Photography

ZerOne

At the time I bought this ZerOne product, Ultra Racing had still not come out with its version. I chose this version over the hatchbatch stabilizer and some cutting of the boot housing had to be done though.

Ultra-Racing

With the exception of the front and rear stabilizer bars, the rest of the structural bars are Ultra Racing including 16" anti-roll bar (the 19" version was not developed yet then) and behind the front wheels (under arc)

Pro RS

Beyond a shadow of doubt, this stainless steel braided brake hose is my best single investment. Teflon coated, response time improved dramatically, something I would have installed from Day 1 had I known it was that good. Nowadays driving in heavy traffic has been so responsive and prevents unwanted cut-ins. Previously fast approach to humps ended harsh now are easily avoided even during late braking.

Mythelogy

This product is a lighten and dampen crank pulley geared for improved low-mid range acceleration. One immediately feels the difference in weight and can imagine what the engine goes through to turn the original crank pulley. It took the mechanic 5mins to remove the original pulley and install the new one but my-oh-my,  half an hour to remove and another half an hour to re-install the mudguard housing.

K&N

This mod only shows its optimal performance if a total exhaust system was installed. Earlier on, this car was fitted with a K&N open pod air filter. It gave all out performance in the high end range but because 90% of the time I drive within the low-mid range, I was not making optimal use of the open pod so replaced it with a fast flow element for the original air filter box. I now experience better response in the low-mid range.

Autofoam

A concept I learnt from hi-fi as I had to place sand into the hollow stands to absorb vibration. That concept is now applied in car customization. AutoFoam, a shaving cream-like foam is used and hardens in a few minutes due of a chemical process. I chose the sports package and forgo the comfort package for lack of fund. Four mechanics worked non-stop for 3 1/2 hours. 4 door sills plus the A and B pillars  were "autofoamed". The comfort package concentrates on the chassis but that would take another 2 hours since the front seats must be removed. It takes 24 hours for the  autofoam to dry but the effect was already felt the moment the car reversed out of the shop. She felt structurally solid. I don't think autofoaming improves road handling like what a set of adjustable coilovers does but what it does well is absorb the nitty gritty shakes/wobble and as a package strenghens the car's structure.

HotBits

Courtesy by Izahar

The car has been fitted with the following HotBits parts:

1. Front stabilizer bar
2. 4-2-1 extractor
3. Mid-muffler
4. Rear muffler
5. Chrome rear exhaust tip
   
6. Adjustable shock absorbers
   

As for structural bars, the alloy stabilizer was meant for the KIA Sephia really serves it's function. This experience was so profound that it led me eventually to heavily invest Ultra Racing parts for better safety and road handling.

As for the complete exhaust system, improvement in acceleration, exhaust personality changes. The stock 1.5" pipe was upgraded to 1.7" and was told the maximum pipe size for an auto geared car is 1.7". The purr of the engine  now is really deep without being loud. Increasingly harsh engine noise towards 3500rpm attributed from the inhibitive passageway of the out-manifold was not present the moment the extractor was installed obviously the extractor does not suffer the same design shortcomings of the in-manifold and engine noise is not harsh pass 3,500rpm.

As for the suspension, the suspension height was originally reduced by 5cm (fantastic cornering) but later re-adjusted to 4cm after scraping too many humps. I sacrifice some comfort for traction. The feel's not that bad below 80kph and reasonable pass 90kph. I limited height reduction to 4cm because entry/exit rams to parking bays at many buildings in Malaysia are steep and cause the front spoiler to scrape the floor.