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A_Bowers Build Thread

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A_Bowers

Moderator
For those just checking in this thread is oriented towards my goal of finding the best driving experience possible.

Almost everything done has been aimed towards that.

Bought the car about a month ago brand new at a local dealer in town. I had a 03 RSX Type S before that. Met an untimely end in a ditch on a rainy morning.

Any way thought I would introduce myself and the car(s)

Mod list:
Exterior
PIAA Plasma Ion Yellow 35w fogs
Ed's OEM Replica lights
Morimoto 5k bulbs, 35W ballasts
18% Tint
19x8.5 BBS CK
Falken FK-453
LED Tails


Performance
G423 K04
Carbonio Stage 1
SPM Custom Turboback. track downpipe, street CBE
SPM Intercooler V1
SPM Full Motor Mounts
Southbend Stage 3 Disk
42DD shift bushings
VWR Springs
UniBrace UB in Red
W.ALK


Interior
NewSouth Performance Boost Gauge (column mount)


How the Car Currently Sits.
A shot from Saturday's Cars & Coffee Meet.


https://www.facebook.com/BhmCarsCoffee


Install threads.
SouthBend Stage 3 Disc
http://www.golfmk6.com/forums/showthread.php?t=43658

SPM Intercooler Install and Review
http://www.golfmk6.com/forums/showthread.php?t=46452

SPM Full Engine Mount Install and Review
http://www.golfmk6.com/forums/showthread.php?p=911903&posted=1



My old car







My work truck



Day I picked up the GTI.




Play time starts o_O

Tint


APR Stage 1




And VWR filter



More to come and thanks for looking.

UPDATE!
Been about 4000 miles since I have posted this originally...several changes.

APR Stage 2+ file has been flashed along with my UR downpipe and Carbonio stage 1. WHICH in turn made my clutch slip.


























Sooo Magnaflow exhaust on.

Awesome sound.

May be getting resonator from UR to install on the downpipe

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gq4nmsF5njs&feature=plcp



Sooooo this is the first startup of the Magnaflow exhaust.

I keep hearing and feeling this buzzing and popping in the exhaust when slowing down....don't know if I'm vibrating on the frame. Gotta look tomorrow.


Update 27 October, 2012









This is the VWR springs. Drove around the neighborhood and no clunks or pops or crashes. Soaks up bumps better than the OEM ones did. Love these. Drop is very noticeable. :D


Another update folks.
SPM mounts are in and are fantastic.

UB From UniBrace is ON!!










UniBrace UB review.

SO, after a bit of searching and deciding I ended up going with the UB from Unibrace. What a great piece of hardware.

To start with....




Precision.

There has not been a piece of hardware that I have put on my car that I have been more impressed with than this piece from Bruce at UniBrace.

1. Design. The thing just oozes quality. The edges and cuts are all precision and perfect. Its clear that this was thought out and planned to perform.

2. Fitment. 10/10. I had zero issues putting this on my car. Had to unscrew one side of the undercarriage plastic, but other than that it fit perfectly the first time, with ZERO modifications. This is rare in a world of aftermarket products, where they fit almost close to OEM...but it is never exactly to it. This is not the case with the UB.

3. Performance.

There have been multiple threads on this, and I had High expectations going in....well lets say, they were met.

First impressions upon driving through the neighborhood...solid and buttoned down. There was an absence of deflection and flex around corners that originally it would squirm and flex going through.

Took it on my usual course through the backroads where I live. Didnt get on it too hard as the roads were still damp from the night before, but my goodness, there is a distinct change in dynamics of this car. Coupled with the VWR springs, the rear end of this car follows the front end in harmony. Originally the car would push a bit entering corners,and never feel completely planted through hard loaded corners.

Now, that is gone. There is a pronounced feeling of the back end following the front end in a harmony of rotation. This was an unusual feeling at first, but after a few corners, this car felt alive and like it was designed to do what it was doing.

I also had an opportunity to have several back to back left right left transitions and the car feels so much tighter. It doesnt flex doesnt squirm under load. Just tight and controlled.

I'm very pleased, to the point of altering my vision of where I am headed with my car. That is how impressed I am with this car and with this modification.

I say buy this.....buy this....buy this....

Bruce, if you read this, Thanks a bunch Fella!

More to come.



So, after I got them on, and cleaned my wheels up a bit (Anti-seize on the fingers = little fingerprints everywhere)

Went out to shoot a few pictures. No place particularly special (behind a movie theater) but enough to get a feel for how they look.

Car drives great!

BIG thanks to DSM1983, local buddy of mine who I purchased said H&R spacers from. 10mm and 12mm are the way to go!























More updates to the car.

Annnnnddddd thanks to DSM and his Race car aspirations I now have in my possession a new little Goodie.

Gonna need some support on coding in a bit. Got my GPS antenna on order from amazon.



Some random shots of the New South performance boost gauge.




