Car Enthusiast: Car Modification | DIY | 2ZZGE,4AGE,4G93T,JBJL,4G13,4G15

Proton Saga Convertible Limited Edition

2012-02-10T08:25:00.001+08:00

What is so call a convertible car? A convertible is a type of automobile in which the roof can retract and fold away having windows which wind-down inside the doors, converting it from an enclosed to an open-air vehicle. Open cars may have a folding roof but only detachable sidescreens which snap-on, they do not convert into a fully enclosed car with proper weather-protection. The wind-up windows make the distinction between an open car and an all-weather car now known as a convertible.

As everyone knows that convertibles are luxury because they are more expensive to build than closed cars, the matching sedans or saloons. However the saga over here is cheaper in term of building it as that is no folding roof attached to it. Besides that, you just need a chainsaw to cut off the roof. You can have it done within a few hours. Anyway, here is a good example of doing it.

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Project Kancil: Suspension Upgrade and Lamp Polish

2012-02-03T00:37:00.000+08:00

While waiting for some updates from my Celica, let's have a look at what have I done to my Kancil. Previously I had installed a set of lowered spring to it and have not really review the photos which the spring attached. The car lowered more than what the spring advertisement stated (30mm to be exact). It made the car sit lower like around 2 inches (approximately 50mm). Thus, the car now is around an inch clear between the fender and wheel and this is what I want to have in my mind. However, the comfortability of the car decreased and seriously very "bumpy" when driving on uneven road. Anyway, I understand that there is a trade off for looks, handling and comfortability.

Besides that, do polish and clear up the rear bumper's brake lamp. I understand that there is no way to make it looks like new but at least make it look better. Therefore I planned to polish it and clear up all the dirt built inside the lamp. As you can see at the following photos, those dirt I mentioned earlier was mud. This is the end result of not cleaning the car frequently and park it beside of an on going construction site.

The left is the polished lamp while the right still pending in progress.

Close up photos for both the bumper lamps. Please bare with the rust stain at the screw holes because I was too lazy to clean it up during Chinese New Year holidays. I will definitely clean it when I got some free time.

Here is the mud built up inside the lamp.

Here is the end result. Noticed that there is a crack on the left lamp. This seriously make me to get a replacement for it but nowadays in the market it is difficult to get the lamp itself. All I able to get is the full rear bumper which it is not worth to pay for. Hopefully there is something can help on this outside there.

Here is the photo comparing both the before and after the lowered spring installed. Look at the paint condition of the rim, seem like is time for me to refurbish it.

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Project Celica: On Flatbed Tow Truck

2012-02-02T01:50:00.001+08:00

There is a engine stall problem as what I posted earlier here. Finally I got my Celica towed to the workshop to get it fix yesterday. Called the tow truck service and I insisted to get the flatbed tow truck instead of those normal tow truck since I am worry about breaking my bodykit. Sad when looking my car on the tow truck and I really hope the car can be fixed without burning my deep hole in my pocket. Lesson learned from this is don't ever park your car there for months and at least do start the engine and warm it up. Stay tune with me for the update. By the way, I got my car towed for RM150 from Bayan Lepas to Pulau Tikus, Penang. Not pretty sure how much is the market price but at least the price is quite reasonable for me. By the way, if you wish to get the contact for this tow truck company; do drop me a comment of message. While waiting for the update, do enjoy some of the pictures I took during the towing process.

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Project Satria: Bumper Spring Lock Installed and Engine Miss Firing Problem

2012-02-01T01:40:00.002+08:00

Back to my home town and finally got the bumper spring lock installed. This is help to "stick" the bumper to the chassis in case I run into any pot holea on the road. However here is another bad tragedy for year 2012.As what I previously posted what happen to my Celica here, this is another sad story about my Satria. This happen on 21st Jan 2012 where I already reached my home town and started to inspect my Satria. Tried to start the car, good news! I were able to start it but hold on a second, why the car sound like a boxer engine? Popped up the hood and started to check around, looks like it was having a miss firing some where.

Without any hesitation, drove my car to the nearest mechanic that is available to have it a check. After some inspection, he told me that most probably was the cable plug causing the problem. Thus, I drove all the way to get a set of it and then installed but my Satria still giving me the same problem. I doubt is the distributor giving me this problem. I still have yet send the car to repair since I already back to Penang. So, please stay with me and I will try to update the progress and hopefully it may help those who face the similar problem like me.

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Project Celica: Engine Stalled

2012-01-31T21:45:00.000+08:00

Things not really going well for me in 2012. The first problem I faced was my Celica having problem just few days before Chinese New Year. Most important is I found out the problem just one day earlier before I had my journey back to my home town.

The problem happen after the first start and rev of my engine. After that, every time I started my Celica, the engine stalled after a few seconds. It revved till 2k rpm and then slowly die off. When I tried to press the fuel pedal, it gave me the feeling that the fuel was not pumping into the engine. Tried to ask around as well as from newcelica.org from US and Celica Club Malaysia, the answers are most probably fuel pump not working as per expected or the fuel filter. Hopefully this is the reason causing it and the repair cost is cheap. Thus, I need a flatbed tow truck now to send my Celica to my mechanic for repair. Sigh...

Lesson learns, please do not park your car there for months. Drive it!!! or at least please start it to avoid anything bad happen like me. There is another story about my Satria as well. Same goes to long time parking at my home town car porch without driving and starting it. Almost similar problem but better since it still can be driven. Anyway, stay tune with me how the update of my Celica problem and repair process.

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Proton Artiga Concept (Neo) Specification

2012-01-17T08:05:00.000+08:00

Another latest information for Proton Artiga Concept which launched during the Tokyo Auto Salon 2012. However this time with the car specification which this is a very promising power delivered by the car. It is powered by a 1.6L supercharged engine which capable to produce about 180hp horse power and 200Nm of torque. With this power, the car able to accelerate from 0 to 100km/h in 7.6 seconds. Besides that, the car now is running on 17 inch rims and with CUSCO adjustable coilover all around. Read more about the Proton Artiga Concept specification about the jump. Stay tune with more updates!

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Proton Artiga Concept (Neo) in Tokyo Auto Salon 2012

2012-01-17T00:12:00.001+08:00

Since CUSCO has introduced their Proton Satria Neo as their company's rally car and won the participated category, seem like now quite a number of fans from Japan have giving an eye on Proton Satria Neo. Now, Proton has brought the Artiga concept to Tokyo Auto Salon 2012. Will Proton going to export more models to Japan after this? Stay tune and meanwhile enjoy the pictures after the jump.

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Recapitulation of year 2011

2011-12-31T01:00:00.002+08:00

Well, let’s recap what had hit me during 2011. The biggest achievement of the year was my Master degree graduation which was held in England and did visit to Europe during the trip to my convocation. Pretty nice trip I have to say although most of my project cars’ fund had been spent during this trip. Thus there are not much updates for my project cars. Sigh… The only person who benefit from this is my fiancée who finally able to get to Paris, France and get herself some handbags. Besides that, went to Singapore for another holiday vacation. Not a very long trip but was a pretty nice.

What I have done to my project cars thus far. Still stick with the idea where my project Kancil is the main focus for this year. Done quite some modifications to project Kancil but yet to complete the entire lists which I set it earlier for the year 0f 2011. Anyway, let’s check with the list now and see how far the things go.

Get a 850cc Kancil's side mirror - Yet to achieve. Nowadays manual side mirror cost about RM100 per pair, so wondering whether will go for electric side mirror which cost about RM200-250.
Get my mira L2's side skirt install – Partially achieved. Already got the side skirt but pending for installation.
Mira L2s rear lamp – Achieved. Got it installed and it fitted nicely to the car.
Install a pair of HID for my fog lamp - Yet to achieve. Still looking for a better brand with affordable price.
Install a boost meter – Achieved. Installed a replica Defi boost meter which until now still work perfectly as some others may question about the reliability of a replica meter.
Install a Head Unit - Achieved. Got myself a player which supports mp3/CD, USB, AUX and SD card.
Change to a better car security alarm system - Yet to achieve. Plan to get an alarm which it is embedded to the key. Something like those new cars has.
APM performax spring – Achieved. Installed successfully and it does improve handling and the looks of the car but the car is not as comfort as before.
Get some new tyres - Achieved. 165/60/13 way better in handling. Still does not encounter anything bad in term of this upgrade.
Change the color of the car - Yet to achieve. Let’s see whether I can make it before Chinese New Year.

For my project Satria, nothing much I was able to achieve this year. Sigh…

Silicone hose all around – Achieved. Now no more worry about the radiator hose leakage in the future. Besides that, intercooler hoses were replaced to prevent leakage as well.
Change the turbo extractor – Yet to achieve. No extra fund for this.
Projector headlamp with HID - Yet to achieve. Again, there is no fund for this to be done this year.
Adjustable suspension - Yet to achieve. Again, there is no fund for this to be done this year.
Carbon fiber plug cover - Achieved. The fund already made its way to better plug cable.
Paint - Yet to achieve. Planned to do it with project Kancil.

My project Celica is having the same fate with my project Satria. Thus you may expect nothing is done to the car as well.

Turbo kit – Partially achieved. The intercooler piping is half way through. However got to know that there is a guy hires by M-Power who claimed he is able to tune Apexi Power FC.

I will judge project Kancil’s achievement based on the following mark.

Yet to achieve = 0

Partially achieve = 0.5

Archived = 1

The judgement is getting at least half of the possible points in order to pass the project.

Project Kancil: Getting 5.5 out of 10 possible points. So this considers passing the border line.

Project Satria: Getting 2 out of 6 possible points. This is failing.

Project Celica: Getting 0.5 out of 1 possible point. So this still consider passed.

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Project Kancil: Handling and Exterior Upgrade

2011-12-27T01:57:00.001+08:00

Finally got some time to post updates of my project Kancil. At last I got myself a set of APM Performax Sport Spring which I decided to install them to my car early of the year. Based on the specification provided by APM, this Performax Sport Spring is able to lower the car height by 3cm. Thus, let's see how much can my car be lowered after I have install it.

