Snowdrifts 86

[Snowdrift 9]

Thought it was about time i started a project thread. I bought my pearl white gt86 with black leather 8 months ago new from the dealer and have changed a few things on it in that time so this first post is a bit of a catch

We all know what a white 86 looks like so I don't need to put of a stock pic

Excuse the crappy quality of some of these photos, they are just what I had on my ipad.

First thing I changed was the wheels. I know some people like the standard ones but to me they look like something straight off the shelf at halfords. I had some Work emotion XT7's in black that I bought for a previous Subaru in 18x7.5 +48, not ideal offset but temporarily sorted with some bolt on hub centric spacers 20mm front, 25mm rear.

Next was time to get rid of the dreaded arch gap. At this point I was trying to keep it simple and hadn't really planned to modify too much in the first year so I just went with spring rather than coilovers. Eibach sportline's in particular. I think they sit at the perfect height, no gap but can still clear speed bumps.

Then what I thought was going to be my final mod for the immediate future, getting rid of the last thing I really don't like on the car, the bad boy Lexus tail lights. There was really only one choice here, Tom's. To me they are exactly how the car should have come from the factory.

And a TRD gear knob because I was bored on eBay one day

Then came a quick photo shoot with a mate that's an amateur photographer.

And that was me done for modifying this year....or so I thought. A month later and I had money burning a hole in my pocket, with nothing else I really needed I decided to treat the car to some new rags.

After looking at pretty much every lip kit available I decided I actually liked the TRD kit more than the others, it has that GT car aggressiveness that I'm aiming for. I couldn't justify the extra cost of the TRD when buying new because I'd be changing the wheels an you can buy the kit a hell of a lot cheaper separately. Having problems with fitment on aftermarket body parts in the past I decided to stick with the proper TRD kit from Fensport (fantastic to deal with). The plan was to just order the front and rear lips and side skirts but of course that didn't happen. Ended up buying the TRD spoiler, front canards and a Beatsonic shark fin while was on.

And this is how she stood after

The standard exhaust was looking a bit lost in the TRD bumper so I bought a new TRD back box and partially debadged the rear. Much better.

Again I hit a point where I thought I'd leave it alone for a while ( I should have known better at this point). Alas last night I decided to bite the bullet and go down the forced induction route, the standard power was fine at first but I feel it could do with a bit more to make me truly love the car.

I'm currently deciding which route to go and if you have any experience with either turbo or supercharging I'd love to hear any advice.

All I know is I want it done soon because I have the impatience of a child

Thanks for reading,

Mike.

[Lauren 2259]

Not bad going Mike! Just out of interest I notice you have square plates on. It looks better than I thought it was, though I always have a sort of rule myself that it's only square plates on an import like say my AE86.

 

Also you do know that the rear lights have nothing to do with Lexus, it's paying homage to the 2000GT which makes me feel less keen to change them, but plenty of people have!

 

You so need the TRD engine start/stop button! I was fortunate to pick one up in Superautobacs in Yokohama for a paltry £65, but it's twice the price to buy it here. 

 

I have an un-remapped NA. I have driven every version of FI (except the GPRM car). It depends what you want. The AVO turbo is a welll sorted kit IMO, lag is not bad at all, but I preferred the balance of a stage 1 over the stage 3. I've also driven the Sprintex. I found that very torquey in the mid range. I think my favourite is the HKS version 2 so far. Good mid-range punch, but the fun is right up to the redline and the way it just steams into the limiter is irresistible. I'm hoping to have a go in the Cosworth version soon. There are lots of options but it's all about how you want the car to drive. 

[Snowdrift 9]

Thanks Lauren. I don't know if you remember but i was talking to you about exhausts and your sound system at JAE last September, i'd only had my 86 for 3 days but was on a local stand in the other field.

 

I've owned a lot of imports and i guess I've always got used to the square plate look. i just don't like our long plates. it was an added bonus that i already had square plates as when the TRD kit turned up from Fensport, the front plate recess was designed for Jap plates on this particular version of the kit.

 

Yeah i didn't think they we're copied from lexus, just what that style of light has come to be known as, they needed to go as i hate chrome i didn't realise they were a homage to the 2000GT though, you live and learn

 

i wouldn't mind a TRD start button but like you say, its twice that to buy over here and i cant justify the cost for a red button, at £65 i'd have picked one up in a snap though.

 

The HKS was another thought, would have to look into their pricing and who fits them, i'll have a go at most things myself but i'm not touching a job that big, plus i have to get it mapped anyway. the AVO turbo is in the lead at the moment, i just really like the idea of future proofing for when i want more power later down the line with a built engine etc. i'd like to be sitting in low 300's for now which seems to be "safe" enough without opening the engine (as safe as messing with this kind of stuff can be anyway). from past experience that seems to be a good place for a lightweight street car/daily driver.

 

i know i'll need a clutch but I've yet to research that yet, don't want something too stiff as its my main car.

[Lauren 2259]

I spoke to a lot of people at JAE, trying to remember!

 

The uprated clutch feels heavy initially after getting out of a standard car, but my feelings are that you'd get used to it pretty quickly, then not really notice it as much.

[Lauren 2259]

I found 280bhp or so to be a good balance. Think Mas's HKS SC is close to 300 now. It's quick enough I think. It's worth bearing in mind that you will want bigger brakes if you go the forced induction route. That adds to the cost. You will need an oil cooler if you are going to take it on track as well. The more power you have, the more these additional mods will be important. 

