smudge 1020 Report post Posted August 8, 2014 Let's throw this into the battle for TSS Today was a good day, HKS coilovers, Summit rear camber arms, Summit rear toe arms and Work CR Kai alloys went on. Just my track wheels for now in preparation for Dunsfold (Top Gear Test Track) on Tuesday and TSS at Snetterton on Saturday next week Started off with getting her up in the air and all 4 wheels off And a quick snap of the shiney bits going on Old suspension struts and camber arms next to the new ones And after a few hours with only 1 bolt giving me any trouble, we had the rear struts, camber and toe arms in Front took us literally 20mins each side, so quick that I forgot to get any pictures! So the track wheels went on, getting new rubber fitted to these tomorrow morning With some shiney new wheel nuts And a quickie of the new rear setup End result Looks so much better, haven't been out for a drive yet but will report back after my trip to get alignment and new tyres on tomorrow morning 1 Keethos reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
smudge 1020 Report post Posted August 9, 2014 So was up early this morning to get the alignment and tracking done. Woke up to this! Bit of toe in me thinks! Seems we weren't as accurate as we thought yesterday...so the drive to get the alignment done was fun! Jumping all over the place Up on the ramps to get some Federal 595's fitted to my track wheels And then onto the Hawkeye system to get the alignment done I went for -2degrees camber on the front and -2degrees on the rear with toe at 0 degrees front and back. Front end probably needs to go a little lower so depending on how we got on at Dunsfold on Tuesday, I'll be back to tweak before Snetterton on Saturday Before and after And the finished article Still getting used to it, but such a difference over stock. Cornering is flat, braking is sharper due to less diving at the front, everything is tighter but still perfectly comfortable 1 Keethos reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
smudge 1020 Report post Posted August 10, 2014 Car needs to run some toe in @ the rear otherwise the car will wander around. I would run around 0.2/0.4 degree toe in That's what I read as well Mark, hence why I went with the 0.1 on the standard setting See how I get on at Dunsfold on Tuesday Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
smudge 1020 Report post Posted August 13, 2014 1st track session today at Dunsfold round the North part of the Top Gear Test Track! Basically start line, down to the 1st corner but carry on straight instead of tight left, down to hammerhead which you go round backwards, all the way down the main straight to 2nd to last corner and Gambon. Great little test for the 86, with some tight turns and some high speed ones too, hitting up to 140mph on the back straight before heavy breaking into the 2nd to last corner Few pictures from today, videos are still being played with and uploaded (although the BEST one with the GoPro on the drivers rear window has corrupted ) All shiney and ready to go My personal favourite - DRIIIIIIFFFFT! Really amazing day, basically a press day for the Wings & Wheels show in a couple of weeks time which me and few others were chosen to go on. Just a morning of blitzing round the track with some media guys in the passenger seats taking shed loads of videos and photos. Car was SPOT on, sharp turn in, punches out of the corners and could still have some good old fashioned sideways action when I wanted to. Brakes didn't cope amazingly, particularly coming into a tight corner from 140mph...but they'll get replaced soon anyway (watch this space!) She's all ready for Snetterton at the weekend now Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
smudge 1020 Report post Posted August 13, 2014 One of the guys put all our videos together instead of uploading them separately (idiot!) so I've used a site to chop my 2 videos: 2nd run out I think, had a press guy videoing me in the car. Awkward when he sticks the camera IN MY FACE! lol http://www.tubechop.com/watch/3444857 And then 6th run out I think, BIG drift on the way out of the "pit" area lol plus you can just about hear some supercharger whine too http://www.tubechop.com/watch/3444884 1 Keethos reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
smudge 1020 Report post Posted August 15, 2014 Today was awesome, picked up my new wheels and interior bits being sprayed in my custom colour We went for the grey from the Toyota (61K) as a basecoat, with my custom blend of purple pearl over the top. The result - oh WOW! Unfortunately it's very hard to take a decent picture of and really needs to be seen in the flesh Got all the pieces home And started to fit them Loving the look, getting rid of all the cheap looking silver in the interior. Just got to modify some of the dash to fit the gauge pod in the passenger side of the dash to finish it off Last but not least, the wheels! These are SEXY MOFOS! Wheels will be fitted in a week or so, just waiting for tyres to come through Prepared the car for TSS (Toyota Sprint Series) at Snetterton tomorrow, heading up in the morning for some more thrashing around a track got my own GoPro this time so will upload some more videos at the weekend 3 GT86-Ian, Keethos and Test Drives Unlimited reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Keethos 842 Report post Posted August 16, 2014 Wow, awesome stuff, can't wait to see them all on and in the flesh! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lauren 2259 Report post Posted August 16, 2014 Nice touch I think, purple does look good, will have to see it in the flesh. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
