Timing Belt Replacement

Timing belts last 60,000 to 100,000 miles. check your owner's manual for the manufacturer's replacement interval.

Your six-year-old econobox is starting to show a bit of wear and tear, but everything mechanical still works fine. Until it doesn't. Specifically, the engine suddenly goes dead silent one fine day. Your mechanic says your timing belt failed, then he chuckles into his shirt pocket. Now he gets to charge you for the tow, the belt replacement and a valve job, because there's no compression on two cylinders. You're one of the unfortunates with an "interference engine" — an engine that can leave one or more valves still propped open far enough to contact a piston when the belt parts. Sadly, sales brochures don't list whether an engine might suffer catastrophic damage if the belt goes.

You probably could have avoided this particular bit of unpleasantness with timely maintenance. It's best to replace the timing belt according to your carmaker's recommended schedule. For the record, many engines — like those in more expensive models — still use timing chains, rather than belts, like they did back in the day before the popularity of overhead camshafts. Unlike belts, timing chains usually don't have a routine replacement interval.

The timing belt (or chain) is the sole component that keeps the camshaft (make that camshafts on a DOHC or V-type OHC engine) and crankshaft in sync. So replacing this cogged reinforced-rubber belt at regular intervals — generally every 60,000 miles unless the car manufacturer specifies longer — is a lot less expensive and aggravating than having it break first. For your car's maintenance schedule, consult the owner's manual, or the belt manufacturer's poster hanging on the wall at your favorite parts store.

Slow but Steady

Though you'll spend only a few minutes replacing the timing belt itself, it can take an hour or more to dig down through the spaghetti of hoses, wiring and covers found in a modern engine bay.

Study the procedure before digging in, either in a service manual or on the Web. On most transverse four-cylinder engines, you'll have to remove the passenger-side motor mount in order to gain access to the timing belt. This means the entire powertrain needs to be supported in that area while you're working. And finally, getting to the lower portion of multipiece timing belt covers usually requires underbody access. A fender cover doesn't hurt either, to protect the paint from your belt buckle and dropped tools.

(1) Remove any shrouding in the wheel well so you can access the crankshaft snout and the lower timing belt pulley.

(2a) Find the timing marks on the flywheel and cam, and set them both to TDC.

(2b) The flywheel pulley TDC mark is accessible through a hole in the bellhousing.

(2c) The camshaft TDC is easy to find.

Time and Time Again
We cannot stress this enough: Be careful! Make sure you know where the timing marks are on your engine, and that you have them set up properly with No. 1 cylinder at top dead center (TDC) on the compression stroke before attempting to replace the timing belt.

Why? 1) That interference engine thing again; and 2) Every camshaft and crankshaft on planet Earth is indexed to No. 1 TDC. If you try to remove and replace the timing belt with the engine in any other position, chances are good you'll throw things out of time. Then you'll get confused and have to pull off the valve cover as you try to determine when No. 1's valves are closed (which begins the compression stroke) in order to re-index the engine. Get your marks lined up right the first time.

After you remove the top section of the timing belt cover, you should see a timing mark on the camshaft sprocket — this mark usually lines up with the edge of the cylinder head or valve cover. For the crankshaft below, there probably will be a timing mark on the damper pulley that lines up with another mark on the lower cover. Or, the service manual may direct you to the transmission end of the engine to look through a hole in the bellhousing for a timing mark on the flywheel. The flywheel is bolted to the other (transmission) end of the crankshaft. On some vehicles, you may find these marks in all three places.


(3) Support the engine with some sort of skyhook if you need to remove the rightside motor mount. Some belts are installed with a mount in their center, making changing them problematic.

(4) The motor mount can now be removed temporarily.




Support and Tension
Of course, there are professional engine-support rigs available for purchase or rent. But as you can see in our photos, some lumber and an adjustable tiedown strap work just fine to support the powertrain while you remove that cumbersome motor mount. Once it's out of the way, though, you're almost home. Just remove the rest of the timing belt cover sections and turn your attention to the tensioner pulley mechanism.

