I HAVE A NEW CAR!
Discussion
Well - it’s the same car, (V8 Vantage Roadster 2007/4.3 with Sportshift) but new modifications have utterly transformed it. I had not dared hope for such a big effect on what is already a breathtaking machine.
In essence, it still has loads of ‘personality’ but the bad edges have been knocked off.
I had the Bamford Rose twinplate clutch, lightweight flywheel and switchable suspension done, plus added new slightly wider Michelin Super Sports all at once.
(Also a mod to the Catalyst and ECU remap for a small increase in power and a decent noise change from BURBLE to ROAR, and a three-way switch so I can decide to blast it out or choose stealth mode, or have it as per factory. Finally cruise-control added.)
First impressions:
The steering felt lighter and more responsive. Surprise number One.
D mode has become totally fluid. Surprise number Two
Backache gone - six hours hard driving today. Surprise number Three!
Comfort button - now does something useful. Surprise number Four!
Here's a pic - though to be honest it looks the same as before!
I promised to feed back in detail: (It's rather thorough.. see towards end of post for "watch-outs")
Results of Twinplate clutch / flywheel:
Nodding-dog effect has gone. Creep mode smooth (still can judder slightly if you don’t put any gas in) - reverses up steep hills without barbecue smell.
If I just put my foot flat to the floor in D (and hang on tight), it surges forward with beautiful flow. Surpassed 140mph on the straight before my nerve/the road ran out but each gear change was a smooth blip rather than a great jolt with a clunk from the transmission.
On really windy roads in D mode I barely noticed the gears - just point and squirt. Anyone who has felt the 4.3 in original guise will know that’s a revelation.
As a passenger, in Bamford-Mike’s capable hands, I saw how smooth the gear change can be manually too. If you change at the right time it slips in beautifully - no need to lift off the gas or finesse it - just watch the rev counter and click- new redline slightly higher RPM too.
Comfort button really annoyed me when I got the car as it just made it jerky and uncomfy - I felt a bit let down. Now it does what you'd expect, in D mode it makes the gears change at lower revs for a smoother ride. Good in heavy/queing traffic.
Instruction:
Mike was kind enough to take me to try all the new mods at Millbrook proving ground. I am very grateful for his patient tuition in terms of how to get the best from my car, and how to get the best from a corner, many corners, over and over and over. I feel much more "at one" with the car now.
I would show pictures but they covered my iPhone cameras with these stickers which is a shame since they were filming an episode of Silent Witness there with "dead" bodies and Police with guns all over the place!
Swithchable suspension:
Two modes - soft or hard. Hard mode felt similar to the original in terms of feeling the road (and the spine jangling over bumps) though in terms of grip, the car seemed if possible more planted and responsive - which I am guessing is what made the steering feel so much lighter - very subjective as I’m no rally driver and already found it pretty good. Certainly negligible body roll even at high speed and on sharp steering inputs - it darts impressively rather than wallowing - there's no ‘rebound'.
Soft mode - Incredible difference. Even on the track, including the deliberately bumpy bits, a push of the switch takes all the pain away - I wouldn’t say it floats like a modern Jag - the closest comparison I can offer from my experience is the smooth comfort of a BMW - still absolutely in touch with the road and sporty, but polite and forgiving on the spine. I’m sure others with wider driving experience could come up with a better/posher comparison, but I expect you get the idea.
Motorway:
Got stuck in traffic on the way home. Cruise control obviously a bonus, but the smoothness down to very low speeds put a smile on my face... Though not as much as departing the M4 for three hours on twisty A-roads - every tractor overtaken was another chance to hear that joyous noise.
Tyres:
Bamford put slightly wider Michelin Super Sports on. Can’t say how these contributed to the extraordinary grip etc as the other mods were simultaneous. But in contrast to the Bridgestones they do project beyond the rims and already saved my alloys when I very gently scraped the kerb pulling over in a too-narrow village high-street -that’s a bonus.
Watch outs:
You can tell that I’ve become a Bamford Rose disciple overnight, and probably feel my excitement from this post - no apologies as thats exactly what the Aston Martin experience SHOULD be for me, and they’ve added massively to that by taking away my nagging doubts about keeping the car as a daily driver long-term.
However let’s be clear - they don’t have a call-centre, a receptionist, a team of email-answerers or their own parts production facility.
My project was delayed weeks by a parts supply issue (giving them time to fix a couple of things without charging me labour), and though I always heard back from Mike, and with very reassuring, sound, economical advice, it was generally later rather than sooner (and sometimes late at night -which says a lot about commitment).
So those with a control-freak disposition (most people who can afford an AM?) may have to grit their teeth a little. I guessed this from the forums already - IMHO its better to have less immediate contact from the guy who actually understands the engineering, than an instant response from a telephone operator. But forewarned is forearmed.
Insurance - Some companies avoid modified cars - my company Sainsbury's are not increasing my premium nor charging me an admin fee. I cannot commend them highly enough for this,
Odd noises - the Aston emits various noises, and one of them was, at first, more noticeable than before. Mike explained, I think it was something to do with the transmission, but I can’t remember and I’ve got used to it. Some of the old noises have gone! I suppose what I’m saying is, it’s like night-and-day compared to my ‘old’ car, but its still not a mass-produced silent-gliding Mercedes.
Afternoon tea:
After all that hair-raising, it was a joy to sweep up the majestic gravel of Cliveden House for afternoon tea. It’s a credit to the original designers that this Aston can be as at home on the track as the most impressive forecourts in the land. I’m sure they’re charming to everyone there, but I like to think we got a slightly extra-special Aston Martin welcome. We got a prime parking spot that’s for sure!
Which used AM to buy?
My choice: a cheap one, and have the mods.
I was feeling red-faced about getting a car which didn’t quite fulfil my daily missions. When I realised I was about to spend £10k modding it I kept wondering, in hindsight, if I wouldn’t have been better buying a £53k -4.7? (Putting aside that I would have never got that past the other half).
I’m comfortable now that I’ve got a car better for my needs than even a sports-pack 4.7, it’s low mileage, new tyres, under warranty and it isn’t going to need a(nother) new clutch!
But I wouldn’t advise this if you like to change cars often as the value of the mods will probably not come back to you if you sell the car. For me, I’m pretty sure I’ve now got a 'keeper'.
And they lived happily ever after (etc…)
Hope to meet some of you at PH events this Summer.
In essence, it still has loads of ‘personality’ but the bad edges have been knocked off.
I had the Bamford Rose twinplate clutch, lightweight flywheel and switchable suspension done, plus added new slightly wider Michelin Super Sports all at once.
(Also a mod to the Catalyst and ECU remap for a small increase in power and a decent noise change from BURBLE to ROAR, and a three-way switch so I can decide to blast it out or choose stealth mode, or have it as per factory. Finally cruise-control added.)
First impressions:
The steering felt lighter and more responsive. Surprise number One.
D mode has become totally fluid. Surprise number Two
Backache gone - six hours hard driving today. Surprise number Three!
Comfort button - now does something useful. Surprise number Four!
Here's a pic - though to be honest it looks the same as before!
I promised to feed back in detail: (It's rather thorough.. see towards end of post for "watch-outs")
Results of Twinplate clutch / flywheel:
Nodding-dog effect has gone. Creep mode smooth (still can judder slightly if you don’t put any gas in) - reverses up steep hills without barbecue smell.
If I just put my foot flat to the floor in D (and hang on tight), it surges forward with beautiful flow. Surpassed 140mph on the straight before my nerve/the road ran out but each gear change was a smooth blip rather than a great jolt with a clunk from the transmission.
On really windy roads in D mode I barely noticed the gears - just point and squirt. Anyone who has felt the 4.3 in original guise will know that’s a revelation.
As a passenger, in Bamford-Mike’s capable hands, I saw how smooth the gear change can be manually too. If you change at the right time it slips in beautifully - no need to lift off the gas or finesse it - just watch the rev counter and click- new redline slightly higher RPM too.
