Deposit May 2014 and today I took delivery, oh my, what a...
Discussion
Hi there
Well the sun made an appearance today, so I trial fitted the spacers.
First photos are no spacer, then followed by many with spacers.
[size=6]NO SPACER![/size]
[size=6]23mm Spacer front & rear![/size]
[size=6]The poke or lack off[/size]
[size=4]Front Wheel[/size]
[size=4]Rear Wheel[/size]
Trust me after seeing car with 23mm spacers fitted I did not want to remove them, what a transformation, but for now they are off until my mud flaps arrive.
I think 23mm is absolutely spot on for the front, there is no poke and it looks just right, 20mm would also look spot on I imagine as well and 25mm will also work just fine in the front. So am happy with 23mm!
In the rear for me 23mm is too much, that is quite a lot of poke and I am sure they would also rub on bumpier roads or aggressive driving though a lot of US guys report no issues as such. However I shall grab myself some 15mm Eibach hubcentric spacers for the rear as I think 15mm will be pretty much spot on.
Absolutely love the look, cannot wait to get the spacers and mud flaps as it transforms the look from a heavy looking car to more what is should be a muscle/sports look. The rear also looks higher as well now, though I think if it was possible to get it 5-10mm higher would be absolute perfection, maybe possible with spring pads, but clutching at straws here. It is why we mod cars to get them looking how we want them to look, some will appreciate it and others will not, all that matters is the owner is happy.
After seeing the car like this I am now unsure about de-chroming and going darker wheels, it just looks so good now and how I had it pictured in my mind before I got the car.
So hope this helps others, front spacer 20-25mm and rear spacer 8-15mm will give a great look that is nearly flush with no poke.
I also measure ground clearance at the sides, after front wheels is 4.75" and just before rear wheels is just over 6", this car definitely has some rake going on.
Well the sun made an appearance today, so I trial fitted the spacers.
First photos are no spacer, then followed by many with spacers.
[size=6]NO SPACER![/size]
[size=6]23mm Spacer front & rear![/size]
[size=6]The poke or lack off[/size]
[size=4]Front Wheel[/size]
[size=4]Rear Wheel[/size]
Trust me after seeing car with 23mm spacers fitted I did not want to remove them, what a transformation, but for now they are off until my mud flaps arrive.
I think 23mm is absolutely spot on for the front, there is no poke and it looks just right, 20mm would also look spot on I imagine as well and 25mm will also work just fine in the front. So am happy with 23mm!
In the rear for me 23mm is too much, that is quite a lot of poke and I am sure they would also rub on bumpier roads or aggressive driving though a lot of US guys report no issues as such. However I shall grab myself some 15mm Eibach hubcentric spacers for the rear as I think 15mm will be pretty much spot on.
Absolutely love the look, cannot wait to get the spacers and mud flaps as it transforms the look from a heavy looking car to more what is should be a muscle/sports look. The rear also looks higher as well now, though I think if it was possible to get it 5-10mm higher would be absolute perfection, maybe possible with spring pads, but clutching at straws here. It is why we mod cars to get them looking how we want them to look, some will appreciate it and others will not, all that matters is the owner is happy.
After seeing the car like this I am now unsure about de-chroming and going darker wheels, it just looks so good now and how I had it pictured in my mind before I got the car.
So hope this helps others, front spacer 20-25mm and rear spacer 8-15mm will give a great look that is nearly flush with no poke.
I also measure ground clearance at the sides, after front wheels is 4.75" and just before rear wheels is just over 6", this car definitely has some rake going on.
Hi there
OK as it seems people stalk me, as pointed out above I was indeed at autobrite today, but not for a detail, because as already mentioned Ford did a great job of preparing the car and did not swirl or mar the paint work.
A week ago I spotted on Autobrite's facebook page a Range Rover done in Autograph car wax, £85 per small pot and I asked how much they would charge to essentially clean my car exterior and add a layer of this wax, they said it is around 2hr work and would be £60, absolute bargain I said. Perfect for me as I want my paint to stay swirl free so I want to avoid waxing myself.
