Rubber Protection

The bleed nipples/screws on my Wilwood SL6R brake calipers are steel with probably black oxide coating for mild corrosion protection. There is no protective cap or covering. Race caliper mah! Perfectly OK on a race car/kereta perang but if you daily drive your car through rain, etc. the bleed nipples will in no time develop some furry brownness aka rust which takes a lot of BST to remove only for the rust to return again shortly if the bleed nipple continues to be exposed to the elements. Even with weekly cleaning of my calipers and careful care rust still developed on one of my bleed nipples. Sigh...

For peace of mind I recently purchased the Wilwood Bleed Screw Cap Kit. The part number is 220-12487. Each kit comes with 8 EPDM protective caps. EPDM or Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer is basically a type of synthetic rubber which is used in a wide range of applications. EPDM is compatible with brake hydraulic fluid and has good heat, ozone and weather resistance properties. Picture below of my Wilwood Bleed Screw Cap Kit. Cost came up to US$ 6.00 without shipping.

Each SL6R brake caliper features 2 bleed nipples so I actually need only 4 caps. Installation is DIY and a real PITA unless you are really good at teasing and massaging something with your fingers :P Picture below of an installed bleed nipple cap. The other bleed nipple is on the other side (inwards) of the caliper.

Rays Engineering Duralumin Lug Nuts Long Type

Once upon a time before Slowtra became Sharkie I went nuts and purchased a set of Rays Engineering Duralumin Lug Nuts Long Type which I have uh.. not used since purchasing. I was actually thinking then of upgrading to longer length lugs with rim/wheel spacers hence the need for longer lug nuts to accommodate the additional length of extended wheel lugs. Rays Engineering (also more popularly called Rays Wheels nowadays) actually make several type of lug nuts in different lengths. Picture below illustrate the different lug nut lengths and weight.

I was and am currently still using the standard length type. You can read up on that in my previous blog posting.

Picture below of my lug nuts. Colour has to be black of course. This is the older style discontinued packaging if I'm not mistaken.

Opening the packaging reveals 20 slugs sorry lug nuts (16 are standard lug nuts while 4 are 7-sided nut which can only be removed with the specially designed socket that comes with the set.

The standard lug nut. Size is M12 x 1.25. Length is 50 mm. You will need a 19mm socket to install/remove the lug nut on/from your rim/wheel. For extra bling you can use the Cusco Smart Cross Wrench! :)

The 7 sided heptagonal nut.

I am still undecided if I want to install this or try some super bling but also super expensive titanium lug nuts. Bought my set for RM600 and will listen to any offer in the RM500++ range. Give me an offer I can't refuse. Please note this is the real deal, Brand New and not a fake which costs 3 times cheaper. You can read up more on fake/counterfeit/replica Rays lug nuts here. I don't have to tell you about the safety risk of fake lug nuts as the strength and durability of this is unknown and most definitely compromised. Bet you won't want your wheels to loosen or worse still come off at speed due to failed lug nuts.

Also having used the Standard (Length) Type lug nuts for years, these do not discolour or fade unlike cheap fakes. Well the black colour at least as I have no experience with the red or blue anodized colours.

Coilover Dampers for the Slowtra - The Euros Part 2 (Going Dutch)

Can't believe it's been one year eight months since my last post on this series. Time really flies.. Let's continue this post with the Dutch who can make really excellent suspension dampers. Anyone here heard of Koni?

Intrax
Intrax is a Dutch suspension manufacturer with over 30 years of experience in all levels of racing including F1. Intrax designs and produces shock absorbers, springs and suspension technology from Formula 1 cars, street cars and everything in between. Hardcore track day sports cars such as Radical are fitted with Intrax suspension as oem.

Intrax lists the RS as available for the N16 Almera on their website so I guess this model is available off-the-shelf. Damper is monotube construction.

