Discussion
A few more fixes and wip:
I got another crack in the front tyre and I seem to have a slow puncture in one of the rears so I shelled out on a set of 4 PS4's!!I ordered a difference size tyre this time - 225/40/18 (the ones on the car are the standard fitment 215/45/18's). Whilst I do like the Rainsports the sidewalls don't appear to be very strong. I mounted a kerb at low speed to stop some numpty running into me head on down my road and it managed to put a chunk in it. Hopefully the PS4's will hold up better. Currently they're stored in the kitchen with some other car bits:
What I plan to do is swap the tyres over and keep 2 old tyres so they can be fitted to my old wheels for when I decide to refurb the ones currently on the car.
I've stopped using rimblades as they keep falling off after a while and the glue makes a mess. I managed to win some new Alloy Gators from Ebay so I'll give them a try. The under tray under the car was also bowing where it's obviously scraped on something and unclipped itself. Luckily I had some bolts that had the right fitment laying about in my shed so now it looks a bit more normal underneath. I also removed the tint on the rear lights as I didn't like the results they gave. Pic of the under tray fixed:
Some more interior stripping before they are sent off for more dipping:
I got another crack in the front tyre and I seem to have a slow puncture in one of the rears so I shelled out on a set of 4 PS4's!!I ordered a difference size tyre this time - 225/40/18 (the ones on the car are the standard fitment 215/45/18's). Whilst I do like the Rainsports the sidewalls don't appear to be very strong. I mounted a kerb at low speed to stop some numpty running into me head on down my road and it managed to put a chunk in it. Hopefully the PS4's will hold up better. Currently they're stored in the kitchen with some other car bits:
What I plan to do is swap the tyres over and keep 2 old tyres so they can be fitted to my old wheels for when I decide to refurb the ones currently on the car.
I've stopped using rimblades as they keep falling off after a while and the glue makes a mess. I managed to win some new Alloy Gators from Ebay so I'll give them a try. The under tray under the car was also bowing where it's obviously scraped on something and unclipped itself. Luckily I had some bolts that had the right fitment laying about in my shed so now it looks a bit more normal underneath. I also removed the tint on the rear lights as I didn't like the results they gave. Pic of the under tray fixed:
Some more interior stripping before they are sent off for more dipping:
Mapping:
Before I fitted the 3" intake I got a log of the 2.5" intake in action and run it through Virtual Dyno. The figures aren't probably the most accurate but it gives you a good idea on the difference it makes. The figures are calculated at the wheels so I add 10% to account for transmission loss - most people say the transmission loss is between 8% and 12% on these cars so I just go for a middle figure.
Before:
I note smoothing was set to 1 in the above picture so really it should be a few hp less than shown.
After fitting the 3" intake:
After I fitted the intake I was expecting more and it did seem to be a bit of a let down and the above shows why. There must've been a boost leak issue or an issue with the MAF or maybe even tyre pressurs so I got in touch with my tuner and got to work again with the intake and re-done the tyres (back one had low pressure). The result was much better this time!!
Next steps:
The car's getting booked in to fit the new tyres, alloy gators and rear mudflaps along with changing the gearbox oil and fitting the front splitter as I want to get this all done before winter.
The stereo will be smoothed and dipped in a few weeks - I decided to try and keep the original stereo as I get to keep all the original display that way and it doesn't sound too bad either.
After this it will be time to get the catch cans and PCV plate and get this fitted. I've still got an EGR delete to do as well. As the car edges nearer 50k I'm going to get the VVT done within the next 12 months. I'm going to do the brakes soon as the rears are getting low - I may look into getting a big brake kit next year depending on how much cash I have left over..
Before I fitted the 3" intake I got a log of the 2.5" intake in action and run it through Virtual Dyno. The figures aren't probably the most accurate but it gives you a good idea on the difference it makes. The figures are calculated at the wheels so I add 10% to account for transmission loss - most people say the transmission loss is between 8% and 12% on these cars so I just go for a middle figure.
Before:
I note smoothing was set to 1 in the above picture so really it should be a few hp less than shown.
