Johnny 550 is Coming!
Discussion
yeti said:
Woohoo... You must be jumping up and down!! 
it seems there was a bit of an argument about who tested it 
The gearbox issue was turned in to an opportunity and has paid dividends, so has fitting wider Michelin PSS tyres
Also worth noting this doesn't have the twin throttle system on yet.
Mikes "short" appraisal
First road run.... Amazing.... At least a day of tweaks needed so sorry for wedding but even if we had car running down road Thurs, would have been a risky release. Notes from drive... Exhaust note whilst driving, spot on for me in terms of best quality v8 noise i ever heard and overall volume... Power... Un frigging believable.. The engine pulls the most linear through the rev range i ever experienced from a Performance engine. This is result of big displacement at lower revs, ported and big valve heads for top end revs. The ballistic rate of change of engine speed between 6000 and 7600 rpm is the same as 2000-4000, this frantic yet linear engine is great for getting a pace on without feeling intimidated from what's to come from a big bang motor as speed rises, but does mean acceleration from 1st to redline in gears 1-4 is INCREDIBLY fast and deceptive and one more gear means the car is into the stratosphere. Yet this is achieved with remarkable ease and is devilishly addictive. The revelation is the gearbox. The shot peen and polish and oil feed shower to all gears and crown wheel and pinion has returned a silky smooth gearbox, to the point you have to look back and check to see that the rear end of the car is still connected to the front. The cabin is totally void of the normal grumblings and vibes from gearbox and diff which makes the cabin an extremely comfortable place for occupants, this 'interior' upgrade is major upgrade in itself and something we did not expect. The whole driveline is much more taut too and as a result coming down box from 7th to 1st you only know its changing gear by looking at digital display. How it shifts through box, up and down gears is simply lightening fast and is even dare i say a step onward from pearl / normal BR upgrades due to the upgrade given to the gearbox. Traction from the bigger rubber and quality of PSS2's is awesome to the point so good that even at peak torque there is so much grip getting a wildly out of control car is not gonna happen, which is mad considering he's pumping more torque than a V12v. Monday is day of tweaks, Monday eve is a Millbrook test session measuring gearbox cooler performance. This session will also sign-off the whole of our joint venture project. Tuesday is the squeak and rattle fix you wanted and geo, weds morning is dyno and hand-over to you. When we packed up for the night looking at car with smiles on faces there was a very satisfying moment. We have set up many prototype cars over the years across many auto makers. Without doubt, out of the box this is the most 'mature' and is far the best for generating the reaction of getting out the car with adrenaline pumping and feeling totally great and excited about the car. Totally ironic for me is fact this is the car program managers would argue to get in the seat to test, yet they never will, and is the package that says, this is what you could have won... Why.... Earlier in the day we finished a V12V zagato with our Lance Spec kit going from 510 to 580 BHP. The end result, normal BR, totally insane beast.... I was worried that i had been corrupted by the power of the zagato and driving Johnny same day would be an anticlimax... Not so, johnny held his own! And the more nimble V8 package and better power to weight ratio shone through.... This is the vantage that should have been and could have been if the route to a motor was from a big cat instead of tri-star! Oh well, at least you will drive arguably the best vantage ever created!!"
Edited by mikey k on Saturday 28th June 12:34
sukh_m said:
Pristine grade 3 smoked chromeDiamond cutting is a waste of time proven by the fact Pristine will no longer warranty it when they do it.
Proving yesterday with data logging put him somewhere between factory V12's and BR V12's on torque and power (without the twin throttles at this stage!)
Early impressions are the work done on the gearbox has paid dividends, with even quicker changes than the BR clutch package gives, less NVH and less losses (so more power to the wheels!)
Right - cup of tea, sort the camera out and off we trot!
(without the twin throttles at this stage!)Early impressions are the work done on the gearbox has paid dividends, with even quicker changes than the BR clutch package gives, less NVH and less losses (so more power to the wheels!)
Right - cup of tea, sort the camera out and off we trot!