Comfort button really annoyed me when I got the car as it just made it jerky and uncomfy - I felt a bit let down. Now it does what you'd expect, in D mode it makes the gears change at lower revs for a smoother ride. Good in heavy/queing traffic.
Instruction:
Mike was kind enough to take me to try all the new mods at Millbrook proving ground. I am very grateful for his patient tuition in terms of how to get the best from my car, and how to get the best from a corner, many corners, over and over and over. I feel much more "at one" with the car now.
I would show pictures but they covered my iPhone cameras with these stickers which is a shame since they were filming an episode of Silent Witness there with "dead" bodies and Police with guns all over the place!
Swithchable suspension:
Two modes - soft or hard. Hard mode felt similar to the original in terms of feeling the road (and the spine jangling over bumps) though in terms of grip, the car seemed if possible more planted and responsive - which I am guessing is what made the steering feel so much lighter - very subjective as I’m no rally driver and already found it pretty good. Certainly negligible body roll even at high speed and on sharp steering inputs - it darts impressively rather than wallowing - there's no ‘rebound'.
Soft mode - Incredible difference. Even on the track, including the deliberately bumpy bits, a push of the switch takes all the pain away - I wouldn’t say it floats like a modern Jag - the closest comparison I can offer from my experience is the smooth comfort of a BMW - still absolutely in touch with the road and sporty, but polite and forgiving on the spine. I’m sure others with wider driving experience could come up with a better/posher comparison, but I expect you get the idea.
Motorway:
Got stuck in traffic on the way home. Cruise control obviously a bonus, but the smoothness down to very low speeds put a smile on my face... Though not as much as departing the M4 for three hours on twisty A-roads - every tractor overtaken was another chance to hear that joyous noise.
Tyres:
Bamford put slightly wider Michelin Super Sports on. Can’t say how these contributed to the extraordinary grip etc as the other mods were simultaneous. But in contrast to the Bridgestones they do project beyond the rims and already saved my alloys when I very gently scraped the kerb pulling over in a too-narrow village high-street -that’s a bonus.
Watch outs:
You can tell that I’ve become a Bamford Rose disciple overnight, and probably feel my excitement from this post - no apologies as thats exactly what the Aston Martin experience SHOULD be for me, and they’ve added massively to that by taking away my nagging doubts about keeping the car as a daily driver long-term.
However let’s be clear - they don’t have a call-centre, a receptionist, a team of email-answerers or their own parts production facility.
My project was delayed weeks by a parts supply issue (giving them time to fix a couple of things without charging me labour), and though I always heard back from Mike, and with very reassuring, sound, economical advice, it was generally later rather than sooner (and sometimes late at night -which says a lot about commitment).
So those with a control-freak disposition (most people who can afford an AM?) may have to grit their teeth a little. I guessed this from the forums already - IMHO its better to have less immediate contact from the guy who actually understands the engineering, than an instant response from a telephone operator. But forewarned is forearmed.
Insurance - Some companies avoid modified cars - my company Sainsbury's are not increasing my premium nor charging me an admin fee. I cannot commend them highly enough for this,
Odd noises - the Aston emits various noises, and one of them was, at first, more noticeable than before. Mike explained, I think it was something to do with the transmission, but I can’t remember and I’ve got used to it. Some of the old noises have gone! I suppose what I’m saying is, it’s like night-and-day compared to my ‘old’ car, but its still not a mass-produced silent-gliding Mercedes.
Afternoon tea:
After all that hair-raising, it was a joy to sweep up the majestic gravel of Cliveden House for afternoon tea. It’s a credit to the original designers that this Aston can be as at home on the track as the most impressive forecourts in the land. I’m sure they’re charming to everyone there, but I like to think we got a slightly extra-special Aston Martin welcome. We got a prime parking spot that’s for sure!
Which used AM to buy?
My choice: a cheap one, and have the mods.
