4.3 Vantage with Bamford Rose upgrades..
Discussion
...This is my first post up here so please bear with me, I have been reading with interest for many years..
I recently bought a 4.3 Vantage with a badly worn clutch, and after some research I decided that the car really needed a lighter flywheel at the same time, as it just felt a bit lazy..
After reading quite a few reviews I contacted Mike at Bamford Rose, and was extremely impressed by his depth of knowledge and measured approach to car tuning.
Having owned a few cars over the years, I was generally wary of tuning, as I have found in most cases you end up with a product that is not fully resolved, or does not really maintain the balance of the car. But in the case of the 4.3 Vantage, (manual), I really felt there was a much better car there lurking just under the surface.
After meeting Mike and chatting in detail about the car, I decided to not only fit the twin plate clutch and lightweight flywheel, but also the exhaust manifold/cats, and have the ECU upgraded, to make the most of the new components.
This is not a cheap conversion, and I am sure some of you have looked at this versus perhaps buying a 4.7 Vantage..Hence my posting.
I was expecting a little more power, and noise, from the upgrades, but I have to say I am quite surprised about the level of extra torque and performance that has been released.
The noise as well is significant to say the least, and much more aggressive sounding. (although the conversion includes a switch to allow the factory OEM exhaust flaps to be fully engaged, or just open at above 3750 rpm). The exhaust retains the original back box by the way, and really I can't see you needing anymore noise!
Often with louder exhausts it is all to easy to feel you are going much faster, but having driven my car on familiar roads, with the exhaust flaps closed, I have to say the increase in performance is really significant, and much more than I had expected. Not only does the car feel at least as quick as a 4.7 now, but with the lighter flywheel, its also more eager to rev, which really adds to the driving experience. For me its actually a nicer and more sporting car than a standard 4.7.
I always felt like the car needed revs to extract the performance before the conversion, but that the relatively slow throttle response really didn't encourage driving the car like you might a 911 GT3 for example...However, it now feels very natural to push the car, and heel and toeing is much easier, even if the spacing from the accelerator to brake pedals are not quite as close as I would like.
The most impressive aspect for me is also the way the car feel as one piece, with no holes in the power or torque delivery,and how nicely the conversion has been integrated. It doesn't feel like a modified car, just more like the way the car should have been from the factory.
it was also a pleasure to deal with all the guys at Bamford Rose, who were extremely professional and provided me with a huge amount of detail prior to my commitment to buy the products.
Anyway I hope the note is useful to any of you considering these upgrades and I would be more than happy to chat in detail, or even demonstrate the car.... But I am based in Hong Kong so unless you are local or passing though, you may need to visit Warwickshire instead. (And yes we do have some decent roads over here as you can see from the attached picture).
I recently bought a 4.3 Vantage with a badly worn clutch, and after some research I decided that the car really needed a lighter flywheel at the same time, as it just felt a bit lazy..
After reading quite a few reviews I contacted Mike at Bamford Rose, and was extremely impressed by his depth of knowledge and measured approach to car tuning.
Having owned a few cars over the years, I was generally wary of tuning, as I have found in most cases you end up with a product that is not fully resolved, or does not really maintain the balance of the car. But in the case of the 4.3 Vantage, (manual), I really felt there was a much better car there lurking just under the surface.
After meeting Mike and chatting in detail about the car, I decided to not only fit the twin plate clutch and lightweight flywheel, but also the exhaust manifold/cats, and have the ECU upgraded, to make the most of the new components.
This is not a cheap conversion, and I am sure some of you have looked at this versus perhaps buying a 4.7 Vantage..Hence my posting.
I was expecting a little more power, and noise, from the upgrades, but I have to say I am quite surprised about the level of extra torque and performance that has been released.
The noise as well is significant to say the least, and much more aggressive sounding. (although the conversion includes a switch to allow the factory OEM exhaust flaps to be fully engaged, or just open at above 3750 rpm). The exhaust retains the original back box by the way, and really I can't see you needing anymore noise!
