Aston Martin advice from Bamford Rose independent specialist
Discussion
vanquishv12s said:
Hi Mike,
The V12 manifolds look amazing. Will they fit an 07 Vanquish S as well?
Thanks!
I asked Mike for you this morning - they won't fit a Vanquish The V12 manifolds look amazing. Will they fit an 07 Vanquish S as well?
Thanks!
Apparently not enough demand to make a commercially viable system for Vanquish, which is a sad surprise. Rare car though and maybe people don't want to touch them.
Shame
vanquishv12s said:
Hi Mike,
The V12 manifolds look amazing. Will they fit an 07 Vanquish S as well?
Thanks!
Thanks.... Here are some more angles, they are now ready for Lewis's DB9.The V12 manifolds look amazing. Will they fit an 07 Vanquish S as well?
Thanks!
Power curve will be reported on Lewis car next week, we have already put his DB9 back to standard and recorded the result of 574nm @ 5100 rpm and 446 BHP @ 5750 rpm, which is inline with STD figures.
We will also report noise level STD versus the BR improved exhaust kit.
The exhaust manifolds will only fit VH platform cars - DB9 / DBS / Virage / V12 Vantage. Vanquish and DB7 underbonnet / chassis area are totally different than new era. There are very few requests to performance upgrade DB7 and Vanquish, but that doesn't mean to say it cant be done or the benefit would be any less pleasing for what we manage for new era upgrades
Hi Mike,
I've been following the progress on Yetis DB9 with interest assuming that the majority of upgrades could be applied to the early Vanquish. Given that it isn't that straight forward, what would you do to enhance the performance, short of swopping engines, of a pre S Vanquish to something similar to the S spec.?
I've been following the progress on Yetis DB9 with interest assuming that the majority of upgrades could be applied to the early Vanquish. Given that it isn't that straight forward, what would you do to enhance the performance, short of swopping engines, of a pre S Vanquish to something similar to the S spec.?
BamfordMike said:
Thanks.... Here are some more angles, they are now ready for Lewis's DB9.
Power curve will be reported on Lewis car next week, we have already put his DB9 back to standard and recorded the result of 574nm @ 5100 rpm and 446 BHP @ 5750 rpm, which is inline with STD figures.
We will also report noise level STD versus the BR improved exhaust kit.
The exhaust manifolds will only fit VH platform cars - DB9 / DBS / Virage / V12 Vantage. Vanquish and DB7 underbonnet / chassis area are totally different than new era. There are very few requests to performance upgrade DB7 and Vanquish, but that doesn't mean to say it cant be done or the benefit would be any less pleasing for what we manage for new era upgrades
Power curve will be reported on Lewis car next week, we have already put his DB9 back to standard and recorded the result of 574nm @ 5100 rpm and 446 BHP @ 5750 rpm, which is inline with STD figures.
We will also report noise level STD versus the BR improved exhaust kit.
The exhaust manifolds will only fit VH platform cars - DB9 / DBS / Virage / V12 Vantage. Vanquish and DB7 underbonnet / chassis area are totally different than new era. There are very few requests to performance upgrade DB7 and Vanquish, but that doesn't mean to say it cant be done or the benefit would be any less pleasing for what we manage for new era upgrades
Hi Mike I am not sure if it was you I spoke to last week about upgrades to my V8V but who ever it was said they would send me a mail with details prices etc.. Didnt get anything, maybe my mail got jumbled up. any chance you could send on to
simon@tillingmotorsport.com
Many thanks
Simon
simon@tillingmotorsport.com
Many thanks
Simon
Its been a long time in the making, now finally the power curve graphs here proves that the best things come to those who wait….!
6.0L V12 upgrade exhaust system….. Done…
Finally, Bamford Rose has finished development of the V12 Exhaust manifold and Catalyst upgrade equipment which is now ready for release (Sorry Lewis, but the crown of fastest gun in the west is a short lived affair…!)
This post details just the exhaust system, in around 2 weeks there will be a further update and we will report the results of the power test with the engine upgraded with high lift cams and freer flowing inlet manifolds – she is already a weapon, but what we will create with this ultimate package can only be imagined…..!
