civicdrivr

iTrader: (9)

Ah yes, RPM Tesla aka Ali Express's California distribution center

e30cabrio

iTrader: (6)

I got the gauge cluster connectors from Ali Express, they work fine, had the pins & were cheap. Kinda like Harbor Freight, if it is not electrical/electronic they are ok.

SamDoe1

They seem to have the most bizzare things for sale, I don't get who's buying most of that garbage.

civicdrivr

iTrader: (9)

Some of the electronics that they sell have been sold by US distributors for 2-3x the price and proven to work. There's nothing generally wrong with them, but some of the small things that the Tesla parts resellers list are usually 1/4 the price on Ali Express.

e30cabrio

iTrader: (6)

I'm pretty sure the electronics are seconds or defective units returned to the manufacturer. The first thing I bought from them was a heavily discounted LG Bluetooth stereo headset. It worked for a few days & one side died.

They accepted the return & refunded. (eventually)

civicdrivr

iTrader: (9)

Almost three months in and I took my first road trip in the California Camry. I went down to South Carolina to visit my father for his birthday. The car handled it perfectly and the influx of available Superchargers along the route was a welcome change from what it was a few years ago, when there were just two. In total, I hit three superchargers along the way (1 down, 2 on the return trip) and stopped for about 15 minutes each time. I never had to wait for a stall to open, and I didn't run into any issues with charging. It's a small sample size, but for that trip, the EV worked. Stats for nerds:

Total trip mileage: 694.2 miles
Total time spent in car: 10hrs 20min
Energy used: 212kWh total (108 day 1 and 104 day 2)
Supercharging costs: $53.40
Efficiency: 306Wh/mi (83%)

Random notes:
- I stayed around 80mph on the trip down and 85-90 on the return trip Any faster and range starts to tank badly.
- It was hot as balls both days - in the mid to high 90s.
- I sat in traffic in Charlotte both ways, but the 3 made it stress free.
- I didn't use Autopilot at all.

The Golf, on a good day, would get about 27mpg on the highway at similar speeds/driving style and similar weather. That's 25.7 gallons of fuel. Premium gas is around $5/gallon, so that trip would have cost $128.56 in gas. I am considering ordering a CCS adapter so I can use non-Tesla charging locations and pay less for charging, but I'm struggling to justify it.

The next road trip is mid-June when we head to the beach, so I'm curious to see how the car does loaded up with the family and all the crap that comes with it.

SamDoe1

So...what you're saying is that you could easily drive this car from LA to Vegas and back without much concern?

e30cabrio

iTrader: (6)

I believe that is what he is indicating!

civicdrivr

iTrader: (9)

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

$70 difference to have kept your soul.
something to consider.

civicdrivr

iTrader: (9)

I'm happy with it.


I have no soul anyway.

civicdrivr

iTrader: (9)

Broke the rule.




- 18x9.5 +22 Gram Lights 57DR
- 265/40-18 Continental ExtremeContact DWS
- Mountain Pass Performance comfort adjustable coilovers (made by KW to MPPs specs)
- Mount Pass Performance lower control arm bushings
- Mount Pass Performance compression rod inserts
- Mount Pass Performance rear camber arms
- Mount Pass Performance brake master cylinder brace

The suspension was easier to work on than the VW. I had the first strut assembly + upper control out in about 40 minutes, and when I got to the other side it took me about the same amount of time to swap the entire thing.



The most annoying part was setting the ride height, but I ordered these narrow spring compressors from Amazon and they made it MUCH easier.



Driving impressions:

- The car feels more eager to turn.
- Steering is more direct.
- Quick direction changes don't upset the chassis like the factory suspension does.
- Roll is minimal.
- This suspension is valved & sprung perfectly for the street; it actually rides smoother than stock.
- This may be a placebo, but the brake pedal actually feels stiffer, like it's actually controlling the brakes instead of flexing the firewall


On another note, climbing under the car, you could really see the fantastic build quality from Tesla. When I dropped the undertray, there were wires with clips that should be fastened to brackets that were just...there. They weren't fastened to anything. Wires were just dangling and literally held in place by the undertray. A few other parts were missing fasteners, like the fender liners - no plastic rivets were in place but there were holes for them. I've not seen anything like that in any of my Japanese, Mexican, or German built vehicles.

With that said, these things were an easy fix (that an owner should not have to do), and I still enjoy driving the car. So, there's that.

e30cabrio

iTrader: (6)

Rules are made to be broken.

SamDoe1

Dang dude, that's awesome. Car looks great with the new wheels too!

TylerT

iTrader: (1)

Love it, man.

I always love your approach with wheels / suspension - functional AND looks great.

e30cabrio

iTrader: (6)

qft

civicdrivr

iTrader: (9)

thanks gents. I really am amazed with the way this thing handles now.

SamDoe1

Lets just say I like it so much that I'd be asking you a hell of a lot more questions about the specifics of your set up if my car wasn't a short timer.

ttribe

I almost, kind of, like the way that car looks now.

civicdrivr

iTrader: (9)

It's still ugly as hell. The wheels are nice though

RPhilMan1

Nice job dude.

Slpr04UA6

Looks Great! How much were the coil overs & camber arms? How much do the new wheels weigh compared to the stock wheels?

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

looking forward to your very scientific breakdown on how much the weight savings of the wheels will equate to gas kw savings and when that will break even with the cost of them.

civicdrivr

iTrader: (9)

The coils have an MSRP of $2700. I got them used (4k miles on them) for a good bit less. The rest of the parts can be found here: https://www.mountainpassperformance....suspensionp3d/

I got the compression rod inserts, rear camber arms, and solid front LCA bushings.

I actually didn't weigh the new wheels but they are noticeably lighter than the factory anchors. I did all the mods at once, so it's hard to say what made the biggest difference. I kinda want to say the LCA bushings, just because steering is much more direct, even with my messed up alignment (alignment scheduled for Saturday).

civicdrivr

iTrader: (9)

This was an emotional purchase, not meant as an investment. I'm sure you understand that

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

can't compute. doesn't relate.

civicdrivr

iTrader: (9)

SamDoe1

The factory uberturbines are stupid heavy. They're something like 34lbs a wheel, without tire obviously.

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

there's no fuel economy to improve so who cares.
do it for the gram, bro.

SamDoe1

Range and performance go up with lighter wheels.

civicdrivr

iTrader: (9)

Range goes down with wider tires though

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

Ha!

thoiboi

Just lose some weight aka driver mod and range goes up too

SamDoe1

#yolo!!!

e30cabrio

iTrader: (6)

So instead of 17.00 for 600 miles 17.44?

e30cabrio

iTrader: (6)

18.12?

civicdrivr

iTrader: (9)

Depends if I'm supercharging or charging at home

BreezyTL

iTrader: (8)

Man that doesn't look half bad. But the over inflated "tesla taxed' parts are ridiculous.

civicdrivr

iTrader: (9)

Actual performance parts are priced about average for the quality you receive. Some things, like lip kits and shit like that are really pricey for no reason.

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

Update: civicdrvr isn't a redhead.