I was feeling red-faced about getting a car which didn’t quite fulfil my daily missions. When I realised I was about to spend £10k modding it I kept wondering, in hindsight, if I wouldn’t have been better buying a £53k -4.7? (Putting aside that I would have never got that past the other half).
I’m comfortable now that I’ve got a car better for my needs than even a sports-pack 4.7, it’s low mileage, new tyres, under warranty and it isn’t going to need a(nother) new clutch!
But I wouldn’t advise this if you like to change cars often as the value of the mods will probably not come back to you if you sell the car. For me, I’m pretty sure I’ve now got a 'keeper'.
And they lived happily ever after (etc…)
Hope to meet some of you at PH events this Summer.
Edited by NealCS on Friday 18th April 23:02
ranjexel said:
Thank you for the excellent review of the mods
I have a N400 sportshift and the transmission is jerky even after many attempts at clutch learn
and the ride is too firm for my liking
BR seems to way forward
Other companies also offer a twinplate clutch, but if you want the suspension thats unique to BM - I think their lighter flywheel contributes too in the up-change. I have to say you are looking at a very happy customer - I hesitated at the price at first, but the results are tremendous - especially compared with the cost of changing car/shattered dream. I was inspired by all the people on here saying "you won't be disappointed" ( Molly - you were right!)I have a N400 sportshift and the transmission is jerky even after many attempts at clutch learn
and the ride is too firm for my liking
BR seems to way forward
MollyGTi said:
Told you that you wouldn't regret it 
Looking forward to getting an update and meeting you and your BR special on the Welsh Weekender
Ha! There you are - were your ears burning? Our posts crossed!Looking forward to getting an update and meeting you and your BR special on the Welsh Weekender
Look forward to meeting you then
Do you think it's too late to give my Toy a name?justin220 said:
Great write up, I'd love to hear more about the switchable exhaust?
Thanks Justin.There are loads of exhaust mods but mine was the simplest, I think, just a tweak to the catalyser and an ECU remap.
If you know about removing fuse 22/15 to stop the valve which quietens the exhaust from closing, the switch interrupts this valve- you probably know by default the valve closes after you start, then opens again only above around 4,500rpm so you have to really press-on to hear the roar.
The three-way switch keeps it
A) Always open (great so people can hear you overtaking)
B) Always closed (great to avoid annoying the neighbours) or
C) As per default/factory setting -closed below 4,500/5000 rpm
Its quite fun to have all these switches! One for the suspension, one for exhaust and one for Comfort mode. Car seems nice and flexible when you can choose between a softft, languid-changing, quiet car or a planted, roaring, bucking beast!
Edited by NealCS on Friday 18th April 23:06
LordBretSinclair said:
Great write up, can you tell us what size Michelins you now have please??
Rear 275/35 ZR19Front 245/40 ZR19
You can see the protection offered to the alloys in this pic:
(Not sure if that's because of the size or just the tyre design but it's a big improvement compared to the Bridgestones)
That's a beautiful car and I especially like the wheel color...I painted mine a similar color and it really complements the body color...
Unfortunately I don't have an aftermarket electronic suspension option over here, so I am waiting for the manually adjustable Nitrons which offer height/camber/damping/bump adjustability.
Unfortunately I don't have an aftermarket electronic suspension option over here, so I am waiting for the manually adjustable Nitrons which offer height/camber/damping/bump adjustability.
Well done Neal, and thanks! Your informative write up is very timely as I’m about to make a similar change looking to improve my car’s pace, poise and pitch. Mine’s a manual ’07 V8V, which suits my needs in all other respects so the competent modification upgrade is my preferred route (and the engineer in me will enjoy the process!)
Looking forward to seeing your car on Molly and Ron’s Welsh Weekender thingy. Not sure my intended budget will remain intact afterwards, so expect some blame to head your way.
Looking forward to seeing your car on Molly and Ron’s Welsh Weekender thingy. Not sure my intended budget will remain intact afterwards, so expect some blame to head your way.
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