After fitting the 3" intake:
After I fitted the intake I was expecting more and it did seem to be a bit of a let down and the above shows why. There must've been a boost leak issue or an issue with the MAF or maybe even tyre pressurs so I got in touch with my tuner and got to work again with the intake and re-done the tyres (back one had low pressure). The result was much better this time!!
Next steps:
The car's getting booked in to fit the new tyres, alloy gators and rear mudflaps along with changing the gearbox oil and fitting the front splitter as I want to get this all done before winter.
The stereo will be smoothed and dipped in a few weeks - I decided to try and keep the original stereo as I get to keep all the original display that way and it doesn't sound too bad either.
After this it will be time to get the catch cans and PCV plate and get this fitted. I've still got an EGR delete to do as well. As the car edges nearer 50k I'm going to get the VVT done within the next 12 months. I'm going to do the brakes soon as the rears are getting low - I may look into getting a big brake kit next year depending on how much cash I have left over..
Thanks for all the comments - I thought I might get slated when it comes to mudflaps and light tinting at least 
Today I had the following:
- Had the tyres changed
- New rear brakes and pads
- Added the rear mud flaps
- Added the rubber splitter (needs some finishing touches)
- Had the gear box oil changed to the Ford stuff
- Tried and failed fitting the alloy gators
Prior to today I spotted an RS6 in a car park so thought I would be cheeky and park next to it. I couldn't believe the size of the RS6 compared to the MPS:
Back to today..
The Ford gearbox oil is a definate improvement over the Motul I had in there before - it feels smoother in the gear changes and sounds slightly less noisy. Although they still need running in the PS4's feel awesome! It's chucked it down this evening but it feels like you are almost driving in the dry. The extra tyre width helps and it does feel less crashy on the bumps now and there's less stretch on the tyres so the rims should have a little bit more protection. I kept the old tyres for spare but to be honest they're past their due date..
The rear left has a slow puncture and is a lot more worn then the rear right also in the pic. I suspect this may be either a tracking issue or the fact the tyre was running on low psi due to punctures. Here's a close up on the rear left tyre:
Moral of the story - always look after your tyres and act on them quick if somethings up !!
I thought it would be fun to find a lit up car park to show some updated pics of the outside of the car with the splitter and rear mudflaps fitted. I did a bit of tarting up in Paint Shop Pro X :
Today I had the following:
- Had the tyres changed
- New rear brakes and pads
- Added the rear mud flaps
- Added the rubber splitter (needs some finishing touches)
- Had the gear box oil changed to the Ford stuff
- Tried and failed fitting the alloy gators
Prior to today I spotted an RS6 in a car park so thought I would be cheeky and park next to it. I couldn't believe the size of the RS6 compared to the MPS:
Back to today..
The Ford gearbox oil is a definate improvement over the Motul I had in there before - it feels smoother in the gear changes and sounds slightly less noisy. Although they still need running in the PS4's feel awesome! It's chucked it down this evening but it feels like you are almost driving in the dry. The extra tyre width helps and it does feel less crashy on the bumps now and there's less stretch on the tyres so the rims should have a little bit more protection. I kept the old tyres for spare but to be honest they're past their due date..
The rear left has a slow puncture and is a lot more worn then the rear right also in the pic. I suspect this may be either a tracking issue or the fact the tyre was running on low psi due to punctures. Here's a close up on the rear left tyre:
Moral of the story - always look after your tyres and act on them quick if somethings up !!
I thought it would be fun to find a lit up car park to show some updated pics of the outside of the car with the splitter and rear mudflaps fitted. I did a bit of tarting up in Paint Shop Pro X
:I see that your MPS being an aero has the same mirrors as fitted to a couple of the special editions of RX8. PZ and Evolve. I think they are made by Hagen or something like that?
Just wondered how you get on with them as although they look great I found them to be totally pants with loads of blind spot area when I had them on my PZ.
Just wondered how you get on with them as although they look great I found them to be totally pants with loads of blind spot area when I had them on my PZ.
