many states.
Warning #3: Use of aftermarket seats and/or seatbelts can cause injury or death.
Warning #4: Removal of Evap will cause CEL and will fail state inspection.







-------- The TL Diet: Woo Hoo, What a Ride !!! --------
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justnspace

iTrader: (1)

nice!

vill0169

iTrader: (4)

can't see pics at work but I know they're great. Nice update Tim, should have you do my updates for me....put mine to shame! lol

swoosh

iTrader: (5)

sexy Tim....

i would love to hear your exhaust....

SharksBreath

iTrader: (33)

holy hell. you're a mad man, tim! keep up the great work!

Inaccurate

Hi Elegant Aggressor,

Thank you for helping me with the coilovers by answering my numerous PM to you !

swoosh

iTrader: (5)

Also....more pix of the lowered car....

any why do you change your battery every 2 years ?

sell me the old ones ?

vill0169

iTrader: (4)

Anytime

Where'd you end up putting the springs and dampers?

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

Inacc...you had me until the shaved tires and non lowered full coilovers. You have a problem.

Inaccurate

You know me. I like it rough.

I have the fronts set on 5 from full hard. And, I still want more. So, my ideal setting for the front will probably be the max hard. The sad thing is that this leaves no head room to firm it up to compensate for wear (assuming the damper gets softer with wear).

I was a very UNhappy camper when I went for my first test drive with the damper set midway. As I starting to approach max hard setting, a smile started to grow on my face.

After setting it to have nearly full hard dampening and when I had the opportunity to give it the acid test of having ABS fully engaged and concurrently jerking the car quickly into the next lane (my version of fun), the car remain perfectly flat and composed. At this point, I was wearing a grin on my face.

If I had to do it over again, I would had ordered 14/6 springs versus the default 12/6 springs.

I sent you a PM discussing the droop limiting (aka, preload).

Inaccurate

For a few months prior to the replacement, I was noticing the battery not spinning the starter as fast as it normally did. Knowing that the battery was approaching 2 years old, I took this as an "early notice" to get it replaced. This was the same situation with the last battery (click here).

As a personal rule that was learned the hard way, I always replace auto batteries no less than once every 2 years. I replace the battery (DieHard Gold) in my wife's car once every 12 months as preventative maintenance. In the Houston heat, batteries typically don't last much longer than 2 years. So, for the little Braille to last for 2 years is superb performance in my opinion.

swoosh

iTrader: (5)

^^^ damn....i didnt know that.....

am looking into the brailles and your good review really helped me....am looking at the same B14115, 11lb.....do you get it directly from braille or some place else ?

also how do these do during the winter....i know you dont get such harsh winters in Houston but just to put things into perspective....

Inaccurate

I purchase the batteries directly from Braille (click here).

In Houston, we have many 32* mornings. And on rare occasions, we will have a 26* morning. And, I have noticed NO drop in the cranking performance during these mornings.

swoosh

iTrader: (5)

^^^ incase they fail....you can jump start them just like any other car battery right ?

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

Of COURSE!