This has got to be the most fun stage so far i've done on the ep82. The first part of the stage was the new wheels which i picked up from Bristol from another forum member. He had a set of Final Speed Erasers for sale in 15" which is very rare over here so i had to buy them no matter what. They did need some new tyres though which wasn't a problem. I ended up getting some Yokahama A539's in 195/45 profile, i had these on my previous Starlet and were great, a little bumpy but worth the extra handling feel you gain from the low profile. Also had an oil change which is probably overdue, used some Slick 50 treatment which is great stuff to use when doing an oil change. Topped up with 15W 40 Semi Snythetic from Comma and were good to go.

Tyres


Before i could set out to install the HKS actuator i had to buy a boost gauge to that i could correctly set it up and check that the car was running properly so i could resolve to fuel cut problem, there were so many gauges to chose from but i settled for the Apexi EL meters as they look great and aren't stupidly priced, i went for an electronic gauge along wiht the control unit so i could play about with the settings and have more accuracy in tuning my car, the gauge is in BAR and goes upto 2.0BAR which i won't be needing, haha, but you can set a warning level and check the peek boost point so you can see exactly how must boost your running, great piece of kit and looks great at night.

Apexi EL Gauge and Control Unit


Next on the list was solving the boost and fuel cut problem i've been having since i installed the custom cat back exhaust. I've had the HKS Actuator sat in my room and the Blitz decat for a long time now, so i thought it was about time to install these parts and hopefully get the boost running at a stable level. I studied the manual for the actuator and set it up accordingly, i aimed it for 0.7 bar and 0.8 to be safe. I also thought putting on the Blitz decat it might make the boost even more unstable due to less back pressure now but it holds it steady and the HKS Actuator is so far the best tool for tuning i've used at my skill level. The car safely boosts upto 0.75 bar with no problem through the whole rev range.

As for the Blitz decat pipe now installed it sounds amazing, you can hear the turbo spool up on lower boost and it must louder too, brings a huge smile to your face especially with a straight through exhaust, it pops and gargles a hell of a lot. The spool up is a little laggier now though but i need to fine tune the actuator for that part i think, no more fuel cut though which is what i was aiming to resolve. Video update to follow for the sound.

HKS Actuator and Blitz decat pipe


Now for the final part of the update, my El' Sport C-Pillar bar arrived a week ago so i got that installed with the help of my buddy Scott as pictured, haha. This part is great, stiffens up the whole back and end give you better turn in and controls the rear a lot more, although when hitting bumps the rear tends to jump a little but i think thats due to there being no weight in there.

El' Sport C-Pillar bar


The handling has also improved a lot since i installed the wheels too, they only weigh about 5.4kg's each which is crazy. Finally, i did a small photoshoot at one of the local industrial estates, this showcases the wheels nicely and the other features of the cars progress. They look great i think, bronze on white is my favourite style. Enjoy.

Wheels Photoshoot (Final Speed Erasers A-Tec)