However, among these few months; bad thing happen to my car as well. The front bumper's left bracket had broken and this leads to the screw fell off and the only solution that I currently applied is using a cable tie to hold the front bumper to my car chassis. Unfortunately, this is not a good solution whereby the front bumper is starting to fall off again. Therefore, there are only 2 good alternative solutions which I can apply to permanently solve this problem. One is to change the entire bumper and the other is to use some sort of bumper lock to hold the bumper and fender. The second option is definitely my choice because this is way cheaper compare to change the entire bumper which will cost about RM400-450.

So these are the items I bought for my project Kancil upgrade this month. Anyway will try to spare some time to get both these items installed as soon as possible. To be frank, hope that after this sport spring installed, it will able to reduce the car height as what stated in the specification. Hopefully it will be about 2 inches between the wheel and the fender.

Here is the broken bumper bracket. Seriously need to get this done as soon as possible to avoid the entire bumper fall off while driving around the city.

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Malaysia Automotive News: Proton Exora Turbo Engine and Interior Photo Leak

2011-12-11T23:42:00.001+08:00

Seem like there are a lot more Proton Exora Turbo version photos leaked around the net. Recently there were some test drive photos around the net and the most important part and we believed that almost everyone is discussing about is the photo of the engine. Here is the good news for those who curious on how the look of the engine.

Besides that, there are some update photos for the interior as well. Hope you all enjoy and stay tune to with us for more updates.

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Malaysia Automotive News: Proton Exora Bold and Exora Prime are ready to roll

2011-12-09T01:16:00.000+08:00

According to trusted source, Proton Exora will going to launch soon. Proton Exora Bold will be launched around mid of this month and fixed the date of 16th Decemeber 2011. However, a lot trusted that it will be launched around January next year with the high line model, Proton Exora Prime.

Both the Proton Exora Bold and Exora Prime will be equipped wit the CAMPRO CFE 1.6L engine with turbocharged. With the force fed air to the engine, now the Proton Exora will be generating about 138hp and 205Nm. The transmission for the Proton Exora will be the CVT gearbox from Punch Belgium. This CVT gearbox is the similar model that used for the Proton Saga FLX 1.3L and FLX SE 1.6L.

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Malaysia Automotive News: Proton Saga FLX SE 1.6L Latest Photos

2011-11-29T22:02:00.000+08:00

Finally there are some close up photos for the Proton Saga FLX SE 1.6L which in metallic red color The Proton Saga FLX SE 1.6L will be launched in 2 colors where Solid White will be at RM49,499 while the Metallic Red will be at RM49,899.

From the photos, Proton had fitted in skirting all over the car which included the side, front and rear bumper in Metallic Warm Gray. Besides that, the car is coupled with a set of 15" sport rim.

Back in the cockpit, the dashboard still remain the same with the previous model but there is leather trimming for the door panel.

Source: Proton Saga Club Facebook

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Malaysia Automotive News: PROTON Champion Of Malaysian 1.6 Touring Car Championship

2011-11-28T23:50:00.000+08:00

PROTON finished the 2011 Malaysian Super Series Championship (MSS) as champion in the 1.6 Touring Car Category. Driver Faidzil Alang drove a textbook race in the fifth and final round of the season at the Sepang International Circuit to clinch the coveted title behind the wheel of a Satria Neo. Team mate Syafiq Ali who drove the Proton Gen2 had finished the 1-2 Team Proton win in the category as well. Congratulation to Proton!!!

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Malaysia Automotive News: Is this the Proton Persona R?

2011-11-14T23:07:00.000+08:00

Here is a leak photo of Proton latest car design. Is this the P3-21A as known as the Persona R? Most probably this is the car sent to IDIADA for crash test because car sent to crash test normally is yellow. Based on the photo, the head lamp design look like the latest Honda City. Unfortunately this is the only photo available now and will update more if there is any leak photo available. Anyway please put down your comment for this Proton latest car.

Here is the Proton Tuah where it is the prototype design for Persona R. Try compare both the photos.

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Honda Integra DC5 4 doors limited edition spotted

2011-11-10T12:30:00.000+08:00

Here is a very interesting photo showing a Honda Integra DC5 4 doors limited edition spotted some where in city. But wait, when Honda released a 4 doors version for their sport coupe? Look closely, this is not closed to any Honda DC5 4 doors but it is a modified Proton Saga/Iswara with the Honda Integra DC5 rear lamp. Overall still acceptable but the rear spoiler seriously make the car look more ricer than any other cars. Do leave a comment of yours on this "Honda DC5 4 doors" limited edition.

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Malaysia Automotive News: Malaysia Police receive Chevrolet Petrol cars from Naza Group

2011-11-10T09:03:00.000+08:00

Recently Naza Group had donate a few Police patrol cars to Polis DiRaja Malaysia (PDRM) known as the Malaysia Police. In the ceremony of receiving the cars at the office of state Ministry at Putrajaya, there are 3 Chevrolet models - Cruze and Captiva were passed to the State Minister, Y.B Dato’ Seri Hishammudin Tun Hussein. One of the Chevrolet Captiva is modified to be a mobile patrol where a lot of high technology stuffs are fitted to it.

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Malaysia Automotive News: Proton to release their electric cars on 2013

2011-10-22T00:56:00.000+08:00

Like it or not, a few years later there will be a lot of hybrid cars and electic cars around in Malaysia. Proton, a Malaysian automotive manufacturer will launch their very first electric car on the year of 2013. According to Proton, the price will be competitive after commercialize.

The price of a Proton Saga EV will be around RM70,000 while for Proton Exora Range Extender EV will be around RM100,000. Both these vehicles are already on testing phase where it held at Putrajaya. 100 to 150 electric stations will build by the Malaysia government to support these electric cars.

However for the first phase, those electric stations will be built at Putrajaya, Cyberjaya and some main location in Kuala Lumpur. With all the advanced technologies, the electric power of the Proton Saga EV and Proton Exora Range Extender EV will be able to clock 70-80KM per day.

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Malaysia Automotive News: Proton Satria Satria Neo Monster Energy

2011-10-19T08:21:00.001+08:00

Malaysia made 2 doors hatchback - Proton Satria Neo has become as Proton ambassador in the world of rally.Its popularity and performance in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) and Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) has attracted the interest of rally fans around the world.The Proton Satria NEO S2000 cars are always popular with the rally fans and this year was no exception as hundreds lined up to get autographs from the NEO S2000 drivers.

For the Group N 1600 Satria Neo that participated in the APRC 1600cc Two Wheel Drive category, the team has secured many podium finishes. And the latest, two podium finishes in Hokkaido, Japan with Karamjit Singh and Japanese team mate Akira Bamba finishing first and second respectively. Here is the nicely done Proton Satria Neo CPS resemble Ken Block’s Subaru Ver 10 sponsored by DC shoes and Monster Energy.

Nicely done up Proton Satria Neo Ken Block Theme.

The original Ken Block Subaru Imprezza.

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Malaysia Automotive News: Mitsubishi Electric Car i-MiEV in Malaysia

2011-10-17T08:21:00.000+08:00

Will Mitsubishi will going to launch their Mitsubishi electric compact car i-MiEV in Malaysia? If this is true, this will be the first 100% electric car in Malaysia. This is because Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia will going to have a test drive session for i-MiEV on 19-23 October 2011 where it will held on 1 Utama Shopping center, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. With this test drive session, this might be a clue that Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia plans to launch i-MiEV in Malaysia market. For those who wish to know more, you may pay a visit to 1-Utama during the date stated above for test drive.

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DIY: Proton Wira Head Unit Installation

2011-10-15T22:14:00.000+08:00

Just done a DIY install head unit with my friend to his Proton Wira. Thinking of this is quite a good information to share thus over here I will share the wiring color code from a Proton Wira to a typical head unit standard wiring. Anyway, this is nothing much different compare with the post I posted earlier about the DIY Install head unit to Perodua Kancil. You may visit to this post if you have miss out previously.

In this post, I will be focused more on the wiring color code rather than the installation steps and I believe most of you already know how to remove the radio from the dashboard panel. This is due to Proton is having a different wiring color code compare with the typical standard head unit wiring color code you can get from the market.

First of all, disconnect the battery terminal of your car for safety purpose because your fuse will blow if there is anything screw up during the process of the installation.

Then, unscrew all these 3 screws in order for you to get access to your head unit. Image below shown where are these 3 screws.

After that, you will be able to see a bunch of wiring which connected to your head unit. Cut the wires and connect them according to the head unit wires. Please refer to the wiring color code below. After you done connecting, wrap all the wires nicely with the electronic tape. Fit back the head unit and the dashboard panel, connect the battery terminal and now you can enjoy your new head unit.

In case you are changing from a double din head unit to single din head unit. You may need a dashboard compartment as shown below.

PS: Please download and share the wiring diagram if you feel this is useful for your DIY project.

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Malaysia Automotive News: New Proton Exora Turbo Spotted

2011-10-06T08:38:00.000+08:00

After a long wait for 2 years, Proton Exora Turbo is expected to be launched on November 2011 and this Proton Exora Turbo is the upgraded version of the Proton very first MPV. There are a lot of spy shoot around the net and now these are another set of spy shoot for the Proton Exora Turbo.

This is the latest spy shoot of Proton Exora Turbo with Gold paint. Unfortunately there is nothing much changes for the exterior as the rear lamp and rim are still maintain with the old model. Not pretty sure what gearbox will be used for the Proton Exora Turbo but it might be couple with the CVT gearbox for the auto version. So now the car is comes with a powerful engine and this will definitely provide a big help for the underpower Proton Exora. However, Proton has not reveal the price for this turbo version Proton Exora. Hopefully the car will comes with a reasonable price where it can benefit to those lower income families. Do enjoy the photos after the jump.

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Malaysia Automotive News: Proton Saga BLM FLX 1.6L coming soon

2011-10-05T08:51:00.000+08:00

According to trusted source, Proton will going to launch their all new Proton Saga BLM FLX 1.6L soon. Proton had made a trial installation of this Proton Saga BLM FLX 1.6L. There are 2 trial units being installed. One is the solid white version while the other one is the fire red version.

However this is the information available for the time being. The launching date still have not finalize yet but most probably is within this month or might be as late as the launching of Proton Exora CFE. Continue reading to know more about the specification of the car.