Often with louder exhausts it is all to easy to feel you are going much faster, but having driven my car on familiar roads, with the exhaust flaps closed, I have to say the increase in performance is really significant, and much more than I had expected. Not only does the car feel at least as quick as a 4.7 now, but with the lighter flywheel, its also more eager to rev, which really adds to the driving experience. For me its actually a nicer and more sporting car than a standard 4.7.
I always felt like the car needed revs to extract the performance before the conversion, but that the relatively slow throttle response really didn't encourage driving the car like you might a 911 GT3 for example...However, it now feels very natural to push the car, and heel and toeing is much easier, even if the spacing from the accelerator to brake pedals are not quite as close as I would like.
The most impressive aspect for me is also the way the car feel as one piece, with no holes in the power or torque delivery,and how nicely the conversion has been integrated. It doesn't feel like a modified car, just more like the way the car should have been from the factory.
it was also a pleasure to deal with all the guys at Bamford Rose, who were extremely professional and provided me with a huge amount of detail prior to my commitment to buy the products.
Anyway I hope the note is useful to any of you considering these upgrades and I would be more than happy to chat in detail, or even demonstrate the car.... But I am based in Hong Kong so unless you are local or passing though, you may need to visit Warwickshire instead. (And yes we do have some decent roads over here as you can see from the attached picture).
Edited by nrg250 on Wednesday 4th February 06:58
Thanks for the info NRG, and I second Bravo's comment, that's a great write-up! I'm new to Aston ownership myself so I'm interested to hear about what options are available.
I have a mundane question about logistics: You're in HK so I'm guessing BR supplied the parts but were fitted by a specialist in HK?
I have a mundane question about logistics: You're in HK so I'm guessing BR supplied the parts but were fitted by a specialist in HK?
Johnny42 said:
Thanks for the info NRG, and I second Bravo's comment, that's a great write-up! I'm new to Aston ownership myself so I'm interested to hear about what options are available.
I have a mundane question about logistics: You're in HK so I'm guessing BR supplied the parts but were fitted by a specialist in HK?
BR sent their technician out there who is now on a snowboarding holiday bI have a mundane question about logistics: You're in HK so I'm guessing BR supplied the parts but were fitted by a specialist in HK?
dI only know this because I was chatting to Mike yesterday
haha yes its true BR sent Matt over to fit the kit and sign off on the installation for me. (and after 4 days in HK - 20 degrees and sunny, he is now snowboarding in Italy).
They were actually very fair as they gave me a fully detailed nut and bolt set of instructions for fitting, so that my mechanic could fit everything if that was what I wanted, but they also offered to send their guy over if I funded the trip.
In the end I decided that it made sense to make sure it was all up to the correct spec. so brought Matt over. We used a friendly local mechanics garage and lift here in HK. It sounds excessive, but economically it probably worked out about the same - as someone new working on the car to fit this kit for the first time would probably take quite a lot longer than someone experienced at the whole process. It is quite an involved procedure due to the tight packaging of the car.
I understand that BR are now planning on offering a fly and fit service anyway, and I'm sure their mechanics will be happy to oblige..
They were actually very fair as they gave me a fully detailed nut and bolt set of instructions for fitting, so that my mechanic could fit everything if that was what I wanted, but they also offered to send their guy over if I funded the trip.
In the end I decided that it made sense to make sure it was all up to the correct spec. so brought Matt over. We used a friendly local mechanics garage and lift here in HK. It sounds excessive, but economically it probably worked out about the same - as someone new working on the car to fit this kit for the first time would probably take quite a lot longer than someone experienced at the whole process. It is quite an involved procedure due to the tight packaging of the car.
I understand that BR are now planning on offering a fly and fit service anyway, and I'm sure their mechanics will be happy to oblige..
Edited by nrg250 on Wednesday 4th February 10:16
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