Commjunk
New Member
- Joined
- Sep 9, 2010
- Messages
- 10
- Reaction score
- 10
- Points
- 3
- Location
- Australia
- Members Ride
- SSV Z Series Sportwagon
Bringing this thread up to speed, it's been a productive few months of ownership with some subtle upgrades to the wagon. Starting off with the interior as mentioned in the list below, the HSVi steering wheel & leather console alone have made a world of difference in terms of comfort & feel over the original stock items, not to mention they spruce up the interior nicely also. Not long after, I added a genuine HSV gauge kit & gloss black dash trims, sourced from Lsxtreme. With the added benefit of new LEDs fitted to the gauges they should be trouble-free for years to come. Each to their own on the subject of mixing HSV parts to a Commodore, but I'd rather have some vital readings present than none at all, they look right at home too - so money definitely well spent & all done like it was from factory.
The exterior, only a few minor changes here as I don't want to go overboard. I had in mind a black on silver theme for the car so a set of staggered HF-20's went on to replace the chrome Redline 19's which dramatically changed the look for the better in my opinion & well priced out of the selection of new OEM wheels. Further removing the chrome accents around the car, another essential upgrade was the VF Phantom Black tailgate mold trim, which came complete including the improved reverse camera. With this in place of the chrome mold trim, it does tend to make the tailgate somewhat bland so I'll be playing around with refitting the lion badge again to see if it helps. Adding to the rear end, more recently I bit the bullet & bought a genuine rear wind deflector also, which sits atop of the tailgate spoiler. So far I am happy with it & it does seem to help with keeping the rear window & tailgate cleaner. It does interfere somewhat to the sleek roofline of the wagon, however it doesn't look completely out of place IMO, moreso it gives an added aero appearance slightly reminiscent of the deflectors fitted to the VN-VS wagons back in the day.
As I do fair amount of highway driving I have had an aftermarket bonnet protector sitting around waiting to go on also, however in 2 minds whether to fit it. Combined with the sports armour & rear deflector I have to make a choice on whether to remove one out of the mix to avoid the "cluttered" look, despite all serving a useful purpose I'd rather not ruin the smooth lines of the wagon, so I'm looking in the sports armours direction. A decision will be made once I fit the protector.
Among it all, some performance & noise has been added as well. Another job which has been waiting to be undertaken was to get the R8 headers + cats fitted to complete the exhaust system which I finished installing yesterday. Prior to that I had picked up a GTS H-pipe centre section & a set of Rapid Exhausts "Marriage savers" rear mufflers. All in all, this particular set-up has made for a drone-free system for the wagon but still with enough noise at idle & under throttle to make any V8 fan content. Performance-wise, there is no doubt some extra get-up-&-go now throughout the RPM range, however the note alone is enough to be happy with. For those that are curious, swapping out the stock SS "log" manifolds in favour of the tubular R8 headers results in the obvious deeper note & some noticeably improved engine noise (the good sort!) when planting the foot. She definitely feels & sounds awake now.
On a side note, the 02 sensor extension loom is a must for the peace of mind even with the stock HSV headers it's too tight of a fit without it (this tends to get neglected for a mention around the web I've noticed).
Pics to come shortly.
Interior:
- HSVi black leather flat-bottom steering wheel
- Genuine HSV gauge kit & trim
- Genuine black leather console lid
- Gloss black dash trims
Exterior:
- HSVi HF-20 staggered gloss black wheels w/ Bridgestone tyres (F- 245/35/20 R- 275/30/20)
- Genuine VF phantom black tailgate mould
- Genuine rear wind deflector
Performance:
- HSV R8 headers & cats (w/ LHS 02 sensor extension)
- HSV GTS "H-pipe" centre section
- Rapid Exhaust "Marriage Savers" mufflers
To be fitted:
- Tinted bonnet protector
- Rubber dust caps (for LED low beams)
The exterior, only a few minor changes here as I don't want to go overboard. I had in mind a black on silver theme for the car so a set of staggered HF-20's went on to replace the chrome Redline 19's which dramatically changed the look for the better in my opinion & well priced out of the selection of new OEM wheels. Further removing the chrome accents around the car, another essential upgrade was the VF Phantom Black tailgate mold trim, which came complete including the improved reverse camera. With this in place of the chrome mold trim, it does tend to make the tailgate somewhat bland so I'll be playing around with refitting the lion badge again to see if it helps. Adding to the rear end, more recently I bit the bullet & bought a genuine rear wind deflector also, which sits atop of the tailgate spoiler. So far I am happy with it & it does seem to help with keeping the rear window & tailgate cleaner. It does interfere somewhat to the sleek roofline of the wagon, however it doesn't look completely out of place IMO, moreso it gives an added aero appearance slightly reminiscent of the deflectors fitted to the VN-VS wagons back in the day.
As I do fair amount of highway driving I have had an aftermarket bonnet protector sitting around waiting to go on also, however in 2 minds whether to fit it. Combined with the sports armour & rear deflector I have to make a choice on whether to remove one out of the mix to avoid the "cluttered" look, despite all serving a useful purpose I'd rather not ruin the smooth lines of the wagon, so I'm looking in the sports armours direction. A decision will be made once I fit the protector.
Among it all, some performance & noise has been added as well. Another job which has been waiting to be undertaken was to get the R8 headers + cats fitted to complete the exhaust system which I finished installing yesterday. Prior to that I had picked up a GTS H-pipe centre section & a set of Rapid Exhausts "Marriage savers" rear mufflers. All in all, this particular set-up has made for a drone-free system for the wagon but still with enough noise at idle & under throttle to make any V8 fan content. Performance-wise, there is no doubt some extra get-up-&-go now throughout the RPM range, however the note alone is enough to be happy with. For those that are curious, swapping out the stock SS "log" manifolds in favour of the tubular R8 headers results in the obvious deeper note & some noticeably improved engine noise (the good sort!) when planting the foot. She definitely feels & sounds awake now.
On a side note, the 02 sensor extension loom is a must for the peace of mind even with the stock HSV headers it's too tight of a fit without it (this tends to get neglected for a mention around the web I've noticed).
Pics to come shortly.
Interior:
- HSVi black leather flat-bottom steering wheel
- Genuine HSV gauge kit & trim
- Genuine black leather console lid
- Gloss black dash trims
Exterior:
- HSVi HF-20 staggered gloss black wheels w/ Bridgestone tyres (F- 245/35/20 R- 275/30/20)
- Genuine VF phantom black tailgate mould
- Genuine rear wind deflector
Performance:
- HSV R8 headers & cats (w/ LHS 02 sensor extension)
- HSV GTS "H-pipe" centre section
- Rapid Exhaust "Marriage Savers" mufflers
To be fitted:
- Tinted bonnet protector
- Rubber dust caps (for LED low beams)
Last edited: