Aoi-chan's tyre and anti-roll bar pics

Here it is. Some pics of Aoi-chan's new tyres and the anti-roll bar (rear). Plus some extra pics for fun~~~
Enjoy!

The Dunlop Formula D01's thread pattern up close. The deep grooves provides better traction in the wet compared to the Goodyear NCT5.

The whole thread design is more aggresive and the bigger shoulder and rim protector makes the tyre look wider than it seems. It also makes for a bigger visual impact. Nice!

The rear anti-roll bar (white). Now Aoi-chan corners like a dream... can't wait for the 4-point bracing~~~

Aoi-chan poses with another Savvy (a firend's). Doesn't she look lovely~

Another pic of her for fun. Huhuhu~~~!

Aoi-chan's Quickie - 30/12/2008

Status rep of the tyre situation so far....
But before that, Aoi-chan only had the rear anti-roll bar fitted on Saturday. It seems that the front bracing wasn't made according to spec; it can't be fitted properly. But heck, even with the anti-roll bar the cornering has improved immensely. Now i can chuck Aoi-chan into any corner and the rear will stay true to the line... right until the tyre's limit.

Speaking of the tyre's limit, found the upper boundary for the adhesion of the D01 in wet. Quite high when compared to the NCT5's limit. And under emergency braking (had to avoid some stupid idiot driving a lorry yesterday), it seems that the balace of the car wasn't disturbed. Nice.

Hoping to get the bracing by today or tomorrow. Will put another quickie on that one...

Aoi-chan's Quickie - 26/12/2008

Ah yes... whilst everyone was enjoying their Xmas holiday yesterday, i went about to find some new and better rubber for Aoi-chan (skipped the polishing. Will do that later in the year) and ended up with a set of Dunlop D01 in 175/50/15 size. Surprising really that there are 2 other brands (the other was Silverstone) that makes this special sized tyre apart from Goodyear.

Initial observations are as follows;

1. The tyre has a more rugged and aggresive tread pattern (Good)
2. It feels as if the tyres are lighter, judging from the easier steering movement and ease of acceleration from the off (50/50)
3. Quieter both on good and bad surfaced roads (Interesting...)
4. Flexes a bit more; the initial cornering bite is not as good as previously, but the grip builds up progressively (gottta get used to it)
5. Handles corners much better in the wet than the NCT5; took the Puchong corner at 100km/h this morning (the road surface was wet/greasy, nice!)

So far so good... Also in the pipeline is an Ultra Racing 4 point bracing for the front structure and an additional anti-roll bar for the rear suspension. Hopefully this will enable me to use Aoi-chan's massive cornering reserve. Will have another quickie once that's done. Watch this space~~~

Aoi-chan's Quickie - 24/12/2008

Went to wash Aoi-chan on Monday to strip her of the mess due to the trip on last weekend. The guy at the car-wash centre suggested that Aoi-chan be given a polish treatment to maintain her colour (he said it's due time; she's 2++ years old already). Considering to do so there tomorrow since it's a holiday and at RM180 for the treatment, quite reasonably priced (they're using Meguiars' brand of products, which is good). On a side note, they've been doing a hell of a good job with the wash everytime, so i trust them caring for Aoi-chan.

Also considering to sell off her current rims for 14" ones. Why? Gotta admit that i'm beginning to dislike the NCT5 standard tyres. It's good for normal use, but it's a bit off if you push the envelope too much. There are some good performance tyres on the market, but to be able to use them, i need to swap to the smaller rims; common sizes for the 15" are 185 or 195/50/15. That's over Aoi-chan's limit of 175 already. Although the 14" are 165/55/14, it's only 1cm less in width, but a lot more fun due to the higher limit of adhesion, hopefully...

Aoi-chan's Quickie - 18/12/2008

It seems that somehow or another, Aoi-chan wanted a birthday present as well even though that a few days ago it was my birthday. On the night before the day, me and the guys planned on an evening out, but Aoi-chan wouldn't start at all. After 3 minutes of trying, we gave up and went out with the bikes instead.

