Janosh's VXR8

[Janosh]

After almost 2 years with a Monaro CV8, the addition of a family member meant that the most 'sensible' option would be to trade up to a 4 door VXR8. I started looking about 6 months ago, with a trip to Elite to drive a couple of different cars. A budget was set but I couldn't decide between manual and auto and above all wasn't ready to part with the Monaro.

Monaro thread here: http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

I thought about sticking a cam in the Monaro, but every road trip with the little man was proving to be more of a pain than I'd hoped for so the search continued.

Fast forward a few months and eventually a cam'd, remapped auto came up for sale. In fact, James didn't even have a chance to advertise it, I knew that the previous owner had traded it in so I went to see it as soon as he'd taken it in. When I first drove a R8, I felt it was a bit too refined, so finding one that had a cam was my way of ensuring that it would entertain... It does

The new beast:



Current spec:
OTR intake
Monkfish magic cam
Monkfish road response pack
Wortec exhaust

A shakedown test with some mates:



First thoughts – it’s a massive step forward from the Monaro! The ride, refinement, interior toys, everything, is a leap forward from the old platform… The Monaro was a little slower than my mates C4S, the VXR8 pulled some car length. It’s not been on SRR since the cam was fitted so I don’t have a number but it’s more than enough on the road. The cam obviously gives a wonderful offbeat noise at idle, it’s nice and quiet at a 70mph cruise but Wortec unleashes hell when you press the loud pedal.

Finally, a word of thanks to James at Elite, lots on here have bought and sold cars at Elite and I can only vouch for JB making the process a pleasure.

Edited by Janosh on Friday 22 July 16:29

[Janosh]

I think we stopped somewhere near Uffington, in the North Downs:

Edited by Janosh on Friday 22 July 16:13

[Janosh]

Another pic just for good measure

[Janosh]

Thanks Jeff, the car is a credit to you but it's gone to a good home

I've actually already ordered a pair of new HSV badges as they're the only thing that lets down the exterior and bodywork, it has worn the years and miles well!

Hopefully you'll find your way back into another HSV soon and we'll catch up at one of the meets.

[Janosh]

Here's the aforementioned HSV badge:



And the shiny new replacement that arrived from Oz in less than a week:



Completes the HSV badge set nicely



I also remounted the rear number plate as it wasn't quite straight.... and noticed that the front plate curls out at the ends because UK plates are bigger than the recess. That's now left me wondering whether I should order a smaller one to fit the plate recess in the front bumper...? I had one on the Monaro and never had any problems so that might be my next minor update.

[Janosh]

ARAF said:

You are allowed to run a smaller plate - so that it fits the recess, or you can pack the plate out with washers in the recess, so that the plate doesn't curl.

Thanks mate - I had a read through some old threads, eg: http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=121...

... and have ordered a 16" x 4.4" plate which I'll cut down to exact size

[Janosh]

GibGreen said:

That cam sounded pretty good!!

Thanks mate, we've visited a few friends in Stroud and Bristol this weekend and the car has received more positive comments in one weekend than the Monaro did in 2 years.

The black CV8 went largely unnoticed compared to the red R8!

I hope yours treats you well, it looked like a good car with a few good upgrades

Edited by Janosh on Sunday 31st July 19:11

[Janosh]

Just home from Elite, the a/c wasn't cold so I dropped the car off midweek for James to take a look. His mechanic found a tiny leak and ordered / replaced pretty much the entire a/c pipe work. Sorted, ice cold now

Thanks for the hastle free and quality after sales care

I hope everyone's having a blinder at TR today, looking forward to catching up and hearing the war stories at the meet next weekend...

[Janosh]

Following on from this thread: http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

The R8 completed its first major road trip



I've had a persistent yet inconsistent TC & ABS fault which keeps getting traced back to a weak battery, but otherwise the car was faultless and in it's element on the roads between Spa and Nurburg. Thanks to Elite, it's booked in with an auto electrician tomorrow so hopefully we'll get to the bottom of whatever's draining my electricity!

As an aside, I couldn't recommend going to watch a VLN race highly enough. You get access to the pits before the race and because the race goes on for several hours you can get around the track and watch from lots of different vantage points.

I also had a great reminder of why I love these cars, in a carpark FULL of 911 GT3's, GTR's, M3's, etc.... my car still pulled an admiring crowd

A thoroughly awesome weekend

Edited by Janosh on Tuesday 6th September 10:12

[Janosh]

Quick updated after around 9 months of ownership... the T/C & ABS fault was eventually remedied by replacing the speed sensor and wiring loom, since then she been running without fault.