Specifications:
- 2 trial units:- Solid White and Fire Red

- 195/50/15R rim and tyres

- Interior is the same but come with red line leather seat

- Come with bodykit

- Roof color same with the car color, no more black color roof like the SE version

- Fog lamp console color is replaced by dark gold instead of chrome

- Engine IAFM+ & CVT

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Malaysia Automotive News: Nissan Latio facelift launched

2011-09-30T08:43:00.000+08:00

Edaran Tan Chong Motor Sdn Bhd (ETCM) has an improved Nissan Latio in its showrooms. Both the Hatchback and Sedan versions sport a new front grille and bumper, with the Latio Hatchback having a sporty rear bumper design. The headlamps have also been restyled and on the Hatchback, those at the rear also take on a sportier look.

Outputs are unchanged from the pre-facelift, with the 1.6 being rated to produce 107hp @ 6,000rpm and able to twist out a strong 153Nm @ 4,400rpm. Meanwhile, the all-aluminium 1.8-litre MR18DE has 125hp at its disposal at 5,200rpm, and 174Nm @ 4,800rpm. Nissan claims fuel consumption figures of 7.1 and 7.8 l/100km for the 1.6 sedan and 1.8 hatch respectively.

Inside, the new Latio Hatchback now comes with audio controls on the steering wheel, a new audio head-unit player with AUX input for portable audio devices and a stylish white meter with instant and average fuel consumption display. The new Latio Hatchback is also equipped with an automatic air-conditioning system with digital display.

On-the-road prices (inclusive of insurance, roadtax) for Peninsular Malaysia are as follow:
Nissan Latio (Sedan) 1.6 AT – RM89,800.00 (Comfort version)
Nissan Latio (Hatchback) 1.8 AT – RM99,800.00 (Comfort version

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All New Toyota Avanza

2011-09-27T23:39:00.002+08:00

Toyota Avanza- the cheapest mini MPV from Toyota car models has finally got itself a brand new design from Toyota. There are a few of leak photos about this newly designed Toyota Avanza around the net. Based on the information, this will going to launch in Indonesia and will be coming to Malaysia soon.

Based on the photos, the front and the rear end received a completely new design as well as the C pillars which looks similar with the Toyota Harrier. At a glance, the front view looks a bit like the Toyota Altis with a more rounded shape. However, there is not much information about the technical specification where there has no news about what engine will be equipped to this new Toyota Avanza. Anyway, stay tune and hope that Toyota will unveil more information about this new Toyota Avanza.

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DIY: Apexi RSM with Shift Lamp

2011-09-25T15:51:00.001+08:00

Already owned a Apexi RSM? Do wish to own a bigger shift lamp to indicate when is the correct shifting point of your engine? Here is a DIY on how to tap the shifting point signal from Apexi RSM to your shift lamp.

Anyway, here are some information of what is Apexi RSM. APEXi RSM (Rev/Speed Meter) is a complete multi function measuring device designed to measure and monitor data such as vehicle speed, engine RPM, and elapsed times.

It was crafted to match the likes of other highly popular A’PEX electronics such as the V-AFC (VTEC Controller) and the AVC-R (Boost Controller). Standard features include: Engine RPM, Vehicle Speed, Travel Distance, and Battery Voltage (All which can be displayed in real time graph mode, numerical mode, or analogue mode; 1-4 channels at a time), Peak Hold, Replay (With 60 second playback), Speed Limiter Cut, 0-100m, 200m, 400m times with trap speed, 0-100km/h, 200km/h, 300km/h – 0 times, user defined Mid Range Acceleration, Stop Watch functions, Best Time Memory, RPM Warning, Speed Warning, RPM and Speed Outputs (For external devices requiring an RPM or speed signal), Tire Size Correction (For acceleration and timing accuracy) and Vehicle weight input.

This is the basic connection of the relay.
86= Taken from the RSM. (Signal)
85= Ground. (Car Body)
30= +ve (Battery)
87= To shift lamp

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A Limousine Version Toyota Prius

2011-09-20T08:54:00.001+08:00

This is unreal and personally I can't really believe this. Toyota never produce a Limo version for their Toyota Prius but a dealer from Singapore has successfully "stretch" the Toyota Prius hybrid car to a longer version aka Limousine version.

I am not a photoshop expert but based on the pictures, this is not edited by photoshop. Anyway there is still a doubt of stretching the Toyota Prius, will this affect the entire structure of the car? I will leave this to you to judge about it. The picture below shows a standard version of the Prius which is the best-selling hybrid model in the world, with over a million sold since the model line was launched in 1997. Continue to read more for more pictures of this Limousine version Toyota Prius.

The original version of Toyota Prius.

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Malaysia Automotive News: New Perodua Myvi SE Spotted ver 2

2011-09-06T23:23:00.003+08:00

Finally there are more leaked pictures of the Perodua Myvi Xtreme. This new Perodua Myvi Xtreme might be equipped with a new 1.5L engine according to rumor around. Besides that, the Perodua Myvi Xtreme will launch on this coming 16th September. However the specifications of safety and security, accessories would be the same with the Perodua Myvi Elegance. The price might be more expensive compare to the current Lagi Best version.

Anyway, here are some of the pictures without any masking. To me it looks nice for the front view. But I believe it will be better if Perodua fit in a set of 16 inch or 17 inch rim since it might be equipped with a 1.5L engine there will be no worry of under power issue. Enjoy!!!

Source: Malaysian Gadget

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DIY: Installation of FICD for Better Idling after Aircond ON

2011-09-05T23:23:00.000+08:00

Ever experienced engine stall with air-conditioner on when you car slow down? What happen if you are at the moment of turning into a junction and opposite car is coming? I believe that your heart will pounding rapidly. Why this happen? This is because your engine idling is not idle stably. Thus, in order to solve this in a cheap way, FICD is the hope for you.

FICD is a little device that will help you with this problem. The concept is, this device will allow vacuum leak by allowing more air into intake manifold hence engine have enough air and wont stall. Its also stabilize idle and drive will feel a little bit lighter with a/c on. For the one who familiar with valves, FICD is simply a solenoid valve. Continue to read the entire post so that you can have a better understanding on how to DIY by yourself and this may save you up some bucks for the installation fee.

I always believe that a picture worth a thousand words. Therefore I will always prepare a picture for my DIY post. This is to make you understand easily.

The red point there is the joining point of the vacuum pipe to the FICD. However for the other vacuum point of the FICD, you can either install a small air filter which named as B or direct a pipe to the return oil pipe named as A. Both will work fine for you.

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BMW 1 Series Modification

2011-08-25T09:11:00.000+08:00

The 1 Series was launched globally in Autumn 2004 and shares many structural, chassis, powertrain, hardware and electronic elements with the larger 3 Series. The model was started to provide a lower point of entry into the BMW range as the 3 Series moved gradually up-market. The 1 Series coupe (E82) and convertible (E88) went on sale in the United States and Canada in model year 2008 (30 June 2007)[1] as the 128i and the 135i. Other countries received the 120i and 125i in both platforms.

Even though the look of BMW 1 Series is already look nice and sporty but modifying bug does strike the owner of this BMW 1 Series. The owner of this BMW 1 Series modify his BMW 1 Series exterior to something special and unique where the easiest noticed parts are he sprayed the front headlamp and rear lamp with white color and a extremely big spoiler.

To be honest, if the spoiler comes in smaller one the car will be perfect. By the way, I wonder will the car against the law enforcement where both the front and rear lamp already sprayed to white. Anyway guys, enjoy the pictures.

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DIY: Repair Perodua Myvi/Viva Brake Caliper Noise

2011-08-23T23:58:00.000+08:00

This post is dedicated for those older version of Perodua Myvi and Perodua Viva. As a lot of Myvi and Viva owners always complain that their brake calipers keep giving out annoying noise when driving on an uneven road surface. This does not happen for those newer Perodua Myvi and Perodua Alza. So what is root cause of this entire problem? The actual root cause is because of the loosen caliper pin. This can be easily repair can does not need to change the entire new brake calipers according to certain mechanics.

Over here, I would like to share the Do It Yourself(DIY) repair steps to overcome the problem. This is not my own DIY but instead of someone expert which good and kind enough to share this. With this DIY, I believe you can save up some bucks to send your car to workshop to get the annoying noise away.

First of all, remove the tyres. Then unscrew the bolt caliper pin by using a wrench.

Open up the brake caliper.

Take out the caliper pin.

Wrap it with the white tape. 2 layers for the top part

And then 3 layers for the bottom part.

Attach the rubber for the caliper pin. Make sure that the rubber is fit nicely. Before fixing it back, please ensure to apply grease on the caliper pin so that it will not jam up.

Attach the brake caliper and you are ready to roll.

Credit to: JER2921

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Malaysia Automotive News: New Perodua Myvi SE Spotted

2011-08-22T08:55:00.000+08:00

Plan to buy a new Perodua Myvi for you to move from point A to point B but does not really like the current design which lack of sporty bodykit. No worry where Perodua has plan to come out a new Perodua Myvi SE based on the latest new Perodua Myvi design.

Currently there is not much information about the engine specification but anyhow the new bodykit for the Perodua Myvi is pretty nice. Will try to upload more information about the engine specification as it is available.

Source: datsun from Chinese Cari

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DIY: Installation of Apexi Pen Style Turbo Timer

2011-08-21T12:36:00.001+08:00

Want to have your car engine to auto shut down after you turn off the key? Then turbo timer is the thing you may install to your car which will count down based on the timer you set and shut down the engine automatically. I know that it is not really useful for a NA engine to install a turbo timer but anyway this does look cool when others see that your car shut down automatically.

Here are some explanation of a turbo timer. A turbo timer is a device designed to keep an automotive engine running for a pre-specified period of time in order to automatically execute the cool-down period required to prevent premature turbo wear and failure. After a period of driving when a turbocharger has been working hard, it is important to let the engine run at idle speed for a period of time, allowing the compressor assembly to cool from the lower gas temperatures in both the exhaust and intake tracts. At the same time the lubricating oil from the engine is able to circulate properly so the turbine won't burn the lubricating oil that would otherwise be trapped within the charger with the turbine rotating at high speed.

Here is a document for some other models. Please download it and if you can't do leave a comment or email me your email address and I will send it to you.

