Thanks guys
@MrTom Its weird but it does feel different, perhaps more raw. Admittedly im on a better coilover setup (BC coilovers which is height/damping adjustable as opposed to the Vmaxx on the BG which was only height adjustable) but it does feel different in comparison. It doesn't feel as quick though.
I wrote this a while back but have changed a few things now that ive lived with it for a while now. Im no critic but i'll give my opinion.
Tbf the BG was a really good car to own. Very little things went wrong with it and was mechanically a decent car. I've cahnge a lot more parts on this, mechanically anyway. Anyway the caparison.
Exterior
The Ph1 front is a better looking car. I love the dual optics and the way front bumper looks. Having the badge on the bonnet is a nice feature. The rear on the BG did look great. The way the exhausts sat and the way it got wider from the top down. I do prefer the look of the Ph2 strips on the Ph2's but not 100% on them on the Ph1's, hence going back to standard. The current black on the silver does break it up but the color coding on the BG did look good. I hate the way that the front bumper doesn't sit on the Ph1's, not just on mine. Not having it aligned properly and seeing a gap between the bumper fitment is rather annoying.
The BG on the Vmaxx and 2118's looked fantastic and looked at its pinnacle imo. The Ph1 is where its at now and i think it looks better! The front end of the BG was heavily chipped but all in all the body work was is better condition. The Ph1 is far from mint. It has chips, dents and ripples on the passenger door and rear boot, a chip on the passenger rear quarter and dents on the drivers door. The wheels are in ok condition but ideally need a refurb. The 2118's were mint and im fussy like that so the F1's annoy me. Once the ph1's bodywork is perfect then i'll be happy. But i guess it there's a few years gap between the 2 and the Ph1 has had more owners.
Interior
People say that the dash looks dated, but i love the retro-ness of it. Obviously the Ph2 is more modern. One thing i hated on the BG was the way the glove box lid bowed out. But it is a lot bigger than the Ph1. The Ph1 doesn't have a big glove compartment and no cup holder so is less practical, plus the door card pockets are smaller in height too. There is also no glove box light which is crap in the dark. This doesn't really bother me to much as i keep only the essentials in the car. I do prefer the rev clocks on the Ph2 with the surround to break it up. The backlight on the Ph1 clocks have a shadow on them which the Ph2 didn't have that i noticed.
I actually prefer the standard Ph1 seats over the Ph2's and Recaro's. What i love about them is the coloured Reanult Sport stitching and the plain bottom, where as on the 182 it had white stitching and a perforated bottom. The Recaro's was a great looking seat. Everytime i walked towards the car and see the domed top with the eyelets i did think the looked great, but due to my small frame i felt they was to big for me. Due to them being 10mm lower and having to height adjustment meant i looked tiny in them too! They was more supportive on the legs but i had to much play in the upper area. Plus the standard seats are much more comfier than the Recaro's.
I do love the ball style gear knob in the Ph1 but dont like the fact its prone to scuffs if you wear rings, although i dont. I love the fact it feels smaller inside the cabin due to my size, but with the seat in a normal position leaves no back room. The build quality in the Ph2 seemed better and there is a lot more rattles in the Ph1 which sometimes can be a tad annoying but im getting used to it, although the dash top feels more solid in the ph1. The ph2 dash top almost feels like hard polystyrene. The ashtray is crap though. The flap on it is so weak. Also i had a light on my BG ashtray which i dont have on this.
The drive
Having owned this for 1.5 years i do think the BG was quicker. When i picked this up i had only been driving around in a 1.2 micra so this did feel quick. It pulls nice though and feels nice through the rev range but it doesnt seem to pull as hard as the BG. Current engine mods are matched inlets, DIY induction kit and cat back exhaust with twin cat. The engine mods on the 182 was matched inlets, panel filter, exhaust with decat and RStuner map. Getting used to a cable throttle from FBW is different. It feels more sticky and i feel that i cant blip it as smooth on the down change as i could with the BG. That might be down to the decat or the map.
The ride on the Ph1 is very comfortable. It has BC coilovers set on the 5 from the softest setting, out of thirty clicks from soft to hard. For a daily its perfect. I had the sportlines on the BG and really liked them but with both cars they don't drop it enough. When the BG was on Vmaxx it was ok tbh. It could be a little crashy on certain roads but not enough to bother me. It gripped quite nicely and under hard braking it was nice and stable and i had confidence when driving it hard through bends. The Ph1 feels just as good but ive had all new bushes and joints fitted so it should be as it should!. It handles very nice. The steering feels heavier in the Ph1 than the Ph2 especially sice fitting the smaller wheel, but position-wise i do feel more comfortable in the Ph1 if/when i give it some. Although it was retrimmed, i did hate the size of the Ph2 wheel.
The brakes on the BG was good. I ran the Wilwood kit with Pagid discs and DS2500 pads. When cold they was rather poo but once warm they was totally different. I did have a lot of confidence in late braking with those bad boys. The original brakes on the Ph1 were pretty poo i felt. I've put new disks and pads all round and i have Hi-Spec 4pots on the front. Im currently on a EBC road pad and the standard master cylinder and i get a lot of pedal travel. After doing some research im going to be upgrading to a 197/200 master cylinder which will give me better pedal feel and i will upgrade to some ds2500 or mintex 1114's sometime soon so im sure that will be better.
Overall i feel more connected to the Ph1 than i did with the Ph2. I do think that is because i have put more part changes on this. I feel that the 182 felt more solid to drive. However i do prefer the looks of this as a whole and i do feel rather cool when i drive it. Bottom line.... Ph1 FTW!
Sorry if this is a crap comparison, im not really good at reviews!