A story you are all familiar with I’m sure….
We take one pretty horrid pair of exhaust manifolds and catalysts and throw them in the place they were destined for – the scrap bin.
Replace with craftsmanship befitting one of the world’s finest sports cars…..
Wave of a magic wand, and out pops this;
Graph 1 shows AML published torque and power data compared with what was measured on Lewis's DB9
Graph 2 shows Lewis DB9 Vs DB9 with Bamford Rose V12 exhaust manifold and catalyst upgrade - torque curve
Graph 3 shows Lewis DB9 Vs DB9 with Bamford Rose V12 exhaust manifold and catalyst upgrade - power curve
The improvements translate into significant, noticeable and useable low speed torque gains. No longer is it necessary to drop down a cog for fast progression at lower engine speeds.
A much steeper torque curve gradient between 3000 and 5000 rpm is returned which makes the engine rev to the redline SOOO MUCH faster.
And breathing modifications that instead of the engine dying and wheezing its way past 5750 rpm , make the engine take a DEEEEEP breath and produces peak power at 6750rpm – a whole 1000 rpm higher than standard. This charectoristic is amazing because instead of changing up a gear at 5750 rpm and dropping into part of the torque curve between 3000 rpm and 5000 rpm where the gradient is shallow and slow, the up-shift at 6750rpm now drops the engine revs higher up the rev range where the torque curve gradient is now much steeper making progression through the gears FURIOUS.
The vital stats:
Peak torque is up from 570Nm to 590 and through most of the rev range an increase of 20Nm is held
Peak power is increased by a delta of 44BHP from 450BHP to 494BHP – Lewis car was a little low to start with at 448 BHP taking his headline to 492BHP
Noise; The standard rear silencer is kept making use of the bypass valves which makes quiet the exhaust note when either working off original ECU control or when forced open or closed by the control switch we fit as part of this upgrade. The quality of the exhaust note is just incredible. Lewis has likened the note to somewhere between Lambo and classic V12 Ferrari. I can describe the exhaust note of the V8 well, but words escape me to explain and give proper justice to the quality of this sound. There were a number of Bamford Rose upgraded cars at Hever meeting last week, and together with Lewis car, whenever one of those started-up, they were distinctly different to a standard car – its best described as the sound of an engine blurting out power – which to the discerning ear is distinctly different sound to simply blurting out noise.
The exhaust note is louder than standard car with bypass valves open, but it’s a much better quality sound and because it is not raspy or very high pitched, is not overly loud. However, for those customers who want noise level neutral, resonator boxes are fitted to soften just a touch. Personally, I would not fit the resonator boxes, because when performance is wanted, switch the valves open and enjoy the glorious roar, but when quietness is needed, flick the switch and driving around with bypass valves closed returns the car back to standard noise levels. We will update with db results in the next update, but for those who ultimate noise levels are important because of track day limits, a solution will be provided to pass whatever restriction limit is required.
Construction of the V12 exhaust system is tenfold more complex than V8, and for those who have seen our V8 system in the flesh will now appreciate why we use the supplier we do for V8 – The V8 was / is practice for V12..! At Hever one guy was in disbelief when I explained the joints were hand welded, he could not believe the work wasn’t from a machine weld because it was so neat and uniform. Supplier selection was absolute key to this project and after we experienced the quality of what they could do for V12 our V8 systems had to be made by them also. So, BR is very proud to announce that RS fabrications are the fabrication artists that make our designs a reality.
Well done Russell and Shane….!
http://www.rsfabrications.com/
The gains in peak power performance at very high rpm and not a loss (which is normally the case), but yet an increase in low speed torque is due to precise design and uncompromised attention to detail in terms of both manufacturing materials and quality. There are 4 (2 per side) race quality 3 into 1 collectors and 2 (1 per side) race quality 2 into 1 collectors. Unlike some pipes and bends that can be bought in pre-made sections from supplier, due to the uniqueness of what we are doing here on V12, all these parts are made from scratch and are a work of art in their own right.