This tensioner may be an automatic hydraulic type that you simply crank in one direction to remove the old timing belt. Or, you may have to loosen the tensioner pulley adjustment bolt to release the tension and the belt. Before proceeding, confirm which way the engine rotates during normal operation. Knowing which way the engine turns is important for checking the new belt's alignment later; you don't want to be off by a tooth on one of the sprockets. The easiest way is to have a helper bump over the starter motor with the ignition key while you watch the engine. Of course, now you'll have to reset your timing marks by hand. Don't rotate the engine backward to the marks. Crank it around forward to maintain the correct tension and to keep the belt from jumping teeth.

TDC? Now you can carefully slide the old timing belt off its sprockets and pulleys, while trying to keep the camshaft and crankshaft from spinning. With all the timing marks lined up, route the new belt around the largest diameters first, leaving the smallest pulley or sprocket for last. It's tricky to slip the new, stiffer belt over that last one, but you'll get it after a couple of different wiggling, jiggling attempts. Now, make sure the timing marks are still lined up.

Warning: If you know you're working on an interference engine, do not rotate the camshaft or the crankshaft independently while the timing belt is off the engine. You could cause the pistons to hit the valves, or vice versa, and cause the same damage as if the timing belt had snapped with the engine running — bent valves!

If you're working with a manual tensioner pulley setup, now is when you perform the factory procedure to tighten the new belt. A hydraulic tensioner takes care of this for you. Once the tension's set, place a socket on the big nut holding the front pulley on and use it to turn the engine over — two complete crankshaft revolutions in the direction of normal rotation. Line up all the timing marks again. Everything still on the money? Then you've finished replacing the timing belt — but you have another hour's work to reinstall the cam belt covers, any shrouding, and all the wires, engine accessories and hoses you moved or removed.


(5) Release any belt tension by freeing up the belt tensioner pulley.



(6) Slip the new belt into place without disturbing the cam or crank pulleys, or the engine will be out of time. Check by slowly rotating the crank two full turns with a socket on the crank snout.

Torque Vectoring: The Hyper-Smart, Fuel-Efficient Future of All-Wheel Drive

Everyone knows there are control and capability benefits of all-wheel drive when you’re dealing with the elements—come sand or high water. Dropping an engine’s torque down to the ground with four tire patches instead of two would give any vehicle more traction. But headed to market in more and more performance cars are new systems that can seamlessly and instantaneously distribute torque to any single wheel at a time. Welcome to torque vectoring all-wheel drive.



Most modern all-wheel-drive cars and SUVs already offer some type of computer-controlled, part-time engagement to save fuel. When the computer detects that one or more wheels is rotating faster than the vehicle’s speed or that the vehicle is yawing off its intended path of travel, the system steps in. First, it engages the other drive axle and applies a proportion of the vehicle’s torque to it. If the wheels continue to spin, the computer reduces engine torque or even brakes one of the wheels, if necessary.



In recent times, these systems have taken a fairly radical step forward. Automakers have reinvented front and rear differentials to the point where an engine’s torque can be passed around—or vectored—to each corner of the car. In other words, your torque can go from front to back like a traditional all-wheel-drive setup and distribute from left to right on a given axle—all very, very quickly. It’s like having a computer-controlled, super-speed limited slip differential in each axle. This means not only great foul-weather traction but also eerily competent handling performance on dry roads.



Acura, for instance, has offered its Super Handling All-Wheel-Drive (SH-AWD) system for several years. It monitors vehicle speed, wheel speed, gear position, steering angle, yaw rate, lateral G forces and other inputs, while automatically adding torque to the outside rear wheel in corners to make the car turn quicker. A set of electromagnetic clutches in the rear differential passes the torque from side to side. The system, which normally distributes torque 90 percent up front and 10 percent in the rear, quickly changes to a 50/50 split during acceleration or hard cornering. The system can then send some or all of that 50 percent going to the rear axle directly to the outside tire to make the vehicle bend into a corner more sharply. Mitsubishi, a torque vectoring pioneer, has used a similar system called Active Yaw Control in the rear axle of its high-performance Evolution sport sedan since the late ’90s.