Download Here

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Europe Trip: Day 8-10 England

2011-08-14T21:30:00.001+08:00

England was the final destination for us and was the main purpose for me to visit this Europe trip - my Master convocation. We started our journey from Paris to London by Europe Star. When we reached St.Pancras, we took a train to Leicester where my University located. When we finally settled there, it was around evening. Nothing much for we did for the first day in Leicester but just got our dinner and shop around. Good news for me was, sport shoes over there are pretty cheap; for instant a NIKE basketball shoes just cost you about 30 pounds.

The next day was my convocation and I do not want to talk much about it. Just some ceremony, walked up the stage, took graduation photos, this and that. After done with my convocation, it was time for us to go back to London. Hohoho...

Back to London, first thing we did was going to the Big Ben and London Eye. Then we went to the museum, can't really remember the name but quite big and nice compare to our Malaysia's museum. Then to Buckingham Palace watching the Queen's Guard Band matching to Buckingham Palace for the changing of the guard. Next was the Tower Bridge and passed by London Bridge. However, we did not take any photo in London Bridge as to me it is just a very normal bridge compare to the Tower Bridge. OK, I will stop the crap here and let the photos to do the talking.

My Master convocation at University of Leicester.

London tour: Natural History Museum

Imperial College, rank 5th in Europe University.

London tour: Buckingham Palace Queen's Guard Changing

London tour: Big Ben

London tour: Tower Bridge

London tour: London Eye

London tour: Memorial of Princess Diana

London tour: China Town Day and Night view

London tour: London airport. Is time to fly back to Malaysia and back to working life. Sigh... Waiting for VAT refund at London airport for those LV and Longchamp handbags. Crowded with people and waited for more than 2 hours. Shit!

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Europe Trip: Day 6-7 France

2011-08-12T09:22:00.000+08:00

We reached day 6 and we were in Paris, France. My fiancee was the most excited one because Paris is the birth place of her favorite handbag brand - Louis Vuitton. She just couldn't wait to shop for the LV bags and this was the main purpose of the entire trip for her. Anyway I were amazed by the building over here. Very nice heritage buildings around Paris. When we visited Paris it was on 12 of July which 2 days before the National day of France. But unfortunately, we needed to make a move on the next day which to me this was pretty wasted where we can't really enjoyed the culture and how the French celebrate their national day.

First shopping complex we dropped by was the Galerie Lafayette. Damn crowded and I hated it most because we need to queue up in order to enter the LV, Gucci and Longchamp stores and most important was it was a very long queue which took us more than half an hour just to queue up to enter each of the stores. Anyway, my fiancee was pretty happy that she was able to buy what she wanted while I be the boring guy just waiting there. Sigh...

Then we had our lunch and went for a city tour. Visited quite a number of places for example: the triumphal arch in France. Of cause, we got another boat tour in Paris. Pretty enjoying and it was quite similar to the boat tour we took in Amsterdam.

Gift from Egypt.

After a whole day of city tour, it was time for us to have our dinner and have a look at what we took... SNAIL!!! Anyway after the dinner, we called it a day.

What we bought on the first day.

The next day, shopping yet again but this time is at the main LV store in Paris. Still crowded but it was better compare to the store in Galerie Lafayette and here is the photo we took just right outside of the outlet.

Then... Paris Eiffel Tower.

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Europe Trip: Day 5 Belgium

2011-08-01T23:42:00.000+08:00

Belgium. We went to Brussels on the 5th day. To be honest nothing much can visit over here. We just visited the Atomium. The Atomium is the monuments built for Expo 58 is still as glamorous today as it was then. It is located just a few meters away is the Mini Europe Park.

Then we headed to the little guy peeing statue. This “little man peeing” is a bronze fountain sculpture which has captivated tourists for decades. Replicas of the Manneken Pis status are now found all over the world.

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Europe Trip: Day 4 Netherlands

2011-07-31T22:42:00.000+08:00

Visited Netherlands on the following day 4. We did not visit many place as only Amsterdam already got a lot of nice places for us to pay a visit. Had another boat tour at the Amsterdam river and yes this was nicer because of the weather was cooler compare to Germany. Besides that, the nicest place for a guy to visit was the "Red Light Street". As you may know off, prostitution is legal in Netherlands. Thus, for those who wish to make a deal over there no need to worry about the police. And the tour guide told us that the standard price of a deal cost around 50 euro.

Then we visited some other famous MUST visit place in Netherlands which were the Windmill, Clog shoes and Cheese factory. Tested the cheese and it made me can't resisted to buy some cheese and clog shoes. Anyway I know that clog shoes doesn't serve any purpose in our daily life here in Malaysia. In short, I am just wasting my money. The last place we visited was the diamond factory in Netherlands. Why? This is because Netherlands is famous of the diamond-polishing technique.

Boat tour and Amsterdam river.

The windmill.

The cheese and clog shoes factory.

Took just right outside of the farm,

Diamond factory/museum. The left most diamond cost you 30 thousand euro which equivalent to a Honda Civic over here in Malaysia.

Replica of Queen Elizabeth's crown.

Took after lunch. Nice view right?

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Europe Trip: Day 3 Germany

2011-07-31T20:55:00.001+08:00

Third day of the trip and we were still in Germany. There were 2 activities which were the boat scene and the visiting the Koln. Not pretty sure how much does the boat ticket charge as this was included in the trip itinerary but my comment is this is not very nice when you are having it under a big hot sun.

Then we visited the Koln better known as Cologne in English. Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city and is located on both sides of the Rhine River. Since we visited Cologne, we definitely never missed the opportunity to visit the Cologne Cathedral. Some history of Cologne Cathedral - Construction of Cologne Cathedral began in 1248 and took, with interruptions, until 1880 to complete. It is 144.5 meters long, 86.5 m wide and its towers are approximately 157 m tall. This is a very nice building and please do pay a visit if you got the chance to visit Cologne.

A visit to Rhine river under the hot sun.

A nice building Cologne Cathedral. If we have our church built like this in Malaysia I will always pay a visit. The best thing is the entrance fee is totally free.

Inside the building.

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Europe Trip: Day 2 Switzerland and Germany

2011-07-26T21:14:00.002+08:00

As from previous post, the first day of my Europe trip was visiting to Switzerland. So now is time for the day 2 trip. On the way going to Germany, we stopped by to Rhine river to pay a visit there. What I would like to say is the scene over there is very nice and you will never find something like this in Malaysia.

Then we moved to Germany to visit the Black Forest. Never really went down into the forest as the tour guide said that one will get lost if go into the forest. Then we went to visit the cuckoo clock manufacturer and have out knuckle meal over there.

Nice view at the Rhine river.

On the way to Germany. Nice view right? Do you feel something familiar for those who using Windows XP?

Black Forest.

Cuckoo clock manufacturer and Cuckoo clocks displaying on the wall.

Knuckle meal and Black forest cake. The cake was very nice but nothing special for the knuckle meal.

Can't really remember what does this call but this is a nice castle.

Nice beer!!! For those who like beer, you must try this out.

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Europe Trip: Day 1 Switzerland

2011-07-22T16:56:00.000+08:00

Miss action for almost 3 weeks, now is time for me to update a bit of my blog. Anyway the content of this post and the next few post will not be talking about cars but just some sharing of my Europe trip for the last 2 weeks.

The main purpose for this Europe trip was to attend my Master convocation at University of Leicester in England. After calculated the amount needed for the trip to England did not really had a big different compare to the Europe trip suggested by my colleague, thus at the end I got the package to travel to several countries in Europe.

The trip took place from 6th of July until 18th of July. The amount I spent did not really expensive and the travel agent is pretty good I can say. Anyway the first stop in Europe was at Switzerland as stated in the title.

Reached Zurich airport.

My fiancee photo at the airport.

The first place that I visited was the Mount Titlis. Went up there using the cable car and I would say that this is a nice mountain. Although it was summer during the time I visited, I still able to see snow everywhere.

Me and my fiancee.

And this is me.

Next, visited the Lion Monument.

Lucerne town area.

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DIY: Remove speed cut for Daihatsu Mira L200/L200s

2011-07-05T17:07:00.001+08:00

Ok guys, I believe a lot of Daihatsu Mira L200/L200s owner would like to have this done - remove the speed cut for their cars. I came across a pretty nice DIY from the net and I would like to share this information with you guys out there. Actually the process of the modification is pretty straight forward where there is no fancy wiring needed. Continue to read the entire post so that you can have a better understanding on how to DIY by yourself and this may save you up some bucks for the installation fee.

First, open up the drawer and then try to locate the ECU.

Plug out the ECU connector.

Try to locate the green wire and then cut the wire.

If you wish to control the speed cut then you need to connect this to a ON/OFF switch. The concept is when the switch is OFF the wire is connected while the switch is ON then the wire is not connected. With this, you will able to control the speed cut function by a switch.

Here is the final result of the installation/modification. Add in some stickers so that it looks like you got something serious in your car, just like having NOS!!!

Source: nazridaim via kcarlife

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Malaysia Automotive News: A crash during super GT in Sepang International Circuit

2011-06-19T23:16:00.005+08:00

A sad tragedy happen during the Super GT event this year. My comment is don't drive fast even you are driving a super car. The brakes do not work well for a short distance emergency braking. Pity to those super cars owners.

One thing I noticed that the crowd were very happy seeing this incident happen. LOL! Continue for more videos.

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Malaysia Automotive News: New Perodua Myvi Lauched

2011-06-17T08:50:00.001+08:00

Finally after a long wait, Perodua had launched out their all new Perodua Myvi. The are several changes that had done to the car where Perodua had redesigned the front and rear. The front lamp now came with projector headlamp compare to the previous design. Besides that, the rear lamp also came with a new LED design. Back into the cockpit, a newly design dashboard had been fitted to the car. To me, this newly designed dashboard is very stylish compare to the old model. The meter had changed from a dull design to a newly nice designed as well. The location of the gear knob had shifted from on the ground to the dashboard area.

For the engine performance, Perodua announced that they will equipped two types of engines. The first type of engine is the 1.3L engine which currently equipped in the old model. While the other engine will be the 1.5L engine. However there is not much news about the 1.5L engine and the current launched model only equipped with the 1.3L engine. I believe the 1.5L model will be using the same engine as what had been equipped to the Perodua Alza. Continue reading to know how much for this new Perodua Myvi.

Here is the on the road price list for the all new Perodua Myvi with metallic color.
RM44,926.00 (M) STANDARD
RM47,726.00 (M) PREMIUM
RM54,908.00 (M) ELEGRANCE
RM47,926.00 (A) STANDARD
RM50,726.00 (A) PREMIUM
RM57,908.00 (A) ELEGRANCE

Photo credit to Lan.

