JadeyBlitzen

I still didn't take it out for a drive. maybe tomorrow, provided it does't rain

that does explain the brighter headlamps and the louder stereo. anyways I'm a terrible electronics student so i really havent got a proper explanation about the after effects. but with so many companies fitting these kits and so many people fitting them to their cars I havent heard of any serious effects. or maybe its because the sort of cars these devices are fitted don't last that long or don't stay with one owner for long periods of time. Either way the main reason why i fitted this kit was because i wanted extra throttle response. and if one fears that this kit might have an adverse effect on the electrics a swtich can be fitted so that you can close the circuit when needed.

it's on the link i posted.

it should be a DIY job if you got all the tools. otherwise try darley road.

no. the tc is an entirely different model and its unique to scion I think you'll find a pretty convincing answer if you went through the whole thread. all i know is all the electrical bits are grounded to the body in a pretty reasonable way. this just stablises the current a little more. and i'm no electrician. I bought it from a shop called central elecricals or something.

all the time

Hi I found this great write up on how to build your own grounding wire kit http://scionlife.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10785. and after many weeks of daydreaming i finally installed it on my vitz today. first of all here's a list of cars it's compatible with (courtesy of wiki) * Scion xA/Toyota ist * Scion xB/Toyota bB * Toyota Vios * Toyota Raum * Toyota Porte * Toyota Platz * Toyota Auris * Toyota Fun Cargo * Toyota Premio * Toyota Allion * Toyota Sienta * Toyota WiLL * Toyota Probox * Toyota Ractis * Toyota Corolla * Toyota Corolla Axio * Toyota Corolla Fielder * Toyota Corolla RunX * Toyota Corolla Allex * Toyota Yaris/Echo/Vitz Please make sure your car comes with a 1NZ or a 2NZ engine even if its listed here, as some of these models come with other engine combinations. The tutorial was for cars with NCP model numbers. other cars would might need longer wires. so its better to take a piece of string and measure the lengths before you start cutting the wires. Here's how i did it. I couldn't find the right type of wire so i went for one of the thickest wires i could find. I think it was 16 mil and that's actually closer to 4 gauge wires than 8. I bought it from a shop in pettah and it cost me 930 rupees for 2.5 m of wires and 8 lugs. i just followed the tutorial cos the xa has a similar chassis to mine. but if you are not to sure about the distance between the mount points use the string method. and leave about 2" of slack and another 2" for cutting mistakes. The mounting part was the trickiest. thats where using such thick wires really started to bother me. it wasn't just about the limited flexibility of wires but also the thickness of the lugs. especially when connecting it to the coil packs. the bolt doesn't go that deep and with 2 really thick lugs it'll only be halfway in. be careful when you tighten this bolt as the soft aluminium threads will get easily ripped out. The route of the wires is not important. there are many openings on the side of the engine cover so run it through them in the least uncluttered manner. also be careful when flexing the wires after the lugs are mounted. cos if you havent crimped them properly they might get pulled off. anyway, read the whole thread i posted if you are seriously planning to try this. What i experienced... as soon as i turned the key the radio seemed a lot louder. and it seemed to be a lot crisper at higher volumes. the headlights also seemed brighter, but i'm not entirely sure about that one. when i started the engine it idled below 1000rpm even though it was a cold start. as it reached the operating temp the revs dropped down to around 600 rpm. thats definitely lower than it was before the installation. however the digital fuel gauge was fluctuating at a bit. i'll report on that after i've taken it out for a ride. right now it's a bit wet outside so maybe i can try it out tomorrow i'm expecting quicker throttle response better shifting and even lower revs at idle.

i doubt it'll hit 5 figures. but no point in adding one that's not properly engineered.

i'll let you know once i get my rear strut brace made, as if its a success or not

It might be a little too late add my 2 cents. but here it is anyways. remember when they had that karting joint at excel world? can anyone remember the prices? how much was it for 50 laps? i can't remember how much it cost exactly. but the price list read something like this 250, 500, 750. i think it was something like 500 rupees for 20 laps if i recall right. what i do remember really well is that the track was really short. my time was usually around 17 seconds. and i take it, from the times you guys posted, that the new track is more than twice the length. so at the old place I would have done 35 laps in 10 mins if I drove at a stretch, which equates to around 17 laps on the new track. and that is not far off what you guys got within your 10 mins. i know the calculations aren't exactly accurate. but you guys can work it out with your very own data and see the difference. So maybe we ARE getting our money's worth, and maybe more, considering factors like inflation, the quality of the new place and the experience

actually i got the same problem with one of my foglamps. i think mine would look ok with the sticker solution. i agree with car maniac. the taiwanese made good facsimiles of japanese optional/aftermarket equipment.

well you can get one custom built for an alto. But it's pretty pointless without other mods. it'll sharpen the turn in and reduce chassis flex. but it'll increase understeer on stock systems. and have no effect on body roll at all. yes. it'll give you more feedback through the steering wheel. but the feel will get blunt as the width increases. either way the responses will be sharper.

guys! slow down. a slight increase in width will give you more grip. but it won't help reduce body roll in any way.