• Part Number: Search for N16 Almera
• Damping Adjustable: No. Damping is fixed at factory. Intrax claim they offer as standard a fast street/occasional track day setting which is an upgrade to the sportive side from the OEM equipment where daily comfort, vibration and noise are just as important as handling. 
• Ride height adjustable: Yes, Independent Ride height adjustable: No so if you lower too much you will alter spring preload and damping.
• Rebuildable: I should think so.
• Front Spring Rate: Not known, Rear Spring Rate: Not known.
• Top Mounts: Use back the stock rubber top mounts
• Other Notable Features: The RS damper has a build-in hydraulic bump stop. When hitting a big bump (example speed bumps/sleeping policemen), the damping is tripled to prevent car's body from hitting the tarmac. This is a useful feature for the hellaflush crowd as they can drive on the street with a very low ride height without any clearance problems. Pls note however than the roads in Europe are likely much better condition than your average Bolehland road. 
• Price is not known but I would expect competitive with the KW Variant series which is not cheap. 

Intrax list the RSA for the N15 so I do not think it will be too much of an issue to adapt one for the N16. Damper is also monotube construction

• Part Number: Please check with Intrax on availability. 
• Damping Adjustable: Yes. 40 way single adjustable - compression and rebound damping combined. Intrax claim both the low and high speed compression damping is adjusted via a single adjuster knob. 
• Ride height adjustable: Yes, Independent Ride height adjustable: No.
• Rebuildable: I should think so.
• Front Spring Rate: Not known, Rear Spring Rate: Not known. Looks like helper springs are used front and rear. 
• Top Mounts: Use back the stock rubber top mounts
• Other Notable Features: The RSA has an internal thermostat that keeps the damping constant, avoiding harsh ride the cold morning and the loss of damping in the heat of battle. You can also order the RSA with Black Titan and ARC (Anti Roll Control) options. Black Titan is a coating applied to the guidance and piston rod. This coating is totally rust resistance and very hard and smooth which reduces friction reducing oil temperatures, improving traction and extending the life of the damper. ARC is an Intrax developed technology that reduce unwanted roll (lateral and longitudinal). Your car will have the comfort and benefit of driving with "soft" springs until you take a corner, brake hard or hit a pot hole. The ARC will control ride height with the feel of a sport setup. 
• Price is not known but I would expect competitive with the KW Variant series which is not cheap. 

I emailed Intrax about higher end models for Sharkie and was surprisingly quoted on the following 2 models by their sales department. Very good customer inquiry service. 

Let's start with the 1K2 which is a serious (high end) track day spec monotube coilover damper. 

• Part Number: Modular and fully hand build. Custom build to my specs for Sharkie. Front utilizes a 45mm upside down (inverted) 4045 chrome tube strut for a much higher installation stiffness (less flex) which enhances the grip and handling of the car as well as increase the feeling the driver has with the car. Rear is also 45mm in lightweight 7075 aluminium alloy housing.  
• Damping Adjustable: Yes. Single adjustable - compression and rebound damping combined. Intrax did not state the damping range in their email to me nor is it listed on their website. 
• Ride height adjustable: Yes but very limited, Independent Ride height adjustable: No. The damper housing length is made to the ride height range you are planning to achieve. 
• Rebuildable: Of course!
• Front Spring Rate: According to your spec, Rear Spring Rate: According to your spec. 60mm metric coilover springs are used.
• Top Mounts: Use back the stock rubber top mounts. Intrax also do adjustable camber top mounts but you will first need to chop off the top of your front suspension turrets and weld back Intrax supplied 5mm thick welding plates. 
• Other Notable Features: The 1K2 has an internal thermostat that keeps the damping constant, avoiding harsh ride the cold morning and the loss of damping in the heat of battle. You can also order the 1K2 with Black Titan and ARC (Anti Roll Control) options. 
• Price is gulp.. 2900 Euros or 12500+ Malaysian Moolahs. ARC and Black Titan cost 400 Euros each so if you go the whole hog the 1K2 will cost you 3700 Euro dollars or 16000+ MYR. If you think this is bad enough don't forget to add shipping and customs duty/tax. A set (pair) of adjustable camber top mounts and welding plates are an additional 200 Euro dollars. 

If the 1K2 is not good enough for you Intrax is willing to make their top range 4-way adjustable damper (4-WEG) for the N16/B15. Damper is monotube construction. 