smudge 1020 Report post Posted August 17, 2014 Was at Snetterton today for my 1st session of the Toyota Sprint Series. 6 races throughout the year where Toyota's of all shapes and sizes compete together Started by leaving my place at 4.30am, had to get a cheeky photo when I stopped at Thurrock Services Of all the entrants, the GT86 is a popular car Which are split into 3 classes: N2 - Naturally aspirated street class F2 - Forced induction street class F1 - Forced induction pro class I was in class F2 with 3 others today. Played around with the HKS suspension a fair bit and managed to settle her down a lot more after the 1st run was very twitchy on the tight circuit. Was getting faster and faster throughout the day, and the car was really coming together, if not a bit hot So glad I'm not in the F1 class, I'd be up against this 400bhp beast! A fantastic day, great to meet some new faces - really enjoyed it and even came away with a trophy for finishing 2nd in the F2 class! Mas in the HKS GT86 was 2 seconds quicker, and after a few laps on the open track afterwards, we put it down to not being confident enough on the OEM brakes. Mas is able to stamp on his Brembo setup a lot harder and later than I can, making you a lot more confident going into a corner. Looks like brakes are next on my shopping list! Eyes on 1st place at the next stage in Croft in September Videos will be posted tomorrow 2 nikndel and Keethos reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
smudge 1020 Report post Posted August 18, 2014 Just looking back on yesterday, I spent 2 hours cruising up to Snetterton, a few little sprints out of roundabouts here and there, a full day of sprinting round the track and then a 3 hour drive home (stuck in traffic). The car really had a full day on it's hands, and she didn't miss a beat. Love her more than ever right now Couple of videos from yesterday My 2nd run when the track was very greasy in the morning and I was still getting used to the new setup that I'd changed a little bit Then my 7th run which was my 2nd fastest run of the day (can tell I was pushing a bit harder than the 1st video) Didn't get to record my fastest as the battery in the GoPro went Really annoying that into Hamilton's (fast left hander) and then Oggy's (tight right hander) I was hitting the limiter about 200 yards too early, so couldn't shift up and had to coast into the corner. But main thing to take away is that I need some better brakes! The OEM ones do NOT like being stamped on with FI power going through the wheels! 1 Keethos reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
smudge 1020 Report post Posted September 5, 2014 Bit of an update, midway through my 3 day prep for Trax on Sunday 1st off was some front-end work including new grills, chrome indicator bulbs and removal of front fog lights Front bumper as fairly simple to take off All out Bulbs changed Comparison of the grills Before After Note the front badge has gone too, only to be changed though as it looks weird without one. Glue is a BIATCH to get off!!! Then it was time for a full wash, polish and wax And new badges on, front and back So she's all shiny and ready to go! But wait, there's more!!! Today was a bit more gruelling than just a clean and some small swaps. Today was fitting of the gauges, lowering the coilovers and fitting the new wheels! 1st off, sealed the wheels up and got some Hankook rubber fitted And then fitted the oil filter sandwich plate so that the sensors for the gauges could be added And after an age of having to CUT my dashboard to get everything to fit, we have a boost gauge, oil temp and oil pressure gauge fitted Oil pressure doesn't want to see to register for some reason, so will look at that tomorrow... Next up was lowering the coilovers by just under an inch all round to get her sitting how I wanted Got a bit stuck with the ARB links being a bit of a bitch, so ran out of time after she was lowered. Ending up with this All ready for a final wash and new wheels to be put on tomorrow before heading up to Trax Stay tuned to see the wheels, which will TRANSFORM the car! 1 Keethos reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
smudge 1020 Report post Posted September 5, 2014 Quick video of the startup sequence from the gauges as well 1 Keethos reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
smudge 1020 Report post Posted September 6, 2014 Wheels are ON! And a quick wash to get her all ready for Trax tomorrow And of course, standard reflection shot Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
smudge 1020 Report post Posted September 7, 2014 Let us know what you think of the tyres, car looks cool for sure. Over 200miles on them today, nothing really too testing though. Very quiet in the motorway cruise and very comfortable I went for 255/35/18 Awesome sunny day at Trax, car got a LOT of attention 1 Keethos reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
smudge 1020 Report post Posted September 25, 2014 2 more fantastic shots from the weekend that have popped up on Facebook Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
smudge 1020 Report post Posted September 30, 2014 Nice little purchase to smarten up the heated seat buttons 1 rob275 reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