I took the car today at lunch time, they got too work, bad news we have no Autograph, so instead for no extra charge we shall use our best highest quality shine and durable wax we have "Legacy" at over £200 per pot.
A quick couple of photos:
They did a full photoshoot and video of the car as well, the above are from Facebook so I shall re-post some proper full quality images when the owner from Autobrite emails them over to me.
In short the plan is to take it to them every 6 months for this treatments, because in short it makes perfect sense, so September for Abyss sealant (better for winter) and March for Legacy Wax. At £60 for a solid couple hours work by a professional using the best products is great value.
Love the way the car looks, they also said to bring the car back with the spacers fitted and wheels done in dark grey and they will do a new photoshoot, but on a sunny day.
They also confirmed it was one of the best paint finishes they have seen on a brand new car, really impressive stuff!
OK as it seems people stalk me, as pointed out above I was indeed at autobrite today, but not for a detail, because as already mentioned Ford did a great job of preparing the car and did not swirl or mar the paint work.
A week ago I spotted on Autobrite's facebook page a Range Rover done in Autograph car wax, £85 per small pot and I asked how much they would charge to essentially clean my car exterior and add a layer of this wax, they said it is around 2hr work and would be £60, absolute bargain I said. Perfect for me as I want my paint to stay swirl free so I want to avoid waxing myself.
I took the car today at lunch time, they got too work, bad news we have no Autograph, so instead for no extra charge we shall use our best highest quality shine and durable wax we have "Legacy" at over £200 per pot.
A quick couple of photos:
They did a full photoshoot and video of the car as well, the above are from Facebook so I shall re-post some proper full quality images when the owner from Autobrite emails them over to me.
In short the plan is to take it to them every 6 months for this treatments, because in short it makes perfect sense, so September for Abyss sealant (better for winter) and March for Legacy Wax. At £60 for a solid couple hours work by a professional using the best products is great value.
Love the way the car looks, they also said to bring the car back with the spacers fitted and wheels done in dark grey and they will do a new photoshoot, but on a sunny day.
They also confirmed it was one of the best paint finishes they have seen on a brand new car, really impressive stuff!
Here is a few more of the picture that Autobrite took of the car today.
They have agreed that once spacers are fitted and the alloys are re-coloured to gunmetal to take it back and they will take some more photos for me.
Am over the moon with it, can't wait to get the spacers on it, to finish it off!
They have agreed that once spacers are fitted and the alloys are re-coloured to gunmetal to take it back and they will take some more photos for me.
Am over the moon with it, can't wait to get the spacers on it, to finish it off!
..
Snorty said:
Hi Quinny. Which deck lid did you end up fitting? If the GT one isn't in use, would you consider selling it on?
Hi Snorty...... I'll have to add you to the list I'm afraid....I posted them up on the Mustang6G website, and with 30 minutes I had half a dozen messages asking to sell the unused one..
My car hasn't arrived yet, so I still haven't decided which one I'm keeping.....although I'm leaning towards the horse..
Purely because lots of cars have "GT" on them, and I think the horse says more about what car it is..... I may end up tossing a coin though
Edited by Quinny on Saturday 13th February 00:35
HI there
Today I fitted the Eibach 15mm hubcentric rear spacer. After trial fitting 23mm spacers on the rear there was too much poke for my liking and I feel 20mm would also be poking too much. As such I decided to give 15mm a go, here is a link to the spacers I purchased:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Eibach-15mm-Pro-Wheel-Sp...
These spacers are the best design I have come across as they weigh less and are in my view safer, not only that there is no issue with torquing the nuts to the full 148lb/ft as stated in the hand book.
However fitting this type of spacer is not the usual five minute job, give yourself an hour per side and take your time.
[size=6]DIY Guide![/size]
1. Start by jacking the car and removing the wheel (21mm socket)
2. Remove brake caliper, this is hardest part as it is hard to get a big wrench/socket in the wheel well, so patience needed. (18mm socket)
3. Remove the splash guard, by undoing the three 8mm bolts
4. With it removed be sure to support the calipers weight, I used some bricks!
5. Now remove the old studs one at a time by hitting with a small metal hammer, no need to go insane, just moderate force hits will do it, also put a 14mm nut on the bolts and hit that bolt with the hammer to preserve the threads on the stock studs.