Audi, BMW and others are taking it a step further: While SH-AWD only works on the rear axle of a normally front-drive vehicle, new systems from automotive suppliers Ricardo in Britain and ZF in Germany can vector torque to all four tires simultaneously.


The Ricardo Cross-Axle Torque-Vectoring system uses wet clutches and planetary gearsets, in both the front and rear differentials, that are controlled by electrical, electromechanical or electrohydraulic control systems. Ricardo says the system’s response time, from the push of the accelerator to the delivery of up to 90 percent of available torque, is only about 0.1 seconds. If Ricardo’s vectoring is used only in an all-wheel-drive vehicle’s center differential, the engine torque effectively gets passed around front-to-rear and side-to-side—with split-second accuracy—for every driving condition. Look for it in the new Audi A4 and A5.



German transmission and driveline company ZF has also developed a torque-vectoring system, called Vector Drive—and it’s ready for volume production in all-wheel and rear-wheel drive vehicles. The system distributes drive torque individually to each of the rear wheels, generating a yaw movement around the vertical axis. This improves both cornering performance and vehicle stability in less-than-ideal road conditions. When driving straight, the torque vectoring rear axle behaves like an ordinary open differential. Drive torque is distributed equally to the wheels. Torque is only distributed individually along both halfshafts on an axle during cornering, controlled by an electromechanically actuated multi-disk brake. The ZF system also generates wheel differential torque independently of the drive torque. When cornering through a downhill section off the throttle, the outer wheel receives more drive torque than the inner wheel, allowing crisper turn-in. The gears of the planetary gearset don’t turn when driving straight, so the system saves fuel too. The torque-vectoring drive also acts like a positive-traction or locking differential on dry or uneven traction startups, with torque going to the wheel with higher friction potential.



These new torque vectoring systems will undoubtedly join forces with the pre-existing ABS brakes, traction control, stability control, steering and rollover mitigation systems. The result will be smarter, safer and quicker vehicles, whether it’s on a rain-soaked freeway, a snowy driveway or a racetrack.

Pimp Your Ride

Everybody wants his car to stand out.

Big wheels and tires are one way—but have you checked the price of 20-in. rims with 30-series tires lately? Actually, there are cheaper ways to make sure you can find your car parked outside at the mall. Vinyl graphics can be had at auto parts stores, and any place that does window tinting will have catalogs full of graphics to order.

You can find everything from tribal flames to giant American flags for the rear window, to cartoons of small boys doing nasty things to the automaker’s logo of your choice. Still not finding exactly what you want? Many times we’ve gone to sign shops and had custom vinyl graphics cut. It helps to have a digital file of the graphic you want. The 6-ft.-long die-cut vinyl stripes we installed on this fridge-white SUV set us back about $75, and we got them right out of a catalog.

Choices

Start by taking a picture of the vehicle and sketching what you want the final result to be. If you can find an off-the-shelf design, so much the better. There’s a rich palette of vinyl films to choose from, including metallics and moiré. The vinyl film stretches slightly to follow the curve of a fender, but don’t expect a giant American flag to stretch enough to let you apply it to the wheel-well arch of a dually pickup. If you must cover a large three-dimensional area, you can drape it with long, narrow designs instead of a single large-block design. Try mocking up the shape of the graphic on your car with masking tape before you go too crazy.

Once you’ve settled on a design, it’s time to be sure the paint under the graphic is sound. There’s no sense in putting vinyl over rust.

Peel and Stick

If at all possible, you should do the installation indoors, or at the very least, in a sheltered corner. Even a small breeze will tangle your tape, at the worst possible moment. The air temperature needs to be between 55 and 80 F as well. Don’t work in the sun—the wetting agent will evaporate way too fast.

Ah, yes. Wetting agent. There are proprietary mixes on the market, but here's a recipe: In a quart bottle, combine a half-cup of rubbing alcohol and two drops (no more) of dish detergent, then top it off with water. If your agua is particularly hard, you might want to use distilled or demineralized water to avoid water spots.

