Hellaflush Yo!

I mentioned that my BC Racing ER coilover dampers were probably too short in a previous post. The response I got from BC Racing was " the height isn't dependent on the spring, as I am sure you are aware of. The Swift spring we utilized, was the proper spring required for a standard ER Sentra requirement". Checking BC Racing Taiwan's website revealed they now have a listing for the Sentra. Front spring length is stated as 160mm and rear 180mm. Joe from 2J Racing emailed me "This is the correct size for the ERs".

So I ate humble pie and installed the ER front coilover with the height adjusted at tallest setting. Can't go any higher as the remote reservoir tube was at the end of it's travel on the lower body.

Pictures below of the Shark with the ERs installed in front only. Installed both sides and took Sharkie for a short drive to be sure.

Only one Andrew Saw finger could go in the gap between the top of the tyre and the bottom of the wheel arch. Sure does look good and fierce though. Now compare this with my BC Racing BRs fitted.

Close to three of Andrew Saw's fingers can fit in the gap. So who's correct in his original assumption now? With the measuring tape I had the following:

• My front BC Racing BRs are currently set at 645mm (measured from the bottom of the wheel arch to ground) which is bout 19mm or 0.8" lower than stock (664mm per Nissan Sentra B15 USDM Technical Manual)
• The front ERs at the tallest height adjustment is only 628mm which is 36mm or 1.4" lower than stock
• And I haven't even fitted the rear ERs yet. Lost my motivation at this point to continue with the install. 

Comparing my front BR with the ER shows that the ER is shorter by quite a bit. Going to taller springs ain't gonna help if the damper body/piston is too short. 

Had to pay close to two hundred ringgit on install labour and alignment job just to prove my assumption is correct. To make matters worse such a low ride height is impractical for daily driving. I doubt I can clear multi-story car parks or even the large speed bumps where I work with more one or more passenger on board (not sure if it'll even clear with only me on board). I haven't even talked about the possible impact to the suspension geometry and handling with regards to roll centre and bumpsteer. You can read up more on why lowering your Slowtra more than 25mm (1") makes it a Super Slowertra @ MotoIQ's excellent article.

The 36mm lower ride height was measured after taking the car for a short drive (a couple km). I would expect a tiny bit of spring sag even with Swift springs which means I might even end up a couple mm lower than 36mm after a couple thousand km. 

I have now paid a lot and more of my hard earned money on shocks I can't daily drive that will worsen the handling unless I spend even more money by buying parts to correct the screwed suspension geometry. On top of this Bro Wallance whom has reserved and paid a deposit for my BR shocks can't collect them as I'm still on the BRs. Really really sorry Bro. Emailing BC NA with the problem resulted in the following response after a week and more than one reminder email "They just told me that they make the ERs lower than the BRs generally and that is due to the design of the reservoir". Mind you none of this was mentioned to me when I ordered my ERs from Joe/2J Racing. I even mentioned the ride height I wanted more than once. I am now hoping and waiting for BC NA, Taiwan, Joe? for a solution soon failing which I will demand a full refund as the mistake is not from my end. 

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). 

Nismo Exhaust Hangers

Seized the opportunity to upgrade Sharkie's exhaust hangers when I found out Nismo made equivalents in solid rubber. Those of you who know me from my SP days will know that I upgraded SP's exhaust hangers to Ralliart Group N items which are not solid but made from higher durometer (stiffer) rubber. The stiffer exhaust hangers prevent the exhaust from moving too much under hard acceleration and deceleration/braking leading to long term stress related failures and cracks. The stock exhaust hangers are too soft, come with big cut outs than contribute to even more softness and degrade and get worse over time.

Diagram below show's the N16/B15's exhaust hangers. 4 exhaust hangers are used and there are 2 types/shapes of exhaust hangers but I know Nismo only make one version which is the same as the exhaust hangers used for the rear muffler - in red rectangles in the picture below.

I bought 3 Nismo exhaust hangers. One is for spare. Part number is 20651-RS230. Each hanger costs 1000 yen or RM 32+ or so depending on the MYR to Yen exchange rate. Don't forget to add shipping which came up to 1920 yen for me via EMS air freight. Got my Nismo exhaust hangers from IRS Japan.