The car is proving to be a great family load lugger and turns into my weekend toy on demand. I sometimes wonder whether I'd prefer a manual, but the remapped auto box is probably better for our needs 90% of the time.

At SRR she was a little down on power, Charlie suspects that the stock cats are collapsing so I have some new cats to fit in the coming weeks and some coilovers (Pedders xA) to freshen up the suspension and lower her around 30mm.

How far have people lowered R8's before they start to drag on speed bumps and generally compromise practicality?

[Janosh]

Elite used their tech2 for diagnosis and Monkfish supplied the bits. Unfortunately I can't remember the exact error code, sorry.

The sensor and loom are not expensive parts (and a relatively well known fault), so if you've ruled out the battery then they're the next bits to check.

[Janosh]

A little over a year in and she's still treating us well... sailed through the MOT with just a handbrake adjustment needed.

A few months ago I fitted some new cats as the old ones were starting to smell a little and more than likely holding back a few horses, but otherwise it's been remedial maintenance and trouble free motoring.

This weekend I met with some old friends and emptied 3 tanks of super unleaded in the Welsh countryside. We couldn't believe the quantity and quality of driving immediately off the M4! We usually go further afield and into Europe but Wales is a weekend that I'd thoroughly recommend and I'd happily share the route if anyone wants some advice on driving in Wales.

In a nutshell: beautiful scenery, great roads, very little traffic (at this time of year) cosy pubs and cafes, friendly locals.

Here are a few snaps:

[Janosh]

BPW would be a great starting point

We went up the A466, then headed West cross country and over Devil's bridge to Aberystwyth and back along the A44 to Rhayader for an overnight stop.

Day 2 we went North up to Ffestiniog in Snowdonia, then headed South East (B4391) towards Welshpool via Bala.

[Janosh]

Today she passed her second MOT in my ownership, no issues to report

Other than routine maintenance, the only change / modification I've made in the last year is to add a genuine HSV Senator spoiler. I had planned to paint it red but in black it seems to work well with the wheels / window tints, etc....



Fast approaching 100k on the clock, planning on keeping her another year or two so she'll get some upgraded consumables over the next few months

[Janosh]

Just a recent snap in my work car park... with new side stripes

[Janosh]

Quick update after some much deserved and aforementioned TLC.

She's had a 'Luis Sola' engine and gearbox remap, (very sexy) 2 piece discs and pads all round, a major service and a few niggles sorted (various sensors & the centre prop mount). My wallet is battered but she's running better than ever before.

Roll on some summer road trips

[Janosh]

After the recent mechanical TLC I treated her to a proper wash, stills scrubs up great

[Janosh]

It’s pretty quiet here these days but I thought I’d update my ownership journey.

We spent this weekend up in Scotland for a wedding so it would be rude not to take the R8 for a road trip:



We stopped in the Peaks in the way up and once North of Glasgow found some amazing roads.

I was driving with a friend in his M3 and I was pleasantly surprised that the old HSV kept him honest in a straight line. I’ve got a little under 500bhp now thanks to Luis Sola, 3rd gear on a twisty road is absolutely brutal.

I drove the M3 and it’s amazing how precise it felt in the bends so next up is a suspension refresh and most likely some coil overs....

She’s not going anywhere anytime soon

[Janosh]

As we head into my 4th year of ownership, here’s a quick summary of 2019, probably more as an ownership diary for me than anything else...

Luis Sola engine and gearbox maps
Pedders XA coilovers
Disks and pads all round, including upgrade to split piece at the front
A/C condenser and overhaul
Major service: Filters, fluids, plugs, etc....

It was an expensive year but in fairness she hasn’t cost too much in previous years so deserved a bit of tlc and is now pretty close to my perfect spec.

Running great at the moment and ready for some more road trips

[Janosh]

Another little update as we’ve just got back from another Euro road trip, although not entirely successful...

It started well:





Then about 30 miles from Adenau we developed a misfire and got MAP / MAF error codes. The car went into ‘safety mode’

We stayed the night in a local village as had managed to order a new map sensor... which didn’t help



We limped to the garage in Adenau where the trouble shooting began and eventually (with help from Carl and Luis - legends) lead to a broken spring:



That was the end of the driving.. but we still watched some racing and got excellent mpg on the way home





She’s now waiting for Carl to fit dual valve springs and hopefully we’ll be back in fighting form ASAP...

Edited by Janosh on Wednesday 5th August 09:57