Project: Ghost

[m0.s550]

Car looks great! If you need any parts for the new ride feel free to give us a shout we are here to help! www.lethalperformance.com

Thanks Blake, I certainly will do so!

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[Ghost50]

Thanks for the links for the buckles!

Here is the link for the door cups https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01KM6W4FK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

and the pry tool kit

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01KXN7LE6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

That pry kit has come in handy on several occasions.

 

[m0.s550]

Thanks for the links for the buckles!

Here is the link for the door cups https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01KM6W4FK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

and the pry tool kit

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01KXN7LE6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

That pry kit has come in handy on several occasions.

Thanks! I just ordered the trim kit --- I know I will be using it... probably (too?) often too LOL
I saved the door cups link too. Question, when installed, do they "peek" under the handle a lot? Or are they mostly tucked in and hidden by the door handle itself?

 

[Ghost50]

I’ll post a pic tonight for ya.

I’m going to put them on when I get home. I’m hoping they sit flush and don’t pull up every time I grab the handle to close the door. That would be annoying.

 

[m0.s550]

I’ll post a pic tonight for ya.

I’m going to put them on when I get home. I’m hoping they sit flush and don’t pull up every time I grab the handle to close the door. That would be annoying.

Thanks! Those were my concerns too. Will wait for your feedback before getting them

 

[Ghost50]

I think they’re worth the $15 or whatever they were. They do sit flush and the pad on the back on them helps snug them into the hand hole. They feel sturdy enough and in a few test grabs and door closes they held firm.

Edit to add that the back part kinda feels like it wants to pull up but the padded area keeps it snug. I like that I can put my phone or wallet there.

They come with little rubberized mats with the pony logo to sit down in the hole but I’m not using them. They kinda fit clumsily inside.

 

[m0.s550]

So, another day, another mod or three

Let's start with tires. "You already changin' 'em new tires?" Yes, yes I am
The Sport Cup 2s are amazing tires. At the factory, they are coated with glue. They go with the PP2 like powdered sugar on a funnel cake.

So why change them? A few reasons (in no particular order)
1) Street-use: I'm wasting these tires by using them for my daily commute. All tires stick to the ground when you're crawling at 5 mph in Miami traffic. Technically, you don't even need them when you are all stopped trying to coordinate traffic with hand (well, finger) signals
2) Track/auto-x: I will autox again, but not in the next 5000 miles. Or 10k, maybe in 20k miles or 6 months, alas, whichever comes last all of which are way past the useful life of these tires.
3) Wet performance: this is South Florida summer. If it's sunny in the morning, it'll rain in the afternoon. If it's raining in the morning, it'll rain in the afternoon. If the weather girls see their own shadow, it'll rain in the afternoon. If Rick Sanchez comes back to channel 7, it'll rain in the afternoon. If he stays in Si En En, it'll rain in the afternoon. I've already gone thru the balding tires on a sports car experience. I don't need the death grip on the steering wheel hoping you don't pull a donut on the highway feeling again
4) Looks: the 305 square setup is awesome, but the tires looked stretched on the larger rear rim. Also, having people ask me what model year it is and that it's in such great shape for an aging car with bald tires gets old quick

So, I swapped them for Michelin Pilot Sport 4S. Business in the front (305s) and party (325) in the back! I've put ~200 miles on them do far and I like them a lot. The car still feels solid, turns well, and looks awesome now that the front and rear poke are similar.

But enough of that. I know my audience and you all want to see pics, so here you go:

Oh look, tires with thread on them!

I'll post a follow up on them once I've put more miles on them and done a few more spirited driving and turns

Edit: I kept the SC2s (they have less than 400 miles on them) and will likely be selling them, unless I keep them for autox. Since I haven't autox in years, any tires will do for when I get back into it. IF I ever get back into it... I have a daughter and my weekends are all about dance and gymnastics rather than car racing lol

 

[m0.s550]

I think they’re worth the $15 or whatever they were. They do sit flush and the pad on the back on them helps snug them into the hand hole. They feel sturdy enough and in a few test grabs and door closes they held firm.
...

Awww yeah, thanks for the feedback. They have now been ordered!

 

[m0.s550]

So now we get to the last set of changes for this week. Tints and PPF.