Edited by mikey k on Wednesday 2nd July 08:20
AMDBSNick said:
robgt said:
Oh Dear V12 Woollie , you are about to be put in your place. Bamford Rose's latest creation is about to eclipse any thing currently available in V12 trim. Mikey's little bomb shell will prove that point . BR are producing V12 trouncing v8 engine cars that will prove you so very wrong!
Lance 
) Mike was testing a Zagota to Lance spec on the same day and there's not much in it in a straight line but come to the corners and its all over (apparently)
I suspect the gearbox and tyres have helped here
Looking forward to finding out and finding the new limits, the rear brakes hold testament to me getting past them in standard form
L0TT0 said:
mikey k said:
AMDBSNick said:
robgt said:
Oh Dear V12 Woollie , you are about to be put in your place. Bamford Rose's latest creation is about to eclipse any thing currently available in V12 trim. Mikey's little bomb shell will prove that point . BR are producing V12 trouncing v8 engine cars that will prove you so very wrong!
Lance ) Mike was testing a Zagota to Lance spec on the same day and there's not much in it in a straight line but come to the corners and its all over (apparently)
I suspect the gearbox and tyres have helped here
Looking forward to finding out and finding the new limits, the rear brakes hold testament to me getting past them in standard form
Straights are for fast cars, corners are for fast drivers 
Well I'm back a lot quick than normal
I got to BR about mid day and we had a good chat about the work done on the gear box and the exhaust.
The lads were very thorough, adding extra internal oil distribution to the gearbox, flow control to the oil pump and then checking oil temps under all sorts of conditions. I'm going to post some amazing pictures of the before and after gearbox internals when I get them on email.
We headed off on the 1.5 hour drive to Millbrook. Roof up in none Sport mode (exhaust valves always closed), its like being in a Limo, very civilised, perfect for long distance autoroute runs. It's still got the ASM pause in D in this mode, massive improvement on what it was though. Not surprised or bothered as I've never used it in this mode. Stab the Sport button and its all change. The exhaust valves are open all the time, though amazingly the sound is quieter at low revs than the stock car, all hell breaks lose at ~5k rpm right up to the 7.6k rev limit. The sound is a lot less metallic than when I drove it in January with the stock exhaust. Its got a great low tone to it and barks on down changes
This was a pleasant surprise to BR and me, I was dreading it being too loud and having to throttle it with resonators. Apparently its a result of the 4.3 rear box, the maximum diameter sports cats that would fit and slightly longer pinnacle headers.
Mike then took a hold of the paddles and slowed to a crawl, flooring the throttle. Jesus this thing shifts! It just pulls all the way up the rev range swapping cogs seamlessly with no lift, pause or delay. Problem is I think the speedo is out by a long way You just don't realise how many leptons you hit until you look down
We swapped over and I drove the rest of the way to Millbrook, getting stuck behind every tractor, bus and learner in the Midlands
It did prove how well it behaves at slow speed and in traffic.
We got to Millbrook and signed in (Mikes on first names terms with many of the staff )
To our glee Aston were running a "driving experience" day
Mike drove me round the various courses and we caught up with a V12VS (thought it was Andy Brew for a second!) as he came to the 1 mile straight to try a vmax run. He wasn't playing As Mike did the first launch they were out the car trying not to look Mike fluffed a gear change (yes really) and we still hit 165 mph, after another run we hit 170 mph with a little more to spare, we decide not go for a 3rd go as 170mph tops the BR Vmax list and is faster than any factory car has done there
We meandered over to the handling course passing a few more factory guys trying ever so hard not to notice or hear us
Mike showed me the lines and I had a good blast round, he went very quiet. Not sure if he was calm or scared, hopefully the former! Caught the same V12VS who promptly moved over much to the amusement of a couple of the Marshals. Soon got the measure of the handling circuit and decided to go and explore the Alpine circuit. Bad timing, it was littered with van drivers testing Movano's and yes they still carved me up and hogged the lanes
So we went round again only to discover more of the AM factory group soon sorted that, only one hung on. Ironically a Rapide S but I'm guess it was a factory driver who knew the circuit, he gave up half way round. That is a scary circuit, get it wrong on there and you will know it!