Looks great. Like the hydrodipped interior parts, and good you haven’t gone mental on that front. Extra leather parts work nicely too.
Was it the Mk2 that had the bonnet with the intake?
Only suggestion I could make is to get a LHD reversing light and chrome fog bulb, so all the rear lights are clear.
Was it the Mk2 that had the bonnet with the intake?
Only suggestion I could make is to get a LHD reversing light and chrome fog bulb, so all the rear lights are clear.
Smokin Donut said:
Well done good effort and read. Keep up the work!
Thanks 
Bright Halo said:
I see that your MPS being an aero has the same mirrors as fitted to a couple of the special editions of RX8. PZ and Evolve. I think they are made by Hagen or something like that?
Just wondered how you get on with them as although they look great I found them to be totally pants with loads of blind spot area when I had them on my PZ.
I'm not sure on the exact make - vision is more limited as they're smaller then standard but they're fully adjustable so I don't find them too bad to use.Just wondered how you get on with them as although they look great I found them to be totally pants with loads of blind spot area when I had them on my PZ.
Podie said:
Looks great. Like the hydrodipped interior parts, and good you haven’t gone mental on that front. Extra leather parts work nicely too.
Was it the Mk2 that had the bonnet with the intake?
Only suggestion I could make is to get a LHD reversing light and chrome fog bulb, so all the rear lights are clear.
It is indeed the MK2 that comes with the bonnet vent. They do make an aftermarket bonnet vent for the mk1 but it's $995.00 + postage etc so it might be cheaper to go custom. Here's an idea on how they look:Was it the Mk2 that had the bonnet with the intake?
Only suggestion I could make is to get a LHD reversing light and chrome fog bulb, so all the rear lights are clear.
I did try the reversing light but it rubbed like hell and was really annoying due to the noise so I had to take it off - it did look nice though. I do plan to get the rear lights tinted at some point so the fog light is less noticeable. In other news the splitter did fall off so I'm going to get another one and make sure it's screwed into the bumper!
Edited by maxdb on Friday 29th September 22:15
Rear wiper deleted for the cleaner look - not to everyones tastes but I kept the old parts in case I change my mind. The old one didn't do a great job.
I also got the shift plate back from the dippers but silly me got the wrong side dipped!! I also managed to drop the shifter weight and in a panic put it back on the wrong way..
After the realisation of my mistake I put the shifter weight back the right way and it made a massive improvement. The gear change was a lot better but due to the shorter throw it made going from 3rd to 2nd a lot harder. I removed the reverse lockout gate and it's so much better and smoother too! The reverse lockout gate is good for stock but I would advise getting one if you are intending to have a short shifter.
There's a little bit of difference for gears 2,4 and 6 but you can tell the throw is much shorter for gears 1, 3 and 5. I must say that was £20 well spent.
I got the stereo and heater panels back from the dippers. the stereo covers aren't perfect and tbh I'm not sure on the top bit as it's quite shiney and almost a bit too much. Maybe I will change it with an Eonon unit after all. My mobile phone broke so the pictures aren't the usual quality at the moment. Here's a pic of the stereo:
The next part for dipping are the steering wheel controls..
The wheel and airbag has to come off:
All the parts stripped down:
As you can see in the blurry pic the volume and main cruise control buttons cannot come out the plastic as they are moulded in. Hopefully this shouldn't be an issue when it comes to getting them dipped.
I don't have spares so I've put the wheel back like this:
It all runs fine - I'll just have to miss some of the wheel controls for a while..
I got another MOT due in February so I decided to get some more bits done before-hand. Fingers crossed it will pass again ok but i have a feeling it might fial on bushes or similar but only time will tell..
