Kenari modification

It’s been a year I’ve not updated this blog. It was an eventful year starting from the headaches of my used Iswara purchased in August 2006, modifications I’ve made on my Kenari and most importantly, the tremendous loss by Barisan Nasional in the recent Malaysia election.

But for today, I’ll just touch on the upgrades I’ve made on my Kenari. After many months of thinking, I’ve finally decided to try chassis braces to strengthen the Kenari chassis with the hope of improving ride comfort. Before that, I’ve previously installed a 2-point strut bar which cost only RM45 but it didn’t really make any different, hence, I was skeptical on the effectiveness of chassis braces. However, the braces I was going to install was from Ultra Racing, an established brand and claimed to have conducted R&D, so I suppose there should be some improvement. I started with the fender bar which cost around RM240 with welding installation. The whole bumper and both fenders were removed to install the bar and took around 2 hours for this job. Upon first test driving, the effect can be immediately felt. The front tyres were more planted on the ground, giving a more precise handling. This translates to more confident when overtaking cars with tight space or on uneven road. However, the body roll has slightly increased. Overall, there was improvement in terms of straight line low speed stability. Slight improvement at high speed but the ride would start to get wallow above 100km/h.

After getting that improved driving feel, I went on to install the 4 point strut bar for RM150, the underfloor side bar for RM210 and 19mm rear anti roll bar for RM420. Unfortunately, those other bars installed did not live up to my expectation. There was actually no improvement felt after installing the strut bar, and only slight straight line stability improvement at low speed for the side bar. Meanwhile, the rear anti roll bar did not really reduce body roll as much as I’ve expected, definitely didn’t justify the price I’ve paid. However, I believe reasonably with those installed bars, it would probably offer some degree of protection in the event of a collision.

After that, on one afternoon, I’ve accidentally rolled over a large brick lying in the middle of the road, causing a bulge on the front left tyre. I’ve decided to use back the stock 14 inch rim for the front and managed to trade in the full set of that 2nd hand 13 inch Kelisa sport rims for RM180 (previously purchased at RM150) including the 2 Sime Astar Prima tyres (one of them was bulged). With that fetched value, I replaced the front rolling stock with the Michelin Pilot Preceda 2 tyre for RM220 each at Kee Hin. At the sametime, I’ve taken the opportunity to try out their high tech wireless wheel alignment machine for RM20. Only toe alignment was adjusted for the front wheels as the rear wheels are non-adjustable and fixed to the torsion beam. Prior to choosing the Michelin PP2 tyre, I’ve considered the Yokohama Advan Neova tyre, regarded as a semi-slick track tyre which is known to offer superior dry grip. However, there is also negative feedback on this tyre where road noise is expected for such racing tyre coupled with poor wet grip. As the Kenari is for family use, adding to the fact that the Yokohama tyre is only available at Klang at that time, I’ve not chosen to use this tyre.

That new Michelin tyres can be regarded as the most expensive for the tyre size of 165/55/14 compared to the Bridgestone Potenza RE030 sitting at the rear which I’ve bought for RM160 only in year 2006 and it’s made in Japan. Even though, that new Michelin tyre was found to be made in Thailand, the tyre shop owner explained that Michelin has already set up that plant in Thailand for more than 15 years and the reject rate for Michelin tyre is almost zero. However, unlike the Bridgestone tyre, the Michelin PP2 tyre has an asymmetric tread pattern i.e. the pattern at one side is different from the other, hence, there is an indicated outside and inside part of the tyre. Typically, such tyre is designed to have softer compound on the inside for comfort while a harder compound is used for the outside to improve handling.

The initial driving impression was very satisfying for the money I’ve paid. It could be due to the toe alignment done or the new tyre. One thing for sure, the acceleration from rest was a lot smoother, noise from road shocks was less pronounced and less body roll, which was expected when changing to a lower profile tyre. However, there is some loud droning noise when the speed exceeds 80 km/h or taking fast tight corner at low speed. Water dispersion has also improved in which speed reduction has been minimised when driving through a puddle of water.

After the refreshed experience on the new tyre, I’ve taken one step further to improve the car’s handling by installing an aftermarket rear spring called Uncle Comfort Spring (UCS) for RM200. Unlike other sport spring which is lower and stiffer, the UCS is only slightly stiffer than stock spring while still retaining the standard ride height. One of the known Kenari weaknesses is the rear suspension where the rear spring will be easily compressed to the maximum when the rear is seated with passengers, which mean that the suspension would not be able to absorb any road shock.

With the help of UCS, the rear suspension would not sink down significantly and less reduction in handling performance when the rear is seated with passengers. However, it also did not significantly improve the handling aspect even though the car is not carrying any passengers. Even then, I was more than happy to part that sort of money as the greatest improvement felt was the high speed stability in which it strike greater confident for the driver to push the car up to 110km/h. It could probably go above that but I’m afraid the engine may not be able to withstand the high revs. Overall, the improvement has given me more value for money compared to those chassis braces I’ve installed so far.

However, while jacking the rear suspension, the foreman has noted that the rear dampers were showing early signs of failure. It was a Kayaba oil dampers which has chalked up only 35,000km. Probably may need to be replaced in a few months time and I’ve considered using APM Performax for the rear as well.

Upon reaching 60,000km, it was time for another round of routine maintenance. While the manual recommended the change of ATF every 20,000km, I’ve opted to change it every 10,000km instead, hoping to prolong the gearbox’s lifespan. Apart from that, I would also normally clean up the injectors every 10,000km and a bottle of Abro Fuel Injector Cleaner should be helpful. Upon pouring the entire bottle into the fuel tank, happy to note that there was noticeable improvement in acceleration. Hope that such improvement is not temporary and diminished upon the next full tank refill.

Previously, when the car has chalked 35,000km, I’ve serviced the air conditioner by removing the cooling coil for cleaning, refill gas and Sunkimi compressor oil with the bill of RM160. No parts have been replaced even though the manual recommended to replace the filter and expansion valve. Needless to say, I don’t really feel any improvement and still get that lag when the compressor kicked in.

At 60,000km, it was really due for another round of air conditioner service, this time with the filter and expansion valve replaced at the cost of RM280. The Kenari air conditioner filter was surprisingly just a small packet of pebbles (I guess those pebbles were moist absorbing silica) instead of a large cylinder can used in the Kancil or Iswara. It was also found that the old filter has been heavy tainted with blackish carbon stain and small debris of metal, signs of overheating and compressor failure. I’ve have noted that my Kenari is actually using a Denso rotary compressor. The foreman has volunteered to pump out the remaining metal debris within the pipe by force feeding compressed air. During the service, I’ve also enquired the cost of installing a push fan in front of the condenser as there was only one fan currently pulling air through the stacked heat exchangers i.e. the ATF cooler, condenser and the radiator. I was quoted for RM145 for a Sanden push fan including a relay but I’ve to try out the performance after servicing before adding another fan. After some negotiation, the foreman was also kind enough to include a bottle of NASA compressor oil while sticking to the original quote.

After a 2 hours job, it was time for test drive. Needless to say, there was improvement in a sense that there was minimal power loss when the compressor kicks in. Acceleration was smooth with the air conditioner running and there was just a slight click noise when the compressor was activated, unlike the previous growl sound. However, that annoying growl noise was still apparent when the car was idling for a long time in a traffic jam, which indicates that it may be caused by lack of cooling when the car was idling. Probably, a push fan in front would do the trick and that will be in my upcoming upgrade project together with a controlled air leak valve known as ‘Mini Turbo’ that cost around RM250.