[Keethos 842]

Awesome stuff dude, love the story thus far! I don't evny you that much with the decision on which FI system but still envy you going FI. Any chance you have any additional pics of your rear TRD kit with the stock exhaust?

[Kodename47 446]

Think Mas's HKS SC is close to 300 now.

So's Rob's/Jordan's without a similar outlay Mike's Cossy isn't far behind either.

It's worth bearing in mind that you will want bigger brakes

Possibly better, not necessarily bigger.... Only really relevant on track though.

You will need an oil cooler if you are going to take it on track

Thicker oil will help, especially with the pressure drop of an oil cooler in the system. 0W30 or 10W30 would be ideal for track use, only if you do longer sessions then an oil cooler is a must. Road and sprints it's not really necessary.

[Snowdrift 9]

I found 280bhp or so to be a good balance. Think Mas's HKS SC is close to 300 now. It's quick enough I think. It's worth bearing in mind that you will want bigger brakes if you go the forced induction route. That adds to the cost. You will need an oil cooler if you are going to take it on track as well. The more power you have, the more these additional mods will be important. 

 

 bigger brakes will be on the list next,  possibly getting an oil cooler to be on the safe side although i doubt i'll be doing any track work.

 

Awesome stuff dude, love the story thus far! I don't evny you that much with the decision on which FI system but still envy you going FI. Any chance you have any additional pics of your rear TRD kit with the stock exhaust?

 

unfortunately not any good ones from the back. this is about the best i have....

 

it looks ok from all angles except straight on to be honest. looking at it straight on from the rear there's a noticeable gap on the outside of each pipe. 

[Lauren 2259]

Fair comment. I would add that stock brakes are fine on the road, but if you start pushing, they do get too hot. I found this out on the EVO Triangle last time I went. But the other 99% of the time they are absolutely fine. FI will mean you work the brakes harder, so maybe a pad upgrade is all you need.

[Keethos 842]

Thanks dude, so the exhaust sits central to the stock tips? That good to know for if I go TRD, I only want to change the tips rather than the back box as I already have a Cobra exhaust system.

[Snowdrift 9]

They don't sit perfectly central, near enough but slightly towards the centre of the car. There's a slightly larger gap on the outside of the tailpipe than the inside.

[Ztox 230]

Good stuff dude! Not hanging about either haha. I prefer the square plates from when I owned imports too and will probably get some when I get my private reg. I also wish we had the indicator/wiper stalks the same way round! Makes so much more sense to me.

 

I'm still trying to decide on the lights, I really want some smoked ones and hate the 'clear/Lexus/Ice' style lights but now I own the car I just can't get over how awesome the circles are...

[Snowdrift 9]

Good stuff dude! Not hanging about either haha. I prefer the square plates from when I owned imports too and will probably get some when I get my private reg. I also wish we had the indicator/wiper stalks the same way round! Makes so much more sense to me.

 

I'm still trying to decide on the lights, I really want some smoked ones and hate the 'clear/Lexus/Ice' style lights but now I own the car I just can't get over how awesome the circles are...

 

yeah when i first got the 86, for a while i was squirting my windscreen when i was trying to flash somebody out

 

if you love the circle style rear lights have you thought about just tinting the rear lights red, either with film or getting them sprayed? i'd recommend spraying then using a clearcoat so they look nice and glossy, wraps can be a bit matte. then you can just use green indicator bulbs and they should shine through amber due to the way light is filtered.

[Kodename47 446]

How to make the OEM reads look better:

If you have a private plate, just get a shorter plate. Better than an import plate as it doesn't have the height. I have a thing about JDM sized plates on UK cars. Won't you need a friendly MOT tester too?

[Ztox 230]

lol Snow.

 

Yea I guess I could consider tinting them, would have to be dark/black though. It's the Valenti ones I keep looking at. Thanks for the advice/tips guys and you make a good point on the MOT thing Knight, not that I know for sure myself. I would only get a rear one square and I would be getting it solely for the JDM look, not for the want of a shorter plate. We shall see, it won't be for a little while as I'm enjoying the new 15 plate look at the mo. I'll probably rip it off in September 

 

I feel like a highjacker, sorry Snowdrift. Back to you...

[Snowdrift 9]

I know a few friendly testers as I'm in the motor trade, but I wouldn't have to worry about that for another 2 and a half years anyway

[Snowdrift 9]

sooo....i've been in talks with both Fensport and Abbey about fitting a AVO turbo or HKS Supercharger and i'm just about to go ahead and book it in, then out of nowhere i start doubting if i want to put that much money into making the 86 a car i would be happy with (maybe), or just sell it and put £7k+ towards something else. Think i'm going to advertise it first and see if i get any bites, once i figure out a fair price, and decide if its going to be better taking back to standard or keeping the mods on.

 

So at this stage it could be running FI or going to a new owner soon.

 

I must point out that i have mental condition which makes these kinds of dilemmas a regular occurrence, but that doesn't make them any less tiring.

[Snowdrift 9]

Well it looks like my 86 ownership has come to an end after just 8 months, this afternoon I took a deposit from a nice lady and she'll be picking it up later this week.

I've enjoyed every moment of ownership but I want to free some cash up for new home and as much as I told myself I could live with the power, I had already started looking at turbos etc, and after weighing it all up I just couldn't justify putting in £7.5k to get the 86 to a point I'd be happy with.

Luckily I already found my next car, I picked up a WRX STI hatchback yesterday which suits me a bit more.

The short time I've been here I've found a lot of useful info and helpful people, maybe I'll be back in a 86 one day.

Thanks,

Mike.