The next morning, Aoi-chan miraculously started and was sent quickly to the doctors where she was assessed; her throttle/speed sensor thingy (again?) that made her sick. Skipping the details, in the end i had to fork out around Rm100 for Aoi-chan. Not that i care much on spending for Aoi-chan's maintenance, but having to spend on her on my birthday... ouch.

Guess i'll remember this incident for some time...

Aoi-chan's Quickie - 10/12/2008

Gotta admit that driving Aoi-chan isn't easy right now. Even though that the bucket seat has made wonders with fuel consumption and making the drives more fun, it has become some sort of nuisance since it made an inital matter a bit more worse.

i hate to confess but from the start, i found that the view rearwards and the view given by the side mirrors were inadequate. or in oter words, it's hard to see other motorists in normal driving conditions, especially when changing lanes. The fact that my eye-level is now slightly lower and a bit farther back (due to the seating configuration offered by the bucket-seat), now it's like driving in a big box (although Aoi-chan is still small) with only holes to see through... Not good. Can't do nothing about the rear windscreen, but might be getting some 'extended-view' mirrors (you know, that small mirror you attach to the side mirrors) to help me get over this.

Anyhow, gotta report that whoever says that driving in a full bucket seat is less comfortable than a normal one, i have to say that you might be wrong. Drove my dad's car for the Eidul-Adha holiday and without the bucket seat, my whole body was aching throughout the journey. Not enough support. 'Nuff said.

Aoi-chan's Quickie - 30/11/2008

Aaarrrgghhhh! RM2k for timing belt, clutch plate, brake pads and a few more stuff!

I always knew that Aoi-chan's parts weren't going to be cheap, but this is awful. Gotta set aside some dough for the next service and postpone the plan for upgrading. Shooooooot. And the price quoted was AFTER a 30% staff discount.

In any case, gotta add some RM800 for the tyres. Looks like it'll wear out soon, see pic below.
Oh, my Aoi-chan. Please spare me from any other expenditures apart from the periodic change...

The current condition of Aoi-chan's front tyres... Still got the threads, but will need to be replaced soon

Aoi-chan's current appearance with the newly added stickers. Nice!

Had this pic taken at the Sepang F1 circuit car-park during the A1 GP event. Try to find Aoi-chan in this pic (kinda like the Where's Wally thing). Answer will be posted in next blog entry...

Aoi-chan's Quickie - 09/11/2008

Had a really great blast at Genting last week with fellow friends from savoc.net (http://savoc.net). Aoi-chan couldn't get any better~

Or could she? Having spoken to another track freak and a good friend of mine from savoc, he suggested that i improve Aoi-chan's basics before diving deeper. First and foremost, the tyres. He found a 165/60/14" racing tyre from Falken. The design and material looks like it can take the punishment of the track days. Nice, but each tyre costs Rm200++ each and i'll need to find some 14" rims; Rm900++ for good ones.

Next, structure strengthening. Braces from Ultra Racing (2 for the front and 2 for the rear) adds up to Rm800. And if i opted for foam filling, another Rm1.5k for the complete racing treatment.


So, even before the full suspension mod, i'll need about Rm3k for this. Ouch, but then again if it's for Aoi-chan, i'll try to manage it somehow. Still got that 60,000km service looming and the clutch and timing belts will need to be replaced... and so are the brake pads... and so is the current tyre... and etc.

Sigh~~~~

Aoi-chan's Quickie - 20/10/2008

Aoi-chan had her alignment corrected yesterday and now drives like a dream. Too bad i can't enjoy it much due to the headache i'm suffering from.

Got the results of the extra economy i get from the removal of excess weight from Aoi-chan (thanks to the new seat). From initially 50+km for her first fuel meter segment, now she can go 60++km. Nice! With the new lower priced fuel? Even better!!!

Noticed how Aoi-chan's brakes perform well in adverse conditions. Having been torchered in track days and the Genting runs, the brakes are almost fade resistant and can still bite like new. The clutch however is nearing it's end.

Oh yes, Aoi-chan is due for an oil change and some parts might need to be changes as well. My pocket is ready for hell!!! BRING IT ON!!! (sob sob sob...)