Start the process by positioning the graphic on the car, holding it in place with masking tape. Take your time to get it placed absolutely correctly, because you can only slide it around for a short time once the backing film has been peeled. Look for collisions between areas of the graphic and things like door handles and badges. A modest amount of trimming can solve a lot of problems, and we needed to do just that around the lock cylinder on both doors.

When you’ve got the graphic placed against the car, use gentle finger pressure to stick it to the car, starting in the middle. If you need to, you’ll be able to lift and reposition the vinyl several times to get it precisely where you need it. Don’t be afraid to spray on more wetting agent. As the surface dries, the adhesive becomes stickier. Squeeze the water out with your hand, and then use a plastic squeegee or an old credit card to work the rest of the water out, starting in the center. If the vinyl peels off the car when you try to remove the backing film, squeegee again to remove more water. Waiting 10 minutes or so will help the vinyl adhere to the paint better, too.

Trial-fit your graphics to the vehicle. Take your time, stand back and be sure the fit and aesthetics are perfect. Then mark the placement with tape or a grease pencil.

Thoroughly douse the surface with wetting agent to allow you to reposition the film if necessary.

Peel the backing film away from the vinyl carefully. Don’t leave any of the vinyl behind on the backing film.

Position the graphic precisely. After you’ve squeegeed thoroughly, you can slowly peel the transfer film away from the car.

Trim around any obstructions and across the seams at doors and fenders with a razor blade.

Remove water bubbles by puncturing them and squeegeeing the water out through the hole.

Stop Car Squeaks and Noises

An inexpensive grease gun is all you need to lube chassis grease fittings. The grease comes in easy-to-replace cartridges so you don’t have to pack the gun by hand.

Your car squeaks.

It’s gotten to the point where the neighbors know you’re on the way home from half a block away because of all the “chirps” and “eeps” coming from your suspension. It’s embarrassing, man. It’s also potentially expensive if you have to replace all those worn parts. So why do these components begin to squeak? Suspension and steering joints wear out—and ultimately fail—when unlubricated metal-to-metal contact erodes bushings and bearing surfaces, much like 40-grit sandpaper on a wooden table. So let’s nip this degradation in the bud.

Lube It, Already

You’re lucky. Chassis lubrication isn’t expensive. You can buy a grease gun, some chassis grease and a couple of aerosol cans of lubricant for less than the price of one worn-out tie rod end. So there’s no excuse. Your vehicle doesn’t need to sound like an angry gerbil on a treadmill.

Most cars and light trucks today are manufactured with sealed “lubed for life” ball joints, tie rod ends and even U-joints. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy—when the factory-fill grease dries out, the joint wears out. Some vehicles still come with suspension and driveline parts that have proper grease fittings, allowing you to use a simple hand-pumped grease gun to inject precious lubrication at regular intervals. Virtually all aftermarket parts, even the direct replacements for the sealed factory units, have grease fittings to allow for lubrication. So what’s the difference between the lubed-for-life parts and the greaseable after­market parts? Only the grease fitting. In fact, you could even drill and tap a hole into a sealed part and add a grease fitting yourself, which is something I usually do on my own cars. Why do car manufacturers leave off this inexpensive fitting? They count every cent that goes into a new vehicle. And a few cents saved on 400,000 vehicles is eventually real money. More important, lubed-for-life parts allow automakers to tout their vehicles as requiring less scheduled maintenance. That has become more important in these days of five- or 10-year warranties—even if the truth of the matter is that the unlubricateable parts will require eventual replacement, at your expense.

Get Underneath

The first thing you need to do before lubricating your chassis is to get some space underneath the vehicle so that you can work safely. My pickup has enough clearance that I can simply crawl underneath it, grease gun in hand, and get the job done. My Porsche needs to be on ramps or safety stands. Either way, make sure the parking brake is on and you place blocks behind the wheels. Toss something thicker than your head, a block of wood or even a spare tire, under there too for insurance.