Side lights:
The standard ones were a bit rubbish so I did replace them with some LED ones - they were good but due to them being LED they left the sidelight illumination on faintly on the dash when they were off (they faded out after a while with the ignition off). I decided to replace them with some Osram Cool Blue Intense and despite the blue bulbs they put out a nicer white light:
Next was the plates - I've seen a few MPS's with square plates and some of them looked ok. I got myself a 13x6.5 plate for the rear and 13x7 for the front. Unfortunately I don't have a decent pic of the rear so here's one of the front:
I'm not keen on the front so might go smaller - maybe a 13x6 or a 12x6 but I want to keep the plates legal. The new square plates gave me an opportunity to remove the number plate holder at the front. Eventually the plastic above the grill with the lovely holes in will be smoothed over and painted/dipped etc.
Going back to the interior I decided to remove the centre console out so I can take out the armrest lid. Here it is on the kitchen table in it's full glory:
The tray then comes out from underneath giving you access to the arm rest:
I've ordered a new cover, which this time I won't end up cutting it after getting annoyed Once it comes I can fit it without it being connected to the car and get it all lined up etc.
Staying with the interior mods i got the wheel controls back from the dippers. Unfortunatly I noticed a minor imperfection on one after I put it back together so I may get it re-done at some point. Here they are ready to go back together:
Switches back on:
Wheel back on:
By chance someone was selling a pod gauge I was after. They're quite pricey (about £240 imported from the states) and hard to come by so when one come up for sale in the UK for £80 I had to get it. Luckily I didn't take any pics of it being fitted to save you some boredom but I did have to remove the on and off switches for the vents as the pod doesn't have the holes for them. You might ask why I fitted them to no gauges? I just did it so it will encourage me to get some as everytime I see the blank holes it will bug me I plan to get some volt, boost and oil temp guages but for the oil temp you need a spin on oil conversion..
There's not much left to get dipped now - for the cabin it's just the ash tray, gear knob and handbrake surrounds. I thought I would get the ashtray done now then after the MOT i'll get the other 2 done so save lots of wires, cables being exposed. Ashtray tear down:
It was a right pain to get it apart due to a certain clip but some gentle persuation got it apart:
I just have a nice blank hole to look at for the next week or so!!
Another unintended mod was a small battery tray. Again someone was selling it cheap so I picked it up at a bargain price!! it also means I can move the ECU again to a better location and the smaller battery will allow me to run upto a 4" intake, which will help me if I decide to go for a bigger turbo later on down the line. Battery test fit:
I had lots of issues and headaches when it come to choosing a small battery. Most people - even in the UK call them a 51r battery. What an earth is a 51r battery? Eventually after some research it turned out to be a UK 156 battery, The measurements 237 x 127 x 227mm fit the box ok if you are wondering
The next issue was the CCA. Most of the batteries only have a CCA of 330 and given the car needs around 420a this is too low. I ended up taking it back and getting one with a 390 CCA as it's nearer to the 420a:
What I didn't realise is that it had legs and therefore it didn't fit in the tray. This left me with some choices:
- Take back the battery yet again
- Mod the battery box so it fits
- Mod the battery so it fits
I chose to:
Chop the legs of the battery with a saw!!
It fits now though!!
Next mods:
- Fit the small battery to the car once the weather is a bit nicer
- More interior work!
- Fit a rear diffuser I just bought!
- Fit a resonator delete pipe once it comes
Side lights:
The standard ones were a bit rubbish so I did replace them with some LED ones - they were good but due to them being LED they left the sidelight illumination on faintly on the dash when they were off (they faded out after a while with the ignition off). I decided to replace them with some Osram Cool Blue Intense and despite the blue bulbs they put out a nicer white light:
Next was the plates - I've seen a few MPS's with square plates and some of them looked ok. I got myself a 13x6.5 plate for the rear and 13x7 for the front. Unfortunately I don't have a decent pic of the rear so here's one of the front:
I'm not keen on the front so might go smaller - maybe a 13x6 or a 12x6 but I want to keep the plates legal. The new square plates gave me an opportunity to remove the number plate holder at the front. Eventually the plastic above the grill with the lovely holes in will be smoothed over and painted/dipped etc.