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Short Shifters: Shorter Is Always Better

2011-06-12T18:54:00.000+08:00

A short shifter is a modification of the manual transmissions' gear stick. The modification is done by changing the existing gear stick to an aftermarket bolt-on replacement part as it has a different leverage; changing gears would therefore be slightly heavier. The desired effect of a short shifter is to reduce the distance your hand needs to mechanically engage the next gear, thus reducing the amount of time spent shifting. This would reduce wasted time between shits while you're accelerating and decelerating, thus improving performance.

A lot of people mistakenly believe that a short shifter is just a chopped off version of the stock gear stick where it has no effect on the angle that your shifter shaft travels through between gears and therefore does not reduce the shifter's angular throw. In fact, any gear stick and engineered short shifters are carefully constructed so that each upper throw corresponds and synchs with what's going on inside the transmission.

The geometry of a short shifter therefore differs from the stock gear stick in order to reduce the distance that the upper section where your shift knob threads on needs to move to achieve the same degree of movement in the lower section where the shift rod or shifter cables attach. This ensures that although your hand is moving a shorter distance, the transmission is still fully engaged in every gear. The main pivot point, or fulcrum of the shifter lever is re-positioned on the shaft in such a way that the lower section which connects to the shift rod or shifter cables is longer than stock, resulting in the desired effect.

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Adjustable Cam Pulley. Advance or Retard The Timing

2011-05-29T23:55:00.000+08:00

What is cam pulley? Cam pulley is used to rotate the camshaft which in turn will push the valve down. The timing of the valve will depend on the camshaft and the cam pulley.The timing means when the valve is pushed down. If the valve comes down before the piston reaches its highest point called the top dead center, the timing is considered ADVANCE. If the valve comes down after the piston reaches the top dead center, it is considered as RETARD.

The advance/retard is measured by degrees for example advance 2°or retard 2°. The adjustable cam pulley, as the name implies, it means the pulley is adjustable.This will allow the valve timing to be changed and this is how the VVTi system works, but VVTi system depends on the engine speed and it it is changed while the engine is running. However for the adjustable cam pulley, the timing can only be set at one position/angle and can only be changed when the engine is not running.

So why we need adjustable cam pulley? This is because different timing is needed for different speed of engine (rpm) to get the most efficient combustion.The cam pulley can be adjusted to suit the driving style of the driver. The powerband of the engine can be shifted by varying the timing of the valve.

Basically there are 2 types of settings. One is the advance timing and the other one is the retard timing. So let's talk about them.

Advance Timing

Advance timing means the valve start to come down before the piston reaches the tdc. The advance timing will enhance the lower and mid range of the engine but peak power will be less. This setup is suitable for daly driving in the city where the engine revs at low to mid rpm levels.However if the timing is too advance, it can cause detonation/knocking/pinging

Retard Timing

Retard timing in the other hands means the valve starts to come down after the piston has reach its tdc.Retard timing will enhance the high the peak power but sacrificing the mid and low range power. This setting is suitable for drag or racing purposes.

Buying the Cam Adjustable Pulley

There are several brands in the market, for example: HKS, Arospeed, Works and Jasma. Before you getting one of them, you must know that whether there is any marking for the advance and retard and whether crankshaft timing or the camshaft timing.

Here are the lists based on what I know off,
1. HKS - There are Advance and Retard marking on the cam pulley and it is refering to the Camshaft Timing.

2. Arospeed - There are Advance and Retard marking on the cam pulley and it is refering to the Crankshaft Timing.

3. Works - There are Advance and Retard marking on the cam pulley and it is refering to the Crankshaft Timing.

4. Jasma - There are NO Advance and Retard marking on the cam pulley. If you get this set of cam pulley, it is very difficult for the tuner to set the timing. So better get other brand and always remember, cheap does not means good in car performance.

Here is the example picture of what I mentioned above. Noticed the red circles compare both the Jasma cam and HKS cam.

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Flywheel Modification: To Maintain or To Reduce the Weight?

2011-05-18T09:05:00.000+08:00

I believed all of us heard about lighten flywheel. It is an inexpensive and easy wake to wake up your Normally aspirated or Turbocharged engine. Sorry for auto tranny owners as this is only applicable for manual tranny. The are no negative effects to lightening your stock flywheel unlike replacing it with an ultra-lightweight Aluminum flywheel. Most manufacturers make the stock flywheel very heavy because this makes the engine very smooth and enables it to retain energy at part throttle cruise and up long grades for better fuel economy.

However, an Aluminum flywheel goes completely the other direction with almost no weight. This lets the engine rev up very quickly and allows the engine to work easier due to the reduced weight spinning around on the back of the crank. This is fine as long as you are at full throttle and wide open throttle all the time like in a Road Race or Drag Race only car. As soon as you let off the gas the engine RPM drops instantly and the car slows down. In a road car this causes surging and bucking at cruise speeds and poor drive ability and clutch engagement. Thus a lot of people will tell you that lighten your flywheel will cause your car does not have enough momentum when driving uphill.

A lightened stock unit on the other hand gives you the best of both worlds. It is a compromise between the OVERLY HEAVY OEM unit and a TOO LIGHT Racing unit. You get the benefits of both with none of the bad qualities.

Turbo cars are exceptionally critical to flywheel weight. Too light a flywheel will make the car rev faster and possibly come on boost faster but that is only half the issue. When you let off the gas to shift the car will drop off of boost just as quickly causing a poor transition when you come back on the throttle.

Basically when lightened a stock unit, we will try to maintain it around 3.5-4.5kg lighter than the original yet still give the driveability needed for street use. By the way, lighten flywheel will only taken off the weight from the back side of the flywheel so the surface is still the same height and your clutch still fits and works the same.

Anyway, here is an example:
a) 10Kg of flywheel + Clutch Cover + Clutch Plate is rotating at 7000 rpm
b) 13Kg of flywheel + Clutch Cover + Clutch Plate is rotating at 7000 rpm

a will definitely has a better pickup compare to b but b will give better power at the higher rpm. At the end of the day, this is all depends on individual preference.

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CAMPRO Engine Modification From Mild to Extreme

2011-05-10T23:56:00.000+08:00

This post is created for those who wish to modify their CAMPRO from mild to extreme machine. CAMPRO is an engine developed by Proton and with the help from Lotus. This engine powers the Proton Gen-2, the Proton Satria Neo, the Proton Waja Campro, the Proton Persona as well as Proton's future models.

There are 2 types of CAMPRO engines which are the 1.6L S4PH and the 1.3L S4PE. The basic Campro engine coded as S4PH is a basic DOHC 16-valve 1.6 L engine that produces 110 bhp (82 kW) @ 6,000 rpm of power and 148 N·m (109 ft·lbf) of torque. While for the S4PE, it is able to produce 94 bhp (70 kW) @ 6,000 rpm and the torque of 120 N·m (89 ft·lbf) @ 4,000 rpm. However there is a drawback of CAMPRO engine where the torque dip at typical engine speeds of 2,000 to 3,000 rpm. Ok guys, don't let this drawback stop you from modifying. This is because CAMPRO engine does have some potential and it can be modified easily and the result will sure surprise you. If going down to NA (naturally aspirated) path, with some modifications you can easily up the HP approximate 140-150hp on engine. If going to FI (forced induction) path, the low boost turbo systems will easily produce more HP compare to NA path.

However, not all mods are for power though, there are many area's of braking and suspension that any stock car can always be improved with. Along with other drive line upgrades, you can have a smooth reliable car, with improved handling, and provide that little bit of sporty power to keep most people satisfied.

So I would like to compile a list of modification that can be done for CAMPRO engine. This section is to be used as a guide in your modification - I will be breaking this into sections to provide a well balanced vehicle. By the way, this compilation list will be based on the list of the "4G13 and 4G15 Modification From Mild to Extreme" I posted earlier as this will be easier to refer of.

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Mild Modification

The mild modifications are designed for the every day driver, wanting improvements across the board without sacrificing road comfort, fuel economy or driveability.

1. Air Filters and Cold Air Intake Kits

The factory air box system on these vehicles, is quite restrictive.

1. Fitment of an aftermarket replacement air filter. You can get it from K&N which this will improved air flow and throttle response

2. Fitment of a Cold Air Intake Kit.

The Cold air kit relocates to the front bumper, pulling cold air especially where utilized with a aftermarket front bumper. Any aftermarket open pod filter is fine. The plastic pipe kit I honestly recommend, other than being the cheapest, is one of the best bang for dollar modifications you can do.

2. Exhaust System Upgrade

Since you have done a good job for the intake system, now is the time to do something about the exhaust system.Upgrading the exhaust system is one of the most beneficial modification and gain the most HP compare to others. In short, it worth the money to change the exhaust system. However, before you start to change the exhaust system, you must make a decision on until which level you plan to mod your car. Mild, medium or extreme modification has totally different exhaust size modification. Why I advised you to make the decision before moding the car because you can save up some money for this modification. To be honest, I wasted a lot of money for my satria's exhaust system. This is because I changed the exhaust for 1.3L engine then change again for MIVEC engine and then change again for my current 4G93T now. So you can imagine how much I had wasted for only the exhaust system. For moding the exhaust system, I suggested few guidelines as following:-

1. Naturally Aspirated - Stock ECU- You are only after mild improvements to make the car sportier, but don't intend to do any real serious mods. This being the case stick with replacement of the stock exhaust with either a rear muffler upgrade only 1.7" flow oval shaped unit, or complete it with a 1.7" press bent exhaust system with new muffler and resonator. Cat converter should remain stock. Any larger on the system would not provide without sufficient more expensive mods, any real gains.

2. Naturally Aspirated - Piggy Back ECU - you are after mild to medium improvements to make the car sportier, with slightly more than average vehicle modifications. This being the case, I recommend a 2" diameter replacement exhaust with a new resonator and muffler. No need to go mandrel bent unless you have money to throw away. This setup will handle the majority of modifications I have listed short of turbo systems

3. Naturally Aspirated -Standalone ECU - okay you are an extreme modder. Twin throttle bodies, camshafts the list goes on. I recommend in this case either a 2.2" mandrel bent system

4. Turbo Charged - either from 2.5" to 3" is more than enough for a CAMPRO bolt on turbo.

3. Suspension Upgrade - Level 1

Basically at this point you are still have a midly modified vehicle and want to just improve the looks slightly and handling. I recommend in this situation the following

1. Replacement of stock springs with some lowering units - either 30mm or 50mm lowered units depending upon how low you want to go.

