Finished work and came back home with new arrived goodies !!



Didn't hesitate to go and install the new HU. First taking the surroundings off - fairly straight forward, thanks for the tips on here and a "how to" video.



This is the hardest part, screwing the original screw brackets on to the HU. Used some force but managed to get them in




Very tight fitting at the back, used the AudioLeads stalk control, like most people no Mute. Not something I'm bothered with, so long I got the the rest of the controls. As long as you followed the instructions provided by Audiolead, you should be ok! I had the pink cable left over assuming for the mute, but I had no idea which socket it goes into the Head Unit.



Perfect fit at the end, took a few attempts to rejig the cables at the back but it will fit - just!

Here's where I put my mic, hid the cable behind the side console and unscrew the side footwell cover to tuck the cable in. Screw it back and this stops the cabling from fraying around. Made some phone calls, everyone can hear me very well and it's less conspicuous - so even better!!!



Oh and the USB extension is at the passenger side, just fed it from the left back side and use the net to keep it from fraying around.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed the whole process. 1 week researching which head unit to go for and which stalk control cable. Read all the how to's and faults, dilemmas people had. With the research the installation process was less daunting as I knew it won't be straight forward install compare to the VAG/Vauxhalls I did. TBH this is probably the hardest and most time consuming installation I've ever done. Took me less than 2hours.

Glad the Audiolead worked to my expectations, was afraid from what people have said that they've not got controls at all or missing some. Missing mute is no biggie. It does the job for my intentions, you probably get what you pay for if you get the Celsus or Modifry one.

The Pioneer DEH-X8500BT. Absolutely flawless. Iphone synced with Head Unit easily. Play music easy, made some phone calls, great "speakerphone". I'm using OEM speakers and for my ears, I personally think they are good enough. It's got great bass, clarity and good volume. Altogether is all worth the £150 to modify and replace the existing OEM stereo.

I hope this review/write up can be helpful for the newbies out there.

 

Bought a set of black coated preface lift 16" alloys. Lucky for me they had Bridgestone 6-7mm thread left all around. Thought I scrub them in before putting winters on in Dec.

Swapped them out from the 17" originals and drove for about 15-20miles, found the car handle much better than expected, definitely less harsher on the London pot holes and better for my back.

What do people think??

 

I think s2s are more fun with the 16s on

the 17s take the danger out of driving lol

 

I suppose you're right, with the lost of 60mm of rubber at the back will experience less grip.

What are people's experience with facelift S2Ks running on 16s? Has anyone ran on them long term?

Are they just as prone of losing the backend compare to a preface lift S2K? Considering the suspension is better tuned on the facelift S2K

 

Less rubber up front as well so the balance should remain and you would typically be driving so far below the tyres grip limits on the road I doubt you would notice any less overall grip between the two setups.

It's the stiffness of the first gen cars that makes the back end more maneuverable.

 

20mm I think...

 

Is it me or does that back wheel have + camber on it ?

 

Philip: Thanks for your point, that made a lot of sense. I didn't think it would make much of a difference, but wanted people's experiences to justify my choices.

Tozerman - Yes you're right, 20mm a corner a total lost of 40mm at the back. HA! I believe it's down to the IPhone camera.

 

Hi all,

Just to let everyone know I have now sold my s2000. It is currently on sale by a trader: http://www.autotrade...01607185960035. In case someone considers buying it, I'm happy to answer any questions.