Now that you’re underneath the car, the procedure is simple—open up the dust boot on the fitting and clean off any grime with a rag so you don’t force dirt inside. Pop the grease gun onto the fitting and pump the trigger until the rubber boot bleeds fresh grease around the edges. Your vehicle may have as many as a dozen fittings on the front suspension. If you own a 4x4 that sees a lot of mud, plan to spend time under the chassis with a grease gun regularly. You may find fittings on tie rod ends, upper and lower ball joints, sway-bar links and control-arm pivots, so hunt around and make sure to hit them all. There might be grease fittings on as many as three U-joints on the driveshaft (or shafts), depending on whether you have a front-wheel-drive, rear-wheel-drive or four-wheel-drive vehicle.

Can’t get any grease into the fitting? It’s probably clogged with dried grease or dirt. Squeeze harder on the trigger of the grease gun. Still dry? Unscrew the fitting with a wrench and clean it out with a wire and solvent, or just install a new one from the auto parts store.

It Still Squeaks

There are plenty of other things that can squeak on your car’s suspension. Coil or leaf springs are supposed to have thin plastic insulators to keep metal-to-metal friction from creating noise, but age and the ravages of the road wear these little protectors out or simply cause them to fall off. A temporary solution is to soak that noisy area with spray-on lithium grease. A helper can bounce the car up and down while you crawl around underneath and track down that squeak. If the sound is from a rubber suspension bushing, silicone spray is better. It won’t last as long, but the silicone won’t degrade the rubber bushing.

It’s Hitchcock’s Car

Got a door, hood or trunk hinge that sounds like it’s auditioning for the soundtrack of a horror movie? Hose it down with aerosol penetrating lube to rinse the corrosion out of the hinge, and follow with aerosol lithium grease.

Does your hood-release mechanism groan when you pull the interior latch? Does it take two people to open the hood—one to pull the release from inside the car while a second smacks the hood with the palm of his hand until it pops open? Time to lube the latch mechanism. Hood latches, whether they’re remote or not, live in a dirty, wet and salty environment. Cycle the latch mechanism by hand a few times to break up any crunchy deposits. Then soak the mechanism with spray penetrant, or even carb cleaner, to hose away any dirt or dried-out, contaminated grease. Then spray it with aerosol lithium grease.

Door-latch mechanisms can get sticky, too. I have a rule about what kind of lubricants to use: If the latch or hinge is outside the door gasket, it gets sprayed with lithium grease. But if it’s inside, I prefer to use a dry-film spray, for two reasons. It won’t attract or hold dirt or dust, and it won’t stain your clothes if you happen to brush against it.

A lot of late-model door-latch mechanisms use plastic bushings instead of metal-to-metal ones, and technically, these don’t need to be lubricated. But they do collect dirt and dust. Flush them with aerosol dry-film lube, and then use a rag to remove any excess slick stuff from the doorframe.

Key tumblers should only be lubed with graphite, never with penetrating oil or anything that will hold dirt inside the mechanism.

Wipe down door seals with silicone to prevent winter freeze-outs and to preserve the rubber.

Squeaky springs can be tamed with an occasional shot of aerosol grease.

Flush dirt and rust out of the hood-latch mechanism with penetrating oil, then apply aerosol grease.

Hood, door and tailgate hinges should be doused with aerosol grease regularly. Clean up any overspray with a rag.

Proton Satria Neo

Satria Neo

The Satria Neo was introduced in June 2006 as a replacement for the first generation Satria. Based on a new platform developed in-house by Proton (with some parts borrowed from the bigger Gen-2 and Waja), the car is currently only available in a three-door hatchback guise. The car was developed at a cost of RM500 million and four years, and was expected by Proton to generate a monthly sales volume of 2,000 to 2,500 units. The car was also intended to target those who are "youthful and sporty". The Satria Neo was launched by Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

The entry-level Satria Neo, the 1.3 L-line, is powered by a 1.3-litre, inline-4 twin-cam Campro engine, producing 94 bhp (70 kW). The 1.6 M-line and top-of-the-range H-line models have 1.6-litre versions of the same engine, with an output of 110 hp (82 kW). All cars have the option of either 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic gearboxes supplied by Mitsubishi that are carried over from the previous Satria, with the H-line benefitting from safety features such as twin airbags, ABS with EBD and seatbelt pre-tensioners.