smudge 1020 Report post Posted October 10, 2014 As mentioned after TSS at Snetterton, brakes have been on the shopping list for some time I'm not a fan of K Sport or D2 after seeing a few friends with them have issues over the years, so my only options were Brembo or AP but I really couldn't justify the £2000 price tag that they come with So I started looking at some old Scooby conversions that a few people have done, and came across some AP's off an 05 Blob-eyed Scooby...just couldn't say no! 6 pot calipers with 362mm discs! That should do the trick! need to be smartened up a bit and I'll be putting my own custom touch on them as I have done with everything else on the car Unfortunately it does mean I need some bigger track wheels...my 17's barely fit the discs let alone the calipers! Doubt I'll get them fitted before Rockingham on 1st November but updates will be over the next few weeks 1 Keethos reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
smudge 1020 Report post Posted October 16, 2014 Not a major update, but purchased some STi engine and gearbox mounts from Stu on the owners forum to stiffen everything up a little bit Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
smudge 1020 Report post Posted October 16, 2014 Got bored this afternoon so started playing around with the new brakes 1st up was seeing how big these were over the standard ones, so I just placed the disc on the studs to take a look Standard setup 362mm disc covers the old caliper and disc! Then I decided to clean them up a bit and split the discs from the bells to get everything looking good again Dirty carrier compared to a cleaned up one 2 cleaned up carriers Discs and bells split apart Clear that they've lost some colour, so thinking about painting them black along with the carriers too so that the new calipers stand out more And finally checked the condition of the discs a bit more closely, everything seems to be spot on. Still 32mm thick, no sign of wear whatsoever really! Plan is to spray the bells and carriers black, clean up all the bolts that hold the discs together and get the calipers looking smart in a special colour 1 Keethos reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
smudge 1020 Report post Posted October 27, 2014 Couple of updates from the weekend 1st off was to finally sort out my ride height. As the coilivers have settled over the weeks, I kept looking at the car and thinking that the front was too high and the back was too low So, I put the front down by 10mm and raised the rear by 10mm, resulting in her sitting perfectly Alignment will be done again on Friday before the final round of TSS at Rockingham on Saturday Then it was time to get some rear tints sorted, something I've wanted to do for a while Had to build some ramps to get into the workshop though.... Went for 20% on the rear 3 windows and the finish is top notch And it meant I was finally able to get rid of the 5 year warranty sticker...which is probably the only part left on the car covered by warranty! 3 Tweedbean, Keethos and Polishingpedlar reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
smudge 1020 Report post Posted November 2, 2014 Was at Rockingham for the final round of TSS yesterday. Track was extremely slippery in the morning buy began to dry out as the day went on, resulting in me taking 10 seconds off my original time All stickered up and ready to go! Even popping a little flame on one of the runs (bad quality picture as I had to zoom in) And a quick video, love the whine followed by the exhaust tone Great day out and more valuable experience to hopefully challenge properly in next year's series 1 adamj29 reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
smudge 1020 Report post Posted December 7, 2014 Finally got round to fitting a mod that's been sitting in the garage for months! The HKS air intake duct to improve air flow into the engine Front bumper off Standard air intake, stupid design! Comparison between the 2 Much better air flow design. Stupidly forgot to get a picture of the finished article! But it looks something like this Better air flow means it'll be dropped back to Abbey soon for more mapping, and hopefully a few more horses to be pulled out of her too Finished off with a well deserved clean! Before: During: And the end result: 4 Polishingpedlar, adam, Keethos and 1 other reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
smudge 1020 Report post Posted January 24, 2015 Been a bit quiet recently, mix of being busy over Christmas/New Year and a new job taking up all my time But today I finally got round to test fitting the AP brakes, just to make sure they fit under the wheels! And.....THEY DO! just.... Should be sent off to be painted fairly soon, hopefully fitted in time for the 1st round at TSS in March 3 Lauren, Polishingpedlar and Keethos reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Keethos 842 Report post Posted January 24, 2015 Bummer dude, hope you get paid well enough for it though, however much I love driving, 5 hours commuting every day would do my head in, especially if it's primarily motorway driving Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
smudge 1020 Report post Posted February 28, 2015 So, the AP's are currently with the Brake Caliper Specialists getting refurbed in my special colour I did also give them a set of standard GT86 rear calipers to do, but work on them has halted since I managed to find a set of these at a reasonable price to replace them Rear 2 pot Brembo's from an 08+ Subaru Impreza STi (the hatchback) As well as double the pistons as standard on the GT86, they come with 316mmx20mm discs meaning that the rear wheels will have increased stopping power to match the AP's up front a bit better These rear calipers will be sent off to the guys doing the AP's next week and hopefully be able to pick them all up in their shiny new colour soon 1 Keethos reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
