[Ant FR]

Well, I had been waiting for well over 3 months to get round to having it done. Anyway yesterday the day came and i decided to leave Kent what i originally thought was excessively early at 5am but ended up being spot on as i had to revert to back roads due to accidents on the mways. Arrived at Rolands at about 8.30 and go in. I must say its a little dissapointing when you meet Roland. Must be like when as a kid you relaise the father christmas who comes to your house on crimbo day is just your dad in a costume. The same with Roland, he does'nt have a Halo and was not radiating and angelic white glow as you may get the inclin on here.....lol. However he was wearing sandals, so could be on a higher level. Anyway, i run through the bits, chicken out of the lightened cranksahft pulley and restrain myself pretty well from taking up any extra bits.

Roland drops me up the road and i pick up a hire car. I then agrea to get back for 4:30 and then drive off in my hire Punto. Went up to Little Chef had an Olympic breakfast, then went up to Beaulieu motor museum. Left there about 13:30, go to tescos get some lunch then go into New Forest to eat it, still an hour to kill, so had a nap, then time to go back and collect the car.

I drop the car off and on the walk back to Rolands i got treated to the guy next Rolands workshop giving me a treat in how you redline a brand new civic type-r, tit, and it did'n even look quick. i chuckled and went to get my car.

Bad news thouh, Roland had found that my Inner Driveshaft gaiter had split, so all i could think about was the cost that might be. he'd done the other things that i needed such as dill out the disc retaining bolt and searched for my slight oil leak. ( which could be major news in the future as the main rear oil seal was weeping, doh!) Anyway pay up collect my stuff, and admire the newly placed GTT badge on the rear of the car. time to drive off.......

And you know what, it was little like, "oh, thats nice" nothing mental and nothing like my mind had built up to, but i continue to drive without many chances to boot it in the ***** traffic cming back to Ringwoood. Get on to the M27 and had a go there and it felt good, a lot more noise. Eventually i decide to pull in and get some tea ( oh yes my diet and generl fitness drive went out of the window yesterday!!) I sit chomping on my KFC and then decide is it worth waiting and having a kip before comig home later ( due to having to use the M25) so i do, wait in the service little snooze then at about 8 i set off home.

Pull out on to the M3 and as i do a Red Civic Type-r sits up behind me and flashes me out of the way, then i think oh well 2nd gear, plant it and boooooom i'm in the back seat, the noise is awesome, it rifles through 2nd up into 3rd again much the same out of gear and i reach to4th and as i look to the mirror said civic is gone. Wow, whats changed i think, car feels like a rocket.. The Whine is amazing!!!. But the pull it's relentless, once you get past 3000 rpm it is amazing. I have never been so impressed by a car.

I honestly think, never judge the car on the first prod, i even think the ECu takes a while to set up to the new set up. But boy this car is so quick now.. And the noise, it backfiris pops and bangs, and up frontyou have the sound of the supercharger, then at the back you have the blast of air coming through the exhaust ( as i have manifold and miltek)

So i have not been in the car today but will be out later for a play, but if you can go get the GTT220 conversion, worth every single penny and really changes the car beyong belief. this car is seriously up a league now, next stage is to go chasing my mates Porsche Boxster 3.4, i reckon it will keep with that quite easily. Oh and i forgot to mention, pull away from a set of lights is now superb, so much quicker, which i always thought was a downfall of the standard MCS.

Next for me, well book car in for that Driveshaft seal next week, also gonna save up now for the Intercooler, but undecided as to wether to go for the GTT one or Alta. Just feel would be good to get some more cool air into that engine somehow.

Very happy and off to go play again.

[sef]

Great review...

[Rigsey]

Good review, I had a feeling you would not be disappointed :-)

Did you go for anything else other than the GTT220 kit?

You may also want to consider the GRS IC.

[dazzpowder]

Good review, my first impression of the 220 was the same as your's. I don't generally boot the car around and wanted some low end speed so I recently added the wider throttle body and lighter crank pulley and man did that make a difference, it is such a responsive car around town and no need to murder the rev range to have fun.

[uncle albert]

Good lad!

I took a work colleague out for a spin in mine today. His response when we got back? "I thought I was going to die." Might just be my dodgy driving though!

James

[Tonyt3]

If you had gone for the Crankshaft pulley, that kick at 3000 rpm would have been nearer 2000....

Nice review, take it easy with the car dude.....

[Ant FR]

i can't make my mind up whether it feels faster than my old Ibizas, its definately quicker than the 190bhp Tdi one i had. But is it quicker than the 230bhp 1.8T, not sure yet, but it is alot more fun, it hink it must be close to the 230bhp markk anyway as i already have the manifold, but once i get the intercooler ( notsure which one yet) i'm sure it will be there.

