It's been 7 years now since Bumblestook was retired from true competition trim and being a bit of a do it all car. One thing that always bothered me though was the compromise I made on raw handling performance opting for just a decent suspension setup and blingy brakes.I suppose it was fine when my initial goal was to maybe drive it around a lot more on the street with a few fun events every now and then. However, looking at my actual usage in the past years it was time to take the gloves off and put in something real again.
I worked closely with Brian at Karcepts to spec out a MCS 2-way adjustable damper setup with remote canisters that would optimize track handling while still being manageable on the street. I settled with Hyperco 850 lb/in front and Hyperco 750 lb/in rear 2.25" ID x 7" springs, Karcepts top hats and matching MCS 2-way remote dampers. It was also matched with 0 rate helper springs and Delrin couplers to avoid binding and minimize noise.
I had SJF do the install since I needed to get holes re-added to the rear of the car to get the canister into the cabin but unlike the car's BSP trim, I wanted this install to be much cleaner. I got some RS Pro canister holders so it could get mounted up on to the rollbar for a clean install with easy adjustment.
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| Rear canisters mounted cleaning on the rollbar |
I had a similar thing done to the front except mounted to a plate so that it could sit in the space behind the bumper and in front the radiator away from the engine heat while still being easily adjustable. The lines going to the passenger side dampers were really at the limit here due the location of the canister. There's just enough slack to make it work but I think if I have these serviced in the future I'm going to get slightly longer hoses made.
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| Front canisters mounted |
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| Cooling plate trimmed to allow knob adjustment |
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| Clean install in the front |
While we were at it, new tie rods and tie rod boots were all installed since my old ones were starting to show some signs of wear and I wanted everthing as buttoned up as we possibly could.
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| New tie rods and tie rod boot |
Since I was already going down the slipper slope of performance upgrades, I worked with Brad on securing AP Racing Competition brakes with 325mm J-hook rotors from Sakebomb Garage. I decided to continue with using Carbotech XP10 front pads with part number CTFRP3116. This is for the D50 radial depth pads so that they have proper coverage on the 325mm rotors. My carbon brake duct shields needed significant trimming to not interfere with the new rotors. I don't even think they're really that necessary anymore but since they're already on there might as well still have the extra brake cooling.
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| New AP Racing calipers with Carbotech XP10 pads |
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| Brake duct shield trimmed |
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| Brakes fully installed |
A few other things had to be done. A bit of the brake pad needed some sanding down since it was a tad too thick and contacting the rotors without the brakes applied. Also, for winter I run Enkei RPF1 17x8 wheels in the front to clear to the Spoon calipers but even with 5mm spacers they barely clear these calipers so I opted to put on 12mm spacers to get enough clearance. Thanksfully I already run extended studs so the added offset wasn't a problem. New brake lines were also installed and of course the whole thing flushed with Motul RBF600 fluid. Also flushed the clutch fluid and since we're doing fluids, flushed the diff fluid as well.
And of course the ride height was adjusted to what I previously had and a new alignment done.
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| Fresh alignment settings |
Driving the car home, I was absolutely pleased by how the car rode even on its "race" dampers settings. It had a very "Euro" drive dynamic to it, stiff yet comfortable. Cornering felt nice and flat and the brakes felt great too. I can't wait til it warms up and I can really put the car through its paces.
Big thanks to Brian at Karcepts and Brad at S2K Takeover for the part selection and settings guidance and of course SJF Performance for bringing my ideas into reality.
Maintenace Update:
Mileage: 69,631
- 1qt 80W140 Redline diff fluid
- 1L of Motul RBF 600 brake fluid for brakes and clutch
- New front brake hoses
- AP Racing Competition front big brake kit with 325mm J-hook rotors
- Carbotech XP10 CTFRP3116 front pads
- New tie rods and tie rod boots
- MCS 2-Way Remote dampers with 850/750 springs and Karcepts top hats
