When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Wheels with a thin polished lip like that accentuate the proportions, so if the fitment is off and the gap is huge, it will seem even more so. Also, five spoke wheels like that showcase the rotors and calipers, so if the brakes don't look good, the whole project will look ghetto.
TBH, if I didn't have the BBK, I wouldn't bother with the expense of the upgrade, because I genuinely think it's 99% a cosmetic thing... unless you track, like slartibartfast does. And then if I got aftermarket wheels, I'd get something like 15 spoked rimes, or some design that doesn't expose the brakes.
I also changed my serpentine belt. 20 minutes for something that the dealer wanted $220 to do. The belt actually didn't look be to me, but it was off so I went ahead and did it.
Kudos to you for doing the belt in 20 minutes. Seriously I did mine on Saturday, and it kicked my as*
It easily took me 90 minutes. The tensioner was tight AF, my craftsman ratchet wouldn't fit, so I had no choice to but to use my snap-on, and I needed a cheater bar to pivot it up and it mangled the comfort grip handle
Sliding the belt out from behind the tensioner was a colossal PIA, as was the entire routing of the belt.
On the plus side, the car fires right up (more on that later), runs smooth, and pulls to redline with no issue. My startup squeal is gone too
I also changed the oil with fresh Castrol Edge and a Purealotor Pure One filter (and a fresh crush washer).
And while I had some time with the car, I detailed the interior. I feel like the interior is really holding up well, although I'm sure the black covers it up.
Originally Posted by slartibartfast
More like caliper snob. Like me.
+1
Yeah, it's 97% cosmetic, but I'm so off put by sliding calipers.
thanks for the feed back. I'm totally new to this so pls forgive the noon question, but what gap are you referring too? I want nothing more than to improve my the look on my G. Should I go with 20's instead of 18's?
thanks for the feed back. I'm totally new to this so pls forgive the noon question, but what gap are you referring too? I want nothing more than to improve my the look on my G. Should I go with 20's instead of 18's?
Its the wheel gap between the tire and the fender...if you go to 20's it will probably only look worse...good news is the fix is pretty simple, lowering springs to drop the car about an inch or so is the easiest way to take care of it
Kudos to you for doing the belt in 20 minutes. Seriously I did mine on Saturday, and it kicked my as*
It easily took me 90 minutes. The tensioner was tight AF, my craftsman ratchet wouldn't fit, so I had no choice to but to use my snap-on, and I needed a cheater bar to pivot it up and it mangled the comfort grip handle
Sliding the belt out from behind the tensioner was a colossal PIA, as was the entire routing of the belt.
On the plus side, the car fires right up (more on that later), runs smooth, and pulls to redline with no issue. My startup squeal is gone too
I also changed the oil with fresh Castrol Edge and a Purealotor Pure One filter (and a fresh crush washer).
And while I had some time with the car, I detailed the interior. I feel like the interior is really holding up well, although I'm sure the black covers it up.
+1
Yeah, it's 97% cosmetic, but I'm so off put by sliding calipers.
Well, I have to admit that the secret for a quick, painless change was getting to the belt from underneath. I also used part of the handle from my floor jack as a cheater bar for my little cheap, 10 year old, 3/8 ratchet and it worked like a charm.
I changed my oil recently also with Pennzoil Ultra Platinum and have not used a new crush washer yet... On any of my vehicles..... Ever.... I haven't had a problem yet, but I do feel kind of guilty for not using a fresh washer each time.
Gotta love a black interior. I'll get to some detailing in when all this damn rain stops! I know, I can still do the interior despite the rain but it's just more fun in the sun.
***Oh yeah, the rubber all-season floor mats make all the difference when cleaning the interior. Pull 'em out, hose 'em off, put 'em back in.
Well, I have to admit that the secret for a quick, painless change was getting to the belt from underneath. I also used part of the handle from my floor jack as a cheater bar for my little cheap, 10 year old, 3/8 ratchet and it worked like a charm.
Someone had posted a few pages back that you don't need to get underneath to change the belt. I don't really see how that is possible. Once I removed the under body tray, I got the belt on in ~15 minutes.
Kudos to you for doing the belt in 20 minutes. Seriously I did mine on Saturday, and it kicked my as*
It easily took me 90 minutes. The tensioner was tight AF, my craftsman ratchet wouldn't fit, so I had no choice to but to use my snap-on, and I needed a cheater bar to pivot it up and it mangled the comfort grip handle
Sliding the belt out from behind the tensioner was a colossal PIA, as was the entire routing of the belt.
On the plus side, the car fires right up (more on that later), runs smooth, and pulls to redline with no issue. My startup squeal is gone too
I also changed the oil with fresh Castrol Edge and a Purealotor Pure One filter (and a fresh crush washer).
And while I had some time with the car, I detailed the interior. I feel like the interior is really holding up well, although I'm sure the black covers it up.
+1
Yeah, it's 97% cosmetic, but I'm so off put by sliding calipers.
that interior looks nice.
I changed my serpentine belt this weekend too, wasn't planning on it but I was just peeking under the hood for some other stuff and it was way out of spec....I've got it down to about 15 minutes...I took off the passenger airbox and used the handle of my jack as cheater bar this time...I don't remember ever having to do that before...I think I'm just getting weaker lol...
the change is so gradual as it gets stretched but it's definitely noticeably less sloppy on the gas and quieter now...with the routing, putting the belt on the pulley at the top driver's side last makes it much easier to get it on...
I changed my oil recently also with Pennzoil Ultra Platinum and have not used a new crush washer yet... On any of my vehicles..... Ever.... I haven't had a problem yet, but I do feel kind of guilty for not using a fresh washer each time.
Pretty much me too, not to say I never change them, but rarely, and never had any issues, but I do lack the guilty feeling
Someone had posted a few pages back that you don't need to get underneath to change the belt. I don't really see how that is possible. Once I removed the under body tray, I got the belt on in ~15 minutes.
Funny you guys mention this...I was thinking about how ppl mentioned going in from the bottom to make it easier while I was doing it this weekend...I couldn't figure out how it would be easier doing it that way lol
Funny you guys mention this...I was thinking about how ppl mentioned going in from the bottom to make it easier while I was doing it this weekend...I couldn't figure out how it would be easier doing it that way lol
I had a bit** of a time routing the belt behind the tensioner. From the bottom, there is less stuff in the way and I could see better
Someone had posted a few pages back that you don't need to get underneath to change the belt. I don't really see how that is possible. Once I removed the under body tray, I got the belt on in ~15 minutes.
Yeah, you don't NEED to get under to change the belt, but it sure makes it a lot easier, for me anyways.
Originally Posted by blnewt
Pretty much me too, not to say I never change them, but rarely, and never had any issues, but I do lack the guilty feeling
Yeah, pretty much after I see no oil is leaking, my guilt is gone
Originally Posted by Hashim
Funny you guys mention this...I was thinking about how ppl mentioned going in from the bottom to make it easier while I was doing it this weekend...I couldn't figure out how it would be easier doing it that way lol
Just getting around that bottom pulley would be tough from the top, when you are trying to route the belt. In the end though, this is one of the easiest cars to change a belt on.
I had a bit** of a time routing the belt behind the tensioner. From the bottom, there is less stuff in the way and I could see better
Ah I see what you mean, I think sometimes you get lucky and get it onto the tensioner quickly...
also I'm just speculating here, but this time I just grabbed a cheap Continental (yes the tire brand) belt from the local autoparts store and I think it may be less stiff than the gates belt that I usually order online and I think a stiffer belt might make it harder to get on there...I seem to remember struggling with it more in the past too...not too much more but more than I did this weekend...