The primary pipe lengths are significantly longer than V8 (needed to get the peak power speed to increase by 1000 rpm) and there are an extra 4 of them compared with V8. This means that the sum in parts of the V12 system and the time taken to fabricate the complete kit with supreme levels of craftsmanship, means the final price of the system can not robustly be measured against V8 as a yard stick, and the cost will be significantly more than the Bamford Rose exhaust upgrade system for the V8 engine. Once the system is passed to car there is then around a 10 hour task to fit it together with vehicle based installation kit of parts.
This means that when the bill of materials is totaled together with installation costs, the price is higher than what we would have liked to have offered the equipment out at. We investigated reduction in cost, but it would have meant a reduction in quality and performance. For example, we could have pressed and formed the collectors, which for our V8 system works without any performance loss or reduction in quality or durability. But for V12 and the quite intricate design and shape, would have meant we would have compromised gasflow which would have reduced performance. Simply, the price we have ended up with is a straightforward calculation of the bill of materials, time to fabricate and install. Part way through the project, we realized the costs were higher than we would have liked, we did think about not continuing the project, but, the total transformation of engine performance and increased driving pleasure and enjoyment prompted us to carry on and let customers decide if it is a price worth paying. I have no doubt that after a few owners take the plunge and purchase this product, the reviews will confirm that it is game-changing and a valuable upgrade - Bamford Rose would not put its name to it if it was not..!
So, final vital stat is the supplied and fitted price;
£6500 + VAT
As the case with V8, this comes with a 3 year unlimited mileage warranty of all parts and workmanship,
and a guarantee that the upgrade behaves fault free in terms of driveability error states.
The same torque increase and power increase reported here over std car applies to all Gaydon V12 engine cars.
6.0L V12 upgrade exhaust system….. Done…
Finally, Bamford Rose has finished development of the V12 Exhaust manifold and Catalyst upgrade equipment which is now ready for release (Sorry Lewis, but the crown of fastest gun in the west is a short lived affair…!)
This post details just the exhaust system, in around 2 weeks there will be a further update and we will report the results of the power test with the engine upgraded with high lift cams and freer flowing inlet manifolds – she is already a weapon, but what we will create with this ultimate package can only be imagined…..!
A story you are all familiar with I’m sure….
We take one pretty horrid pair of exhaust manifolds and catalysts and throw them in the place they were destined for – the scrap bin.
Replace with craftsmanship befitting one of the world’s finest sports cars…..
Wave of a magic wand, and out pops this;
Graph 1 shows AML published torque and power data compared with what was measured on Lewis's DB9
Graph 2 shows Lewis DB9 Vs DB9 with Bamford Rose V12 exhaust manifold and catalyst upgrade - torque curve
Graph 3 shows Lewis DB9 Vs DB9 with Bamford Rose V12 exhaust manifold and catalyst upgrade - power curve
The improvements translate into significant, noticeable and useable low speed torque gains. No longer is it necessary to drop down a cog for fast progression at lower engine speeds.
A much steeper torque curve gradient between 3000 and 5000 rpm is returned which makes the engine rev to the redline SOOO MUCH faster.
And breathing modifications that instead of the engine dying and wheezing its way past 5750 rpm , make the engine take a DEEEEEP breath and produces peak power at 6750rpm – a whole 1000 rpm higher than standard. This charectoristic is amazing because instead of changing up a gear at 5750 rpm and dropping into part of the torque curve between 3000 rpm and 5000 rpm where the gradient is shallow and slow, the up-shift at 6750rpm now drops the engine revs higher up the rev range where the torque curve gradient is now much steeper making progression through the gears FURIOUS.