Florida roads are generally ok. But we still have the occasional alligator to dodge around, and perma-construction zoned roads (I'm looking at you Palmetto expressway), so paint protection film is a must. Last car I had without it, had a 5 o'clock shadow from all the rock chips it accumulated over a dozen years.

So yeah, I had some PPF put on to cover the bumper, part of the hood, and in front and behind the wheel wells. This was not something I was going to do myself (I know my limitations, and this and tint are some of them), and they did an awesome job at the place I took it to (like they have done with many previous cars I've taken there). I know some people go with full hood, but you really don't see the partial hood line unless you are really looking for it. Or maybe I just got used to it from how I've done it in other cars.

Anyhow, pics or it didn't happen, right? So here ya'll go -- also check the first post in this thread, since I've updated the pic there too

And now, I'm itching for some changes I can do myself

 

[m0.s550]

So 1 day after putting tints, I started to notice a deceleration rattle. Reading thru this thread I'm hoping that it's not the infamous 2k death rattle due to a damaged engine (It's still within break-in period, so I have not red lined it, I have waited for it to warm up before going past 3k RPMs, have varied the RPMs, etc...). I started to hear it at 750 miles, but because of the new tints, I have not been able to drop the windows to hear it better (have to wait another day or two for them to fully dry/cure). So far, I'm going based on what I hear inside the cabin with AC and radio off. I did have my wife run it to 2000 - 2500 RPMs in neutral with hood up, but I didn't hear anything while standing next to it then -- which coincides with the lack of rattle when I put it in neutral and rev it to 2.5 - 3k RPMs. But BigRiver in that thread had the same thing with his -- only rattled when under load, not in neutral.

The good thing, is all the changes I've done so far have been aesthetic (i.e. nothing that would affect the engine/drivetrain warranty) as I was waiting for past break-in before changing things that affect the way the engine and drivetrain perform (kinda hard to compare before and after when the car hasn't really settled in yet).

Will take it in to dealer next week or so and go from there.

 

[m0.s550]

Another day, another mod? Sure, why not?

But first, a follow-up on the vibration/rattle/NVH. I'm still leaving the windows up (1 more day for the tints to dry, just in case), so still haven't heard the noise with the windows down. However, the noise is somewhat faint, I have to have the AC off to really hear it.

I was going to take it in this week, but figured I'll wait a little longer (as usual, in no particular order)
a) If the engine is self-destructing from the inside, well, a few more miles will make that even more evident to the mechanics checking it out. It will also build a stronger case for engine replacement or (hate to say it) lemon law-ing it.
b) Still in the break-in period. Things change, noises change. Over the next 1000 miles more, will it get louder? Ride rougher? Start affecting driveability?
c) I might be overreacting to all the rattle and tick threads and being overly cautious on what may just be a "normal" sound. I'm not saying it's acceptable or normal. I'm just saying that right now, I don't know yet what it is.
d) I'm not 100% positive it's engine noise. It might be transmission/clutch noise instead? It doesn't manifest itself in neutral, only when driving. It's only certain RPMs and in some, but not all gears. I want to be as specific as possible when I take it in. Else, they will look at 1 thing and ignore whatever else it could be.

I had a 2000 MR2 Spyder. Those were well known to grenade themselves due to the pre-catalytic innards disintegrating and being sucked back into the engine. Lots of people had issues. Many people got engines replaced, but some were denied warranty work (Toyota claimed it was user abuse). I never did much to it, because at the time, I was worried "what if it fails?". Yet, I drove that car until it had 110,000 miles and the only time it left me stranded was because of a dead battery. Btw, Toyota never admitted to having a faulty design, but they did quietly made some changes for the 2003+ model years that resolved the issue.

I have since become much more stoic in my approach to life. I am prepared for the future, but not worried about it. I know what are the most likely scenarios
a) It runs great until I sell Ghost when she hits 100k miles (give or take 15k miles).
b) I need a new engine sometime during the warranty period. Then I just have to figure out what options I want to fight for (lemon law, compensation for reduced resale value, etc...). Those will be mile, value, and time specific.
c) I need a new engine after the warranty period is over. Again, different choices, but same thought process. Do I want to keep her as a money pit...err... project car? Chuck it as scrap metal? Put a Honda K20 in it? Just kidding, maybe a Chevy LS1 instead

What does this mean for now though? Well, I will take her in at some point soon. At the very least, get these rattles documented early on in case of future problems (see b & c above). It'll also mean I'll stay away from the tunes and other engine changes for time being. 460 HP is more than enough for me. It's 50% more power than the 3-series I used to own. I will auto-x her, but that is more about suspension than pure raw power.