Aoi-chan long distance travel report - 5/10/2008

A total of 1400km++ were covered by Aoi-chan in the festive week of Eidulfitri (28/9-5/10/2008)
Among the places ventured were;

1. Muar, Johor
2. Bandaraya Melaka, Melaka
3. Tapah, Perak
4. Temoh/Temoh Stesen, Perak
5. Ipoh, Perak
6. Taiping, Perak
7. Genting Highlands, Pahang

It seems that the new seat serves it's purpose for making the drives more interesting, and dare i say more comfortable. No problems due to the journey have been found so far, but seeing that Aoi-chan did go to Genting and her mileage almost reaching the 50,000km mark, i better get my self and my pocket ready. One thing that i found rather amusing was that the total fuel bill of Aoi-chan during the trips is just slightly higher than that of the tolls paid... looks like the toll fees needs to be revamped (reduced) to suit the now lower fuel prices~

This is the new seat of Aoi-chan; SSCUS Imola Blue full bucket racing seat. I didn't install the racing harness; too much of a hassle to put on for everyday use.

Aoi-chan gets a new seat!

How boring is that?! Nope, not boring at all... considering that the new seat is a brand spanking, blue coloured, full bucket FIA approved racing seat. Lighter than the original seat, i've noticed a brisker acceleration due to less mass to be moved by Aoi-chan's engine. Although the price was quite steep and i only changed the driver's side (my seat la... what else), at least i'm satisfied. Hope Aoi-chan is too...

Gotta adapt to the new driving position fast. Can't see out of Aoi-chan as previously possible.
Pics to come later~

Aoi-chan's Quickie - 22/9/2008

Yesterday marks a month(ish) of Aoi-chan swapping from Petronas to Shell. As far as i can see, the claim that some (and i think even Shell) made about the extra mileage can be confirmed as true.

Seeing how much extra kms she makes per tank (an extra of 20-30km per one segment on the fuel level indicator) is really surprising. The downside is that the engine sounds a bit boomy, especially between 2000-3500rpm. Apart from that, the extra feel of power (maybe an extra few bhp gained perhaps) more than makes up for it... and now, to those of you out there you have my vote for Shell fuel over Petronas.

On with Aoi-chan's health status for last week, it seems that she really needs that alignment and balancing check to be done. Planning on taking her to the 'Doctor' this weekend, before the Raya sprint. The squeaking of her clutch pedal and some of the door component have been fixed with a can of RM8.90 grease/oil spray. Works like magic. Now i feel more comfortable driving her (fast).

Aoi-chan's Quickie - 12/9/08

Right.
This is the first proper Aoi-chan's blog post. still could get the timeline of Aoi-chan's ups and downs ready. Hope to finish it this weekend.

Anyhow, Aoi-chan doesn't feel very lively lately. As i mentioned in the main blog, the probable cause is her clutch plate wearing itself out faster than normal. Yes... normal.... right....

On the flipside, Aoi-chan got herself a new steering wheel courtesy of a busted test car. Talk about gifts. But upon replacing the old steering wheel, i notice that the alignment has gone a bit off and some of tyres feel unbalanced. Damn, going into the track and using her everyday is really beginning to take its toll.

Guess i'll have to take her to the 'clinic' to get her fixed... but that'll be before the festive holidays. Got work to clear first.

Right, that's the bell gone. Gotta stop here. Thinking of making this a weekly blog rather than a daily quickie as featured on my main blog.

Hope to get more fun and lively kms (kilometerssssss....) with Aoi-chan.

Intro to Aoi-chan's Mileage Blog

Hi3~

As you might know, Aoi-chan is my dear little blue Proton Savvy 1.2 Manual M-line, but with 2 stripes running from the front to the back (talk about being distinctive).

This blog is to be a support for my main blog (bvc100 e-life) and not intended to replace the blogs i usually post there on Aoi-chan. Think of it as being a slightly detailed version of the blogs there... kinda like that Lifer feature in the Top Gear Malaysia mag.

In any case, feel free to comment on stuff as usual. I'll try to start off this blog with Aoi-chan's lifeline (Mileage, get it?) so far.

So, thanks in advance for your support and hope you enjoy what i'll post here~