Picture of the Nismo exhaust hanger.

Mounted on Sharkie. The rear exhaust hanger is stock as Nismo does not make an equivalent. Notice the big cut out on the stock hanger.

The other side.

NVH is definitely worse than stock even with only 50% of Sharkie's exhaust hangers upgraded. Nothing more than an irritant with the occasional clutch chatter noise, exhaust growl, turbine whine, BOV release whoosh, tyre roar etc. :)

BC Racing ER Series Coilover Dampers

When I blogged about the different model BC Racing coilover shocks available for the Nissan Sentra N16/B15 I left out their top range ER Series as that was initially not available for the Slowtra. However thanks to the efforts of 2J Racing in the US in collaboration with BC Racing North America (NA), the ER Series is now available for Slowtras. 2J Racing race a Sentra in the US so they know what they are doing. Here's a pix of their famed race car. If it looks a tad ghetto and worn that's because it's a real Race Car that gets whipped hard rather than sitting unused and constantly lovingly cleaned and polished for car shows.

Anyway back to topic. The ERs are not available off the shelf for the Sentra so had to be ordered from 2J Racing in the US. I also tried Daniel and BC Racing Bolehland previously but no luck :( Build time quoted by Joe from 2J Racing was bout 4 weeks but I ordered before that and yet the shocks arrived just the day before my flight home. Talk about "Just In Time" service. Pictures below of the shipping packaging. Total weight as stated in the shipping label including shocks, packaging, tools, everything is 53 lbs (24.1 kg).

A set of ERs cost bout 70% more than the BR in RH (top pillowball mount) configuration. This also means every damper gets its own box and there are 4 boxes inside the main shipping packaging.

The package contains:

• 4 fully assembled ER Series coilover dampers with Swift linear rate metric springs
• 2 adjustment wrenches and allen key for the bracket holding the remote reservoir
• BC glamour plaque/badge
• User manual written in not perfect Engrish but can still be understood (by me at least)
• BC North America brochure

Opening up one of the damper boxes reveals the ER Series coilover damper.

I specified Swift springs which are bronze coloured rather than the standard black coloured BC Racing springs. Swift springs is actually the brand name for Tohatsu springs Japan founded way back in 1924. Swift springs are manufactured from a proprietary material designated "HS5. TW" rather than silicone chrome material used by majority of automotive suspension spring manufacturers. This advance alloy is stronger than silicone chrome which means Swift can make the spring wire thinner, wind the spring with fewer coils which decrease weight while increasing available stroke. In summary Swift claims to offer superior durability, stroke and most importantly to me weight savings and a more compliant ride. The Swift springs added another thousand or so ringgits to the cost which means my ERs now cost about double my BRs. I specified a 8 kg/mm front spring rate and 6 kg/mm for the rear. The spring diameter is also slightly larger at 65mm vs 62mm for stock BC Racing springs. Swift also make 60mm springs which should fit but I prefer bronze colour to blue :)

Picture of my ERs resting after the long flight home ;) Those springs sure look a bit short. More of that later.

The ER Series in BC Racing speak means "External Reservoir". This means every ER coilover damper features an external tube or reservoir for increased suspension fluid/oil capacity. The additional oil capacity reduces peak oil temperatures which decreases variations in damping rates due to oil viscosity  changes. In plain English this means the damper is able to operate consistently for a much longer period of time when compared to the BR Series. The external reservoir also house a secondary piston, which allows for compression and rebound damping adjustment to be independent or separated with compression damping adjustment via the remote reservoir and rebound damping adjustment via the main damper body. The separate adjustment of compression and rebound damping gives you more capability to fine tune the ride and handling of your car. ERs are monotube shocks btw. Do not confuse twin piston with twin tube.

Picture below of the front strut. Have not weight my ERs yet so can't comment how much heavier they are compared to the BR. Don't expect a lot of difference.

This knob adjusts the rebound damping. There is a 30-click adjustment range per BC but there are typically ~32 clicks. The knob is aluminium and centre stem steel. The upper top mount uses a Japan made pillowball (spherical) bearing.

