Unique Motorsports

In Part 1 of this 2 part series we removed the bumper cover, the crash bar and the beam. Now it’s time to re-center the tailgate and put everything back together.

It’s been about a month since the actual install so I’ll let the pictures and descriptions do the talking.

This article actually got started a few weeks prior when my wife was rear ended at a red light. The damage is not too bad, but since the car is new, we would like to replace all the parts to get it back to “like new” condition.

With that said, let’s get to it!

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A four hour drive from Vegas to Los Angeles followed by a drive back to Vegas less than ten hours later. Life can be rush rush as we battle endless todo lists along with other life “tasks”. I have driven through here more than a few times, never stopping to simply enjoy and take it in. Today is different. Today I stop. Today, I don’t have my camera so I did what I could with my phone. Enjoy the shots, I know I enjoyed taking them.

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Pretty much any car designed for the masses is going to be somewhat neutral in many aspects. Suspension is a great example of this as the average person doesn’t want a firm ride or the worry of breaking the front bumper cover off when getting just a little to snug to a curb. Automotive enthusiasts however, are a slightly different breed. We notice that split second gab between turning the wheel and the car following along. We are ok with a little more noise, we want the car to be firm and responsive.

Springs vs Coilovers – The debate will continue. Personally I say springs. You can get a nice firm responsive whip without being overly jaring. Coilovers really limit the amount of suspension travel you have. For example, you might need to jack up your car 4 inches before the tire leaves the ground. With coilovers, it’s only going to be about an inch. The nice thing about coilovers such as installed here, are the advantages of setting ride height, spring rate and shock firmness.

This install is about coilovers. The install is pretty much the same as a regular spring install with a few key differences.

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In a nutshell – not much. I don’t think this is all too fair though as I consciously drive in a way which keeps the inside of my engine clean. Here is a list of steps I have developed over the years to keep my engine running as clean as possible.

- Change oil every 5000-6000 miles (mostly highway)

- Redline (shift just below RPM cutoff) at least a few times a week. *This is great for the engine; however, make sure the engine is fully warmed up, not just the water, but the oil as well to avoid a blown head gasket or excessive engine wear.

- I run name brand gas exclusively. If there is a filler truck at the station, I’ll not fill up that day.

- Lucas fuel injector cleaner every 40k or so.

- Change the spark plugs every 40k. Check them every 10k or so.

- Let it cool a few minutes to turn it off to keep the oil from coking with hot spots. Coking is common in turbos when the turbo is glowing hot, the oil gets shut off and the oil remains on a glowing red hot surface. This will steam the oil causing a thick film to build inside the turbo. The Aveo doesn’t have a turbo; however, driving gently a minute or more before shutting it down will help avoid hot spots in the engine where the oil can burn.

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