6. Once the stud is out, put the new longer stud in place, note you will only get the studs in and out between the 11-12o'clock position and they will go in with gentle tapping, if they are not just rotate the hub a couple of mm and they will just tap into place.
7. Hammer the stud a little into the wheel hub, again using light force just to get the stud started.
8. Then with a tool I made, old wheel nut with top taken off and a larger washing, thread this onto the stud until tight to pull stud all the way through and then remove the hand made tool.
9. New spacer and new studs show time!
10. Nearly done!
11. Comparison old and new studs, 15mm spacer, so 15mm longer studs.
12. Finished!
13. Notes use blue loctite on splash shield and caliper bolts, splash shield bolts are just nipped up, caliper bolts give them everything you got. Put wheel back on, tighten, let car down, torque wheels, go for drive, re-torque wheels!
[size=6]Results![/size]
Pictures speak volumes:
The results are perfect, exactly what I wanted, there is no poke and the wheels are as flush to the body work your going to get without having poke. Car now looks higher in the rear and no longer looks like the suspension is collapsing in on it self, really please with the results and I far prefer this type of spacer that just comes with longer studs.
Unfortunately Eibach 20mm and 25mm design seem to go back to the design of attaching to the hub using current studs and having new studs in place, it is perfectly safe but I far prefer the idea of there only being one set of bolts to tighten (wheel to hub) rather than two sets (spacer to hub, wheel to spacer).
Once the mud flaps arrive I shall install the front 23mm spacers I have!
Driving impressions!
Car has not changed in anyway, all I would say is the car has a touch more understeer and more grip in the rear, which is what you would expect when just widening the rear track by 30mm. This car as standard has slight understeer towards limits, now the understeer is a little more noticable. Once I fit the 23mm (46mm track widening) the cars balance should be a bit better than factory, with just very slight understeer, we shall see.
But for me these 15mm spacers give the perfect no poke look, they weigh less and are safer. A perfect fit for GT PP cars, only downside being they take longer to install.
Today I fitted the Eibach 15mm hubcentric rear spacer. After trial fitting 23mm spacers on the rear there was too much poke for my liking and I feel 20mm would also be poking too much. As such I decided to give 15mm a go, here is a link to the spacers I purchased:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Eibach-15mm-Pro-Wheel-Sp...
These spacers are the best design I have come across as they weigh less and are in my view safer, not only that there is no issue with torquing the nuts to the full 148lb/ft as stated in the hand book.
However fitting this type of spacer is not the usual five minute job, give yourself an hour per side and take your time.
[size=6]DIY Guide![/size]
1. Start by jacking the car and removing the wheel (21mm socket)
2. Remove brake caliper, this is hardest part as it is hard to get a big wrench/socket in the wheel well, so patience needed. (18mm socket)
3. Remove the splash guard, by undoing the three 8mm bolts
4. With it removed be sure to support the calipers weight, I used some bricks!
5. Now remove the old studs one at a time by hitting with a small metal hammer, no need to go insane, just moderate force hits will do it, also put a 14mm nut on the bolts and hit that bolt with the hammer to preserve the threads on the stock studs.
6. Once the stud is out, put the new longer stud in place, note you will only get the studs in and out between the 11-12o'clock position and they will go in with gentle tapping, if they are not just rotate the hub a couple of mm and they will just tap into place.
7. Hammer the stud a little into the wheel hub, again using light force just to get the stud started.
8. Then with a tool I made, old wheel nut with top taken off and a larger washing, thread this onto the stud until tight to pull stud all the way through and then remove the hand made tool.
9. New spacer and new studs show time!
10. Nearly done!
11. Comparison old and new studs, 15mm spacer, so 15mm longer studs.
12. Finished!
13. Notes use blue loctite on splash shield and caliper bolts, splash shield bolts are just nipped up, caliper bolts give them everything you got. Put wheel back on, tighten, let car down, torque wheels, go for drive, re-torque wheels!