We only spent 45 mins there but it was well worth it, I suspect there will be some interesting conversations at Gaydon tomorrow (Ian I guess you now know we fixed the gearbox despite your efforts
)
Saw a nice McLaren 650C spyder out testing as well.
I drove back to BR in the style I would use the car, its ballistic, overtakes are like time travel, then it settles back to a comfortable limo, ready & waiting for the next opportunity
Drove past Gaydon at kicking out time in sport mode (just to let them know we were there )
The shot peening and polishing of the gearbox internals has really made a difference, loads less cabin noise and NVH, much much smoother changes. Frustrated by the fact the rear wheel bearings were shot after 13k miles, one of them was so bad it was either going to seize or completely collapse (AM quality control strikes again) full set of rear pads (brakes and hand brake) needed due to traction control intervention more use of track mode needed
I was pleasantly surprised with how little traction control intervention there is now, though I will be putting it in Track mode to stop this once I've "got the measure"
All in all it has exceeded my expectations of what I was aiming for and 2 weeks in the Alps is going to be EPIC!!
We got back to BR and put the smoked chrome alloys on with the oversized Michelin Pilot Super Sports, drove home with them on, they grip very well and actually feel a bit more comfortable than the stock RE050's
The only visible sign of what Johnny is are the powder coated wheels and if you look carefully the gearbox oil cooler. Not arsed about dynoing it, especially as there is still more to come with the twin throttle package that is going through electronics development (mechanical didn't cut it). Might do it then just to confirm the numbers.
I believe this is compulsory now Off to do some more "preflight checks"
Untitled by mikey k V8VR, on Flickr
image by mikey k V8VR, on Flickr
image by mikey k V8VR, on Flickr
image by mikey k V8VR, on Flickr
Better pictures over the weekend
I got to BR about mid day and we had a good chat about the work done on the gear box and the exhaust.
The lads were very thorough, adding extra internal oil distribution to the gearbox, flow control to the oil pump and then checking oil temps under all sorts of conditions. I'm going to post some amazing pictures of the before and after gearbox internals when I get them on email.
We headed off on the 1.5 hour drive to Millbrook. Roof up in none Sport mode (exhaust valves always closed), its like being in a Limo, very civilised, perfect for long distance autoroute runs. It's still got the ASM pause in D in this mode, massive improvement on what it was though. Not surprised or bothered as I've never used it in this mode. Stab the Sport button and its all change. The exhaust valves are open all the time, though amazingly the sound is quieter at low revs than the stock car, all hell breaks lose at ~5k rpm right up to the 7.6k rev limit. The sound is a lot less metallic than when I drove it in January with the stock exhaust. Its got a great low tone to it and barks on down changes
This was a pleasant surprise to BR and me, I was dreading it being too loud and having to throttle it with resonators. Apparently its a result of the 4.3 rear box, the maximum diameter sports cats that would fit and slightly longer pinnacle headers.Mike then took a hold of the paddles and slowed to a crawl, flooring the throttle. Jesus this thing shifts! It just pulls all the way up the rev range swapping cogs seamlessly with no lift, pause or delay.