The compression damping adjustment knob on the external reservoir. Same 30-click adjustment range. Interestingly this adjustment knob appears to be completely made of steel.

The rear damper. Like the BR series, the entire lower body/mount is aluminium.

LHS rear damper remote reservoir. Upper section of the reservoir (black colour) seems to be steel while lower part (gold coloured) is aluminium.

Shocks manufactured just this July. JIT remember?

The bump stop. Length of the bump stop is ~ 3.8cm or 1.5"

I specifically requested 200mm (8") spring length when I ordered my ERs but upon measuring, the front springs are only 152mm (6") in height while rears are 178mm (7"). WTF! Not sure if I will be able to achieve the ride height I want with with the shorter spring length/height. Sorry, "slammed" and "hellaflush" are not in my vocabulary. For daily driving duty Sharkie is only about 2 cm lower than stock and I wouldn't go more than 3cm. Will need to sort this out before I install the shocks. Patience Bro Wallance...

Nissan Sentra B15 Race Cars For Sale

Came across these trick Sentra B15 race cars for sale just recently. These are engineered and build by Le Mans and Daytona winning Multimatic Motorsports in the USA. The two 2002 Sentras also come with a substantial spares package. Original build cost was $200K USD (whadayya expect? these are professionally build race cars after all) but the whole package is offered at only $15K USD .today That's less than the cost of a Myvi 1.5!

Cars are for track only (full time kereta perang) and future extensive roll cage, fully stripped interiors, one-piece race seats, remote reservoir Dynamic suspension with Hyperco springs, ATL external fuel cell with quick refill filler necks, etc. No you can't use these cars on the road. Engine is a normally aspirated SR20DE. Further details can be found here. If only I live in the US. Sigh...

Full Circle - Back to Fog Light Covers

Decided to close up the two holes on The Shark's bumper where the fog lights used to reside but had to make way as the left hand side fog light was fouling the intercooler piping. While the holes initially looked fierce akin race cooling vents (who am I kidding?) after awhile I started to feel the holes looked "ghetto" or like Sharkie's bumper was incomplete. This niggling feeling did not go away so I decided to cover them up with fog light covers like a stock Slowtra SG trim.

Since I sold my original covers after fitting fog lights I had to buy back new ones from TC. Cost was not an insubstantial MYR 1XX for a pair without painting. If only I could read the future in 2007. Sigh.. Picture below of the fog light covers.

Painting cost me RM60 and install took bout 5 minutes for both covers as these just snap on to the bumper. No fouling issues as the cover is many times thinner (less depth) than a fog light.

Right hand side. Looks neater eh? I can argue the cover reduces aero drag and possibly lift ;)

Left hand side.

Wonder if anyone can replicate these in carbon fibre for me?

Nismo Veruspeed Oil Filter

Ordered my Nismo Veruspeed oil filter from RHD Japan. Price quoted by RHD Japan is 1,995 Japanese Yen. You will need to add shipping on top of that. Pos Laju never sent me any notice to go collect when the oil filter arrived. Luckily I was able to track the shipment on the web and called Pos Laju to arrange for pick up. Malaysia Boleh service :(

Picture below shows the actual oil filter box vs the shipping packaging. Major waste of packaging and my money (on the shipping) if you asked me.

There are 2 models of Veruspeed listed by Nismo. Get this one for QG engines. All QGs use the same oil filter. The other model is larger (longer) and typically used by Nissan factory turbocharged engines/models.

Why the Veruspeed oil filter? Well, Nismo claims that the large filter area (3 level filtration) decreases pressure loss and improves filter efficiency over an extended life-span. This stabilises oil pressure and stops dirt and sludge from getting into the engine. The Veruspeed oil filter uses a "Inclined Density Structure" filter element structure in which the filter weave becomes denser towards the centre. Larger particles are caught near the surface while finer particles are trapped in the fine mesh near the core. The action prevents clogging. More details and pictures on Nismo's website. Make sure you can view Acrobat pdf files.

Picture below of my Nismo Veruspeed oil filter.