Going back to the interior I decided to remove the centre console out so I can take out the armrest lid. Here it is on the kitchen table in it's full glory:
The tray then comes out from underneath giving you access to the arm rest:
I've ordered a new cover, which this time I won't end up cutting it after getting annoyed
Once it comes I can fit it without it being connected to the car and get it all lined up etc.Staying with the interior mods i got the wheel controls back from the dippers. Unfortunatly I noticed a minor imperfection on one after I put it back together so I may get it re-done at some point. Here they are ready to go back together:
Switches back on:
Wheel back on:
By chance someone was selling a pod gauge I was after. They're quite pricey (about £240 imported from the states) and hard to come by so when one come up for sale in the UK for £80 I had to get it. Luckily I didn't take any pics of it being fitted to save you some boredom but I did have to remove the on and off switches for the vents as the pod doesn't have the holes for them. You might ask why I fitted them to no gauges? I just did it so it will encourage me to get some as everytime I see the blank holes it will bug me
I plan to get some volt, boost and oil temp guages but for the oil temp you need a spin on oil conversion..There's not much left to get dipped now - for the cabin it's just the ash tray, gear knob and handbrake surrounds. I thought I would get the ashtray done now then after the MOT i'll get the other 2 done so save lots of wires, cables being exposed. Ashtray tear down:
It was a right pain to get it apart due to a certain clip but some gentle persuation got it apart:
I just have a nice blank hole to look at for the next week or so!!
Another unintended mod was a small battery tray. Again someone was selling it cheap so I picked it up at a bargain price!! it also means I can move the ECU again to a better location and the smaller battery will allow me to run upto a 4" intake, which will help me if I decide to go for a bigger turbo later on down the line. Battery test fit:
I had lots of issues and headaches when it come to choosing a small battery. Most people - even in the UK call them a 51r battery. What an earth is a 51r battery? Eventually after some research it turned out to be a UK 156 battery, The measurements 237 x 127 x 227mm fit the box ok if you are wondering
The next issue was the CCA. Most of the batteries only have a CCA of 330 and given the car needs around 420a this is too low. I ended up taking it back and getting one with a 390 CCA as it's nearer to the 420a:
What I didn't realise is that it had legs and therefore it didn't fit in the tray. This left me with some choices:
- Take back the battery yet again
- Mod the battery box so it fits
- Mod the battery so it fits
I chose to:
Chop the legs of the battery with a saw!!
It fits now though!!
Next mods:
- Fit the small battery to the car once the weather is a bit nicer
- More interior work!
- Fit a rear diffuser I just bought!
- Fit a resonator delete pipe once it comes
MOT and service time came and went - a pass and no advisories for the 3rd year running!!
I got the EGR delete kit fitted at the same time so the kits no longer laying around. It gives a very slight increase (1 maybe) mpg and put the engine light on but with the Versatuner software i have I deleted and blocked the error code so I'm now engine light free.
Sadly I hit a big pothole in the dark so the wheels took another hit:
It was quite a hit so I've swapped my stock wheels over so I could assess the damage:
Given the state of the wheels I feel they would benefit from a refurb. The current lug nuts are getting a bit rusty and corroded so I've ordered some red closed spline nuts to replace the current ones - these should arrive shortly. On the off chance I asked if anyone on the owners group had any hubcentric spacers going spare and as if my magic some 5mm hubcentric spacers arrived:
The bronze wheels can look a bit dull in certain light so i thought a colour change would be nice. I bought some gold plastidip on Ebay to get an idea on what it would be like and I was sold by it. Please note there was no prep and just a spay over to get an idea on the colour. These will be getting done properly once I have the money saved up:
Moving away from the wheels I got the small battery tray fitted - out with the old:
In with the new:
I just need to finish relocating the ECU but the cold weathers putting me off doing this at the moment. I might put the ECU back on the fusebox cover but make it neater but it doesn't take much for these engine bays to look untidy.