Essentially, I will revert back to my stoicism and enjoy her every day that she runs great. I will mod her how I want to, when I want to. However, I will keep a cautionary eye and not make expensive changes that can't be undone/removed -- other than the PPF, which is already on (sunk cost) and I would have done regardless.

 

[m0.s550]

But as usual, you are all here for pics and mods, not philosophy lessons, so here we go:
Today I bring more of the easy changes. One I kept and one I undid.


Let's start with the keeper.

American Muscle's smoked rear bumper marker tint. Ok seriously, is every mod going to have a long name going forward?
This is the one right above the exhaust pipes. Easy to install, looks nice (maybe just a little too glossy for that part of the rear bumper). I had the car up on ramps when I did it, but that's because I wanted to use the ramps, not because you need to. Although lifting the bumper does help make the install a bit easier I suppose. I ended up sticking it and unsticking it a few times, but AM does say that their adhesive is made to handle doing so a few times. I am glad it was a small area though as I'm not the greatest tinting large areas lol.

I did it because I dislike those reflective markers at the bottom of bumpers. First time I saw them were on the 5-series BMWs and I thought they ruined the look of the rear. I thought, why would BMW do that? Then I started to see them on other cars and realized that some governing body somewhere had nothing better to do, than mandate stupid little reflectors in a place that most people won't notice them. First time I also saw them covered over, was also on 5-series BMWs, and I thought covering them made a subtle, but nice improvement.

In a way, those reflectors remind me of a smaller version of this tacky mess:

However, as much as I like the look of tinted rear brake lights, I am not touching those. Those at least are at a better level of visibility and serve a useful purpose.



So what did I undo? Well, the other light tints.
I will start by saying, I got the wrong choice of finish. Instead of the stealth, I should have gone with smoke (or glossy?).
I got these from Luxe. The product is good quality, feels sturdier than the AM one above even. Not too expensive and very easy to install. The kit even brings an extra light tint for you to practice with.

So what didn't I like about them? They were too matte looking for the space where they went on.
For the side marker ones see pic above, you can see how matte it is, and how it contrast in a bad way with Magnetic Metallic's glossiness. With my particular paint color, the stealth finish looks like it's just an unpainted part I tacked on. Although I take responsibility for ordering it, I really do wish Luxe would have had more pictures of their various finishes (in different lights and angles) on their website.

I also tried out the fog light and headlight reflector (just the orange part) kits. Again, I don't want to tint the entire headlight, but I wanted to reduce the annoying orange. Unfortunately, I again went with matte and it didn't look quite right against the car's color.

I also didn't end up liking how the reflector-only overlay looked over the lens (ignore the fitment above, I just did a hasty test install to get overall impression before I spent the time doing it correctly).
Again, this is not a ding against Luxe, other than they need better examples on their site. Had I seen the above first, I would have gone with a lighter shade and a different finish. Anyhow, I took them off for now.

Btw, yes I realize that I think the AM tints are too glossy and the Luxe ones too matte. However, they are in different areas of the car and next to different materials.

 

[m0.s550]

...They do sit flush and the pad on the back on them helps snug them into the hand hole. They feel sturdy enough and in a few test grabs and door closes they held firm.
...

Thanks! I got them and they are nice! I put my keys in there, rather than in the cup holders. I use Android Auto, so the phone stays near the middle though (since it has to be connected via USB cable for AA to work). Good recommendation!

 

[Meraki Autoworks]

Love it!

-Josh

 

[m0.s550]

Nice ride - where did you buy the pny and 5.0 emblems. They look gray, which I like - are they for sure matte black?

Hey Rash,

I've taken various photos of the pony emblem under various light conditions. As you can see, it does lean towards gray when the light hits it in a certain way, but it is the matte black one. To me, it makes for a nice little bit of contrast against the grill itself.

Btw, I can't find them on Amazon anymore (only the glossy black ones). Even when I go thru my order details.

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