8bit's Mk1 Leon Cupra R. Scarlett - as in Johansson...

[8bit]

So Santa came a wee bit late for Scarlett, but got here nonetheless:

Off to me local stealer in the morning to pick up the various bolts, nuts etc. to replace pretty much all of them while changing the suspension, plus a new set of topmounts front and rear. Looking forward to this, with some help from a good mate

 

[EL]

Very nice update mate

 

[cuprat]

Very nice when they being fitted mate

 

[8bit]

Cheers chaps, yeah looking forward to getting them on. My mate csd_19 kindly offered to help fit them so will depend on the weather and his availability, hopefully next weekend but will see

 

[8bit]

Forgot to say, MOT on Tuesday, fingers crossed! Having the garage change oil and filter, gearbox oil, brake fluid and fuel filter and sort out the handbrake while it's there too. I charterers FPR yesterday and a split vac hose. Had a good run in the car today, maybe imagining it but it felt significantly better than before, smoother and more eager when pushing on...

 

[8bit]

So the MOT was a FAIL. Broken exhaust hanger and excessive play in N/S track rod end ball joint. Got both of those fixed along with the service items in my last post. Came to £430

There was also a fail on a cracked rear spring but didn't get them to fix that as I should be changing the suspension for the Weitec stuff this Saturday, with a wee bit of help from Craig Retest and wheel alignment on Wednesday next week.

So between the MOT, service and suspension it's been a slightly expensive month for Scarlett. And then I thought "hey, what I need now is to spend some more money on some new wheels!" Watch this space...

 

[ReDBull]

Everyone's buy new wheels! My cars in for a service on Friday I'm dreading what they'll find. I'm looking forward to hearing what you make of the suspension as I need to replace mine soon.

 

[8bit]

Hehe, well mine were purchased with the intention of just being for winters but they have tyres on so will try them on the car and see how they look, If I was going to keep them permanently I'd get them refurbished in a similar titanium colour to the LCR ones.

The suspension, I'll be sure to post a review once they're fitted

ETA - good luck on Friday, hopefully yours doesn't need as much as mine did mate.

 

[EL]

oooooooo more wheel wh0ring on the site. Lets see what you get

 

[8bit]

Lol, don't get too excited, nothing as swanky as CH's or Rota's

 

[8bit]

OK time for an update. Got the springs n shocks fitted on Saturday with more than a little bit of help from csd_19 (thanks again mate!). Was a lot easier than I thought it might be, hardest bit was getting the pinch bolts that hold the front shocks into the hub carriers out, just cos they were caked in road crap and corrosion. Lots of Plusgas, a couple of hammers and a punch sorted those out.

Was pretty dark by the time we finished up and took it for a quick test run so no photos yet but I was surprised how much difference 20mm of drop makes. The rear is sitting perfectly, arch gap looks a lot smaller and the wheels are only just slightly forward of the center of the arch, not enough to notice unless you were looking for it. The fronts don't seem to be as much lower as the rear but we changed out all the top mounts and the front ones (being rubber) are a little thicker, maybe 5 - 10mm) than the old ones so they'll need some decent miles to compress a bit, as will the springs. Arch to floor distance is 26" (66cm) at both ends.

The difference from the driver's seat is subtle in lots of different ways but overall makes for a fairly big change. The lower ride height and shorter springs make for less body roll so those in addition to the ARBs make handling a bit sharper and more direct. The car still gives good feedback on the road but it doesn't feel as harsh. It's not as noisy when going over bumps etc. either and potholes and speedbumps are no worse than before. Glad I did this now, feels like a newer, better car.

New wheels turned up today too

Always liked these, OZ Aristos from a Mk4 R32. Actually only one of these is an OZ, the others are all made by Ronal but I gather VW switched to Ronal after a while. Other than the stamp on the rear of the wheel I couldn't have told the difference. They have a few minor kerb marks and one has a slight ding around the inside lip but I'll be getting them repaired and refurbed anyway, probably in a similar colour to my LCR ones. Plan was to use them as winters but will see what they look like once they're refurbed. The tyres are a mixture of random brands, although they're all new and in good nick so they'll be sold on.

Next up, MOT re-test and laser alignment on Wednesday, hopefully get logged again soon and see if the new fuel filter and FPR have helped the high injector duty cycles any...

