Advan A052, Good-Bye Whinebro, Zunsport Grill

Now that Bumblestook is, for the most part, sorted and operating normally again, I can get back to refining her. But before that though, Yokohama released a new version of their Advan A052 tire. This new version has a different part number and is listed as 7/32" tread depth which now makes them legal for SCCA Street Tire classes. Although Bumblestook doesn't compete in anything specific to SCCA anymore, I thought it'd be good to pick up a set of 255/40/17 Advan A052 and test them out so I can make a decision on whether I want to move to this tire for Kay.

Super Fresh Advan A052 - 4-27-2019

Super Fresh Advan A052 - 4-27-2019

My first impression with this tire is that the tire wall is stiffer than the Bridgestone RE-71R. They also don't have the little "lip" that the Bridgestone has to protect the rim if you suck at parking and get too close to a curb. I'm very familiar with how Bumblestook feels on different tires and it seems the front is a bit more responsive and these tires are definitely sticky. Time will tell how good these are in different temperature conditions. There's only so much you can feel on public roads.

Tires getting mounted

Tires mounted and back on the car

The main focus of Bumblestook's build is primarily a street car that can be used for anything, "one car to do it all". One of the little things that has been annoying me was the constant electrical whining sound from the fuel pump. I've had a Walbro 255lph fuel pump for several years now and while it's super convenient because it's a drop-in replacement for the stock fuel pump, it's also known to be a bit noisy (a.k.a "whinebro"). I have no need to have a higher rate fuel pump since I don't plan on increasing power any further so I ordered a new OEM fuel pump assembly. It's more than adequate for my power needs and is ultra quiet.

Taking out old fuel pump - 4-27-2019

New fuel pump and filter installed - 4-27-2019

Old Walbro fuel pump

I've been getting a really annoying rattle from the front bumper. This was due the grill being loose and rattling around due to a broken tab. To fix this without having to buy a new grill, I picked up some 4.7mm push in clips and SJF drilled holes so everything is held securely in place.

Loose grill, Comparing clip with the existing bumper hole

New hole drill and clip installed

New hole drill and clip installed

Finally, I've been wanting to add a mesh grill to prevent leaves from getting into the intake snorkel. I've been using Zunsport grills from the U.K. on the Cayman and found their quality to be very good so I checked if they had any S2000 ones and sure enough they did. This should've been an easy clip-on installation but with my front tow hook installed, SJF also had to cut some of the grill away to clear it. It's actually made of pretty thick steel and not just chicken wire so a cutting wheel was required. A quick splash of paint was thrown on to prevent rusting. To fully secure it, we also added two zip ties to hold it onto the center part of the grill. I think it came out really well and the added protection to the various radiators and coolers behind it is always a good thing.

Adding tape to prevent scratching of bumper cover

Hole for Front Tow Hook done

Zunsport grill installed - 4-27-2019

Thanks again to SJF Performance for making time to get these out of the way. I only have to chase one final rattle somewhere on the passenger side interior that only occurs at 3500 rpms and I'll be completely happy with the comfort level of the interior.