firstly if you are creeping through a tiny gap in traffic it could only mean you are cutting through 2 lanes thus not observing lanes or stealing someone elses space. not something i'd do proudly secondly i'm not being sarcastic but can you please explain a little thoroughly how a 1.5 m wide car is more useful than, say, a car thats 1.6m wide? sure, anyone can see that it'll be 'easier' (just a relative term) to navigate through traffic. but i still don't understand how with such a tiny difference they could be worlds apart

i'm sorry but i can't agree with you. 1.5 m may sound small. but a normal sized car is around 1.6-1.7 m wide. so its not a major difference (around 10%). sure you can creep through really tight spots that may be slightly smaller than those cars. but no ones going to drive through such spots at speed. so you'll have to slow down anyways. plus how often do you come across a tight spot like that? not unless one creeps through tiny gaps in traffic all the time and maybe you didnt realise it. but new cars come with power retractable mirrors. so i can match the width of your maruti at the flick of a switch mate

actually i was referring to narrow lanes and quick turns on tight spots. i don't condone weaving in and out of traffic and sudden lane changes in any way

ok, here's my report on true road test style. the car belonged to a rather rural friend of mine. it was dark red had a few options like cd player, the not very tasteful maruti alloys and power windows if i'm right. he was not very good with cars and immediately locked the keys in upon his arrival. luckily he had left the passenger side window slightly open and thanks to the pin shaped door locks i managed to get in using a some steer wire in a matter of minutes. I took the wheel of the car as his driving skills didnt quite match the demands of colombo streets. the steering was very skinny and somewhat over assisted. the gearstick felt isolated and slightly scaly at times. but the clutch and gearchange was light and quite pleasent as they are on smaller engined cars. however i must add the bite point of the clutch was a bit dodgy. and i dont think it had much to do with the long travel of the pedal. the mirrors were the biggest nightmare. they were ordinary flat planed glass and everything i saw through them appeared to be right behind my ear. as for the performance it was pretty rewarding. the engine felt gutsy and pulled from low revs with no hesitation. and the gearing seemed to match it perfectly it was a nice change from usual turbo diesel and high rev malarchy i was used to. the delivery was near flat right upto the redline and i felt not a second of remorse thrashing it cos the engine didn't seem to mind the abuse. the fuel consumption stayed well below my vitz's. i think we were hitting mid teens per litre even with some spirited driving. even the breaks never felt inadequate. but that might change drastically with another 2 passengers. with such a low kerb weight an extra 3 passengers could easily turn it into a boat. the interior was a bit of a minus though. it wasn't just bad compared to an average car. it was bad for a cheap car. period! the plastics were really nasty. and the "new car smell" gave me a headache. not to mention the badly put together plastic bits which brought my ocd levels to an all time high. plus i felt a bit claustrophobic because i could reach out and touch anything within the car in sight. and i may have elbowed my friend a few times while shifting to 2nd. the seat materials were ok for a car of this level. but the print on them was tasteless and failed to give the interior the upmarket feel they were aiming for. plus the seats were just too flat. the stitches were just trying to give them contours that just weren't there. the a/c was a big plus. it cooled the interior pretty well, probably helped by its small dimensions and the tinted windows. and the performance difference with the a/c on was compareble to that of an average sized car. the boot was ridiculously small. and with no sliding option as there is on small cars nowadays it was only as wide as an average sized travel bag. maybe its a good thing they didn't bother with such a mechanism cos it would have only given us 2 options. cramped rear leg space and tiny boot or no rear legs space and an ok boot. the ride was a bit bouncy and rolly but never uncomfortable. but you could tell it was pretty underengineered solution which affected the handling rather a lot. it was nippy alright. you could have endless fun zipping through tight spots. but around corners it wasn't involving at all. if you are not looking for planted stable cornering the alto would be ok. its just it didn't feel anything contemporary. Now here's the real killer. I came home thinking it was a pretty ok car. and the engine really was something. but then i got in my car and then only i started to feel how un-car-like the alto was. sure it'll get you about. but don't brag too much about its abilities. p.s. if one is to point out that i've been too critical at times, its because i was comparing the alto to other cars you could buy with similar money which are bigger and has better dynamics.

now that's a commendable approach mate! thumbs up for that p.s. i'll add my 2 cents later

i still think its an io/pinin or some similar concept cos the grille is very mitsubishi like or perhaps a mini or a jr

I once drove a kei alto at full throttle just to see what it could give. I checked the speedo when it shifted to top gear after redlining on every single gear, cos it felt like i was going well over the speed limit, just to find out that i was barely touching 50

thats a pajero/montero io

Interpretation > Ah! i've got 2 feet. so which one do i shoot?

that sucks BIG TIME!!! surely they should introduce a limit.

oh no! i think we hurt his feelings

can we please end this discussion about how unsafe marutis are or how people survived crashes in them? people die in marutis cos they are lighter than average cars. and their design and equipment only compliment crash legislations at the time they were designed. so heavier more modern cars will outperform them in a crash. so if someone can still feel secure in a maruti knowing that why should we bother?