Greetings from Melbourne

[godzilla]

I agree with Volk on the Brembos. Great to wank over but unless you do track days, I think you'll find a decent pad, rotor and brake fluid upgrade is more than up to the job and you'll still be OK if you get a flat tyre (the space saver won't clear Brembos).

Yeah, I was pretty red raw but I have since healed and the novelty has worn off and you get sick of cleaning brake dust every 12 metres!

 

[TME_Steve]

Crap, none of you drive hard enough, not only do you need brembos you want 2 piece rotors as well :lol:

Welcome aboard, it does look good!

 

[cyber_scriber]

Yeah, I was pretty red raw but I have since healed and the novelty has worn off and you get sick of cleaning brake dust every 12 metres!

Not to mention the noise issues that a few people have had since going Brembos!

 

[mfbamba]

Very clean ride, might use some of your car cleaning tips one day.

Are they stone chips on the front of your bonnet?

I got them all over my bonnet, I can make out Ursa Minor and some other constellations with some imagination.

 

[mookers]

I can make out Ursa Minor and some other constellations with some imagination.

You sound like you're not from the southern hemisphere...

 

[mfbamba]

You sound like you're not from the southern hemisphere...

I've spent some time up north. Big Dipper looks similar is that southern hemisphere?

 

[mookers]

Ursa Minor is the little dipper which ends at Polaris, the north star... so you can't see it from the Southern Hemisphere

 

[Pantera6]

Not to mention the noise issues that a few people have had since going Brembos!

Thanks guys, you've raised some good points to consider re. going the Brembo route - I liked the comment re. the factory 16in. spare becoming obsolete - Didn't think of that one...so may have to get an Evo 17in spare as well then!

To be honest, my interest in swapping to Brembos was purely for the joy/challenge of doing a moderately hard brake job (caliper swap and overhaul and if possible, reducing the unsprung mass through some after market light-weight rotors). The added braking capability and eye candy/bragging rights would just be icing on the cake for me! I hear you....the novelty would no doubt wear off soon enough...but Evo Brembos....they do look good through Evo VIII mags!

Are they stone chips on the front of your bonnet?

Yes, good spotting...there are several annoying stone chips on the very front of the bonnet. I've tried to buff them out, but they are too deep, so will have to get the bonnet re-sprayed - on my list of things to do!

I've got two questions for those of you in the know. I couldn't find any substantial information on these topics using search, so if I've missed it, please re-direct me to the appropriate thread:

1) This is probably more a question for the EVO community, but let me ask here anyway....Re. EVO Brembo calipers - Not withstanding the EVO X Brembos (which probably won't fit a 17in wheel due their larger standard rotors - 360mm?), are there any significant differences in the Brembo caliper specs. themselves between EVO generations I to IX? What I mean is, are there some that weigh more, have more piston area, etc. than others, or are all these calipers (for EVO gen I to IX) more or less the same spec. Interested in any definitive knowledge you may be able to share.

2) For those of you who've swapped to hard-pipes for the intercooler - my neighbour, who drives a Legacy B4, (and who's done this mod) swears by them, so...did it make a positive difference - specifically, an improvement in throttle response?

As far as I know, there's two (?) types (of hard pipes) available for the VR4...the very hard to obtain Cusco stainless hard-pipes, and the silicon versions (through the likes of RPW) - any comments on either?

Thanks in advance!

Edit: This thread partially answers my 1st question - for those of you reading with interest... http://ozvr4.com/forums/showthread.php?4914-Evo-parts-compatability

 

[Dice]

I can't really answer your questions but I'll try with what I know. Not all Evo's had brembo, definitely not Evo 1-3. I haven't found any information about differences between Evo brembo's but I know rotor diameter is the same for evo 6 - 9 and the calipers visually appear the same. Cusco hard pipes are still available and sold through places like RHDJapan. I know throttle response is *supposed* to be an expected improvement but my car came with the cusco's, I never had an opportunity to compare before/after. I do wonder if there would really be a noticable difference.

