[ray32]

After lurking here for a couple of months, I am very glad to say that I have finally collected my Polar White ES today! (Edit: I forgot to mention that it's a DCT! We do not get the manual here unfortunately.)

Day #1:

Please bear with me as this thread is going to be quite long Anyhow, instead of boring you with details on why I bought this car, let me proceed to explain my build - I'm looking to turn my ES into a stealthy 'sleeper', hopefully sticking to a 'function-over-form' philosophy along the way. Truth be told, I do plan to track this car eventually, while also using it on a daily basis for work/groceries/family. As such, it would have to be a car which is fun and capable enough, yet somewhat look like every other normal sedan out there. Besides, I'm a modding junkie and there is just no way I'm leaving this car stock.

Finally! My white baby ready for collection at the dealership after 6 long weeks of waiting. Had the dealer send my car to have it tinted prior to collection (3M Crystalline - 60% front, 40% all around).

Modding begins immediately! I drove straight to my wheels vendor - I ordered a set of Wedssport TC105N over a month ago and had planned to have them installed asap. Here's a picture of the wheels ready to be loaded into the boot. Specs are 17x8.0J (ET42).

After collecting my wheels, it's time for fresh rubber. The stock 225/45/17 Hankook Ventus Prime 2 tires (Malaysian-spec) are decent, but nowhere near good enough for my purposes. I drove to my tire guy to collect my Yokohama Advan Neova AD08Rs (235/45/17).

My tire guy was curious how the tail lights looked when turned on. Gosh, aren't they just lovely?

The OEM 17" wheels for our Malaysian market. These wheels are unique to our country and are manufactured locally. Specs are 17x7.0J (ET45). Not a fan of its look to be honest, and it looked heavy.

Time for weight checks! The stock 17" wheel weighs 9.6kg (21.1lbs), while the TC105N weighs 6.85kg (15.1lbs). That equals a total reduction of 11kg (24lbs) of unspring weight.

Some serious JDM fans will immediately know that the Wedssport TC105N doesn't work with center caps if hubcentric rings/cones are used. Blame it on the design, but that means exposed hub centers. I had them painted black just to keep the look clean - a base silver coat followed by two coats of black does the job.

While waiting for the paint to dry, the Yokohama AD08Rs are mounted onto the wheels. Look at the meaty rubber! I'm glad to say that the TPMS sensors were rather easy to remove/install and works great with the new wheels. Do be careful though as they look rather fragile!

In keeping with the 'lightweight' spirit, I installed the new wheel/tire combo with TPI FN (Cold Forged Aluminium) lug nuts. These are significantly lighter than most steel lugs and are available in a titanium finish similar to the Wedssports, albeit in a darker shade. Looks good enough for me. Didn't bother weighing them though.

The front once everything is mounted.

 

[ray32]

The rear wheel

The front pokes out more than I'd like (mostly the wider rubber), but I really needed a lower offset to clear any future big brake kits. ET49 would have fitted better. Sticks out about 1cm (3/8") or so.

The rear pokes out a little as well, but from the factory seems to have a bit of negative camber so it looks somewhat better. Just worried about rubbing fenders at this point.

Another view of the wheel/tire combo once installed. Had the alignment checked, loaded the car with 4 passengers and some weighted boxes in the boot, and off we went for a test drive. Pushed the car through some rather bad/bumpy roads and some really tight corners (on a quiet private road, of course ), and I'm very glad to report that there is zero rubbing. Probably would rub when lowered, but that is a concern for another time. For now, I'm happy .

After all that, I had to stop for a coffee break. Again, another view of the beauty. What a day!

PS: Went home afterwards and deleted the 'Elantra' and 'Sport' Emblem (looks much cleaner to me), but I didn't take any pictures since it was already dark. Will share more pics soon.

What's next? I already have a few more mods in mind, but the very next mod would definitely be a Big Brake Kit. The stock brakes are decent to be honest, but I'm used to much stronger braking and need something more suitable for hard track work. Will update this thread again once I get those on. Thanks for reading!

 

[n0thing]

Looks good!

 

[muas89]

Hi ray, I'm Muas from KL too.
Glad to have friends nearby. Hope we will meet one day

 

[ray32]

Day #2:

I've decided to send my car in for a full body glass coating, which includes coating the headlights. My detailer friend gave me a good price and besides, glass coating gives the car a good shine and makes washing a whole lot easier. I have been reviewing my 'build ideas' so far, and I am really excited to see how this will all turn out .

It's been raining all day. The car received a full wash before proceeding with the paint inspection/correction and subsequent glass coating. Car will be left at the detailer today unfortunately.

As mentioned, I managed to delete the rear 'Elantra' and 'Sport' emblems myself using some dental floss, hairdryer, detergent, water, microfiber cloth and a LED torch light. Wasn't too difficult and I'm relieved that there are no visible scratches. Anyhow, the polish should clear that all out. Digging the cleaner look so far.

I also put a sticker on the rear passenger window, which is an inside joke among my car friends . It means '(Used) For Buying Groceries' in traditional Chinese. You sometimes see them on vans/trucks in wholesale markets throughout Hong Kong.

I also came across this picture on Instagram, for aluminium paddle shifter extensions made by a Chinese company called 'Savanini'. Will be trying to source a pair of this in Anodized Silver, rather than red. Not necessarily my cup of tea in terms of aesthetics, but metal shifter paddles feel way better. Those on the Elantra are rather 'cute' lol.

(PS: Admin, could you kindly combine my posts into one and help me resize the images so that they appear large on the page rather than as thumbnails? I sincerely apologize in advance (I'm really new at this) and many thanks!)

 

[Mohkx]

Any update on this? Seemed to have had a lot going.

 

[ray32]

Yes, I've done quite a bit to the car but was too lazy to post it up. Further mods:

1) AP Racing 4-piston BBK with 330mm floating rotors & Ferodo DS3000 pads
2) Custom rear oversized 326mm rotors with custom bracket & upgraded pads
3) HEL SS Braided Brake Lines all xorners
4) AP Racing DOT 5.1 Brake Fluid
5) Ultra Racing Tower Strut Bar
6) Sxth Intake
7) Sxth Catless Downpipe
8) Sxth BOV Flange with HKS SSQV BOV
9) Savanini Paddle Shift Extensions

Still early in the build though. Waiting for more parts to be available before I start working on the engine and suspension.

 

[digitalfuhrer]

Trying to find the paddle shifters but no luck. Did you contacted them for a special order?

Yes, I've done quite a bit to the car but was too lazy to post it up. Further mods:

1) AP Racing 4-piston BBK with 330mm floating rotors & Ferodo DS3000 pads
2) Custom rear oversized 326mm rotors with custom bracket & upgraded pads
3) HEL SS Braided Brake Lines all xorners
4) AP Racing DOT 5.1 Brake Fluid
5) Ultra Racing Tower Strut Bar
6) Sxth Intake
7) Sxth Catless Downpipe
8) Sxth BOV Flange with HKS SSQV BOV
9) Savanini Paddle Shift Extensions

Still early in the build though. Waiting for more parts to be available before I start working on the engine and suspension.

 

[croppz]

Trying to find the paddle shifters but no luck. Did you contacted them for a special order?

Socalgarageworks carries the paddles for the ES

 

[digitalfuhrer]

Thank you Ray

 

[cowboy#1]

Day #2:

I've decided to send my car in for a full body glass coating, which includes coating the headlights. My detailer friend gave me a good price and besides, glass coating gives the car a good shine and makes washing a whole lot easier. I have been reviewing my 'build ideas' so far, and I am really excited to see how this will all turn out .

View attachment 5858
It's been raining all day. The car received a full wash before proceeding with the paint inspection/correction and subsequent glass coating. Car will be left at the detailer today unfortunately.

View attachment 5874
As mentioned, I managed to delete the rear 'Elantra' and 'Sport' emblems myself using some dental floss, hairdryer, detergent, water, microfiber cloth and a LED torch light. Wasn't too difficult and I'm relieved that there are no visible scratches. Anyhow, the polish should clear that all out. Digging the cleaner look so far.

View attachment 5866
I also put a sticker on the rear passenger window, which is an inside joke among my car friends . It means '(Used) For Buying Groceries' in traditional Chinese. You sometimes see them on vans/trucks in wholesale markets throughout Hong Kong.

View attachment 5882
I also came across this picture on Instagram, for aluminium paddle shifter extensions made by a Chinese company called 'Savanini'. Will be trying to source a pair of this in Anodized Silver, rather than red. Not necessarily my cup of tea in terms of aesthetics, but metal shifter paddles feel way better. Those on the Elantra are rather 'cute' lol.

(PS: Admin, could you kindly combine my posts into one and help me resize the images so that they appear large on the page rather than as thumbnails? I sincerely apologize in advance (I'm really new at this) and many thanks!)

i dont think they make them for the es

 

[gary laser eyes]

What's the part number for the hel ss/ brake lines. I've checked several other companies and they dont make them. Their website seems to be down

 

[redryhan]

That looks impressive.

 

[CatfishElantra]

Hope you're still building?!