[size=6]Results![/size]
Pictures speak volumes:
The results are perfect, exactly what I wanted, there is no poke and the wheels are as flush to the body work your going to get without having poke. Car now looks higher in the rear and no longer looks like the suspension is collapsing in on it self, really please with the results and I far prefer this type of spacer that just comes with longer studs.
Unfortunately Eibach 20mm and 25mm design seem to go back to the design of attaching to the hub using current studs and having new studs in place, it is perfectly safe but I far prefer the idea of there only being one set of bolts to tighten (wheel to hub) rather than two sets (spacer to hub, wheel to spacer).
Once the mud flaps arrive I shall install the front 23mm spacers I have!
Driving impressions!
Car has not changed in anyway, all I would say is the car has a touch more understeer and more grip in the rear, which is what you would expect when just widening the rear track by 30mm. This car as standard has slight understeer towards limits, now the understeer is a little more noticable. Once I fit the 23mm (46mm track widening) the cars balance should be a bit better than factory, with just very slight understeer, we shall see.
But for me these 15mm spacers give the perfect no poke look, they weigh less and are safer. A perfect fit for GT PP cars, only downside being they take longer to install.
I have been following this with interest as I am considering chopping my M3 conv (E46 2006) in for one but this has almost put me off as seems to suggest the standard car needs a lot of time and extra money to get it where it should be. I understand if you would rather not say but how much has it cost to get it to the spec as pictured, and as per previous post insurance implications?
Cheers
Cheers
Stone Cold said:
I have been following this with interest as I am considering chopping my M3 conv (E46 2006) in for one but this has almost put me off as seems to suggest the standard car needs a lot of time and extra money to get it where it should be. I understand if you would rather not say but how much has it cost to get it to the spec as pictured, and as per previous post insurance implications?
Cheers
First things first, the car as standard is perfectly good. This wasn't perhaps the case with the previous generation, but this is leagues ahead in terms of dynamics (and power).Cheers
Don't let Gibbo's obsession with modding lead you to believe it needs it
Have a look at Chris Harris' youtube vid if you have any doubts (although he is driving an EU spec car which has different springs):https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaoW8cW_R0w
or Henry Catchpole from Evo (which is at least a UK car!):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9cbzcYdgE4
That said, it's also fair to say that the GT has been setup as errmm... a GT! ie comfort rather than outright performance. What Gibbo is doing (and he has a M3 CSL) is to give a higher degree of dynamic feedback and performance.
To be honest, I reckon the standard car would be a good match for your E46 M3 'vert and if you wanted something a little 'tighter', you could do one mod (IRS cradle lockout costing about £100) and you'd be smiling. The rest are just degrees of improvement - like fitting coilovers or bigger brakes to an M3.
Best bet - go and test drive one
Edited by Stig on Wednesday 17th February 17:32
Edited by Stig on Wednesday 17th February 17:35
Gibbo205 said:
Pictures speak volumes:
Hi mate - I noticed from these pics (but may be the way they were taken?) that with the lowered springs you're running quite a bit of rear camber? Can this be dialled out?I think you have a 1.25" drop - whereas the FRPP springs are supposed to be 1", but even then, camber will be quite quite evident?
Unlike the previous gen, I think the S550 sits nicely as standard in its arches - but obviously need to judge for sure once mine arrives (being loaded onto the boat next Tuesday
Stig said:
Hi mate - I noticed from these pics (but may be the way they were taken?) that with the lowered springs you're running quite a bit of rear camber? Can this be dialled out?
I think you have a 1.25" drop - whereas the FRPP springs are supposed to be 1", but even then, camber will be quite quite evident?
Unlike the previous gen, I think the S550 sits nicely as standard in its arches - but obviously need to judge for sure once mine arrives (being loaded onto the boat next Tuesday
My car is setup for best road handling m8, as such factory rear camber recommendation is around -1.50 and I am actually at only -1.65 I think you have a 1.25" drop - whereas the FRPP springs are supposed to be 1", but even then, camber will be quite quite evident?