The vital stats:
Peak torque is up from 570Nm to 590 and through most of the rev range an increase of 20Nm is held
Peak power is increased by a delta of 44BHP from 450BHP to 494BHP – Lewis car was a little low to start with at 448 BHP taking his headline to 492BHP
Noise; The standard rear silencer is kept making use of the bypass valves which makes quiet the exhaust note when either working off original ECU control or when forced open or closed by the control switch we fit as part of this upgrade. The quality of the exhaust note is just incredible. Lewis has likened the note to somewhere between Lambo and classic V12 Ferrari. I can describe the exhaust note of the V8 well, but words escape me to explain and give proper justice to the quality of this sound. There were a number of Bamford Rose upgraded cars at Hever meeting last week, and together with Lewis car, whenever one of those started-up, they were distinctly different to a standard car – its best described as the sound of an engine blurting out power – which to the discerning ear is distinctly different sound to simply blurting out noise.
The exhaust note is louder than standard car with bypass valves open, but it’s a much better quality sound and because it is not raspy or very high pitched, is not overly loud. However, for those customers who want noise level neutral, resonator boxes are fitted to soften just a touch. Personally, I would not fit the resonator boxes, because when performance is wanted, switch the valves open and enjoy the glorious roar, but when quietness is needed, flick the switch and driving around with bypass valves closed returns the car back to standard noise levels. We will update with db results in the next update, but for those who ultimate noise levels are important because of track day limits, a solution will be provided to pass whatever restriction limit is required.
Construction of the V12 exhaust system is tenfold more complex than V8, and for those who have seen our V8 system in the flesh will now appreciate why we use the supplier we do for V8 – The V8 was / is practice for V12..! At Hever one guy was in disbelief when I explained the joints were hand welded, he could not believe the work wasn’t from a machine weld because it was so neat and uniform. Supplier selection was absolute key to this project and after we experienced the quality of what they could do for V12 our V8 systems had to be made by them also. So, BR is very proud to announce that RS fabrications are the fabrication artists that make our designs a reality.
Well done Russell and Shane….!
http://www.rsfabrications.com/
The gains in peak power performance at very high rpm and not a loss (which is normally the case), but yet an increase in low speed torque is due to precise design and uncompromised attention to detail in terms of both manufacturing materials and quality. There are 4 (2 per side) race quality 3 into 1 collectors and 2 (1 per side) race quality 2 into 1 collectors. Unlike some pipes and bends that can be bought in pre-made sections from supplier, due to the uniqueness of what we are doing here on V12, all these parts are made from scratch and are a work of art in their own right.
The primary pipe lengths are significantly longer than V8 (needed to get the peak power speed to increase by 1000 rpm) and there are an extra 4 of them compared with V8. This means that the sum in parts of the V12 system and the time taken to fabricate the complete kit with supreme levels of craftsmanship, means the final price of the system can not robustly be measured against V8 as a yard stick, and the cost will be significantly more than the Bamford Rose exhaust upgrade system for the V8 engine. Once the system is passed to car there is then around a 10 hour task to fit it together with vehicle based installation kit of parts.
This means that when the bill of materials is totaled together with installation costs, the price is higher than what we would have liked to have offered the equipment out at. We investigated reduction in cost, but it would have meant a reduction in quality and performance. For example, we could have pressed and formed the collectors, which for our V8 system works without any performance loss or reduction in quality or durability. But for V12 and the quite intricate design and shape, would have meant we would have compromised gasflow which would have reduced performance. Simply, the price we have ended up with is a straightforward calculation of the bill of materials, time to fabricate and install. Part way through the project, we realized the costs were higher than we would have liked, we did think about not continuing the project, but, the total transformation of engine performance and increased driving pleasure and enjoyment prompted us to carry on and let customers decide if it is a price worth paying. I have no doubt that after a few owners take the plunge and purchase this product, the reviews will confirm that it is game-changing and a valuable upgrade - Bamford Rose would not put its name to it if it was not..!
So, final vital stat is the supplied and fitted price;
£6500 + VAT
As the case with V8, this comes with a 3 year unlimited mileage warranty of all parts and workmanship,
and a guarantee that the upgrade behaves fault free in terms of driveability error states.
The same torque increase and power increase reported here over std car applies to all Gaydon V12 engine cars.