2. Fitment of a sway bar. Reduces body roll without reducing drive ability.

3. Fitment of a strut brace. Reduces the tendancy of the vehicle to float on the road and makes it less sensitive to changes in road camber, resulting in less need to constantly adjust the steering wheel to keep the car driving straight.

This package will proved a well balanced vehicle, capable of handling corners at higher speeds, will feel safer at higher speeds especially above 100km/hr. The steering will feel more precise and you will have overall more confidence in pushing the vehicle harder.

4. Crank Pulley

The goal of the underdrive pulley is to reduce drag from the accessories on the motor. The other benefit of aftermarket pulleys is to reduce rotating mass. Here the simple aluminum crank pulley has a big advantage over the heavy stock pulley, but there's a reason it's so much lighter: It's missing the harmonic dampener. The reduction in rotating mass may be worth a couple of horsepower.

The factory crank pulley has a built-in harmonic dampener, in the form of a split design, with a thick rubber pad sandwiched between two steel sheels. The dampener is designed to absorb torsional and vertical vibrations from the crank. Most underdrive crank pulleys do not have a harmonic dampener at all. But for a street-driven car, one that you might want to last a couple of hundred thousand miles, we do not recommend using a pulley without a harmonic dampener.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Medium Modification
The medium modifications are designed for those who want more HP from their car.

1. Extractor Upgrade

Original extractors are always not equal. But in reality, any half decent designed unit will be an improvement over the stock manifold on the vehicle. There are two types of designs. One is the 4-1 design which is design to produce power at the high rpm. This setup is suitable for those who always want to rev high. The other design is the 4-2-1 which is design to produce power at the low rpm, better torque response. This setup is suitable for those daily drive machine.

If your plan is to go turbo, then save your money and jump ahead several more levels. This is not for you. For everyone else, this will complete the balance of your exhaust system modifications.

2. Fuel Pressure Upgrades

This is the one thing we believe that these vehicles should always have fitted regardless of how little, or much you modify the vehicle. Quite simply the factory vehicle has been tuned for maximum Economy. This has resulted in a fairly large flat spot off idle when accelerating hard from a standing start of from a cruise mode situation.

1. Fitment of the Fuel Pressure Regulator kit eliminates this flat spot, whilst only marginally reducing your fuel economy. Without going into huge detail, flat spots are eliminated, your car will actually accelerate properly without hesitating and your fear of being run over at stop signs will diminish rapidly. This is an easy bolt on kit and can usually be done in around 1 hour maximum.

2. There are company manufacturing bored out fuel rail, which increases the fuel capacity within the fuel rail. This enables upon acceleration, a greater volume of fuel to become available before leaning out. This also reduces the tendancy to pulse the fuel and create disturbances in the fuel flow, providing a smoother transition to power.

3. Drive Line Upgrades

There are three main driveline upgrades which can be done, which go a long way towards improving the reliability of the engine as well as driveability.

1. Lightweight Crankpulley - this unit reduces both the moving mass of the front harmonic balancer, as well as being physically smaller by around 25% diameter over the stock unit. Helps to make the car rev faster, spins up faster and higher. The reduction in drive ratio's means that the power steering and alternator are turning less at higher speeds further reducing engine load. This is just small enough to reduce load without reducing the effectiveness of the operation of the alternator and power steering units. Highly recommended and very easily fitted.

2. Clutch Kit - At some point your clutch will need upgrading. Two options available - for naturally aspirated drivers a standard coverplate with a semi ceramic five pucker clutch disc package. This will increase clutch efficiency by 50% without any extra pedal effort required. For turbocharged vehicles, this is upgraded to a Heavy Duty unit with the cover plate strengthens by an additional 25%. This provides slightly increased pedal effort and more tendancy to be shudder on take off's but will handle the higher torque characteristics of a turbo.

3. Lightweight Flywheel - this has two benefits being increased strength over stock units and also make the semi ceramic clutch units more driveable by not allowing them to shudder as much. Second benefit is that they are lighter and enable the engine to rev easier, faster with less reciprocating weight. However, do not skim the flywheel to much because this will cause loss of torque.

5. Suspension Modifications - Level 2

Is time to have some upgrade for your suspension again. Since mild mod is only changing to a lowered spring, it is advisable to change the shock absorber as well for a medium modification.

1. Fitment of KYB Excel-G replacement units for the more budget conscious. Retains improved handling over stock.

2. Fitment of KYB AGX units. These are externally adjustable and are perfect for the all round street / strip / circuit car. You can set them soft when your on the road, hard when your driving hard. Adjustment takes less than 1 minute

3. Fitment if Koni Sports Inserts. These are similar to the KYB AGX units, but are serviceable and provide that little bit more control. They are a more precise unit, externally adjustable on the front only, internally adjustable on the rear. For the more sports conscious person these could be the better choice.

6. Brake Upgrades

Since the performance of the car is higher now, so it is better for us to have a good braking system. There are few ways to improve the braking system.

1. For those already satisfied with the current HP gain, minor improving on front brake is fine by just changing the front brake pad to a performance brake pad and changing the rubber hose to those stainless steel brake hose. I personally recommend Pro-RS because it is cheap and reliable.

2. For those wanting the final level of brakes, fitment of a 276mm Twin Piston front brake and brake master cylinder upgrade is the final step.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Extreme Modification

Now we are down to the serious modifiers. Comfort and driveability is usually second to engine performance and speed is your goal. These next levels are not only expensive and it require an experience mechanic to perform the modification. If anything goes wrong, you are not only wasting your money but also your time. Besides that, do think of whether after this final stage upgrade will the performance satisfy you? If not it is better to save up the money and go for engine transplant.

The following mods require you to decide, which of the following ways you are going which will be

1. Suspension Modifications - Level 3

The last stage of suspension modification is changing to either coil over adjustable suspension or just adjustable suspension. There are few guidelines as below:

1. I recommend the Tien units. To put it quite simply, many Japanese units are set very very hard, so even on there softest unit the car is very harsh, hurts kidney's and actually has worse handling as it skips all over the road. The hardest setting on the Tien units, are equal to the softest setting on the Japanese normal imported units. I cannot recommend these enough - they are simply fantastic with the ability to set your road height, rebound levels etc.

2. These Tien Units are also available to be electronically adjusted on there rebound rates via up to one independent controller per corner, or one controller on all four units as an example. Mostly for extreme racing only.

2. Performance Camshaft Campro

When selecting a performance camshaft, consider the use for which the vehicle will be required. We all know the claims: 20 BHP extra. Be conservative! Don’t over-cam your engine. Choose your cam for the correct application. Consider! Fit a milder cam and increase your power by 10 BHP at 3500 rpm. Remember! You get this 10 HP every time you accelerate through 3500 rpm. Multiply this by 10 HP each time you drive through 3500 rpm then deduct the times you reach 7500 rpm. I’m sure you will find more horsepower on the 3500 rpm side than the 7500 rpm calculation.

There are R3 cams, and they are famous at the time they come up with it. Even though the degree was not that high but the performance on the road was surprisingly good. Based on the specification, the degree was 258 intake and 260 for exhaust. Besides that, Works Engineering had came out a billet cam. I have not much information about the actual performance of a car that equipped with this cam, all I’ve heard was only the rough dyno figures. In term of theory billet cam is better then regrind. The specs for this cam, 267 degree for intake and exhaust with 10.6mm lift, that’s quite a high lift and that means a very-very good news.

3. Computer Modifications
1. If you are still budget conscious, then stick with the piggy back. However do remember that EFI piggyback with Siemens ECU is not work because Siemens ECU do have the ability of reset the setting after sometimes.

2. Since budget is not the concern here then a standalone is what you need. Much more advanced tuning, with options like shift lights, in built boost controllers, many many more mapping points, much finer tuning. Additionally the stock ECU even with a piggy back is unable to cope with any camshaft changes at all.

For piggy back system, I recommend Greddy Emanage. If you have a tight budget, take the Greddy Emanage blue with ignition harness. If you have more budget, you may get the Greddy Emanage Ultimate which provide more tuning capability. I do not really recommend UNICHIP because you need to bring to their authorized dealer to tune your car. This is quite inconvenience for those who stay far apart from those authorized dealers.

For standalone system, I persoanlly recommend Apexi Power FC. This is because it has the commander for you to fine tune your car compare to the rest like Haltech/Microtech which need a special software from the tuner to tune it. However the downside of Apexi Power FC is, it is not universal, which means that it is built for particular car model. You may read my ECU upgrade for my Celica (Apexi Power FC) here. Haltech EMS systems - There is the E6X for those wanting something simple, or the Haltech E8 for those wanting the best. With the inbuilt boost controllers, and hosts of other functions, these are way ahead of trying do piece together a piggy back with separate boost controllers, shift lights, gauges etc.

4. Intake Manifold Upgrade / Twin Throttle Body / 4 Throttle Body Conversion

If you are remaining Naturally Aspirated you have several options.

1. First you can go for a single throttle body with Internal Ram Tubes. Massive throttle response, Haltech piggy back system great looks without extreme levels of tuning required. Significant torque improvements and can be utilized up to a single 60mm throttle body

2. Upgrade utilizing stock manifold, modified with fitment of a second throttle body - twin throttle body conversion. Either twin 46mm or twin 51mm throttle bodies work very nicely for a progressive throttle response and great top end rush of power. This system is fantastic and highly recommended if insurance premiums are a 3. The third option is a combination of a Performance Intake Manifold and twin throttle body. Massive plenum chamber, improved air flow, progressive throttle response, this is nearly equivalent to a quad throttle body kit without the side effects and all of the benefits. Massive air flow and the ability to tune with a piggy back or EMS system. Not turbo compatible of course.

5. Turbocharger Conversion Package

What more can I say other than your a horsepower and boost Junkie. Welcome to the rest of the world. This combines extreme levels of torque and power, with neck snapping acceleration. It comes at a cost though, increased fuel economy, higher insurance and lots of money. But lets get something clear first.