 

[godzilla]

I know of a nice set of E8 rims for sale....wink wink

 

[Pantera6]

I know of a nice set of E8 rims for sale....wink wink

Haha, Thanks Bud, would have been very keen, but I already purchased my Evo VIII rims about a month back - it's the first purchase I made for the car! :001_huh:

 

[godzilla]

Well done - you won't regret the new look and feel of the car.

What tyres did you go with?

 

[Macca]

Hey mate, really nice ride you have there, looks immaculate

I have done the Brembo upgrade and its a great upgrade. As the others have mentioned I am one of a few with a bit of trouble with noise I'm still trying to figure out. If you are going to do it take my advice and get an Evo 4, 5 or 6 master brake cylinder thats 1 - 1/16" the stock VR4 ones are just 1". You wouldn't believe the difference that 1/16" makes, really firms up the peddle and gives better brake feel.

On another note, apparently the spare still fits but only on the rear so if its the front that goes you will have to put the spare on the rear and put the full size on the front

 

[Pantera6]

Hey mate, really nice ride you have there, looks immaculate

I have done the Brembo upgrade and its a great upgrade. As the others have mentioned I am one of a few with a bit of trouble with noise I'm still trying to figure out. If you are going to do it take my advice and get an Evo 4, 5 or 6 master brake cylinder thats 1 - 1/16" the stock VR4 ones are just 1". You wouldn't believe the difference that 1/16" makes, really firms up the peddle and gives better brake feel.

On another note, apparently the spare still fits but only on the rear so if its the front that goes you will have to put the spare on the rear and put the full size on the front

Many Thanks Macca...great advice re. master cylinder upgrade - I will surely do this!

Well done - you won't regret the new look and feel of the car.

What tyres did you go with?

I haven't as yet purchased the tires, but I'm looking at 245/40-17s. I know there's consensus on this forum on 235/45-17s for Evo wheels in general, but I would prefer as close to the rolling radius of the stock set-up (0.6% difference) and guard filling is not that important to me. 255/40-17s are even that much closer...but are recommended for an 8.5in width rim (which the Evo VIII mags are not).

Regarding tire brands, let me share my thinking: I've realised with tires, you pretty much get what you pay for. The best tire experience I've had was on the BNR32 with Pirelli P-Zeros (the originals, not the Nero stuff). But, they wore out in 6 months and cost a fortune! Then I swapped tires in the BNR32 to Toyo T1Rs and I swear, the magical handling was gone! Don't get me wrong, the Toyos were really good tires and still had 80% tread when I sold the car 2 years later, but it was not in the same class and the car felt less like the sports car it could have been. It was fairly noticable even on regular driving on the street! Pirellis are way too expensive (for me) for their limited treadwear, so I'm looking at Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymetric 2s for the VR4. I haven't had experience with these, but the reviews seem to indicate that the Goodyears are great. They seem to be middle of the road on price - the cheapest quote I've got has been $320/tyre (fitted and balanced). Thoughts on any other tyre brands and experiences for the VR4 are very welcome!

P.S. Car is currently running new (car dealer installed) Dunlop Direzza DZ101s on around 42 PSI (the best pressure I've found) - My opinion on the Dunlops is that they are nothing to write home about - pretty average and steering feel is all but non existent!

 

[godzilla]

Each to their own but i reckon 245's will be too much bulge. I was fairly sure that 235/45 was pretty much identical?

 

[Dice]

Stock PFL: 205/55/16 = 63.19cm
Stock FL: 225/50/16 = 63.14cm

Compared to 235/45/17 = 1.19cm increase over FL stock.
What would be better is 225/45/17 which has 0.29cm increase over FL stock.

 

[wil]

Looking good, nice and clean. I've just taken off my 19" which i got with the car. Changed them to a set of evo 8 rims and got them fitted with re002 yesterday in size 235/45/17. So far they are awesome and very quite. Haven't really pushed them hard yet around corners.