The rear diffuser all assembled:
Fitted:
Some people add colour to them to make then stand out but I've decided to keep it black. Here's another pic in a different light:
I'm currently looking at spoiler extensions but there's nothing I like apart from the one DG Motorsports make across the pond. I better get saving. I just want the rear spoiler to be a tad more aggressive but not too OTT. I got the resonator and centre box delete pipe fitted at the same time. The car sounds much better and it has added character. It's a bit louder but not over the top for me. It's now much easier to make the exhuast pop and bang but i don't think it pops any flames with the stock downpipe (need to confirm!!) I don't think there's any need for any more exhaust changes apart from swapping the downpipe over at a later stage.
I bought a new armrest cover. It still needs a bit of work/adjusting but I will do that when the weathers a bit warmer in the spring. I took the whole thing off this time
I also wasn't keen on the square front number plate - it seemed to big in the centre so I thought I would try my luck with a 12x6 plate. After numerous adjustments I got to this:
The grill will later be smoothed other and hydrodipped in carbon fibre but I may go for a darker colour. The car also could benefit from a front splitter as it's looking rather high up. I better get saving..
I got the EGR delete kit fitted at the same time so the kits no longer laying around. It gives a very slight increase (1 maybe) mpg and put the engine light on but with the Versatuner software i have I deleted and blocked the error code so I'm now engine light free.
Sadly I hit a big pothole in the dark so the wheels took another hit:
It was quite a hit so I've swapped my stock wheels over so I could assess the damage:
Given the state of the wheels I feel they would benefit from a refurb. The current lug nuts are getting a bit rusty and corroded so I've ordered some red closed spline nuts to replace the current ones - these should arrive shortly. On the off chance I asked if anyone on the owners group had any hubcentric spacers going spare and as if my magic some 5mm hubcentric spacers arrived:
The bronze wheels can look a bit dull in certain light so i thought a colour change would be nice. I bought some gold plastidip on Ebay to get an idea on what it would be like and I was sold by it. Please note there was no prep and just a spay over to get an idea on the colour. These will be getting done properly once I have the money saved up:
Moving away from the wheels I got the small battery tray fitted - out with the old:
In with the new:
I just need to finish relocating the ECU but the cold weathers putting me off doing this at the moment. I might put the ECU back on the fusebox cover but make it neater but it doesn't take much for these engine bays to look untidy.
The rear diffuser all assembled:
Fitted:
Some people add colour to them to make then stand out but I've decided to keep it black. Here's another pic in a different light:
I'm currently looking at spoiler extensions but there's nothing I like apart from the one DG Motorsports make across the pond. I better get saving. I just want the rear spoiler to be a tad more aggressive but not too OTT. I got the resonator and centre box delete pipe fitted at the same time. The car sounds much better and it has added character. It's a bit louder but not over the top for me. It's now much easier to make the exhuast pop and bang but i don't think it pops any flames with the stock downpipe (need to confirm!!) I don't think there's any need for any more exhaust changes apart from swapping the downpipe over at a later stage.
I bought a new armrest cover. It still needs a bit of work/adjusting but I will do that when the weathers a bit warmer in the spring. I took the whole thing off this time
I also wasn't keen on the square front number plate - it seemed to big in the centre so I thought I would try my luck with a 12x6 plate. After numerous adjustments I got to this:
The grill will later be smoothed other and hydrodipped in carbon fibre but I may go for a darker colour. The car also could benefit from a front splitter as it's looking rather high up. I better get saving..
Thesprucegoose said:
Are the underside of these flat? Is the diffuser just for show? You might be better off on the bonnet putting a vent at the rear of it. Looks good nice cars.
It's just for show really as the back looks high up off the ground without it - the cars just normal underneath Thesprucegoose said:
Wasn't sure, what are the running costs like?
The tax is the worst bit as the MK1s are £546 a year if you pay monthly. The MK2 is a lot less than this as it has slightly lower emissions. The insurance isn't too bad at £450 a year with all mods declared. Fuel wise I average 25mpg and use Tesco 99 which is about 121.9 a litre down here.Service parts are just at typical prices really - places like ecp sell the filters etc. The springs are harder to come by as it's an aero but aftermarket kits are available. It has a dmf but single conversion kits are available and the shell helix ultra oil that's recommend can be had for about £25 for 5 litres when there's a deal on.
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