Modded Satria Neo

Recently, there's rumors said that there will be a few more new model from Proton, that will produced in various category. Such as MPV, Concept, new Satria Neo Sedan, Satria Neo Wagon, and even though there's a new model, Satria Gemilang, which had been produced just in a few that been used during big events at Malaysia.

Proton Satria

The Proton Satria was a hatchback produced by Proton. Production started in 1995 for the first generation and ended in 2005. The new Satria Replacement Model (SRM), known as Proton Satria Neo was launched on 16 June 2006. The name Satria which means knight in Malay was chosen for Proton's 3-door hatchback to reflect the sportiness of the car.

• Manufacturer: Proton
• Production: 1995-Present
• Class: Compact, Sport compact
• Body style(s): 3-door hatchback
• Platform: FF
  

Satria (1995-2005)

The first generation Satria was based a 3-door hatchback on the 1991 Mitsubishi Mirage (Colt outside the Japanese market). Changes were limited to front-end styling and interior from the bigger Wira. Powerplant options included the 4G13p 1.3-litre 12-valve, 4G15p 1.5-litre 12-valve and 4G92p 1.6-litre 16-valve SOHC engine. The 1.5 and 1.6-litre 16v versions were also available with optional 3-speed and 4-speed automatic transmissions respectively.

Trim levels were LSi, GLi, GLSi and SEi. The base-specification LSi had the 1.3-litre 12-valve engine only: GLi versions got the 1.5-litre 12-valve engine in addition to the 1.3-litre: whilst GLSi and SEi versions got the 1.6 16v engine as well as the 1.5 12v.

A later facelift version featured a different tail-end to the original Mirage. These were launched in 1,996 in (50698.4 mm) Malaysia and later in other countries, and new LXi, S LXi and GTi trim levels were available. New 1.3 12v, 1.5 12v and 1.6 16v petrol engines were available.

First Generation

• Also called: Proton Compact, Proton Persona Compact, Proton 300 series
• Production: 1995-2005
• Engine(s): 1.3 L 4G13 I4, 1.5 L 4G15 I4, 1.6 L 4G92 I4, 1.8 L 4G93 I4
• Wheelbase: 2440 mm (96.1 in)
• Length: 3995 mm (157.3 in)
• Width: 1710 mm (67.3 in)
• Height: 1365 mm (53.7 in)
• Curb weight: 1115 kg (2458 lb)
• Related: Mitsubishi Mirage
  

Satria GTi

The Satria was also released as a sports GTi model with a 105 kW (141 hp) of power from its 1.8-litre Mitsubishi adopted the 4G93p engine (originally found in the Mitsubishi Lancer GSR) The GTi model was revised by Lotus in terms of engine and handling. According to dyno chart, standard Gti can prdocuce 155 bhp (116 kW) on wheel.

A new body kit was also adopted for the GTi for better aerodynamics by involvement of Lotus. This is the best Satria model ever made and the fastest car ever produced by Proton so far.

Satria R3

The Proton Satria R3 is a limited edition Satria sold in Malaysia. The term R3 stands for Rally, Race, Research. R3 is a redefined version of Satria Gti by Proton's Racing development team and also Lotus. It houses the same 1800 cc Mitsubishi 4G93p engine but has went by some minor adjustments by Lotus handling. Bodyshell has been improved with double stitch welded monocoque chassis with front and rear strut tower brace bars.

Model Information

The Satria R3, based on the original Satria (which itself is based on the Mitsubishi Mirage Cyborg), was introduced in late 2004. It was conceived as a run-out model of the successful Satria GTi, and was positioned at the top of the Satria range.

Original Stage 1 R3s utilises the same Mitsubishi-sourced 1.8-litre, inline-4 engine as the Satria GTi (albeit with a new free-flow exhaust system), producing 140bhp (105kW) and 168 Newton meters of torque. Power is channeled to the front wheels via a five-speed manual transmission, also sourced from the GTi.