Unlike the previous gen, I think the S550 sits nicely as standard in its arches - but obviously need to judge for sure once mine arrives (being loaded onto the boat next Tuesday
Also ultralite springs drop the car 1.250" front and 1" rear, FRPP springs drop 1" front and around 0.5" rear or there abouts.
It all depends what you want but I went for best road handling and characteristics, if you want track handling or more stance just dial in more negative camber but at the expensive of road handling.
I did post my alignment sheet and settings for others a few pages back along with Ford's recommendations for stock GT PP and FRPP specification, my setting sit inbetween the two as the FRPP settings from Ford are more track settings rather than road.
Gibbo205 said:
My car is setup for best road handling m8, as such factory rear camber recommendation is around -1.50 and I am actually at only -1.65
Also ultralite springs drop the car 1.250" front and 1" rear, FRPP springs drop 1" front and around 0.5" rear or there abouts.
It all depends what you want but I went for best road handling and characteristics, if you want track handling or more stance just dial in more negative camber but at the expensive of road handling.
I did post my alignment sheet and settings for others a few pages back along with Ford's recommendations for stock GT PP and FRPP specification, my setting sit inbetween the two as the FRPP settings from Ford are more track settings rather than road.
Thanks mate - pleased to hear that the FRPP springs have less of a drop. 1" in front and 0.5" sounds ideal (and I prefer a higher rear - ooh err).Also ultralite springs drop the car 1.250" front and 1" rear, FRPP springs drop 1" front and around 0.5" rear or there abouts.
It all depends what you want but I went for best road handling and characteristics, if you want track handling or more stance just dial in more negative camber but at the expensive of road handling.
I did post my alignment sheet and settings for others a few pages back along with Ford's recommendations for stock GT PP and FRPP specification, my setting sit inbetween the two as the FRPP settings from Ford are more track settings rather than road.
Placed a big order at Levittown yesterday (with Benny). Bit disappointed in Lethal these days - service not as good as it used to be
Levittown creamed them on pricing for the FRPP parts too!Stig said:
Thanks mate - pleased to hear that the FRPP springs have less of a drop. 1" in front and 0.5" sounds ideal (and I prefer a higher rear - ooh err).
Placed a big order at Levittown yesterday (with Benny). Bit disappointed in Lethal these days - service not as good as it used to be Levittown creamed them on pricing for the FRPP parts too!
I had same issue with Lethal, was going to put $2000 worth of order there way but they would not quote me shipping until I paid for goods and they had them there to verify at which point I was like I am unwilling to take a gamble because you might want $1000 shipping.Placed a big order at Levittown yesterday (with Benny). Bit disappointed in Lethal these days - service not as good as it used to be
Levittown creamed them on pricing for the FRPP parts too!In the end I got everything from CJ Pony in their black Friday sale with a further 8% discount and a full palit of items shipped for only $500, was incredible value.
Gibbo205 said:
I had same issue with Lethal, was going to put $2000 worth of order there way but they would not quote me shipping until I paid for goods and they had them there to verify at which point I was like I am unwilling to take a gamble because you might want $1000 shipping.
In the end I got everything from CJ Pony in their black Friday sale with a further 8% discount and a full palit of items shipped for only $500, was incredible value.
Seems like the fedex costs are fairly even. I have a $560 bill from Levittown, but the parts are heavy/bulky. I went to Lethal for the BMR bits because the price was good - but may give CJ pony a go. I think $500-$600 will cover a fair weight, wihch is why I wanted to source from one supplier. I expect I have 'surpluse' in my Levittown consignment - ah well. Then again, it's costing me $70 just to ship a decklid (but it was cheap so evens out)In the end I got everything from CJ Pony in their black Friday sale with a further 8% discount and a full palit of items shipped for only $500, was incredible value.
I think they may have got hacked off with me keep changing the order! Well, it's their stupid system that means they have to manually quote for shipping each time!
Given the situation with your vertical links, it's just as well that they've dragged their feet as I had a set in my cart!
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