[ant1]

Good review

[roland2003]

Hi Ant, thanks for the nice reveiw. BTW GTT220+ GTT Intercooler & GTT Re-Route (Miltek Cat Back is very good too) =GTT230. -You need the 16 tubes of our intercooler to get the required cooling and reduced pressure drop, to achieve approx 230 bhp.
Best Regards Roland GTT

[r1_kde]

Roland do you know what the temp drop difference is from stock to your GTT intercooler?
all sounds good though can't wait to have my stock pile fitted.

Take it easy but have fun

[BlueMax]

Ant FR - why did you chicken out on the lightened crank pulley? Scottishcoopers has a pulley and on a recent thread he has also decided to "bottle it". I am interested in fitting a +3% GTT pulley (2004 MCS with 210 HP JCW, no other mods) but there still seem to be questions regarding long term reliablity. Have you driven a MCS with a lightened pulley? My concerns are long term reliability and loss of idling smoothness. With the JCW the power delivery is very good above 3500 rpm but I want a quicker spool up to 3500 rpm because of the tall gearing on the old gearbox. With the new gearbox spool up is better due to the shorter ratios although it will also gain with a lightened pulley. Basically I want the car to pull harder earlier. I do however spend a lot of time in slow moving traffic, meaning quite a bit of time sat in traffic at idle speed Please comments and feedback from anyone who has lightened pulleys. I have searched and read most threads on the topic but still need some convincing! Thanks

[Ant FR]

Quote: Originally Posted by BlueMax (original)

Ant FR - why did you chicken out on the lightened crank pulley? Scottishcoopers has a pulley and on a recent thread he has also decided to "bottle it". I am interested in fitting a +3% GTT pulley (2004 MCS with 210 HP JCW, no other mods) but there still seem to be questions regarding long term reliablity. Have you driven a MCS with a lightened pulley? My concerns are long term reliability and loss of idling smoothness. With the JCW the power delivery is very good above 3500 rpm but I want a quicker spool up to 3500 rpm because of the tall gearing on the old gearbox. With the new gearbox spool up is better due to the shorter ratios although it will also gain with a lightened pulley. Basically I want the car to pull harder earlier. I do however spend a lot of time in slow moving traffic, meaning quite a bit of time sat in traffic at idle speed Please comments and feedback from anyone who has lightened pulleys. I have searched and read most threads on the topic but still need some convincing! Thanks

Because my bank manager will beat me up if i had have spent another £350 on top of what i alrady spent, simple really

[Ant FR]

oh forgot to mention, had a play with a Cooper S GP on saturday night, there was nothing in it. The only thing he did have over me was that he got the power down better due to LSD mine was a little too twitchy. I was very happy. Now mulling over AP 4-pots or intercooler, ummmm not sure now, used to love my Brembo 4-pots on my old ibiza, think i need them now the speed of the MCS is a lot quicker than before.

[Cooooooperslad]

Great review and cant wait to take mine on the 9th of June for its 210... or maybe 220 now!

My next mod after that will be the GTT Porsche brakes

[Ant FR]

i like the porsche ones, but due tot he fact of needing bigger wheels and also the cost i will go for the AP 4-pots, they work out 850 inc vat and are a dodle to fit, they also clear standard s-lites on 17's

[ButtonIt]

Roland - If you're reading this....

I am seriously considering the GTT 220 conversion as my Insurance company are offering to cover it automatically at no cost

I already have JCW air filter and Miltek cat-back exhaust, so what are my options? Is the GTT cold air intake much better than stock? Should I keep the JCW box and have the GTT filter? Or should I keep the JCW box and filter? I could always get the GTT CAI and flog the JCW as a whole on ebay

I'm also considering a new Manifold, wat would you suggest and could you add it to the package?

[Ant FR]

Whoes your insurance comapny out of interest

[ButtonIt]

Greenlight this is my third year with them and, although I've never had a claim, they've been ace

[Cooooooperslad]

Quote: Originally Posted by Ant FR (original)

i like the porsche ones, but due tot he fact of needing bigger wheels and also the cost i will go for the AP 4-pots, they work out 850 inc vat and are a dodle to fit, they also clear standard s-lites on 17's

So porsche brakes dont fit under s lites? Is this AP racing kit a bigger brake kit or just a better caliper? I would really want something with a bigger disc and caliper combo rather than just upgraded

[Ant FR]

nope not form what i have read and seen. And i asm assuming the Ap's will fit s lites, however i have not checked clearance etc and you may need spacers.

On my previous car, an Ibiza i ended up fitting a Brembo GT kit, which had 4-pot calipers and i managed to squeez on a 328mm discs within a 17 inch rim, however the Cupra wheels i used had lots of spcae as the ibiza Cupras come with Ap 4-pots standard.

i will not be doing this till later on in the year, but the Ap route seems cheapest. The porsche ones woud never fit behine s-lite wheels.