benmwhite

Was thinking about getting my plugs done at the next service. Was considering changing to iridium or platinum long life plugs and after a pretty thorough search coulnt find anything here too specific - apart from lots of talk about gap etc... Wondered if anyone had any make and model preferences??

Just ordered my 23545R17 Falken FK451's from a mob in Brissy for $220 a corner fitted and balanced... PM me if you want their details - all the other quotes I got were $310 or more....

yep - youre right tbearz - pic was just to help reinforce my point... A manual calc on a round highway trip of 660klm and a refill of 50.5litres.... according to my calcs is around 7.6 litres per 100klm... sure beats the 14.4 it used to chew...

Getting great mileage here as you can see, ...according to APS, it depends on the tune.... B

tyer: \Ty"er\, n. One who ties, or unites. [R.] coutesy dictionary.com The Wheels mag placed the 235/45R17s in the following order.... Goodyear Eagle Revspec RS02 - 99.2/100 Michelin Pilot Preceda - 98.9/100 Maxxis Victra MA21 - 98.7/100 Bridgestone Potenza S-03 98.6/100 Toyo Proxes T1R - 97.6/100 Yokohama AVS Sport V-102A 96.9/100 BF Goodrich G-Force Sport 95.9/100 Dunlop Direzza DZ101 94.9/100 Kumho Ecsta KU19 94.3/100 They did not test the Falken FK451's which I am looking at... IMO they also missed two other important factors, namely wear and cost.

Yep- go the PBR kit - awesome - talk to bcr01, Adam will sort you out!

As an engineer, there are two things I appreciate; power and efficiency. The phase II has delivered 280rwkw on tap – sensational! But the increased fuel economy has been a side benefit that I wasn’t really expecting. On a recent trip down South, the ute delivered 7.3litres / 100km. With a plane to catch and not much time up my sleeve, let me assure you I wasn’t sparing the ponies either!!! An identical trip under similar conditions pre-phase II saw the ute slurp away 13.1 litres per 100km. I should add that this has also helped justify the outlay particularly if you ask my wife... ...just dont mention the additional rear tyre wear!

got mine from adam - "bcr01" - hes a top bloke and got them at the right price for me... for the record they are bl00dy awesome!!!

Having done a bit of reading, it looks like this is a pretty common problem for those having done a few mods (and some who haven't!). I first experienced it yesterday - I'm putting it down to the cold weather here at the moment maximum of only 4.7degrees in Northern New England yesterday... yep - that was the MAX!!! it snowed most of today! Under a hard toe, the ute dropped down to three cylinders and I had a guess at what it might have been so backed off - but it is a little disconcerting and it would be great to overcome the issue. No boost guage so no clue what she was running!? Would welcome any suggestions - I was thinking that with the recent cold winter weather some of you guys have probably had this happen too???

yeah - a rattle from the demist vent at the base of the windscreen on the passenger side - If I turn up the air - it goes away???!!!

Yup - mine was an aftermarket one with two hornet doors - from hardcover - I reckon 50kgs would be on the money.

Had my auto mod sorted out today - the boys at CNJ in Underwood reckon my ute had one of the noisiest diffs they had heard -Its hard to know - guess it depends what you get used to... a quick call to my mates in ford service and they'll have a new one on the way soon - apparenly its a common problem and they have done quite a few of them... anyone else had an issue???

WhiteTee - right on the money there - looks like one of the bands was slipping so its been shimmed and things are much better for the time being - eventually it will need an overhaul - guess that will depend on how I drive it.. Blokes at CNJ were really accommodating, they use a crew at Underwood who do the mods so took me around there and they took it for a spin... initially thought that it might be low on fluid but after a look could see where the band had been slipping - an additional 1.5mm tolerance to what it should be. This being said - with only around 30,000k's on it, in hindsight I should have had the bl00dy thing done under warranty prior to having the mods made, obviously the belt was already loose... so there’s the moral to the story - If you’re going to get the trans modified, suss it out first - if there is evidence of belt slip - get that sorted out under warranty first - then do your mods... nothing like hindsight.....

Thanks WhiteTee - yeah got it booked back in for wednesday so will post the verdict incase anyone else has a similar issue... am sure its just something simple. - thanks for the tip on the cooler - am thinking this would be a good idea - what sort of $ would you expect to pay for this?

Took it to CNJ at Underwood - nice blokes who seem to know thier stuff... thought that the prices I paid sounded about right given the numbers quoted on the APS forum... - I'll give the boys there a call tomorrow too - they might have some more info I can post... "Approximate additional costs: Valve springs (recommended for APS Phase I, II and III systems): $880 Automatic transmission upgrade (recommended for APS Phase II and III): $700 {minimum price, depending on Automatic transmission condition} Engineering certificate (recommended for keeping modifications legal): $700 " the ute has been treated softly and only has around 28,000k's on it so I thought that it would come in at the bottom end of the scale??...

Hi guys - In prep for my Phase 2 installation on my ute, I have had the valve springs replaced and the auto mod done. Have to say that I am a bit disappointed though and want to hear from anyone who has had the mod done to their auto "T". I was under the impression that in "grandpa mode" (standard drive) that very little should change with smooth changes between ratios. I expected a bit of a boot between ratios for when the performance shuttle was selected... but... In Standard and Performance mode all of the shifts are really rough - to the point where my better half is asking "you paid $660 for this????" - and I have to agree - now I'm driving like a grandpa coz I dont want to break anything! Also in standard drive mode from a standing start, the engine revs spin right up as though a clutch is not engaging??? - Definitely much slower off the mark - to the point where it is embarrasing!!! Help me out please if you have had the mod done - is this normal??? Am beginning to wish I hadn't touched the thing!!!

yep - around the $140 mark - its just a fancy oil and filter change!!!