Ecky considering another Insight

[Ecky]

First item was getting the stereo updated. The factory stereo has to be the worst sounding of any vehicle I've ever been in.

New (used) JVC radio. Retail price was $700nz, picked it up from a wrecker for $80.




Bumper cover off for backup cam installation.




Assembled a shoebox sub that fits in the unused space in the rear right corner.

[freebeard]

Did you weigh that bumper so you have a target weight for the boat tail?

[Ecky]

Originally Posted by freebeard

Did you weigh that bumper so you have a target weight for the boat tail?

Hah!

It weighs virtually nothing. All plastic, and pretty thin at that. Easy one finger lift.

[freebeard]

Inflatable? Helium?

[Ecky]

Lightweight wheels installed. Takes ~3lbs off per corner, from the already featherweight stock wheels.

[Ecky]

As the first step toward modifying the hybrid system, I installed a "current hack", courtesy of Peter Perkins, on Insight Central. This can be done purely with resistors, but Peter's PCB is inexpensive and convenient.

The hack requires a resistor to be placed in the battery control module (BCM), and either Peter's PCB, or another set of resistors, in the motor control module (MCM). These sit on top of the battery pack. The main fuse also needs to be increased from 100 amps to at least 150 amps. Fortunately, the Fit Hybrid battery packs come with a compatible 150 amp fuse.

Battery case revealed, after picking up the carpet:




Battery cover removed:




New fuse:




Fuse installed in the battery pack:




Resistor added to the BCM:




PCB added to the MCM:

[Ecky]

I don't use the rear wiper, and removal is a win in terms of both weight and aerodynamics. My scale shows 1.1kg or 2.4lbs without the wiper blade attached.

While working on it, I took the time to repair the "spoiler". Sun damage had removed the clear coat, and some of the mounting points had broken.

Rear wiper motor exposed by removing the trim:




Pic showing the sun damage to the spoiler, as well as the 32mm hole left by its removal.




Some JB weld applied to the plastic tabs on the underside:




32mm glass plug installed w/silicone, and spoiler clearcoated and wet sanded to a passable finish:

[Ecky]

A shot of the engine bay:




I have an empty battery case which came from a failed lithium motorcycle battery, which I have plans for. Plans don't include 18650's, but possibly something similar and safer.

[Ecky]

Some suspension modifications and maintenance!

The front creaks over bumps. I noticed the tie rod end boots were cracked, and decided to do tie rod ends as well as links. Fortunately, USDM and JDM parts match. Unfortunately, these did not fix the creaking. I'll return to this at a later date.




The rear springs in these cars are considerably softer than the fronts (2.0k in the front?), and most of them are frequently slamming the rear bump stops, even with no weight in the back of the car. The popular spring upgrade for these cars are from a 98-05 Daewoo Matiz, which results in (I believe) a spring rate increase from 1.4k to 2.1k in the rear. This also makes the cars understeer less, and reduces body roll when cornering. However, I could not source any Matiz springs in New Zealand, and shipping from Europe was going to be 5x the cost of the springs.

After poking around in a scrapyard, I found 03-13 Mazda 3 rear springs were the only match in terms of coil diameter and spring rate. Uncut, they're ~3k springs, but they need to be trimmed by almost 100mm for the car to sit at stock ride height in the rear, unloaded. Trimmed anymore, and they would get loose in their seats with the rear in the air, requiring different (shorter) dampers. Trimmed to this length, math tells me their spring rate is now closer to 4k. I expected the ride to be punishing, but they're severely underdamped with the stock (likely tired) dampers, so instead they're firm, a touch bouncy, but not harsh. They also make the car handle almost completely neutrally in turns.










They also have the added benefit of still having plenty of suspension travel, even with 12 bags of cement in the back of the car.

[Ecky]

Remounted the speakers from the door cards to the door frames, and added some sound damping. Out of everywhere in the car, the doors provide the best bang for your buck in terms of added weight vs noise removed. ~1kg per door significantly cuts road noise, and improves how the speakers sound.











On a related note, turns out JDM Insights have a tuned damper on the rear beam axle, which is absent on USDM models.