• Part Number: Modular and fully hand build. Custom build to my specs for Sharkie. Front utilizes a 45mm upside down (inverted) 4045 chrome tube strut for a much higher installation stiffness (less flex) which enhances the grip and handling of the car as well as increase the feeling the driver has with the car. Rear is a 46mm damper in same 4045 material as the front. Intrax supplied me with pictures showing the front damper with a remote reservoir but the rears do not appear to have one. 
• Damping Adjustable: Yes. 4 way adjustable - low and high speed compression, rebound and the overall range of the low speed compression. 16 positions for low speed compression, 50 positions for high speed compression and rebound damping. 
• Ride height adjustable: Yes, Independent Ride height adjustable: No. The damper housing length is made to the ride height range you are planning to achieve. 
• Rebuildable: Most definitely!
• Front Spring Rate: According to your spec, Rear Spring Rate: According to your spec. 60mm metric coilover springs are used.
• Top Mounts: Use back the stock rubber top mounts. Intrax also do adjustable camber top mounts but you will first need to chop off the top of your front suspension turrets and weld back Intrax supplied 5mm thick welding plates. 
• Other Notable Features: The 4-WEG has an internal thermostat that keeps the damping constant, avoiding harsh ride the cold morning and the loss of damping in the heat of battle. You can also order the 1K2 with Black Titan and ARC (Anti Roll Control) options. 
• Price is.. drum roll please... 5000 Euros or 21600+ Malaysian Moolahs. ARC and Black Titan cost 400 Euros each so if you go the whole hog, the 4-way will cost you 5800 Euros or 25000+ MYR. Don't forget to add shipping and customs duty/tax. The price is definitely competitive with the KW 3-way adjustable motorsport race coilover damper but I believe KW holds bigger brand name bragging rights then Intrax. 

Picture below of an example camber adjustable top mount. Material is 12mm thick 7075 aluminium alloy.

Picture below of an example welding plate.

Koni
Need more be said about this world reknown Dutch suspension manufacturer? Koni do make coilover dampers but unfortunately none are available off-the-shelf for the N16/B15. Koni only makes front damper inserts for Slowtras while rears are a conventional non-coilover damper. You will need to use the stock front strut body/mount, remove the stock damper, cut down its length and insert a Koni damper insert (red (Koni Special), yellow (Koni Sport) or 8610/8611. If you do not want to use the stock strut mount you will need to fabricate your own. Then you will need to get a coilover (just the adjustable spring perch housing without any damper) from the likes of Ground Control and the relevant springs. The rears should be plug and play but non-height adjustable unless you mod the damper housing. A lot of DIY work and IMHO I do not see the point when there are so many popular aftermarket coilover dampers available for the N16. Lots of details in SR20DE forum's excellent suspension FAQ. Also some details and pictures here. You can look up the relevant part numbers in Koni's website.

Moton
If you're familiar with pro touring car racing such as WTCC (World Touring Car Championship) you will probably have heard of Moton. Moton is a high end Dutch suspension manufacturer that primarily specializes in motorsport suspension and even their lowest end range the Clubsport costs massive bucks. Moton has been purchased by another Dutch suspension manufacturer AST but continues their own branded line of motorsport oriented suspension. I believe Moton previously supplied dampers for the US SCCA World Challenge Team RTR Sentra so they have the 3-way Motorsport Pro coilover damper available for N16/B15.

• Part Number: M 502 01 - steel front strut and lightweight aluminium coilover rear. Dampers are monotube type with remote reservoir. 
• Damping Adjustable: Yes. 3 way adjustable - 15 position high speed compression (bump) damping, 6  low speed compression and 15 position rebound adjustment. 
• Ride height adjustable: Yes, Independent Ride height adjustable: Not stated. The damper housing length is probably made to the ride height range you are planning to achieve. 
• Rebuildable: Do you need to ask?
• Front Spring Rate: According to your spec, Rear Spring Rate: According to your spec. Motons are typically equipped with Eibach ERS, Swift or Hyperco springs. 
• Top Mounts: Not stated. Please contact Moton.
• Other Notable Features: Unique blow off valve system in the canister to control curb stones and bumpy track conditions. 
• Price is competitive with KW 3-way and Intrax high end dampers. Don't expect anything less than twenty thousand ringgit. I did some research and quoted price on the web is about 7800 US Dollars (25.4K MYR).