Our Modification Direction
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here
are several major ways to modify a car – any Ka – and this all depends on (a)
what you have, (b) what you want, and (c) how much you want to
spend doing it.
If
there’s one thing that has underscored what Charlie and I have done to Kermit,
it’s been that we’ve kept in touch with our real world use of the Ka. Kermit’s annual mileage, excluding extended
road trips, is approximately thirty thousand miles a year. We don’t want a ride so hard we lose
fillings, wheels so big that tyres are
very expensive and an exhaust
so loud we still hear it ringing after an hour of not being in him! Kermit is first and foremost a means of
transport and at the time of writing, our only car. For that, he needs to be reliable, economical, comfortable, and
inexpensive to run.
Originally,
we decided to sharpen up his appearance rather than redesign Ford’s work. Our plan was that when we were done, we
wanted Kermit to look like any other Ka to the untrained eye, but for the more
observant, they will notice the subtle differences. So we went down the route of the light brows, the smoked rear lights and the Orciari rear spoiler, to name a few modifications.
We
were not originally planning to make any modifications to the engine, nor to the exhaust, but after extensive
research, I’ve decided to make a number of small changes to the engine. It started with the 
K &
N replacement panel filter, then a Janspeed back box, upgraded to a PowerFlow full exhaust system, the
Superchips Bluefin ECU upgrade.
Our
original plan also called for sticking with the original Ka alloys, suspension,
brakes and transmission, but that changed somewhat!
The
2004 Update
In
May 2004, our modification direction took a change. Whereas up until this point, we had been researching and making
modifications so as to enhance Kermit’s looks - more like customisation rather
than modification really - and we had secured the Ford Racing Suspension Kit, our necessary annual mileage
jumped up from four thousand to twenty four thousand. This had a dramatic influence on our car running costs.
We
upgraded his exhaust by
replacing the Janspeed back box
with a PowerFlow system. The PowerFlow features a twin outlet on the
one side and isn’t too noisy. At a
moderate cruise he burbles along, increasing to a booming roar under heavy load
with a burble at idle. On the overrun,
there’s the occasional pop and burble if you listen hard enough.
You
can find a discussion concerning ways and means of reducing Kermit’s running
costs here, and these are all
associated with petrol. In this
document, you’ll find references to the idea of converting Kermit to run on
diesel (the Ka TDCi or the Ka XUD), having Kermy running on LPG, and a few other ideas besides. I had explored some of these ideas before
Charlie and I had even thought of living some distance from our workplace, such
as the taller final drive ratio, and some of the ideas had been previously
dismissed. One such idea is that of
using the Ecotek CB26P device, which
the makers claim improves performance, emissions and fuel consumption all in
one, but is inexpensive to buy and very easy to fit. You can read my experiences of the Ecotek device here.
I
wanted to sharpen up Kermit’s dynamics a little with a wider front and rear track and slightly wider tyres.
I’d tried various Kas running on 15” alloy wheels wearing 195/45 profile
tyres and whilst I enjoyed the improved levels of grip and traction, I wasn’t especially happy with the rough ride and snappy handling. It was too great a compromise for me, so I sought an
alternative. 195/50 tyres on a 14” rim
would work and many mark four Fiestas
use a suitable alloy, but getting hold of a wheel in Ford fitment with an
offset of around 30 to 32 was a pain.
In the end I opted for XR2i 13”
alloys that have the right offset, there’s plenty of tyre choice and as it
happens, the balance of ride
and handling is just what I wanted.
For
the headlamps, I was using Kermit a lot more at night down twisty country lanes
and wanted to improve his illumination.
Morette’s triple headlamp
conversion provided the answer!
The
strut brace went on Kermy in late
2004 ready for the Ford Racing Suspension
upgrade. In isolation, the brace
improves things when pressing on, especially in the dry, but it increases body
roll (there is less slack taken up by the chassis so the suspension has to
work harder).
2005
And Beyond
In
early 2005, Kermit benefited from a few upgrades. One, the Ford Racing
Suspension, sharpened up his dynamics.
He now sits lower, corners flatter and has much reduced nose drop under
braking. There’s very little
detrimental impact on the ride
except under certain circumstances.
Charging along the Italian autostrada at a GPS-verified 125 km/h can be a little rougher because the road
surface isn’t always the smoothest!
The
second major upgrade is the addition of electronic cruise control.
This is one of the most expensive upgrades we have performed to Kermit
but it gets daily use during my commute to and from work. It has also proven invaluable in improving (reducing)
his fuel consumption. Not so much because using it saves fuel, but
because when I’m using it during my commute I’m less likely to charge off after
somebody who has upset me!
We
then proved how useful Kermit would be on a long haul trip by driving to and from Italy in him!
What’s
to follow? I can’t say. I’d like to report that we’ve finished but
there’s always the possibility I’ll find some nice 14” wheels in Ford fitment
but with an offset of 30. And I may
also find a decent fog lamp
solution too.
Planning
I’m
often emailed with requests wanting further information about what to do with
modifications, and the best bit of advice I can give is to plan.
Planning,
planning planning, it’s all about planning.
If you plan a project, it tends to work much better!