DarrenHs' GTE16v, version 1

[Matheusc20xe]

Re: oddballs astra GTE16v and 20XE diary

have you tried shrick ? i'm very sure that piper do a 264/10.16mm cam for the 20XE. i have a list here

In website of Schrick don´t have list of aplication. Do you know some seller of Scherick cams there in UK?


Cheers,


Matheus S. Almeida

[DarrenH]

Re: oddballs astra GTE16v and 20XE diary

i dont know seller of shrick. piper and kent both do fast road cams, sbd definately sell fast road cams (which are kent anyway)

[tomstickland]

Re: oddballs astra GTE16v and 20XE diary

220BHP. It's going to be a bloody rocket.

Kent & Piper aren't the best regarded cam companies. I think this is why many tuners source Schrick cams and others.

[DarrenH]

Re: oddballs astra GTE16v and 20XE diary

BALLS !

about 3 weeks ago exiting toys r us car park i heard a massive THUNK from the front drivers suspension, like someone whacking the floorpan with a 4lb mallet. i pulled back into the carpark for a thorough inspection and couldnt see anything wrong. TCA bolt still in one piece, anti-roll bar link bolts in one piece, TCA fine, top mounts fine, strut ring-nut fine. it felt ok to drive on the way home, so i forgot about it.

last weekend myself and mattj did about 200 miles in the astras, mostly motorway and quick B roads, the astra felt a bit funny, the suspension was a bit wishy washy, not alarm bells wheel flapping around, just something not quite right.

i used the car again today and while traversing some local speed humps the thunk returned as the suspension settled after each ramp. got to work and had a look in the drivers wheel arch...







ACK !

so now the new suspension moves to priority 1, the mini engine build is gonna have to wait. billstein sprintline (blue and yellows) enter stage right ! gotta get a shift on too as it’s the southeast rolling road day in 12 days time !!

[weekenny]

Re: oddballs astra GTE16v and 20XE diary

Odders if you have a Euro car parts down your way they can source the billies at reasonable prices (or they could when I asked 4 years ago)

[DarrenH]

Re: oddballs astra GTE16v and 20XE diary

[DarrenH]

Re: oddballs astra GTE16v and 20XE diary

kit arrived got them from eurocar parts in the end, in london.

[MattJ]

Re: oddballs astra GTE16v and 20XE diary

Lets kick some VW butt!

[Matheusc20xe]

Re: oddballs astra GTE16v and 20XE diary

kit arrived got them from eurocar parts in the end, in london.

hummmm...sweety..

and the question that i don´t like do: "How much$$$ for it?"

[traffman]

Re: oddballs astra GTE16v and 20XE diary

mmmm billies.

[DarrenH]

Re: oddballs astra GTE16v and 20XE diary

managed to get the kit on today.

started by stripping down the passenger side



gas insert out, and spring off. also you can see to the left, a full compliment of genuine vauxhall spring seats, guide ring, upper and lower damper rings, bump stops, top mounts etc (cheers allen !)



passenger strut all assembled with bilstein insert and spring. really nice design too, great thick piston. the concertina style blue dust cover for the piston is a nice touch too.



onto the drivers side... here’s the offending broken spring. clearly just rust, old age and fatigue causing the break, since the suspension wasn’t even being worked hard when it failed (was turning in a car park)



load of shite !



drivers side strut fully assembled



...and all complete on the car



onto the back end... old springs and dampers out. what a state they are in, basically only 5 years old. also look at the state of the sportex exhaust, i cant express how much contempt i have for these exhaust systems, absolutely shocking state with only about 20k miles/ 2 years on it. look at the up and over beam section. the exhaust had 2 coats, top to tail, of halfords high temp enamel when i bought it too.



bilstein streetline off...



...bilstein sprintline on !





and heres how it looks after about 10 miles round the lanes to bed the springs and new brake pads in. it was quite high before i left, and still about an inch higher than it was on the Pi springs. should settle down ok though



the first drive felt really nice, it used to be really crashy, but now seems more positively damped . still a firm ride, but it doesn’t bang over lumps and bumps in the road, just soaks them up.

[tomstickland]

Re: oddballs astra GTE16v and 20XE diary

Good work. That spring breaking; what a load of cack. Looks like you need new brake pads soon too.

[DarrenH]

Re: oddballs astra GTE16v and 20XE diary

to bed the springs and new brake pads in

...

[GRAK]

Re: oddballs astra GTE16v and 20XE diary

Excellant diary m8, maybe it'll inspire me to get of my ar#e sort our GTE's out

[Matheusc20xe]

Re: oddballs astra GTE16v and 20XE diary

I loved this suspension kit!

You car stay a really nice Oddfriend! I want see your car killing the Lancer EVO's on circuit competition!