Problem is I think the speedo is out by a long way You just don't realise how many leptons you hit until you look down We swapped over and I drove the rest of the way to Millbrook, getting stuck behind every tractor, bus and learner in the Midlands
It did prove how well it behaves at slow speed and in traffic.We got to Millbrook and signed in (Mikes on first names terms with many of the staff
)To our glee Aston were running a "driving experience" day
Mike drove me round the various courses and we caught up with a V12VS (thought it was Andy Brew for a second!) as he came to the 1 mile straight to try a vmax run. He wasn't playing
As Mike did the first launch they were out the car trying not to look Mike fluffed a gear change (yes really) and we still hit 165 mph, after another run we hit 170 mph with a little more to spare, we decide not go for a 3rd go as 170mph tops the BR Vmax list and is faster than any factory car has done there We meandered over to the handling course passing a few more factory guys trying ever so hard not to notice or hear us
Mike showed me the lines and I had a good blast round, he went very quiet. Not sure if he was calm or scared, hopefully the former! Caught the same V12VS who promptly moved over much to the amusement of a couple of the Marshals. Soon got the measure of the handling circuit and decided to go and explore the Alpine circuit. Bad timing, it was littered with van drivers testing Movano's and yes they still carved me up and hogged the lanes
So we went round again only to discover more of the AM factory group
soon sorted that, only one hung on. Ironically a Rapide S but I'm guess it was a factory driver who knew the circuit, he gave up half way round. That is a scary circuit, get it wrong on there and you will know it!We only spent 45 mins there but it was well worth it, I suspect there will be some interesting conversations at Gaydon tomorrow (Ian I guess you now know we fixed the gearbox despite your efforts
)Saw a nice McLaren 650C spyder out testing as well.
I drove back to BR in the style I would use the car, its ballistic, overtakes are like time travel, then it settles back to a comfortable limo, ready & waiting for the next opportunity
Drove past Gaydon at kicking out time in sport mode (just to let them know we were there
)The shot peening and polishing of the gearbox internals has really made a difference, loads less cabin noise and NVH, much much smoother changes. Frustrated by the fact the rear wheel bearings were shot after 13k miles, one of them was so bad it was either going to seize or completely collapse
(AM quality control strikes again) full set of rear pads (brakes and hand brake) needed due to traction control intervention more use of track mode needed I was pleasantly surprised with how little traction control intervention there is now, though I will be putting it in Track mode to stop this once I've "got the measure"
All in all it has exceeded my expectations of what I was aiming for and 2 weeks in the Alps is going to be EPIC!!
We got back to BR and put the smoked chrome alloys on with the oversized Michelin Pilot Super Sports, drove home with them on, they grip very well and actually feel a bit more comfortable than the stock RE050's
The only visible sign of what Johnny is are the powder coated wheels and if you look carefully the gearbox oil cooler. Not arsed about dynoing it, especially as there is still more to come with the twin throttle package that is going through electronics development (mechanical didn't cut it). Might do it then just to confirm the numbers.
I believe this is compulsory now
Off to do some more "preflight checks" Untitled by mikey k V8VR, on Flickrimage by mikey k V8VR, on Flickrimage by mikey k V8VR, on Flickrimage by mikey k V8VR, on FlickrBetter pictures over the weekend
Edited by mikey k on Thursday 3rd July 07:39
yeti said:
mikey k said:
I suspect there will be some interesting conversations at Gaydon tomorrow (Ian I guess you now know we fixed the gearbox despite your efforts )
I heard about this Mikey - I hope you go public with the information, I think people need to know what the metality is at Aston Martin HQ. Scummy behaviour. )Congrats on the car, makes my gentle waft home from Bedforshire in the Morgan seem as tame as it actually was
jonby said:
Don't get me wrong - I have no doubt that if this block was being used in a current car by Porsche or Ferrari, it would be developed to produce significantly more power. There is no question in my mind that outputs are partially restricted by lack AML's of £s. But at the same time, we have to accept some elements of what say BR do could never be realistically done in a road legal production car by a 'proper manufacturer' (i.e. one producing more than a handful of cars a year)
Absolutely BR created a 5.0 GT4 engine and it will appear in race cars in the near future, where it will be hobbled by regulation.
If you are brave and have deep pockets you can hand your car over to Prodrive who will give an Aston Martin approved V8 or V12 engine that will blow your socks off. Not a chance you will see these in production cars from Gaydon though!
That said much of what was done to Johnny had already been proven a while ago but was not sanctioned for release for one reason or another. I'm lucky enough to be reaping the benefits
robgt said:
L0TT0 said:
robgt said:
L0TT0 said:
I always remember being told many years ago of a quote from someone who 'knew' that "there is no substitution for cc's".