1. Anyone believing they can effectivly fit a turbo kit on there car safely, properly and legally.

2. These engines in stock form will not handle above 1 PSI boost without aftermarket computer management despite what people believe. 25 : 1 rising rate fuel pressure regulators, larger injectors, moving the distributor to retard timing all these tricks - none work. Don't skimp.

3. 5th Injector systems are something that came and died in the 80's. Quite simply this does not distribute fuel properly to all cylinders, and still does not provide ignition timing adjustment.

4. For boost levels up to 10 psi can be done safety on the stock head gasket dependent upon tuning and intercooler efficiency.

5. For boost levels up to 14 psi requires an upgraded decompression head gasket.

6. Do not boost above 14 psi on the stock piston / conrod setup otherwise you will learn what a banana conrod looks like.

For example, a R3 Satria Neo is able to produce 200 hp and 250 Nm (170 hp and 200 Nm on wheel), which is a huge 75 hp/100 Nm jump over the stock engine.

Finally, it reached the end of this post. My advice for those who still do not satisfy the power gain from all these modifications, you should instead either look for another car or look to do a engine swap to a larger mitsubishi engine.

If you have any other modifications wish to share with me, do email me at ben9166@gmail.com or drop me a comment. Thanks for the support.

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Honda Civic EK with an insane heart

2011-05-09T09:22:00.000+08:00

Although I do not own a Honda machine but this nicely done Honda Civic EK make me can't resist to post it. Why I say this is a nicely done Honda Civic EK and can't resist to post it here? This is because the car is equipped with a 3.2L J32 engine. Let me say it again, a 3.2L in a Honda Civic EK. This is a serious modification and is not a child's play.

I do not have much information about the car but the owner from Canada has made this conversion nice and clean. The engine fitted nicely into the Civic EK engine bay and it looks like the original from factory.

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4G15 Camshaft Calculation For Intake / Exhaust Valve Duration

2011-05-04T08:54:00.001+08:00

For those who like to change a new cam shaft for their 4G15 engine, here are some information about the cam specification. Before changing new cam shaft, you may read this useful information to understand more about what is the degree of the 4G15. However do remember that there are 2 different kind of 4G15 cam shaft specification where a 4G15 equipped with a carburetor is having lower cam degree compare to the 4G15 equipped fuel injection.

Below there is the information about the intake valve open, intake valve close, exhaust valve open and exhaust valve close degree value. Continue to read more.

4G15 Camshaft : Calculation for intake / exhaust valve duration

1) Carburator 4G15 Camshaft Spec
- Intake Valve open : 15 degree BTDC
- Intake Valve Close : 53 degree ABDC
- Exhaust Valve Open : 57 degree BTDC
- Exhaust Valve Close : 15 degree ATDC

Calculation:
Intake Valve Duration : 15 + 180 + 53 = 248 degree
Exhaust Valve Duration : 57 + 180 + 15 = 252 degree
Valve overlap : 15 + 15 = 30 Degree

2) Fuel Injection 4G15 Camshaft Spec
- Intake Valve open : 17 degree BTDC
- Intake Valve Close : 55 degree ABDC
- Exhaust Valve Open : 59 degree BTDC
- Exhaust Valve Close : 17 degree ATDC

Calculation
Intake Valve Duration : 17 + 180 + 55 = 252 degree
Exhaust Valve Duration : 59 + 180 + 17 = 256 degree
Valve overlap : 17 + 17 = 34 degree

Source: tictac 4G15

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Sad Tragedy For Team Orange After The Japan Earthquake

2011-04-26T08:41:00.000+08:00

Team Orange is a one of leading Drift team in D1 Grand Prix Series with winning 2006 title by team leader Nobishige Kumakubo. The uniqueness of this team is using the world famous and popular Subaru Impreza from 2005 then also started using Mitshubishi EVO 9 from 2007 with FR conversion from 4WD in D1GP, And 2009, finally we are going to use the ultimate drift car FR converted Mitsubishi EVO 10 to get a D1GP title back!! Team Orange is not only famous about winning the competition but their bumper to bumper three cars drifting practice session is also extremely popular for D1GP funs.

However after the Japan earthquake, Team Orange faced a lot of loses. Their shop almost totally destroyed by the earthquake and cars are damaged. Let's see the pictures after the jump.

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Project Kancil: Bad Thing Happen - Fuel Hose Leak

2011-04-23T15:39:00.000+08:00

Holy shit, this was the worst thing ever happen to me since started of the year. My Kancil fuel hose was giving up on me and caused fuel leaked during the time I was sending my girl friend back home. I immediately stop the car and after a quick checked, I was able to find out the fuel hose from the fuel tank crack and this is the reason caused the fuel leaked. By the way, I was damn lucky because the leak was from the fuel hose and not from the fuel tank. If not the repair cost will burn a hole from my pocket.

My girl friend called her cousin and he managed to change the hose within 10 minutes and the cost was damn cheap. However he also noticed that the hose which direct the fuel from the place we pump petrol to the fuel tank was not in perfect condition. Thus, I changed it as well in case this kind of incident happen again. So guys, please inspect your fuel hose frequently to avoid bad thing happen to you just like me.

You can noticed from the ground, fuel was all around it. Sigh... because I just got my car fully filled. There goes my $$$.

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No more 2ZZGE for Lotus Exige and Elise

2011-04-19T08:52:00.000+08:00

Due to Toyota going to phase out the 2ZZ-GE engine in this coming July, Lotus will be celebrating the end of production on the current Exige and Elise this year by issuing several 'Final Edition' variants of those models.

The two last editions of the Exige will be the Exige S260 Final Edition and the S260 Final Edition in matte-black. Those editions will come with the Lotus Track Pack, Tour Pack and LSD as standard. The Elise SC Final Edition gets the same color schemes as on the Club Racer edition unveiled at the Geneva auto show in March and comes with a healthy set of options.

Source: gglotus.org

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Proton Satria: A well modded RWD Proton Satria is back

2011-04-18T22:38:00.001+08:00

I believe most of you know about this Proton Satria, especially for those drift enthusiast. As everyone knows that Proton Satria is equipped with a FF drivetrain but the owner -Wanbra from Wanbragarage of this unique Proton Satria wants something different from the others. There goes the FF drivetrain and a FR drivetrain is fitted to the car and this modification really make this Proton Satria unique compare to the others.

Unfortunately, a bad accident was happen to this Proton Satria during the making of Evolusi KL Drift 2 (EVKL2). While shooting the film in the high speed for car chasing scene, the driver late turn made the car hit a Kancil. That's the end of Wanbra's Satria RWD. However this well modded RWD Proton Satria was back in action during a drift practice session at Putrajaya Presinct 2.

Anyway here are two pictures of the car during the drift practice but what caught me most attention was the helmet of the driver. Damn stylish and I really hope I do have one as one of the collection item.

Source: drift.com.my
Pictures credited to MrNismo

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Kegani Autotech Toyota Celica ZZT231

2011-04-17T21:37:00.002+08:00

Came across CCM (Celica Club Malaysia) forum and found out this interesting post about the Toyota Celica ZZT231. This is a project car from Kegani Racing and it is built for the purpose to enter the F1 support race and Sepang 1000km 2011.

Nothing much information from the forum but basically it is still equipped with a 2ZZ-GE engine with some modification on it. The car is running on super strut suspension which similar to mine. Besides that there is upgrade on the brake system as well which currently it is equipped with a set of Brembo 4 pot at the front while still running stock standard brake system at the rear. Continue to read more to find out what have Kenny done to this Toyota Celica.

Roll cage all over the car.

Engine internal inspected for bore clearance and engine bearings oil clearance, followed by a blueprinting process to set clearances to racing specification. The engine is being fully balanced and lightened with crank pulley and flywheel to ensure it is able to rev it up to 9,000rpm or above.

Cylinder head assembly followed by timing chain.

Back to the ignition part, the car is now running on 'HYPER DIRECT COIL' by TM WORKS, Japan. These coils produce strong and constant spark at hi-revs, assuring consistent spark for optimum engine performance. Also, a complete set of ground wire and power cables, by TM WORKS.

Source: CCM (Celica Club Malaysia)

Pictures credited to Kegani Autotech

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Performance Torque Converter

2011-04-15T08:50:00.000+08:00

Modify a daily driven engine is a tricky business compare to build up a track car. We need to sacrifice one to favor the other. Such as, fuel economy for acceleration, reliability for performance or low end torque for high end horsepower.

Power (more accurately, torque) is never delivered directly from the flywheel to the pavement, without first being multiplied by gear ratios in the transmission and differential. For an example,a car with a 4.0:1 gear ratio puts 33% more torque to the wheels than a car with a 3.0:1 gear ratio with no increase in engine torque. However, changing gear ratios may affect drive ability because the engine revs higher at all speeds which uses more fuel and simply wears out faster. Changing gears ratio will help the car accelerate faster but the engine keep on revving at the high rpm.

Torque Multiplier

There is a torque "multiplier" above and beyond the trans and gear for an automatic transmission. This unit is called the torque converter—a fluid coupling that disengages the engine from the transmission at idle so that you can pull to a stop or shift gears without stalling the engine. The torque converter is actually a misnomer—it should be called the "torque multiplier" because it doesn't simply provide a one-to-one connection to the transmission like a clutch does with a manual transmission.

Modify torque custom machines the internal components to provide the correct stall speed (slip). Besides that, modified torque able to increase durability by furnace-brazing the impeller and turbine vanes in place in addition to installing a larger ceramic-impregnated lock-up clutch.

The left torque converter is the modified converter which lighter of weight and smaller of size compare to the original torque converter on the right.

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Perodua Kancil / Daihatsu Mira Photo Shots

2011-04-15T08:15:00.002+08:00

Perodua Kancil / Daihatsu Mira Photo Shots

I would like to share some nice photo shot for the modified Perodua Kancil and Daihatsu Mira. Here I would like to congrats to the owner of the car for having a nice modded vehicles.

This post will be updated with modified Perodua Kancil / Daihatsu Mira pictures. Click for a larger picture.

Daihatsu Key Chain
Daihatsu: Daihatsu Vehicles, Daihatsu Charade, Daihatsu Terios, Daihatsu Mira, Daihatsu Sirion, Daihatsu Rocky, Daihatsu Move

Lamborghini Gallardo? Ford Mustang?

