8bit's Mk1 Leon Cupra R. Scarlett - as in Johansson...

ReDBull

Every day's a school day.
Nov 21, 2006
2,991
13
Lincoln
These cars are made for track driving! Glad you enjoyed your self and I agree you learn so much more about your car on track. Makes the mods worth while!
 
Love this post mate!! Great to hear you have finally popped your track cherry! And by the sounds of it, it certainly won't be your last!!

Not so good about the brakes, I would definitely recommend braided hoses all round, the fluid will find the weakest spot to expand, and many people forget about the rear lines, so get them changed too.

I shall maybe see you on a trackscotland trackday soon ;) Going to one on the 31st myself ;) ;)
 

Ronin225

Active Member
Jan 17, 2008
4,652
22
Worcester
Glad you enjoyed the track time
It is surprising when you first go on the track thinking you can drive and realise how much there is to learn
These cars are good when out blasting too, always feels good knowing and feeling how you've made it better too
 

8bit

Active Member
Feb 11, 2010
3,401
3
Aberdeen
Cheers guys, yeah I had a blast. The drive home was ace too :)

Josh, I was looking on the trackscotland site last night, might see about the Saturday 3rd November date, not sure I'll manage 31st Aug. I'm already thinking about braided lines and better fluid - it was Castrol race-spec stuff that Clark Motorsport put in in February but I'm pretty sure it was the fluid that overheated - no pedal pressure. I'll have to drain the fluid to change the hoses anyway so might go for Motul stuff next time.

Ronin, I went there with no illusions about my skills - I've only been driving for nearly 5 years now and had never been on track so I told the instructor up front "treat me as a total novice, assume I know nothing" and it worked out well. I'd love to know what my lap times were like over the course of the day...
 

8bit

Active Member
Feb 11, 2010
3,401
3
Aberdeen
Driven the Leon a couple of times out on country roads since doing Knockhill last week. Wish I'd done the track thing ages ago, feel much more confident driving the car at pace. Will have to get some track time in with the Jag once I'd done a couple more sessions with the LCR :)

Got the photos back from Knockhill eventually. Got five in total, they're all a bit samey so I've picked my favourite two.

vt42.jpg


vdnx.jpg


You can just see the Aston I passed in the second pic :)

Looking at better brake options for next time. Sort of leaning towards Godspeed 2-piece 330mm discs and Pagid RS4-2 pads. Anyone got any experience with either of the above?
 

8bit

Active Member
Feb 11, 2010
3,401
3
Aberdeen
Small update, not a very positive one tho. Turns out I've got a leaky exhaust, somewhere in the flexi section or the cat section. Considering options now, part of me wants to get a nice 3" turbo-back system but my head says "save the cash, the wife will never appreciate it!". Decisions decisions...

Also still need to change the brake fluid, change the rear calipers, refurb the Brembos and fit the armrest that's been in the garage for months!
 

8bit

Active Member
Feb 11, 2010
3,401
3
Aberdeen
OK new exhaust bits ordered. Gone for a 2.5" Cobra DP and sports cat. Obviously not going to get the gains I'd get from a 3" full system but I didn't want to spend a lot of cash on a full system and since it's mostly the wife that drives this car now I'd never hear the end of it if it was any louder. Keeping the stock middle and back sections for now so shouldn't be a lot louder and the sport cat should be a little less restrictive, plus it's stainless steel so may get a touch better turbo spool.

Not expecting anything much, just didn't want to spend a lot of cash on OEM replacement and didn't want to go OTT on an aftermarket one either...
 

J@mes W

Stage 1 Revo'd LCR
Jun 28, 2009
985
1
Colchester
Some nice updates, nice to see some more pictures of the car, definitely not enough pictures in here IMO ;) It looks lovely in the track pictures.

DP and sports cat should free it up nice., there should be a nice increase in torque.
 

8bit

Active Member
Feb 11, 2010
3,401
3
Aberdeen
Cheers mate ;) Yeah I'm not great at remembering to take pictures and mostly when I do they turn out crap! I'll try and get some next time I've washed it. Got two cars to look after now though so what time I get to myself is split between them and my other hobbies...
 

8bit

Active Member
Feb 11, 2010
3,401
3
Aberdeen
Small update, had the Cobra DP and cat fitted today, also had the brake fluid changed for Motul RBF 660. Haven't had a play yet to see what's what but I think the turbo spools a little more readily than before. I've got a track day at Knockhill on Sat and will try and give it a quick shake down before then to make sure all is well. At least it doesn't sound like a tractor and I don't smell exhaust fumes every time I stop at lights now...
 

alias

Active Member
May 9, 2011
317
0
Essex
How do you rate your new exhaust sections, 8bit? My exhaust has been blowing for months around the DP (lazy me...) and I've been weighing up my options. OEM is dylight robbery, but aftermarket can be just as ruinous. I've been eying up the Pipewerx 3" DP and sports cat, but how do you find the Cobra bits?
 

8bit

Active Member
Feb 11, 2010
3,401
3
Aberdeen
To be honest mate I haven't had a proper run with the car yet. I think the garage may have removed the charge pipe for better access when changing the exhaust (although not sure why they'd try from above, it's all below the exhaust manifold) so there's a screeching sound on high boost, like a slight leak. I haven't had time to sort it yet.

I have had the fault code about catalyst efficiency below threshold on bank 1 though so I guess the cat is less restrictive! I only had a quick look at it before taking to the garage but it seemed like pretty decent kit.

I did think about the pipewerx one but since I was keeping the stock center and rear sections I decided to just go for 2.5" rather than 3". Looks like the pipewerx stuff comes with a sleeve fitting rather than a flange so your garage will have to sort something there, and there's still the question of reducing it to fit your stock center and rear sections.

The Pipewerx 3" dp and cat is also £550, the Cobra 2.5" bit I got was £410 if I remember rightly. Since my LCR is mostly the wife's runaround now so she doesn't need the extra horses ;) Also to be honest I'm already maxing out the injectors so I'd need to be sorting that out before aiming for any power increase. I know of a good few happy Cobra customers though so to go back to your original question I'd say you'd be in good hands there.
 

Ronin225

Active Member
Jan 17, 2008
4,652
22
Worcester
The bolts on the downpipe are all in unusually awkward places and the top one is easier to access from the top by the first lambda
Also the fault code is quite common on a car with a free flowing cat or decat, however it can be mapped out
 

8bit

Active Member
Feb 11, 2010
3,401
3
Aberdeen
Cheers fella, so they probably did take the charge pipe out then. I'll check that out at the weekend. Re. that cat related code, i thought Revo maps had that coded out as standard? Mine is Revo stage 1, had it about 2 years so should be fairly up to date i'd have thought...
 

8bit

Active Member
Feb 11, 2010
3,401
3
Aberdeen
Update - it was turbo outlet elbow hose. I removed the heat wrap and reached to the jubilee to check it was secure and it just spun round the hose easily - wasn't even done up at all. I was going to use the same garage for my timing belt which is due again soon but no chance now...

Thanks Tim for the advice. I rang Cobra, they reckon the lambda sensor boss is an M18 thread. Went to B&Q, biggest washer they have is M12. Looked online, found somewhere selling them for 53p each, plus £3 P%P! Still, cheaper than what, 40 quid for a 42DD spacer?
 

8bit

Active Member
Feb 11, 2010
3,401
3
Aberdeen
I've just bought one of those 42dd spacers, I wouldn't have if I knew you can use washers!


Sent from my iPhone

I might get a bag of ten washers and sell the rest for a tenner each plus P&P and call them the "8bit Performance O2 Spacer" ;)
 
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