The main modification that separated the R3 from the GTi was its double stitch welded chassis, which meant the car was welded twice for increased structural rigidity, aided by the inclusion of front and rear suspension strut braces. The R3 was also stripped of its sound-deadening material and driver's airbag, which helped brought the weight down to just 995kg. Suspension improvements included uprated springs and dampers, thicker anti-roll bars and lower ride height.

The brakes have also been modified. The ABS has been removed and the original ventilated front discs and solid rear discs have been replaced by cross-drilled and slotted DBA discs all round. Brake pads are superior endurance-based M1144 series supplied by Mintex Racing.

Externally, the R3 can be differentiated from the GTi by its lightweight 16-inch Advanti alloy wheels. Although they are the same size as those on the GTi, they are now of a five-spoke design with a gunmetal finish and wrapped in Yokohama Advan AD07 tyres. Also, the headlamps are smoked and the roof spoiler is now made of carbon fibre.

Inside, the R3 has a three-spoke MOMO Tuner steering wheel, carbon fibre gearknob, titanium-effect trim and Recaro SR4 seats.

All R3s came in Incognito Black with R3's signature red and silver stripes on the sides, while the interiors of all cars were trimmed in black and red fabric. Only 150 units were ever produced.

Later, R3 introduced staged hop-ups for the Satria R3. The two stages (Stage 2 and 3) included a plethora of more hardcore upgrades for the powertrain and chassis.

The carbon fibre parts on the R3 are prone to theft. Many owners resorted to removing these lightweight parts and replacing them with those from the GTi, refitting them only during special events.

Modification

Suspension changes include

• Front: Performance-tuned MacPherson struts, uprated coilsprings, revised static ride height and camber and 19mm anti-roll bar
• Rear: Multilink system with performance-tuned dampers, uprated coil springs and revised static ride height

Brakes

• Front: Ventilated disc, cross-drilled & slotted with Mintex M1144 pads
• Rear: Disc, cross-drilled & slotted with Mintex M1144 pads

Extra features included

• Signature R3 red/white stripes
• Satria GTi bodykit
• Body colour: Incognito Black
• Interior colour: R3 Red and R3 Dark Titanium
• Front Seats Race-style recaro SR4 trimmed in black Avus and red Zada material
• Light weight floor carpet
• Seat belts: Red coloured seat belts
• Momo Tuner steering wheel
• Floor mat: R3 floor mat set with red stitching and embroidered R3 logo
• Stereo radio/CD Clarion, removable control panel, 4 speakers
• Exterior mirrors: Remote
• Rear spoiler: carbon fibre rear wing
• Carbon Fibre gear knob
• Lightweight aluminium pedals

Specification

• 4G93P 1.8L 16-valve inline-4
• 140bhp/105kW @ 6100rpm
• 168Nm @ 5600rpm

Performance

Although the performance figures provided from R3 showed that the Satria R3 was actually slower than the Satria GTi (0-100km/h in 8.6 seconds, 205km/h top speed), it is noted that Proton's original performance figures for the SGTI is optimistic.

• 0-100km/h - 8.6 seconds
• Top speed - 205km/h

Stage Hop-up Kits

• R3 Stage 2 Performance cams (135whp)
• R3 Stage 2 Performance Pulleys
• R3 Stage 2 Spark Plug cables
• R3 Bumpsteer Kit
• R3 Stage 2 Engine Mounts
• R3 Stage 2 Front Splitter
• R3 Stage 3 4-1 Performance Header
• R3 Stage 2 Performance Bushes
• R3 Stage 3 Engine upgrade
  

Proton Putra

The Proton Putra was a coupé automobile produced by Malaysian automobile company Proton. Production of the Putra started in 1995 for the first model and ended in 2000, but was briefly relaunched in limited numbers in 2004–05. The Putra is a two-door coupé which resembles both a Proton Wira and a Proton Satria on the front end. It is actually derived from Mitsubishi's Mirage Asti. The Putra's interior standard equipment included Recaro N-Joy seats, leather Momo Daytona 4 steering and leather Momo gearknob.