Edited by BamfordMike on Friday 29th June 01:20
BamfordMike said:
In the course of our repair and service works we came across a DB9 that came in for routine servicing that had the emissions service light illuminated. The owner had only just purchased the car and we expected the normal read and reset of fault code procedure to switch off the lamp with no underlying fault present (normal scenario). However, after closer inspection the catalyst for cylinders 4/5/6 was MISSING..! and the engine exhibited quite a severe rattle. These findings meant engine removal was necessary and it soon became obvious that 'somebody' had been there before us and had tried to cover up the tale of woe. The debris of the failed catalyst had been removed and for a reason only the (loosely termed) engine builder knows, the pistons had some strange marks - A complete horror story for the owner - a completely trashed engine.
The piston we found is worthy of picturing. Where the teflon coating should be on the side skirt, somebody has, for want of a better term 'centre punched' the piston skirt. The only conclusion we can come to why somebody had done this is in the error thought process that the skirt would in effect enlarge in diameter and take up any excessive clearance caused by wear. Clearly this took more effort than actually buying a new piston. The new piston necessary because when the catalyst failed the engine ingested the ceramic brick debris causing failure. The skoolboy errors didn't stop there... instead of honing the cylinder bore with the correct tool in horizontal plane, the honing marks were in vertical plane.
Silver cloud and all that - BR get their hands on the rebuild and in true BR fashion a standard motor aint going back in - much to the owners delight, despite him clearly feeling sore about purchasing a car with a hidden surprise.
The rebuild process has taken the following course.
Liners machined out from block and new inserted.
New pistons and rings
New main and big end bearings
BR high lift inlet and exhaust cams
GT3 racing lightening and balancing of bottom end parts
and of course, the BR V12 exhaust manifold and catalyst package.
We will run the engine in on standard exhaust system and then power test. This will robustly report the performance increase just from cams. We will then fit the BR V12 exhaust manifold and catalyst package and repeat the same dyno testing and power reporting process.
And here is how the beast was created.....
The rouge piston and strangely marked cylinder liner;
and now for the good stuff
AWESOME NUMBERS...................!The piston we found is worthy of picturing. Where the teflon coating should be on the side skirt, somebody has, for want of a better term 'centre punched' the piston skirt. The only conclusion we can come to why somebody had done this is in the error thought process that the skirt would in effect enlarge in diameter and take up any excessive clearance caused by wear. Clearly this took more effort than actually buying a new piston. The new piston necessary because when the catalyst failed the engine ingested the ceramic brick debris causing failure. The skoolboy errors didn't stop there... instead of honing the cylinder bore with the correct tool in horizontal plane, the honing marks were in vertical plane.
Silver cloud and all that - BR get their hands on the rebuild and in true BR fashion a standard motor aint going back in - much to the owners delight, despite him clearly feeling sore about purchasing a car with a hidden surprise.
The rebuild process has taken the following course.
Liners machined out from block and new inserted.
New pistons and rings
New main and big end bearings
BR high lift inlet and exhaust cams
GT3 racing lightening and balancing of bottom end parts
and of course, the BR V12 exhaust manifold and catalyst package.
We will run the engine in on standard exhaust system and then power test. This will robustly report the performance increase just from cams. We will then fit the BR V12 exhaust manifold and catalyst package and repeat the same dyno testing and power reporting process.
And here is how the beast was created.....
The rouge piston and strangely marked cylinder liner;
and now for the good stuff
A Lesson in DEEEP Breathing
Bamford Rose 6.0L V12 GT3 Racing Specification Engine Build.... Done...
Following the above story, the works have now come to an end...... And What an end......!
The engine was rebuilt into DB9 and after running in of the engine we recorded the following on dyno test:
DB9 450BHP transformed to 503BHP......!
The cams, inlet port, exhaust port and combustion chamber keep themselves to themselves below 5000, but above 5000 rpm - a different engine is born - the loud pedal now unleashes hell.....
Peak power increases by 53BHP and is reached at 6350 rpm from 5750 rpm.
Peak torque rises by 24NM, BUT, the peak is a staggering 1000RPM up the rev range. Allowing the engine to accelerate up to the redline from 3000 rpm delivering an awesome 'wall of torque'. Reaching the peak at this higher engine speed means the upshift into the next gear drops the engine higher up the rev ranger than before, and is right on the steepest part of the torque curve gradient meaning acceleration, again, up to the redline is even more furious.
2005 torque and power output from the '9 was great, at that time - the Bamford Rose GT3 racing specification engine build transforms the cars driveability, torque and power output that pleases and then some by todays standards.
For an interesting snippet of whats to come for 'Project Yeti DBRS9 Volante', The following graphs plot the GT3 Racing engine upgrade for 6.0L against the Bamford Rose exhaust manifolds and catalysts upgrade (the engine with the exhaust system upgrade is standard, compared against the GT3 racing engine with STD exhausts).
Lewis DB9 is having most of the cylinder head work that the GT3 racing engine build has, being applied as we speak. We will dyno Lewis's car next week, but what we expect is that the delta between standard DB9 (blue line) and Lewis DB9 with Bamford Rose exhaust manifold and catalyst upgrade (redline) is added to by most of the delta between the standard DB9 (blue line) and the Bamford Rose GT3 Racing specification engine (black line).
We have the One-77 0-60mph time of "approx. 3.5 secs" clearly in our sights with this project, and if the GT3 Racing engine build doesn't 'Vanquish' the One-77 the 6.5L displacement upgrade surely will. The goal with Lewis's DB9 was always to be the fastest V12 engine'd Aston road car / performance. Of course, this means that Lewis's car Vanquishes a Vanquish (II) before its born.......
Hi Mike
Firstly just wanted to say, what a great topic is is. Have been glued to reading the interesting questions and your responses.
I thought I may come across some commentary about the Prodrive performance tuning and cats etc.
I have a Prodrive 07 V8 and LOVE the result.
What options do I have in terms of improving the performance beyond what I already get with the Prodrive kit?
Thanks
Firstly just wanted to say, what a great topic is is. Have been glued to reading the interesting questions and your responses.
I thought I may come across some commentary about the Prodrive performance tuning and cats etc.
I have a Prodrive 07 V8 and LOVE the result.
What options do I have in terms of improving the performance beyond what I already get with the Prodrive kit?
Thanks
LongLiveTazio said:
God that power curve is impressive.
ds2000 said:
Beautiful piece of engineering! That curve is so smooth!
Thanks guys, this has been a real exciting project to deliver.The V8 and V12 are distinct cars, looks aside the V8 is the focused sports car, the DB9 is the slightly lazy grown up GT cruiser. The brief here was to create the focused driving experience found in V8 yet create a wolf in sheeps clothing, still keeping the beast a lazy GT cruiser, comfortable going across continents or driving through london city traffic.
To achieve this, each area of the standard DB9 had to be upgraded, taking the whole package up to '11' meaning engine, brakes, suspension and chassis are in harmony.
When Clarkson first drove DB9 @ 450BHP, in around 2004, I remember him driving through France and he imitated the sound of the exhaust and barked at the French cars on the road to get out of his way. Back in that day the engine and the car 'wowed' and was worthy of the 'king of the road' status. Soon to become a decade later, although the '9 has aged well, it isn't quite the king anymore, the GT market the DB9 occupies has moved on greatly. So, we needed to create an engine in 2012 that regained it's bark and intimidates other road users out of the way in 2012 as Clarkson did in 2004. To do this we knew that the engine needed to rev to at least 7500 rpm instead of dying at 5750rpm, yet low speed torque could not be compromised. This is no easy task and had to be achieved with the engine still in the car (the 6.5L rebuild comes later..!). The components decided on to achieve this were;
tuned equal length race inspired exhaust manifolds and catalysts / exhaust system,
inlet manifold redesigned to complement breathing to produce peak power at much higher rpm
high lift inlet and exhaust cams.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dwq5NbABxsY&fea...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEFB4uIrW8I&fea...
This is the dyno test which doesnt include the inlet manifold or the cams and is just exhaust, however, the dyno is just for final sign-off as the airflow measured through mass air flow meters tells me what power is as airflow is a more reliable measure of flywheel power and not torque measured by a roller. The number is no less than 520BHP.
