A grand to spend on a mk1 172, what on?

[ChrisR]

Feel like spending some money on the car to hamper my yearnings for something with more power.

What's the best bang for buck for around a grand? Best to start with suspension/brakes (although it's had new discs and pads allround recently so don't really wanna change them yet!) or is the standard exhaust and filter a good way to go? Panel filter and silicon bend?

What are the rsport ecu upgrades bb do like, pap or not?

 

[LegoHead]

I would go for exhaust, cos its gonna fail eventually. Get a viper + remap as well.
exhaust £300 , new viper £200 , smt6 + remap £600, bit over but good for better driveability.

 

[Fred@BTM]

coilovers

 

[LegoHead]

probably not a good idea having much more power this time of year.

 

[wide]

start with a catback exhaust, then either as you say an ik or panel filter and silicon bend. if your car still has it's standard exhaust on just those will make it feel like a new beast!!! not sure about mk1's but mk2 all suffer from shoddy inlet manifold moulding and having that done by BenR @ Angelworks is deffo your "best bang per buck" this will give you more power and torque through the gears. then either a smt6 from Andy @ GDI or a group n ecu from BBPT. i'd say that was your grand done but if you have more money either lowering springs or more again coilovers.

 

[edde]

Start with the brakes and suspension if you've no problems with the brakes then just get coilovers or matching dampers and springs then spend the rest on track days or save a fair bit more for more tunning (IMO).

 

[Ali]

Springs & Dampers £350. Zorst&decat £350 and Carbon airbox 150£ £100 drilled disks.

 

[badinvincible]

Coilovers, decat and stainless steel system.

 

[ChrisR]

Only been able to see this thread now, cheers for the replies.

Well it's having some new front boots Saturday as the fronts are kinda, er, slick. Oops.

So some PE2s going on, £50 each fitted wasn't too bad (for 15s), could have got it a bit cheaper but frankly I couldn't be arsed playing the two garages off against each other anymore

Which coilovers then, the super expensive Ledas? Any of the cheaper ones (FK?) much cop?

 

[badinvincible]

I had the FK fixed damping kit on my ph1 172 and I was more than happy with them. Didn't get a chance to track it before I sold it though

 

[ChrisR]

Might be tempted then, will see how it affects the insurance

 

[run115]

Well, i should say this to myself really, but looks like people start off modyfing their cars backwards. I think the best thing to do is start off with a good solid chassis, and then move on to the engine. So my advise would be spend that grand off at leda.
You wont notice any power gains, but the feel of the car will improve drastically, and that way the chassis is more capable of taking the extra power and stresses that engine modyfing will exert on it.

Vince

 

[Dan@SJM]

can i jus ask, what is an smt6?

 

[run115]

An Smt 6 is a piggyback ecu, which means, works alongside your existing ecu. This particular one is made by a company called Perfect Power, and is a good idea for future mods as well.

Vince

 

[Dan@SJM]

pricey?

 

[matty w]

i'd go ported inlet manifold ,moddified ecu,& custom exhaust even though i wouldnt expect much from the exhaust i had all my work done by hillpower he's got the mapping gear for the 172's he charges about £280,ive got h&r coilovers on mine witch are brilliant

 

[run115]

pricey?

I think its about 500 fitted, from andy at Gdi

Vince

 

[Day]

Don't waste money on a viper, you already have a decent enough induction system.

Whatever you do dont buy a cup spoiler, phase 2 lights, 16 inch F1 Cups, 172 ph 2 rear bumper or bumpstrips...

 

[ChrisR]

Don't waste money on a viper, you already have a decent enough induction system.

Whatever you do dont buy a cup spoiler, phase 2 lights, 16 inch F1 Cups, 172 ph 2 rear bumper or bumpstrips...

If I wanted it to look like that I'd have bought a mk2 in the first place

I love the styling of the mk1 and wouldn't change it, even though mine came with a front splitter (still debating whether to leave it on or not).

I'm still in two minds, at the end of the day unless I spend silly money I'm better off with a new motor which I can't do yet. Aw well, get to drive it again tomorrow for the first time this week, maybe it'll seem more fun

 

[The Big Yin]

Coilovers to start
See Fred re some brake disc and pads
182 manifold
Zorst and panel filter

 

[edde]

H and R are superb and much cheaper than Leda. Leda are one of if not the best.
I'd go for Leda I think but I'd want to try them first.

 

[matty w]

H and R are superb and much cheaper than Leda. Leda are one of if not the best.
I'd go for Leda I think but I'd want to try them first.

whats the point in shelling out £1200 for suspension on your everyday car your never going to use it to its full potential,i'm more than happy with my h&r's hillpower got the camber set up for me too so ive got the full potential out of them

 

[BenR]

you'd be surprised at the finesse of the ledas.

They ride like £1200 suspension should......and you have the option, in a real sense of the word, to make them soft as stock, or rock hard........they just work.....properly

 

[matty w]

you'd be surprised at the finesse of the ledas.

They ride like £1200 suspension should......and you have the option, in a real sense of the word, to make them soft as stock, or rock hard........they just work.....properly

they probably do ride like £1200 suspension but like i say your average car enthusiast isnt gonna use them to there potential the h&r's are more than good enough for me especially when my mate works for motorsport tuning and he got me a set for £550

 

[BenR]

potential?

SO if they are faster, more comfortable on the ledas than they are on the H&R's.....even if he's not using their full potential.....he is better off with the cheaper ones?

not many people use a std clio to full potential by any stretch of the imagination, so?

I'm just trying to say its worth the extra money.

 

[matty w]

potential?

SO if they are faster, more comfortable on the ledas than they are on the H&R's.....even if he's not using their full potential.....he is better off with the cheaper ones?

not many people use a std clio to full potential by any stretch of the imagination, so?

I'm just trying to say its worth the extra money.

well a couple of lads on the saxo sport club have had leda's and had nothing but trouble with them i think there was a chap on here who'd got them on his porsche and they leaked etc

 

[BenR]

Some will, sometimes being hand built units at every single stage of production.

i make mistakes on some things, but i fix them, and so do leda.

 

[Andy GDI]

the stock shocks leak as well... lots of cases of them leaking... as with bilstein, tein, KW, Ohlins etc...

they all have reports of problems...

BUT they all get sorted

 

[run115]

When i had my supra i had a tein setup for drag use, after a month, they leaked, and btw i spent the best part of 1550 pounds on them. That does not make them bad units, on the contrary they were the b***cks!

When i will have the 1200 needed, and hopefully soon, that is where i will spend it-Leda!

Vince