And it begins.



Well, cat's out of the bag now Swapped over to SPM's full turbo back exhaust (custom build).... Full track system except for the rear mufflers. A wee bit loud now, but hoping after a couple hundred miles, the soot will deposit itself into the mufflers, and we will be golden.





Packaging was fantastic. Boxes were super sturdy, everything was wrapped tightly in bubble wrap, taped up and secure.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS!

Holy smokes guys, this setup is incredibly well made. The fit and finish of the exhaust, welds...just everything about this exhaust is beautiful. Brushed stainless, not polished, but brushed....looks great!

Ill get some photos up here in a bit, and a video soon.

Downpipe went on easy as pie. Was able to get to 3 out of the 4 nuts on the turbo from underneath. Hardest part of the whole job was getting the dang UR downpipe off...TIGHT!!!!.

Driving impressions, holy smokes does the turbo spool quicker now. Compared to the UR and Magnaflow combo, this spools so quick. You can hear the exhaust rushing through the system out the tailpipes.







these mufflers are pretty cool too. Straight thru design, so there is no restriction in any of the pipes. V-Bands, once you get them lined up and seated properly work well....I have one tiny exhaust leak on the J-pipe to muffler section.....will be correcting that soon.





Another homerun for SPM. Keep it up guys!


Wife was at her best friends birthday dinner last night so I got all arts and crafts at the house.

I'm about doing things the right way on my car, but keeping in mind a budget.

I've had several comments on the Orange side markers on the car, and I did not see any sense in spending 100 bucks on color matched ones, especially on this color as tinted looks almost the same, so it was off to the auto parts store for 20% VLT window tint.

Thankfully I did not have to buy the whole window sized roll, they had a smaller 7 inch wide strip that in was able to.use.

All that is needed was a bit of soapy water a razor blade, a credit card or squeegee and a heat gun....

Here are the results.





Had a bulb out error. Changed byte 18 to 1F.....GONE!







AND how the car currently sits.


K04 in in the car 03/23/13

OK.....K04 install and impressions.

Ill post this up on the front page as well.

Install....wasnt the hardest thing Ive done, but not the easiest. Followed Gramble's K04 DIY install thread, which was a HUGE help.
Took me 9 1/2 hours, taking breaks, and 30 mins for lunch. Was not in any hurry to get it done. And as it was my first time doing it, I was just wanting to do it right.

I had my brother help me out, as a second set of hands, and as moral support. Nice to have another person handy in some situations.


NOW, on to driving impressions (not tuned yet...that will come Wednesday).

The car is in stock mode for now, but it feels strong. Very strong. Holds 10 lbs of boost all the way to redline (already have given it the beans )
Where as the IHI unit wasnt as strong up top. There is quite a lack of Huffing and puffing from the Carbonio, now. Not a bad thing, just not like there was with the IHI.

Im very pleased with how everything fit into the car, and how OEM like this application is. Everything bolted back into place perfectly.

Car feels strong....looking forward to more down the line.

Got new plugs also going in tomorrow or Wednesday after the tune. Im really pleased with this so far.

Looking forward to sharing with you guys.


Plugs are in, and K04 is in and strong.





Here are my random musings on the way the car sits right now.

Super pleased with the setup. Power is perfect.

Happy viewing.

http://youtu.be/xitxhq_MRf0

 
Last edited:

A_Bowers

Moderator
Welcome!

How does the new GTI compare to your old RSX?

Torque. Need I say more? It's just on a different level. The whole car is more composed and put together 10x better. Love this car. Love 4 doors too




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maxtdi

Go Kart Champion
Did you drive the RSX off a cliff? :laugh:
 

A_Bowers

Moderator
Did you drive the RSX off a cliff? :laugh:

Not quite but close!!!!


As you can see the ditch and lower control arms don't mix well





And there is a concrete culvert hidden there too. Broke one of my rims. :-/


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maxtdi

Go Kart Champion
VTEC must have kicked in at the wrong time :laugh: :(
 

A_Bowers

Moderator
VTEC must have kicked in at the wrong time :laugh: :(

Agreed. Swerved to miss big object in the road. Rear end caught gravel caught the slide but the road was slick from rain. :-/


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GTIMKV20

APR Stage I
That's some serious camber on the RSX! All kidding aside, nice choice on the CSG - it's the best color - don't let anyone tell you otherwise :thumbsup:

VW secretly added 10 extra hp to CSG :laugh:

Congrats and welcome!
 

A_Bowers

Moderator
That's some serious camber on the RSX! All kidding aside, nice choice on the CSG - it's the best color - don't let anyone tell you otherwise :thumbsup:

VW secretly added 10 extra hp to CSG :laugh:

Congrats and welcome!

Yes they did!!!!

Yeah when I hit the ditch the car bounced around quite a bit. Ripped both lower control arms loose from the unibody. :-/
 
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