Megatron build

[sequestrian]

I started looking into buying an EV in January and looked at everything available in Utah, starting with the Leaf which I really wanted to like but just couldn't. Thinking to make good use of the new EV tax incentives, I then looked at the BMW i3 and was pretty impressed overall, especially with BMW's sustainable materials and manufacturing processes. However, as my wife spends a lot more time on the road than I do and she drives the least efficient car that we'd be replacing, two back seats didn't make sense with our three kids especially once I started looking at the out-the-door cost to buy one and if I were going to spend that much I thought I should at least look at a Tesla. It was pretty much love at first sight and we bought Sylvia, a silver S85.

During my research, I looked at what other EVs were available nationwide and stumbled upon the Spark, which I loved the sound of and thought it would be a perfect replacement for Lady, my '97 Toyota Tercel, if I ever decided to replace her. We bought Sylvia to replace Lady when her clutch started slipping in May but we sold my wife's Mazda3 hatchback (Carl) instead as we could still get thousands out of him as opposed to Lady's somewhat dismal value. As I began my plans to replace Lady’s clutch, I started to really evaluate the things I liked about her and what I wanted to change. We purchased Sylvia privately in California but when I first looked at what EVs were available locally, to my surprise and delight there were two Sparks close by. I went to test drive one and loved it but the dealership was unreasonable. We decided to walk away and purchase a Model S first.

The salesman stayed in contact and after a couple of weeks of emailing back and forth and encouragement from my wife, I decided to pull the trigger on this black 2015 Chevrolet Spark 2LT with just over 2k miles. Tilli coined it Megatron which I loved the irony of. When she employed the Mickey nickname, it just felt right. This is where my build starts.

 

[sequestrian]

At risk of looking like the stereotypical "tuner", the first modification I made was debadging. As Mickey has very low mileage and was a lemon law buyback, I got a pretty sweet comprehensive warranty that I'm hesitant to void. I've never had a warrantied vehicle (part of my trepidation) but I felt pretty safe in making minor aesthetic changes. I also swapped out the Overhaulin license plate frame I had on Lady as it seems fitting considering this model has a large margin for improvement and is a domestic, and frankly I was very attached to Lady so I kept the frame when I sold her. I love not having the bow tie up front, but the gaping hole has to go and the bow tie delete in back left a couple of small holes. Now that I'm looking at it, I should really repaint at least the red on the plate frame. It's looking distinctly pink.

 

[sequestrian]

As nice as remote start for climate conditioning is, Mickey's black paint makes for a very warm car and the leatherette seats make for rather sweaty sitting. I've always wanted tinted windows and never had them in my cars as I was worried it would decrease road visibility. Sylvia assuaged my hesitance and I did some concept work in Gimp to decide how dark I wanted.



I pulled the trigger on the legal maximums for tint and was delighted with the result.



Amazon provided me a matte black Decepticon emblem I thought would be a decent plug for the rear emblem holes. I had also been toying around with the front emblem and tried to repaint the gold backing of the inner piece black to protect the black paint and give it some interesting depth, but removing the gold paint proved difficult. My efforts with sanding and chemicals in combination with the heat gun for the initial removal weakened the plastic too much and it broke, so I just painted the interior of the chrome bow tie black. It looks okay but it is apparent the molding of the emblem was never intended to be used without the inner bow tie. I think I'd like to place another matte black Decepticon emblem into it but I'll need to design it with a middle V-point to conform to the bow tie and have it 3D printed. While I was at it, I also painted the steering wheel emblem to match.

 

[Taxman]

Cavalier Z24s used to come with red outline bowties that looked sportier than the emblems on the base and LS cars.
But it sounds like you don't want Chevy badging that stands out that much.

 

[sequestrian]

Yeah, I'm not exactly proud to drive a Chevy and am rather irritated with how poorly implemented are many of the Spark's features. Just because I like small, eco-friendly vehicles doesn't mean I want sub-entry level quality. I'm really digging the black-on-black look and am leaning heavily toward a blacked-out look like this:

 

[sequestrian]

I am freaking out! I bought these 15x6.5 ET45 Mugen RNR wheels (10.5 lbs. each!) from an Ebay seller in Japan last Tuesday. I checked the shipment tracking this morning and they're already in the SLC area. I assume they'll be delivered tomorrow. Time to source some tires!



Dumb question: does changing the wheels violate the warranty?

 

[sTeeve]

I am freaking out! I bought these 15x6.5 ET45 Mugen RNR wheels (10.5 lbs. each!) from an Ebay seller in Japan last Tuesday. I checked the shipment tracking this morning and they're already in the SLC area. I assume they'll be delivered tomorrow. Time to source some tires!



Dumb question: does changing the wheels violate the warranty?

Lookin' tight!

-Bob K.

 

[Taxman]

Dumb question: does changing the wheels violate the warranty?

No, but if ill fitting wheels cause damage to the brake calipers, that's damage, not a warrantable defect. A lot of forum members have been test fitting wheels that I'd think would fit and having to add 5mm spacers to keep the spokes off the front calipers.

 

[sequestrian]

Yeah, I have 5mm spacers for the front wheels coming Friday. I'm thinking I need an all-season tire here in Utah but my options are limited at 205/50/15 (I'm sort of imitating Nashco's setup). Anyone have experience with the Kumho Ecsta PA31?

 

[Taxman]

Test results and Tire Rack compiled review results should be more reliable than anything most of us might say. In general, I'd grab an "ultra high performance" class tire before a "high performance".
My only experience in that category is with General G-Max, which were considered pretty good (except in the snow) four years ago but their ratings have slipped to mediocre, presumably because better has come onto the market since then. My AWD wagon gets very tail-happy when I goose the throttle in the snow, but other than that the G-Max have been great.

Have you considered the Ecsta 4X II?
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Kumho&tireModel=Ecsta+4X+II&sidewall=Blackwall&partnum=955VR5E4X2&tab=Sizes

 

[sequestrian]

It's not available in a 205/50-15.

 

[Leafless]

I bought the Ventus V2 Concept 2 H457
Tire Size 205 /50 R15 86H SL BSW
UTQG: 500AA-A --- Load Range: SL --- Speed Rating: H
Advertised as a "Fuel Efficient" tire and a new concept in High Performance All-Season driving.
$71.03 and Free Shipping

So far, happy with them. The UTQG rating seems to be a good compromise between performance and long wear. And it is the only one in this size that they had at the time which is also a low rolling resistence "Fuel Efficient" tire.

 

[Taxman]

It's not available in a 205/50-15.

But if a grippier tire in 195/55 outperforms the 205/50...

$71.03 and Free Shipping

About $74 shipped to me from Tire Rack.
But look at this, $61.99 from Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Hankook-Ventus-concept-All-Season-Radial/dp/B00KTE6R5Y

The 195/55 is slightly cheaper and 2lb lighter.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KTE5HW8/ref=psdc_2054183011_t3_B00KTE6R5Y

 

[NORTON]

..But if a grippier tire in 195/55 outperforms the 205/50...

Too true !!
If you want performance, who cares about LRR tire ratings?

 

[sequestrian]

Boy, do I feel sheepish. That makes total sense. Thanks for the advice!

 

[sequestrian]

The 195/55 is slightly cheaper and 2lb lighter.

So, I haven't mucked about with sizes too much in the past, generally going with what the installers recommend. The Kumho Ecsta 4X II can be had as a 205/55 or 195/55. Is the centimeter greater width worth the 2 lb. increase?

 

[Leafless]

The 195/55 is slightly cheaper and 2lb lighter.

So, I haven't mucked about with sizes too much in the past, generally going with what the installers recommend. The Kumho Ecsta 4X II can be had as a 205/55 or 195/55. Is the centimeter greater width worth the 2 lb. increase?

PA31 in a 205-50-15 is also a good choice as this size is almost identical diameter to 185-55-15 original front tires. Thus, speedometer will not be affected. PA31 also appears to be the better choice in areas where the may be snow or ice.

Don't forget TPMS:
https://tpms247.com/collections/2015-chevrolet-spark/products/tpms-sensor-2015-chevrolet-spark-im4083?variant=20063589445

Note: Unless you are saving your original tires & wheels for a lease return (or for any other reason), you could use the existing TPMS sensors. I also believe that if properly located (e.g. RF to RF, etc.) you would not need to reset the sensors although doing so is relatively easy with the proper tool.

For more info on my setup, see:
http://www.mychevysparkev.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=4630&start=10

 

[sequestrian]

PA31 in a 205-50-15 is also a good choice as this size is almost identical diameter to 185-55-15 original front tires. Thus, speedometer will not be affected. PA31 also appears to be the better choice in areas where the may be snow or ice.

With only 1.22mph difference between 195/55 and 185/55 sizes at 65mph, I'd rather have the higher performing Ecsta 4X II. Tirerack rates it higher than some of the summer tires for dry traction and much higher than the PA31 or Hankook Ventus V2 for wet traction. That is just the sort of tire I'm looking for and at the current rate of $64 per tire and 4 for the cost of 3 with the rebate, I'm sold. Thanks for the recommendation and helping me be more aware of all considerations.

 

[didget69]

Don't forget TPMS:
https://tpms247.com/collections/2015-chevrolet-spark/products/tpms-sensor-2015-chevrolet-spark-im4083?variant=20063589445

Most TPM sensors will be good for 5-6 years of operation, and some will see up to 8-10 years of service. No need to replace the sensors unless defective or damaged during a tire change.

But, stealerships/tire stores are more than happy to upsell you on a $65-$80 TPMS 'reseal' with $0.50 in o-rings...

YMMV

bnc

 

[Taxman]

sequestrian bought new wheels, so I assume he wants new TPMS, unless he wants to sell the factory wheels without the TPMS sensors.