 

[csd_19]

Any time mate, always glad to help

New wheels are looking sweet too, quick wee refurb and they'll be good to go

 

[8bit]

Cheers again dude, days like Saturday make me want to keep modding this car, but the call of a V8 is strong...

Will try the Aristos on to check they fit over the Brembos on Sunday, if they look good I might run them for a wee while but really want them refurbed in a darker colour. Will speak to that guy at work and see what colours and finishes he offers, and make sure he can repair the kerb damage and the dented lip.

 

[EL]

Top work guys on the springs. Get some snaps up of the car, be great to see how it's sitting now. When I initially went for lowering springs I found the same issue where the rear lowered nicely but the front never did. I am very impatient so after 2 months I changed them for coilovers. See how they settle, you could always look at getting some of those shorter top mounts which I believe lower the front by around 5-10mm

Nice purchase with the wheels, be interesting to see how they look. Don't recall ever seeing a set of these on a LCR. What colour you thinking of doing them? Same as your current wheels?

 

[8bit]

Cheers fella TBH I wasn't really bothered about a drop, altho it does look better now it's lower. I was mainly after better comfort (mainly for when the mrs. takes over the car) and better handling (for me). The new topmounts are slightly taller than the old ones because they're made of rubber so will need to compress. The old ones were pretty close to shagged I'd say too, the holes weren't in the center any more! It should all settle OK after a while, I'll be putting some miles on the car soon as the weather improves a bit

The wheels were just intended to be a relatively cheap set for use as winters so we've got at least one car between us that can be used when there's snow/ice about. The mrs. has an MX5 just now and we put snow/winter tyres on that but she's selling it this year when I get something new and she'll use the Leon. I did think about satin black for the Aristos but I'll probably stick with titanium/gunmetal/anthracite/whatever its' called, it just works on a red car.

 

[8bit]

How she sits now:

Really subtle drop but it looks much better for it IMO. Main things are the better ride quality and improved handling. Both are quite subtle improvements over stock but it just makes the car feel a bit "better" all round. I'd swear the exhaust is a touch louder now too, maybe cos it's a wee bit closer to the ground so the sound resonates under the car a bit more, not sure.

Definitely feels more surefooted and confident in the twisties too

ETA - the R32 rims are going for a refurb in satin titanium tomorrow and getting winter rubber fitted at the same time hopefully...

 

[ReDBull]

Glad to hear you're pleased with the suspension. I'm looking forward to seeing what the R32 wheels look like as they're on my list for a second set.

 

[EL]

Looks much better, nice subtle drop that

 

[8bit]

Weird, thought I'd replied - oh well, cheers guys, yeah very happy with the suspension, the car just feels sort of nicer, better, fresher, hard to describe but I'm enjoying driving it again. Glad it's staying in the family.

Should have the new wheels back freshly refurbed with some winter rubber on them fairly soon. That said it was 8C here in sunny Aberdeen today and it's reportedly heading into double figures next week, great. Get my winter wheels and tyres back just in time for summer I'll fit them anyway and run around on them for a wee bit to scrub them in, then switch back to the LCR Ronals and Ultrac Sessantas after a couple of weeks. Going to properly wash the LCR wheels and maybe treat them with some sealant before I refit them so they'll hopefully resist mud and brake dust a bit more, will do same with the R32 Aristos.

Small update, got a Civic aerial (right) to replace the hopeless C2 one I fitted ages ago:

Reception with the C2 item is useless, my Alpine HU just couldn't get a signal even with a signal booster. I don't listen to radio much, in fact I almost wished I hadn't bothered when driving into town tonight and realised just how much crap there is on the radio these days (getting old!) but the mrs likes it sometime so it was more for when she starts using the car. No pic of the new one on the car yet, it looks OK from a few feet away but it's not a perfect fit for the base on the roof. Still better than the OEM one and the reception is fine. Had to trim about 3mm of the rubbery plastic body of it off around the outside of the thread to get it fitted but no big deal with a stanley knife and a little patience.

 

[csd_19]

That said it was 8C here in sunny Aberdeen today and it's reportedly heading into double figures next week, great.

Shorts and bbq weather then??