In the United Kingdom, the Putra was sold as the Proton Coupe or Proton M21, but sales were not strong as it was very bland looking and dull to drive compared to more adventurous competitors like the Ford Puma and even the Vauxhall Tigra.

Nowadays, the Putra is a favorite mod car among Malaysian car enthusiasts because of its limited numbers, making it a unique car. Some have modified the front of Putra with "halfcut" Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 4 front end including the engine. The chasis model for Proton Putra is M21. It can transplant any engine with the nature of 4G9x series or 4G6x series.

Engine

• Code: 4G93p DOHC
• 16 valves total
• 4 valves per cylinder
• Bore × stroke: 81.00 mm × 89.00 mm (3.19 in × 3.5 in)
• Bore/Stroke ratio: 0.91
• Displacement: 1834 cc
• Compression ratio: 10.50:1
• Fuel system: MPi
• Max. output: (DOM) 139.9 PS (138.0 bhp) (102.9 kW) @ 6000 rpm
• Max. torque: (DOM) 164 N·m (121 lbf·ft) (16.7 kgf·m) @ 5500 rpm

Performance

• 0–100 km/h: 7.88 s
• Top speed: 208 km/h (129 mph)
• Power-to-weight: 132.06 bhp per metric ton

Chassis

• Engine location: Front
• Engine alignment: Transverse
• Steering rack & pinion: PAS
• Turning circle: 10.20 metres (33.5 ft)
• Suspension: Front; I.MS.CS.ARB
• Suspension: Rear; I.MultiLi.ARB
• Wheels: F/R 6.0J x 14/6.0J x 14
• Tyres: F 185/60 HR 14
• Tyres: R 185/60 HR 14
• Brakes: F/R Ventilated Disc/Di-S-ABS
• Transmission: 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic
• Drive: FWD
• Top gear ratio: 0.78
• Final drive ratio: 4.32

Proton Perdana

The Proton Perdana is a mid-size car produced by Proton. It is a “badge engineered” version of the seventh-generation Mitsubishi Eterna and is currently Proton’s exclusive car flagship. The car is Proton's first to offer an anti-lock braking system (ABS) and cruise control.

This car was not exported to Europe, though it was tested by Britain's Top Gear magazine in their April 1999 edition, as there were plans at the time to sell this car in Europe. These plans never materialised.

History

Early variants (1995-1998)

The Perdana was first introduced in 1995 with Mitsubishi's proven 2.0 L 4G63 engine. In 1997, it was facelifted with a chrome grill, a new rim design and new colours and interior trim.

Perdana V6 (1999-present)

In 1999, Proton shoehorned a 2.0 L 6A12 V6 engine (also sourced by Mitsubishi) into the Perdana. The so-called Proton Perdana V6 also had a new bodykit and 16" rims. The original Perdana soldiered on for a short while before it was dropped. With Lotus-tuned and up-graded suspension settings, the car handles well through tight corners and it is a good high speed cruiser.

In 2003, the Perdana V6 was given a major facelift, gaining a new Alfa Romeo-esque front grill and new bumpers. It is so-called Alfadana in Malaysia. Inside, it was given a new aluminium-effect trim. As to date, Proton is still selling this model.

• Manufacturer : Proton
• Production : 1995 - Present
• Class : Mid-size
• Body style(s) : 4-door sedan
• Engine(s) : 2.0 L 4G63 I4 (1995-2000), 2.0 L 6A12 V6 (1999-present)
• Length : 4615 mm (181.7 in)
• Width : 1730 mm (68.1 in)
• Height : 1400 mm (55.1 in)
• Curb weight : 1300 kg (2866 lb)

Latest 2007 model of Proton Perdana V6. The older version of Proton Perdana had some problem with their automatic gearbox. But actually, the problem was the "overdrive" button at the gear lever. Some said, the button could get 'shot' and will give bad affect to the gearbox. another problem is, the hazard-ligth switch. The switch could shot-circuited the whole car. But with the latest model of Proton Perdana, all the problem had been overcome.


Will this be the replacement model of Proton Perdana? Some said it was. But there's only rumors about it. Let's just wait and see.