Filter will go in during Sharkie's next service together with the WPC oil pump. Will know then if there is a real pressure increase or I have spent a big wad of my hard earned money for nothing.

Front Lower Control Arms with Whiteline Bushes Installed

Tao got the me brand new original Nissan front lower control arms as requested. The arms are RM420 per piece (RM840 a pair). He also got the stock bushes removed and the Whiteline bushes pressed into the new arms. Took a bit of research and coordination work with the machine shop to ensure correct orientation of the bushes as Whiteline did not supply any install instructions with the bushes nor was there any instruction on their website. Simon was very helpful and provided me this drawing.

Picture below of my front lower control arms with Whiteline goodies. The Whiteline bushes and the arb link kit combined cost more than the arms.

The entire install job was done @ my house front porch DIY style with Tao and myself supplying the bst. Picture below of Sharkie trying to eat Tao for lunch. Bad Girl!

Tao also trimmed the arm end where the ball joint resides to clear my brake rotors and repainted the trimmed end of the arm. This part bolts to your front hub and knuckle. The ball joints height determines the N16's front roll centre geometry.

Picture of the Whiteline inner rear bush on the left hand side front lower control arm. You can see the offset internal hole for additional positive caster. Positive caster helps stability by causing the tyre to lean into turns when the wheel is turned improving traction. The L shaped thingy in the background top centre is my assembled Whiteline front arb link.

The install job took a tad less than 3 hours but could have been much less had Tao not forget to bring along a spanner which meant he had to go home to fetch the MIA spanner and then back to my house again. While waiting for Tao I decided to do some tender loving care with a can of WD40. Picture below of my for sale BC Racing BR shocks after a bit of cleaning. Excellent condition eh? So what are you waiting for? :) "62 200 07" means 62mm diameter coil spring, 200mm height and 7kg/mm spring rate.

Picture below of both my stock seven year old front lower control arms post removal from Sharkie.

The triangular piece of metal plate in the picture above is the rebound stopper which attaches to the front subframe. There is one on each side of the car. Bro Peter got me a pair brand new ones from the US via Greg @ GSpec. There are no bushes on the rebound stopper and that bush looking thingy on the stopper is actually a piece of my anti-rust coating that decided "it" loved the rebound stopper more than Sharkie hence decided to part ways with Sharkie. Bummer!

Picture below of the brand new RHS stopper. Thanks Bro!

My puny looking (when compared to the Whiteline equivalent) 7 year old front arb links. Rubber on the bushes have hardened and a tad out of shape but otherwise still perfectly functional.

Took Sharkie for a drive after the install and immediately the effect from the Whiteline bushes were noticeable. The car felt more compliant @ yet reactive to sudden steering speed and one can feel more of the suspension doing it's job. The ride was less crashy and actually more comfortable at speed. Drive slow-mo and the very slightly firmer ride from the Whiteline bushes are noticeable but really no biggie deal to me. Got the alignment dialed in the following day over at Goh Swee Hin. Sharkie's alignment post lower arm install and before the alignment job. Look at the lack of (negative) camber! Dayum!

Picture below of my alignment report printout after some work.

The GSH alignment tech tells me the camber is as much as I can get without more extensive work or resorting to failure prone camber bolts :( The tech also asked me if I can adjust camber via my shock top mount since I am on pillowball top mounts so I showed him the small tight hole on top of the front suspension turret :( Here's an alignment report comparison from 2 years ago when Sharkie was Slowtra. I feel there's more negative camber to be had with the slotted bolt holes in the lower mount bracket of my BC Racing BR coilover shocks but it is a lot of work. Need to find an alignment shop willing to do the work. Tao tells me there is a shop but it is in Kulim. Sigh..

I also took the opportunity to fill Sharkie's tyres with nitrogen. Yes I know, our atmosphere is approximately 78% nitrogen but it's the remaining 22% of oxygen and other crap I am concerned about. Cost me RM 5 to inflate a tyre with nitrogen so its RM 20 total for four tyres. Picture below of the machine used to inflate tyres with 100% nitrogen.

The benefits of nitrogen are stated on the machine itself.

So far no squeaks from the bushes but its very early days. Time will tell.