To drive this engine is simply insane, I can compare it to a Honda S2000 in terms of it just keeps revving, and revving, and revving, and revving. When it hits the limiter at 7500 rpm and drops into the next gear the rev limiter is once again reached extremely quickly. Multiply that by a few gears and the car is propelled into the stratosphere at unbelievable pace. After a countryside blast even I get out of the car tingling with adrenalin and the backdrop to this performance is an exhaust note that is simply a beautiful sound, something close to classic V12 Ferrari racing. Twice on motorways I have accelerated from 60 mph in 6th gear and the acceleration has been so fast i have had to check i wasn't in 4th gear as my mind was telling me i cant accelerate so fast from top gear at such low engine speed.
I can confirm that power does corrupt, even the most sensible of us. The kick in the pants rooting ass to the drivers seat and the exquisite sound out of the tailpipe means that when i accelerate from 60MPH in 6th and the motorway is clear, to back off is just spoil-sport and as difficult as not chewing a fruit pastel... but clearly my fun was curtailed at 70mph, cant quite remember if a 1 came before it
Never have i so much wanted to take a car to a track and see the full potential....Of course, power is nothing without control.... the rest of the cars spec is as follows;
Lightweight flywheel and twinplate clutch
Big brake kit (380mm discs / 6 pot calipers)
DBS 'quick' steering rack
Increased thickness and size front and rear shear plates
Roll bar and drop link bush upgrade
Bamford Rose electronic switchable suspension
20 inch DBS 10 spoke rims to enable PZero' from DBS / V12V
DBS bonnet and grill
This DB9 now has the same focused driving experience of a V8 Vantage despite its weight and size. The V12 engine is powerful beyond belief and begs to be taken to the redline at every gear change. Yes, some of you will say that the power here is similar to current - the distinction is how quickly this motor revs up and until that is experienced first hand, it is a difficult experience to convey in words. This means that progression through the gears leads to big number speeds that has to be matched by stopping power and suspension that doesn't allow the nose to pitch upwards under power and can cope with the extra weight / speed around the twisty roads.
The tgree things that impress me with how this project (at this stage) has ended are how in harmony with each other the engine, brakes, suspension and chassis are, and how that upgraded package replicates that attribute found in V8. How a Volante can be transformed to feel as ridged as a coupe, And after working for many a OEM driving many a competitor car - I have found a car that ignites my adrenalin, which is hard to do.
Yet, turn the bypass valves off, flick the suspension to soft and tickle the throttle and she feels like a normal '9 and at 70mph on motorway in cruise or in city traffic she drives how she did at the start of the project.
No doubt Lewis will confirm my appraisal after BR reluctantly hand over the finished project....
GrigioTitanio said:
Hi Mike
Firstly just wanted to say, what a great topic is is. Have been glued to reading the interesting questions and your responses.
I thought I may come across some commentary about the Prodrive performance tuning and cats etc.
I have a Prodrive 07 V8 and LOVE the result.
What options do I have in terms of improving the performance beyond what I already get with the Prodrive kit?
Thanks
Hi, glad you like this forum areaFirstly just wanted to say, what a great topic is is. Have been glued to reading the interesting questions and your responses.
I thought I may come across some commentary about the Prodrive performance tuning and cats etc.
I have a Prodrive 07 V8 and LOVE the result.
What options do I have in terms of improving the performance beyond what I already get with the Prodrive kit?
Thanks
The Prodrive kit stops at cats and ECU remap and is hardly different to AM power upgrade kit.
Next steps onward - nothing offered by OEM or 'racing' partner, and neither will there be so its aftermarket for upgrade beyond what they offer.
So, to build on what you have, and whats on the market this would entail exhaust manifolds, GT4 racing engine build, lightweight flywheel, crankshaft damper and twinplate clutch, electronic suspension, big brake kit
All of the above as seen in Jessica / Diablo Blanco.....
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Enjoy your car..!
Edited by BamfordMike on Monday 9th July 01:29
Gassing Station | Aston Martin | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff