When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
For about $150USD I replaced the plain black mesh hood inserts with a pair of chrome/ black that are similar in styling to the side vents/trim pieces. Cosmetic, but I'll wait for warranty to expire before doing mechanical upgrades.
My thoughts exactly. No rush on voiding my warranty, even if that's super conservative.
Decided that since I was not using the engine cover for it's purpose, I would try something else and yet still get some benefit from a bit more air out from the engine.
Yeah...I suppose. It's funny how the changing the software seems less invasive than a crank pulley [obviously not]. I am still trying to find a reasonable shop to do my VAP lowering springs. Everything [everywhere] is getting incredibly expensive [especially in the LA area where folks seem to be able to download dollars from the FED at will].
Congrats on the car.
There’s a forum members with a YouTube channel, Sal’s garage and he has a F type that he’s done the mods himself and lives in LA. I believe he has offered to help other forum members in the LA area. Definitely check out his channel.
Performance wise, I’d do the crank pulley… that and the tune turns it into a different car. I’d also do the transmission tune by VAP($1000) the shifts points feel better should make your car slightly faster as well. If you have both the ECU and TCU tune, VAP can raise your redline to 7500.
After that, it’s onto the 200 cell cats($1300) which will need another VAP tune. I had to change my cats because I have 60k miles and it sounds/performs different from when I bought it a year ago. BTW, VAP has a pops, burble and bang tune that is over the top. I used it for a while but realized it was killing my already “at the end of its life” cat converters. It will expedite the process of clogging your exhaust if you already have a good amount of miles but that shouldn’t be a problem for you. This is no slam on VAP, you increase performance or exaggerate something on a car and normal wear and tear will accelerate (pun intended).
According to other expert forum members, intake and exhaust upgrades doesn’t add much except for sound since the OEM is well designed. I did do the Mina gallery intake ($500) with a set of Injen canister filters ($100) and the supercharger whine is more audible.
This next suggestion is controversial but I personally really like the Pedal Commander ($300) which reduces the pedal play/slack between when you press on the accelerator. There are other brands like Sprint Booster.
After that it’s probably an intercooler upgrade OR a water meth injection system ($600-1000), oil catch can ($100) If you haven’t checked out TheRocks DIY posts…. He is the MAN!!!!
I threw a set of H&R coils ($400-500) on my car and it is low (1.5” drop) and I do rub against really big speed bumps but I really like the look and just take it extra careful or just avoid them if possible. Sounds like most people are very happy with the VAP coils, which is about half of the drop of the H&R.
For the wheels, if you keep your eyes out on the marketplace, there are a lot of folks who sell their OEM rims when they upgrade or they’re selling their aftermarket wheels when they sell their ride. Usually pretty well priced/negotiable and I think many of the wheels that pop up in the forum are in the LA area. If you’re not ready for new wheels, maybe consider a set of 15mm spacers to widen your stance. I just installed a new set of wheels on my car and don’t need my spacers at this time and happy to ship them to you to try and see if you like them before ordering your own set.
Regarding the brakes, I kept my high performance brakes but did change the rotors to StopTech cross drilled and slotted for looks (not ideal for racing) and love it. I threw a set of porterfield brakes which reduced the dust significantly. Something to consider when it’s time to replace. Maybe even consider upgrading your rear brakes to the larger size if/when you replace the rotors.
Audio system - despite popular belief, the exhaust isn’t the only sound system on the F-Type😁. If you don’t have CarPlay, check out the UAD add on module. There a number of videos on YouTube on it’s installation. (Thanks you Paul Calvert for your details videos) This is a must have for me…. Waze on the screen is awesome. For your speakers, I would replace them with the JLR Kevlar upgrade speakers for about $600 and dynamat the doors. I used the normal dynamat material on the inside skin of the outer shell and used a foam dynamat material (much lighter to keep the weight down) on the other 3 sides of the door. This will dramatically improve your sound system. Bass is tight and much cleaner/less distortion.
Interior wise, if you’re into carbon fiber, Koshi has parts that they manufacture but you can buy them through www.madnessautoworks.com and it ships from domestic dealer. Very well made products and I personally love the look. Pretty expensive but you get what you pay for.
Exterior wise, Koshi/madness have a bunch of stuff but I haven’t bought/installed so can’t really comment.
There are ton of other upgrades to customize your car but I’d keep in mind, you get what you pay for. Guardian steering wheels look amazing. There are pedals on eBay that are easy to install and look great. Antigravity lithium battery drops about 40 lbs.
This forum has helped me tremendously and happy to provide any knowledge I’ve gained. DM for more details.
Last comment, live life with no regrets. Personally I think Heaven/Hell (not from a religious perspective) is the flashback of your life the moment you’re about to die and it can either be the nice, kind and positive memories you have OR a life of anger, being scared and/or regrets. That flashback is the last thing you see and it’s what you’re left with so it’s up to you whether it’s the former or the latter. Ultimately, this car is a small part of my life but it brings me a lot of joy in a unique way and if it contributes towards the positive memories I have of my life, then it was all worth it. 😁
WMI controller installed into dead space behind the armrest. These a huge improvement over the OEM polyprop speakers. Guardian wheel, heated flat bottom, alcantara sides and perforated leather top and bottom. Extended Ferrari red paddles and accents. Mina Gallery Hood vents view from the backside. After replacing them, you’ll notice a ridiculous amount of heat come out from that vent compared to before. Antigravity lithium battery- built in remote jumpstart (has come in handy a few times) and it’s about 40 lbs lighter than the OEM. With the 15mm spacers.
Last edited by datriani; Jan 28, 2022 at 10:22 AM.
Decided that since I was not using the engine cover for it's purpose, I would try something else and yet still get some benefit from a bit more air out from the engine.
Hi all.
If anyone is interested, I have a Race Chip that was removed from my 2018 base model F-Type for sale listed in the Marketplace. The product was used for less than a year before I sold the car in anticipation of ordering a 2022 (which BTW is scheduled to be built in just 6 long days--fingers crossed.).
Next update. This time I hard wired my radar detector (R7) to the top lamp housing. When using the Blend Mount and lighter socket the detector was just below the mirror and what with the detector and power wire my view was somewhat obstructed. Ergo, the detector is now up to the right of the mirror out of the way and the R7 display angles to the left so it's very easy to see. The power wire is tucked away nicely. The hard wiring was a bear. Fortunately I had a good friend helping me and we managed to find suitable connections and once that was done it was easy.
Inserted onto the side air-vents are original Jaguar XJ-6 metal emblems.... I don't think they are too big and they set off the all black grill. I thought I would try them out but the more I see them the more I like them.
Inserted onto the side air-vents are original Jaguar XJ-6 metal emblems.... I don't think they are too big and they set off the all black grill. I thought I would try them out but the more I see them the more I like them.
They look good!
Might I suggest you also pick out the Jaguar lettering in black or red paint?
I have done that on all of my Jags and IMHO it looks great.
Very easy to do with some suitable paint (I use caliper paint) a small brush some turps and some MF cloths.
It might be difficult to see in my photos but if you look closely you should be able to see that the Jaguar lettering is already painted black...... otherwise, one is barely able to make out the lettering from afar.
Do you have a part number or a website link for these? Just want to make sure I find the same ones you have... hints for attaching? thank you.
I am not sure if you can order these from a dealer. However, here is a picture of the underside which has the part numbers on them. I just went on a hunt on EBay
and was able to get several. As far as attachment goes, the emblem has two prongs and I took a plastic piece, drilled a hole in it so the prongs fit super tight without any glue. Then I glued and clamped the plastic piece to the rear of the vent which is just flat plastic with JB Weld. Once dry, you just insert the emblem into the plastic pieces and voilà, you are done. Just stop on by and I will do it for you......
Now, just so you know, the emblems face the same way. That means that the jaguar's head faces forward on the left side and rearward on the right side. Still looks good to me but there was nothing I could do about that. I wanted original metal emblems, not plastic, and this was the only solution in the proper size I could find. You might be luckier......
It might be difficult to see in my photos but if you look closely you should be able to see that the Jaguar lettering is already painted black...... otherwise, one is barely able to make out the lettering from afar.
Missed it the first time but now if I look really really hard and squint just right I can see it!
Anyone upgrade to the larger brakes from the Base? I believe the Base is "Performance". I notice the High Performance rear caliper is the same size as performance. Anyone know if it is the same caliper?
Part T2R9300 Performance brake calipers
T2R9301 High Performance calipers
T2R9303 Super Performance Calipers (Convertible only)
Performance = 355 mm front and 326 mm rear.
High Performance = 380 mm front and 326 mm rear.
Super Performance = 380 mm front and 376 mm rear.
Carbon Ceramic Matrix = 400 mm front and 390 mm rear.