2011-04-12T22:20:00.000+08:00

What is in your mind when we talk about the Lamborghini Gallardo and Ford Mustang? For me, one is the Europe born super car equipped with a 5L V10 engine and the other one is the America born muscle car equipped with a 5.4L Supercharged V8 engine for the highest spec.

If you are rich enough, you may own these two cars at the same time but owning them may not enough for some of the others. Some of them like to go wild where they got the idea of combining both the cars together. Any idea how the combination of both these super cars? Continue to read on...

To be honest, after viewing these pictures I feel that the exterior is not match. However the skill for converting the Lamborghini Gallardo engine to the Ford Mustang is awesome.

Source: TVBNOW

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Proton Satria Neo R3 SuperCharged

2011-04-10T20:25:00.000+08:00

Proton aims to overtake Perodua and regain its position as the country's top-selling carmaker this year, driven by growing customer confidence, network improvement, product and pricing strategies, says group managing director Datuk Seri Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir. "Overall, we target to sell between seven and eight per cent higher than last year, but we are working to achieve at least 10 per cent compared to nine per cent in 2010.

"Domestic sales have been growing every year, that's a good sign. We will outgrow the industry. We improve, everybody will also improve," he told reporters after welcoming the Lotus Renault GP Team and the media for a tour of the Proton main manufacturing plant here today. Proton, the national car maker, lost its market share to Perodua in 2006 as Malaysia's top-selling carmaker. It held the top sales spot since 1985.

Last year, Proton sold 157,274 cars, while Perodua recorded an all-time record sales of 188,641 units. According to the Malaysian Automotive Association (MAA), Proton and Perodua sold 27,365 and 27,713 cars, respectively, in January and February this year.

Zainal Abidin said Proton would stress on quality and embark on aggressive marketing campaigns to promote existing models and introduce more variations to boost sales. He said Proton would introduce new turbo engine for Exora and new Saga and Inspira editions this year as well as come up with new models next year as part of its long-term plan.

"We'll be working with Proton Edar Dealers' Association Malaysia and financial institutions. If the network and salesmen have confidence in the brand, customers will be there," he added. -- Bernama

Source: FastMotoring

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Project Kancil: Mira L200s Rear Lamp Installed

2011-04-10T02:13:00.002+08:00

Previous post I mentioned about what's next for my Kancil and I did created a poll on which should I go for. And the result is, 4 of my readers suggested me should go for the Mira L200s Rear Lamp. To be frank, I personally hope to get the Mira L200s rear lamp first as well.

Having some time this morning and I went over to the halfcut shop which I frequently visited. Luckily there was still a pair left for me and after some negotiation done with the worker there, I was able to get the rear lamp with a reasonable price. I will not post the price here but if you wish to know do contact me.

The installation was pretty straight forward as both the Kancil and Mira rear lamp are sharing the same socket. Besides that, the socket of the wiring is the same as well. Thus there is no need any modification during the installation, just plug and play.

Here are the before and after pictures.

Before

After

Pictures taken during night time. Found out right side bumper rear lamp is malfunction. Thus, is time for me to take out the bumper and check on what is the problem.

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Project Kancil: What's next?

2011-04-08T09:28:00.001+08:00

So what's next? If you read my "2011 plans for my Project Cars", there are several things left for my Kancil. So now I got 3 things in my mind, J-mode lip, lowered spring, Mira L200s rear lamp. Can't really make a decision as 3 of the items above are in the same price range and this time only 1 item is allowed.

To be honest, I am more to the Mira L200s rear lamp as you may know that the Malaysia government is starting to not allowing halfcut items to be imported into the country. So better get it when the item is still available. And compare to J-mode lip, I can always get the local made product although the quality may not be as good as the original J-mode lip from Japan. Same goes to the lowered spring as there are a lot of local brand that still producing lowered spring for Kancil. Thus there is no worry about the shortage of item.

Here are some of the pictures of these 3 items. I will create a poll and hope you guys help me on decision making as I am going to get either 1 of these tomorrow.

Mira L200s Rear Lamp

J-Mode Front Bumper Lip

APM Sport Spring

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Project Kancil: Roof top and Mira Sunshade Installed

2011-04-06T22:51:00.000+08:00

Finally I got myself a set of Mira's sunshade which come in black color to replace my broken Kancil's sunshade. Too bad that this set of sunshade does not come with the clips so that I bought a pair of original Kancil's clips which in gray color. The color is not really match but who cares as long as it is able to hold the sunshade.

Besides that, I bought a row of 6x4 Insuflex sound/heat proof to fix for my roof. As my roof top was felling off due to aging of the item. Sigh... the drawback of low spec Kancil. Unfortunately this round I had no time for DIY, thus I forced to send my Kancil to the car accessories shop to fix everything.

Everything cost me about RM130. And I would say this is quite worth it since the workmanship was pretty good. Anyway here are some of the pictures after the installation. Enjoy!

This is the clip for the sunshade. For 660 Kancil, you will need to drill a hole to screw this on. However for newer 850 version, the car originally equipped with this clip so you just need to screw it on. Please ignore the color of the clip, will try to spray to black when free to match with the sunshade.

Here is the picture of the roof top. The Insuflex sound/heat proof really did a good job. I can feel that the sound and heat is reduced a lot.

Last but not least, I noticed that my rear view mirror got a defect there where the reflection mercury (not sure how to describe this) is felling off. So it's time for me to look for Mira rear view mirror. :)

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What is Boost Meter?

2011-03-24T09:45:00.000+08:00

A boost gauge is a pressure gauge that indicates manifold air pressure or turbocharger or supercharger boost pressure in an internal combustion engine. They are commonly mounted on the dashboard, on the driver's side pillar, or in a radio slot.

Turbochargers and superchargers are both engine-driven air compressors (exhaust-driven or mechanically-driven, respectively) and provide varying levels of boost according to engine rpm, load etc. Quite often there is a power band within a given range of available boost pressure and it is an aid to performance driving to be aware of when that power band is being approached, in the same way a driver wants to be aware of engine rpm.

A boost gauge is used to ensure excessive pressure is not being generated when boost pressure is being modified to levels higher than OEM standard on a production turbocharged car. Simple methods can be employed to increase factory boost levels, such as bleeding air off the wastegate diaphragm to 'fool' it into staying closed longer, or installing a boost controller. To prevent the Air-fuel ratio from going lean (caused by increasing the boost beyond the fuel systems capacity) care must be taken to monitor boost pressure levels, along with oxygen levels in the exhaust gas, using an air-fuel ratio meter that monitors the oxygen sensor.

A boost gauge will measure pressure in either psi or bar; many also measure manifold vacuum pressure in inches of mercury (in. Hg) or mm of mercury (mm Hg).

Source: Wikipedia

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Lightened Crank Pulley

2011-03-23T00:03:00.001+08:00

Basically what drives the alternator, water pump and other accessories is the crankshaft pulley, which spins as the crankshaft revolves. For example a smaller, lighter pulley always accelerate faster than a larger, heavier pulley due to its lesser mass and smaller radius. All other components driven by the crankshaft pulley exert load on the former. The said load is proportionate to the circumference ratio of the two pulleys. The load is higher when the size of the crankshaft pulley is larger than the pulley it’s driving and vice versa.

In order to operate the various components, a portion of mechanical energy the engine produces is needed to overcome both the moment of inertia of the pulleys and the total load exerted on the crankshaft pulley. This leaves lesser energy for the engine to turn the transmission, the driving wheels and to accelerate the vehicle hence some fuel savings when driven sanely.

A lightened crankshaft pulley helps in reducing the energy consumption during the operation of the engine. Mass reduction is achieved by using lighter material and the moment of inertia can be further reduced via under-sizing, which also reduces the exerted load. Torque and Horse-Power gains are therefore better than the stock OEM metal pulley.

However, the momentum of a stock NA engine can be greatly affected with an overly lightened pulley, while the efficiency of the various components can also be affected with an overly undersized pulley. Jerky gearshift and under charging alternator are symptoms of over lightened and severely undersized, respectively.

The mass of a lightened crank pulley for a stock car either equipped with an automatic gearbox or manual gearbox should not less than 1/3 of the original mass. While for the diameter size, it is recommended not less than 90% of the original size.

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Updated: Perodua Kancil / Daihatsu Mira Photo Shots

2011-03-17T13:06:00.003+08:00

Wish to share some nice Kancil/Mira conversion pictures that I recently found in the web. All of them are very nice conversion no matter to Mira L200s and new facelifted Kancil aka bug eye Kancil. You may check out some other pictures from here where I will archive all the nicely done up Kancil/Mira conversion pictures. Check out for more pictures after the jump. Enjoy!

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Project Kancil: DIY Fog Lamp Installation

2011-03-13T23:19:00.004+08:00

Previously my L2s fog lamp was wired to the low beam wiring where it will ON as long as I switch on the head lamp. This is not what I wish to because I still prefer to control the fog lamp ON/OFF by the switch. This is because I wish to install a set of HID to the fog lamp and I do not want the brightness of the HID glare the eye's of the other road users during normal road drive.

It took me about 2 hours to complete the entire installation. The most tedious part is to find out a place to insert the wires from engine bay into the cabin. The tip is try to find a hole at the right side of the firewall. After this, everything is pretty simple as just some normal wiring need to be done. Continue to read the entire post so that you can have a better understanding on how to DIY by yourself and hope this will help those who wish to install fog lamp for their cars.

Basic tools:

1. Wire Cutter

2. Blacktape

3. Screw Driver

4. Test lamp

5. Relay

Started the relay wiring. Notice that the wiring were so messy.

Back into the cockpit, these are wires I inserted through the firewall's hole.

I re-used the original switch. So I need to cut the original wires and tap it back to the wires I insert into the cockpit.

Everything done, tidy up the wires and placed the switch back to where it should be placed.

Here is the picture where the wiring of the relay is done. Looks better than the previous picture right?

To be honest, it is quite difficult to explain how to install the fog lamp by words without picture. So I prefer to draw a picture on how to wire all the stuffs together for better understanding. For the power to the switch, you may opt to choose the power from the head lamp. So that you will only able to power on your fog lamp after you switch on your head lamp.

Finally, here is the result of the fog lamp installed.

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