Some new parts arrived...

[alias23]

Nice big parcel arrived this morning from Hangar111

More updates to come.... 

[Fortis]

Ooh a little brake upgrade going on 

[alias23]

and canards.... and gear/cross gate cables

Cant wait to get it all on the car!

[Fortis]

You seem to have caught the upgrade bug too 

[NathR]

I'm especially interested to hear how you rate the brakes, I'm assuming two-piece all round??

[alias23]

6 hours ago, NathR said:

I'm especially interested to hear how you rate the brakes, I'm assuming two-piece all round??

Yes two piece all round... The Komotec KoBra4-4 kit also means slightly larger discs running at 343mm vs 330mm (standard) whilst also being a tad lighter than OEM so best of both worlds. 
 

[alias23]

The install has begun.... Up to now the gear and cross gate cable upgrade has proven to be quite the job!

 Taken about four hours all in all so let's hope it was worth it! For sure the cables are shorter so hopefully I'll get a shorter throw as well as a more solid and precise gear change.

Before we finished for the day we started the brakes, fronts went on super easy, instructions from Komotec and Hangar111 worked a treat as we changed over the calliper brackets to accommodate the larger discs. For sure the brakes look epic!

Thats enough for tonight tackling the rears tomorrow, tweaking the gear setup, and getting the canards fitted.

 

[NathR]

Look very cool at the very least Imran.

[Xisthos]

Very nice! Congrats!

[alias23]

Got the car back today all complete with the brakes, canards, and gear cable upgrades.

As you can see the brake discs are a tad bigger and push the calipers out to near the max possible with the standard alloys. Too early to comment and review on performance as need to bed them in properly. However they do look pretty epic!

Canards also installed, must admit this wasn't the easiest of installs, not just a case of removing the inner arch trim and a few holes. They do look kinda cool, makes me want to add the 'black out' bits to the front bumper as per the cup and I think it'll look great.

Lastly the gear and cross gate cables, not much to photo as its all internal. The install again wasn't easy and took longer than the quoted 2.5 hours by SSC, i'd say easily 4 hours! Initial feedback is everything feels tighter, the side to side movement is vastly reduced, getting it into gear is going to take a little practise as everything seems to be soo tight. I haven't been able to really test it out and get used to it so I'm holding fire on any further feedback - as soon as i've taken it out for a proper play and run ill post a mini review and honest feedback.

[Dani]

Great Alias23! Impressive changes, canards and brakes look awesome! 

 

Waiting for more feedback about gear cables. Up to now may be too tight? Please let us to know how it feels in a deeper test! 

 

[quantum2000]

Those brakes look huge, can we have another pic from a little further back.

[LF1]

I may have missed this but what was the reasoning behind the brake upgrade, I always thought that the V6 was over-braked from the factory?

[Arun_D]

5 hours ago, LF1 said:

I may have missed this but what was the reasoning behind the brake upgrade, I always thought that the V6 was over-braked from the factory?

Essentially, Imran is a magpie, with an affinity for shiny things.

[LF1]

1 minute ago, Arun_D said:

Essentially, Imran is a magpie, with an affinity for shiny things.

Obviously the correct thing to have done was trade in the coupe for a shiny new cup 

[alias23]

6 hours ago, quantum2000 said:

Those brakes look huge, can we have another pic from a little further back.

You mean a side profile from further back? 

37 minutes ago, Arun_D said:

Essentially, Imran is a magpie, with an affinity for shiny things.

Seems I'm getting a reputation lol 

[quantum2000]

6 minutes ago, alias23 said:

You mean a side profile from further back? 

Yes please

[alias23]

3 hours ago, LF1 said:

Obviously the correct thing to have done was trade in the coupe for a shiny new cup 

Well I did have the thought of upgrading to a Cup in Canyon Red - But I got death threats from @Arun_D 

All seriousness, the problem with me going down the Cup path is that the cost to make the jump from the v6 is just too great especially with the current second hand market. Plus, the Cup is somewhat special and arguably you'd try and keep standard - I don't do standard very well

[alias23]

Quick update after a brief bedding in session with the brakes, they're starting to feel strong can't wait to properly test them out all being well on Monday at Combe. This will be the real test.

Gear cables need adjusting, too tight getting into 5th and 6th so after speaking with SSC looking to shorten the cross gate cable which should fix. The adjustment on the cables seems very sensitive so hopefully will get it all sorted on Thursday, I can then provide a proper review.

Canards - WOW can't believe the difference this has made to turn in and front end downforce! Even on the road you can tell a major difference!!! LoL maybe not but they do look pretty aggressive albeit Sarah's taking the mickeys saying they look like the cars now got eye lashes.

[alias23]

So had a great day at Castle Combe today and very pleased with the upgrades.

First up, after the adjustment of the cross gate cable, 5th and 6th work fine, also noticed an improvement to 1st and 2nd. The upgrade makes everything just feel more 'together'. It does feels tighter, there is less slack when changing gears. The throw has not changed which is a little bit of a shame as I had expected (wrongly on my part) that the upgrade would a shorter throw. Do I like the upgrade - Yes, was it worth the money - No.

I'd say the upgrade in terms of value for money is worth half of the actual total cost (parts, customs, fitting). So a good upgrade I can recommend but only if it comes down in total cost is my honest opinion.

Okay the brakes - Super Braking Technique (SBT) is all I got to say! After a final round of bedding in, I was able to start putting pressure on the brakes, and they do not disappoint. You do get a little noise when SBT but they're consistent throughout and for sure I'm very impressed. They look awesome and perform even better. Literally SBT on a penny! If anything they maybe too good as had to re-evaluate my usual braking spots! 

When looking at the total cost of the Komotec 4-4 KoBra system, compared to purchasing the 2-piece system from Lotus Motorsport, the Komotec kits is by far a cheaper option and includes upgrading to a slightly larger disc plus a new set of Performance Friction pads all round! So for those folks with a v6 which isn't a LF1, Cup, or the 350 Sport but you want to upgrade to the 2-piece system - Then I can highly recommend the KoBra system! 

Lastly a review of the canards - They do make the car look aggressive which is kinda cool

 

[Crouchy]

glad to hear you are happy with most of the upgrades.

I got my canards this week but I dont have any free time to get them fitted until april. The Brake upgrade sounds good and I imagine the tyres will be the limiting factor in your braking now. Just wait until you get the trofeo on. I may be interested in the brake upgrade when i need some new ones in a few weeks after the next few trackdays so its good to get genuine feedback on them.

[Hangar 111]

Good news - glad you are happy with the new brake system.

Did your guys get a bit excited with the brake paste on that spigot?

Dave

[NathR]

Good to hear the upgrades are working Imran.

Is there some sort of spacer between the two 'halves' of the caliper to allow for wider discs? I assume you get that and a different bridge pipe with the kit?

[Hangar 111]

53 minutes ago, NathR said:

Is there some sort of spacer between the two 'halves' of the caliper to allow for wider discs? I assume you get that and a different bridge pipe with the kit?

Yes, to both questions

Dave

[alias23]

2 hours ago, NathR said:

Good to hear the upgrades are working Imran.

Is there some sort of spacer between the two 'halves' of the caliper to allow for wider discs? I assume you get that and a different bridge pipe with the kit?

Very keen eye you got there Nath