Sorry Tony, there is, It's called a turbo! AM's new engine will be 4ltr twin turbo circa 500BHPI assume you already have one on order then Rob and the necessary upgrades to engine and clutch are already ordered too
Ed50 said:
Mikey,
Pleased you've got your car back and in what sounds like an awesome form……………….
,it appears a monster has been created .
Now I'm sure there's a lot of interest in Johnny and his continued evolution so the question now begs to be asked…………...????????
Will he be on display at Burghley for all us mere mortals running stock to marvel at…….
Hopefully BR will have a nice selection on show as Bloefeld is on parade and Ben's bringing Jessica and keep an ear out for Pearl……..
Points for persistence Pleased you've got your car back and in what sounds like an awesome form……………….
,it appears a monster has been created .Now I'm sure there's a lot of interest in Johnny and his continued evolution so the question now begs to be asked…………...
????????Will he be on display at Burghley for all us mere mortals running stock to marvel at…….
Hopefully BR will have a nice selection on show as Bloefeld is on parade and Ben's bringing Jessica and keep an ear out for Pearl……..
TBH to look at there is very very little to see (unless we xray the engine and gearbox
)I'd rather people saw/heard him in action
All cleaned up ready for his next adventure
Tucked up next to Jaffa
image by mikey k V8VR, on Flickr
image by mikey k V8VR, on Flickr
Tucked up next to Jaffa
image by mikey k V8VR, on Flickrimage by mikey k V8VR, on FlickrEdited by mikey k on Thursday 3rd July 22:00
Bit of an update
Did a trip in it earlier in the month across France.
It was set up with newer versions of the BR headers (more torque), large area 200 cel cats (less pressure drop) and a 4.3 rear box (to tone the noise down a bit). Base tune and no twin throttles yet.
It's a real Jekyll and Hyde.
Sport button off, roof up it is a really quiet hyper speed GT. We did 950 miles in one day no issues.
Drop the roof and hit the sport button it is ballistic! It just pulls right up to the extended 7.6k rpm redline (might be possible to up that a bit) so it is very difficult to "be in the wrong gear"
The combination of the reworked gearbox (a lot smoother and quieter) and lightened flywheel/clutch package make the paddle shifts MUCH smoother both up and down. It even makes using D viable (only in Sport though!) The pops and bangs on down shifts are intoxicating and actually encourages you to change gear more.
He's now back at Bamford Rose having some more tweaks on the engine internals before we move on to the twin throttles.
Also found the Michelin PSS's to be fantastic, more comfortable, less tyre noise, more wet AND dry grip than the RE050's Aston fit.
Now to try and find some wider lighter alloys that don't detract from the "style"
Did a trip in it earlier in the month across France.
It was set up with newer versions of the BR headers (more torque), large area 200 cel cats (less pressure drop) and a 4.3 rear box (to tone the noise down a bit). Base tune and no twin throttles yet.
It's a real Jekyll and Hyde.
Sport button off, roof up it is a really quiet hyper speed GT. We did 950 miles in one day no issues.
Drop the roof and hit the sport button it is ballistic! It just pulls right up to the extended 7.6k rpm redline (might be possible to up that a bit) so it is very difficult to "be in the wrong gear"
The combination of the reworked gearbox (a lot smoother and quieter) and lightened flywheel/clutch package make the paddle shifts MUCH smoother both up and down. It even makes using D viable
(only in Sport though!) The pops and bangs on down shifts are intoxicating and actually encourages you to change gear more. He's now back at Bamford Rose having some more tweaks on the engine internals before we move on to the twin throttles.
Also found the Michelin PSS's to be fantastic, more comfortable, less tyre noise, more wet AND dry grip than the RE050's Aston fit.
Now to try and find some wider lighter alloys that don't detract from the "style"
Edited by mikey k on Thursday 31st July 19:35
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