TK's Finding the Perfect Balance DD - Build Thread
05-23-19, 10:10 AM
#16
Driver
Thread Starter
I understand that viewpoint. From a ride perspective I would say my car is similar but slightly softer to a new 3-4 series with the M package in terms of ride comfort with lowered suspension, sway bars, chassis braces front and rear, and strut tower bars front and rear. That's right about where I want to be for my DD. The biggest thing I'm not in love with is my Tom's exhaust. Now that I've had it on my car for a few years its starting to drone really bad on the highway around 70-80 mph which is really tiring on a road trip. Be careful when choosing an exhaust if you're going to take long trips in your car. Hopefully the 3.76 LSD I have will lower the RPM enough that this won't be an issue anymore.
Performance/horsepower mods are last on my list, however when I do get to that point, you can expect it to be turbocharged, yet have that muffled exhaust so it doesn't drone like you describe lol. Honestly, if I still had my GS430 in the condition I have this car, I wouldn't make any changes other than suspension mods. I feel like our chassis can have the perfect balance between comfort and sportiness (once modded), however, in my case more on the comfort side.
05-23-19, 01:51 PM
#17
Driver
Thread Starter
So I ended up pulling the trigger on a set of R1 Concepts slotted/drilled rotors and ceramic pad kit for my front, and Centric blanks with Akebono ceramic pads for the rear. The R1 Concepts have a really attractive deal going on over at Amazon, so I couldn't resist saving me some money and trying out a new product (and using my $100 gift card haha).
I'm typically a Centric blanks + EBC pad kind of guy, but I figured I'd give R1 Concepts a shot since the 4GS guys give this manufacturer good reviews. I figure since I haven't seen too many 2GS guys run them, I'd be the guinea pig and post up my thoughts/review since I have this build thread going.
On another note, Akebono is also a great company for DD applications with good pad life, low brake dust, and most of all great braking power. I've used them on a few previous luxury car applications and they do not disappoint. (For reference, they are almost as good as EBC Greens except the Greens give me a little more stopping power in more sportier applications. I run Centric + EBC combo on my IS300 and S2000. Centric + Akebono on Mercedes C280, Lexus 4GS, and Toyota Avalon).
I'm typically a Centric blanks + EBC pad kind of guy, but I figured I'd give R1 Concepts a shot since the 4GS guys give this manufacturer good reviews. I figure since I haven't seen too many 2GS guys run them, I'd be the guinea pig and post up my thoughts/review since I have this build thread going.
On another note, Akebono is also a great company for DD applications with good pad life, low brake dust, and most of all great braking power. I've used them on a few previous luxury car applications and they do not disappoint. (For reference, they are almost as good as EBC Greens except the Greens give me a little more stopping power in more sportier applications. I run Centric + EBC combo on my IS300 and S2000. Centric + Akebono on Mercedes C280, Lexus 4GS, and Toyota Avalon).
06-02-19, 04:28 PM
#18
Driver
Thread Starter
So I got the R1 Concepts rotors/pads in over the past week and got around to installing them for the front. My rear rotors/pads will have to wait until next weekend since I only had a short window to work on the car today.
First impression (sorry no close up pics), the rotor appearance and feel is 9/10. It looks great from far away, however when you look close around the edges, they are pretty rough. Looking into the vents, these also do not look super smooth (also pretty rough - not laser cut smooth?). Anyways, These shouldn't effect performance too much; I'm not racing or anything like that. The weight feels pretty light, lighter than what was on the car before (assuming OEM or some cheaper parts store aftermarket version). The pad appearance and feel is 8/10. Mine came chipped in a couple places around the edges of the pads. They're on the softer compound side so it's expected.
First impression driving... They feel good. No strong initial bite (like how I experience with EBC pads), but it feels good as you're applying more and more pressure to the brake pedal. I haven't done any high speed braking, or hard braking, however 40mph to 10ish-mph braking feels good and effective. I'll need a few thousand miles for these all to break in and see how they truly perform. Right off the bat, I have no complaints!
Anyways, here are some pics!
Need some bigger rotors to fill out that wheel lol!
First impression (sorry no close up pics), the rotor appearance and feel is 9/10. It looks great from far away, however when you look close around the edges, they are pretty rough. Looking into the vents, these also do not look super smooth (also pretty rough - not laser cut smooth?). Anyways, These shouldn't effect performance too much; I'm not racing or anything like that. The weight feels pretty light, lighter than what was on the car before (assuming OEM or some cheaper parts store aftermarket version). The pad appearance and feel is 8/10. Mine came chipped in a couple places around the edges of the pads. They're on the softer compound side so it's expected.
First impression driving... They feel good. No strong initial bite (like how I experience with EBC pads), but it feels good as you're applying more and more pressure to the brake pedal. I haven't done any high speed braking, or hard braking, however 40mph to 10ish-mph braking feels good and effective. I'll need a few thousand miles for these all to break in and see how they truly perform. Right off the bat, I have no complaints!
Anyways, here are some pics!
Need some bigger rotors to fill out that wheel lol!
07-12-19, 08:49 PM
#19
Driver
Thread Starter
Slow update, but I wanted to update the log! Recently scored a set of Tanabe DF210 lowering springs on some newish struts from a friend. I only managed to throw the fronts on today, and still debating if I should throw the rear ones on. With just the front springs and newer shocks, I feel like the car is more tame when turning and maneuvering at low speeds. Not sure how the rear springs will make the car drive, but I'm going to drive around like this for a bit and see how it feel.
In regards to the wheel gap... I have about a 2 finger gap in the front and about a 3 finger gap in the rear. I kind of like this stance from what I've been seeing so far (literally just finished installing and test driving). Tanabe's site shows the rear drop to be about 1.3" which may be a little too low which I wouldn't want (rear sag), unless the I decide the performance aspect out weighs the general appearance (which I'm thinking is going to happen). If I go that route, then I may just pick up some RCA's to lower the front some more to level out the car (and also to correct any camber issues
).
Anyways, enough text, here are some pics!
In regards to the wheel gap... I have about a 2 finger gap in the front and about a 3 finger gap in the rear. I kind of like this stance from what I've been seeing so far (literally just finished installing and test driving). Tanabe's site shows the rear drop to be about 1.3" which may be a little too low which I wouldn't want (rear sag), unless the I decide the performance aspect out weighs the general appearance (which I'm thinking is going to happen). If I go that route, then I may just pick up some RCA's to lower the front some more to level out the car (and also to correct any camber issues
).Anyways, enough text, here are some pics!
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