Discussion
Last Saturday I finally got some time to fit my part horde. With the eibach lowering springs waiting to go on I thought it was a good time to fit an exhaust whilst the car would be up in the air. For some unknown reason ebay sent me a 10% off voucher so I snapped up a cobra exhaust and saved myself £50.
Getting the car up in the air whilst minimising damage to the sills was tricky and time consuming but doable by driving the car up onto wood and using coupe of jacks and axle stands. Being a fairly new car the old system came off with ease once the back box rubber mounts were lubricated.
Easy to see how cobra get a few HP over the stock squished system
The new system goes on even easier as it's in three parts rather than 2 but i did find I needed to upgrade to wider and thicker washers for the exhaust bolt springs that join the secondary cat to the mid pipe. I also used some silicon sealant to prevent exhaust leaks.
Final exhaust picture is with some temporary tips as Cobra ran out of stock
Fun easy job out the way it was time to start on the eibach lowering springs. The rears came off easily and even the top nuts undid with a deep 14mm socket and ratchet although a 14mm deep offset spanner and hex key would have be preferable.
The fronts were a bit more complicated with everything a bit more heavy duty. The drop links came off ok after a blast of anti seize spray with an offset spanner I bought especially for the job combined with a t handle 6mm hex tool. Second little problem area was one of the stut mount top nuts. A 17mm offset spanner with the hex key didn't budge the passenger side neither did a socket with a breaker bar so out came the impact gun just to free it off with the rest done with the offset spanner to avoid blowing the damper whixh id heard is common. All went back together nicely although there were definitely a few more rusty bolts than I was expecting for a year old car.
All back on the floor and I fired her up with a more purposeful deeper rumble which raised a smile. Then came relief as I careful backed the car off my dad's drive which has a fairly steep ramp down to the road. Time for a quick test drive and first noticeable thing was the smell as I guess the exhaust was burning off the sealant and grease. Warmed up and I gave it some more revs and its definitely louder with a nice modest tone without drone. Its now worth dropping the windows for a listen as you accelerate up the rev range whereas before it was louder with the windows closed with the inducted sound generator. I would have liked a more throaty tone but firstly i will give it some time to coke up and see how it sounds. Secondly with just a seconday cat back I knew this might not be enough and i might need a decat pipe or decat headers. Only other thing is the looks, I'm not 100% sold on the thin walled ginormous tips which are maybe a bit too OTT for me and the exhaust clamps are visible from the rear. I will see if it grows on me if not I will look into adapting the exhaust tubing to fit the OE tips as i always thought they were a great design.
Whilst thinking about the exhaust over the first few minutes on the road i completely forgot about the springs which to me is perfect. Retaining the stock ride whilst giving a lower stance is just what I wanted and it even drives down to my garage at home without scraping. Looks wise the front looks much lower but the rear still has a little gap. Be interesting how some wheels would look now.
Final picture with the correct tips fitted
Getting the car up in the air whilst minimising damage to the sills was tricky and time consuming but doable by driving the car up onto wood and using coupe of jacks and axle stands. Being a fairly new car the old system came off with ease once the back box rubber mounts were lubricated.
Easy to see how cobra get a few HP over the stock squished system
The new system goes on even easier as it's in three parts rather than 2 but i did find I needed to upgrade to wider and thicker washers for the exhaust bolt springs that join the secondary cat to the mid pipe. I also used some silicon sealant to prevent exhaust leaks.
Final exhaust picture is with some temporary tips as Cobra ran out of stock
Fun easy job out the way it was time to start on the eibach lowering springs. The rears came off easily and even the top nuts undid with a deep 14mm socket and ratchet although a 14mm deep offset spanner and hex key would have be preferable.
The fronts were a bit more complicated with everything a bit more heavy duty. The drop links came off ok after a blast of anti seize spray with an offset spanner I bought especially for the job combined with a t handle 6mm hex tool. Second little problem area was one of the stut mount top nuts. A 17mm offset spanner with the hex key didn't budge the passenger side neither did a socket with a breaker bar so out came the impact gun just to free it off with the rest done with the offset spanner to avoid blowing the damper whixh id heard is common. All went back together nicely although there were definitely a few more rusty bolts than I was expecting for a year old car.
All back on the floor and I fired her up with a more purposeful deeper rumble which raised a smile. Then came relief as I careful backed the car off my dad's drive which has a fairly steep ramp down to the road. Time for a quick test drive and first noticeable thing was the smell as I guess the exhaust was burning off the sealant and grease. Warmed up and I gave it some more revs and its definitely louder with a nice modest tone without drone. Its now worth dropping the windows for a listen as you accelerate up the rev range whereas before it was louder with the windows closed with the inducted sound generator. I would have liked a more throaty tone but firstly i will give it some time to coke up and see how it sounds. Secondly with just a seconday cat back I knew this might not be enough and i might need a decat pipe or decat headers. Only other thing is the looks, I'm not 100% sold on the thin walled ginormous tips which are maybe a bit too OTT for me and the exhaust clamps are visible from the rear. I will see if it grows on me if not I will look into adapting the exhaust tubing to fit the OE tips as i always thought they were a great design.
Whilst thinking about the exhaust over the first few minutes on the road i completely forgot about the springs which to me is perfect. Retaining the stock ride whilst giving a lower stance is just what I wanted and it even drives down to my garage at home without scraping. Looks wise the front looks much lower but the rear still has a little gap. Be interesting how some wheels would look now.
Final picture with the correct tips fitted
Whilst I've only done a few journeys since fitting so far I can't praise the springs enough. They really do retain the stock comfort with a lowered look.
Managed to get a side shot today for comparison with the standard ride height vs now lowered ride height with Eibach springs.
Pre lowering a few months back
Post lowering
I have a trip to Wales and the Evo triangle next week which im going to squeeze in as part of a weekend away for mine and the wifes wedding anniversary. Should be interesting to see how the car performs with the recent upgrades.
Had a fantastic weekend trip to Wales and Shrewsbury
First stop was the Evo triangle and we headed down the A5 lower side to Betsy Coewd
Stretch our legs with a walk around Cwm Penamnen which looked spectacular with the autumn back drop and waterfalls.
Then headed to the West side of Evo triangle along the B451 which felt a bit more remote and the roads were empty, we had planned to continue on to the East side of the triangle however the fuel light had popped up a couple of miles back so we kept onto the next town and also stopped for a quick bite at Con Amici which went down pretty with the wife.
On the way back missed out on the East side of the triangle (please dont tell me its the best side!) as apparently the WRC rally was more important.
We stayed at the big bear lodge as seen on ch4's four in a bed which lived upto expectations
Had an obligatory anniversary Meal at Lepone's in Oswestry
Next morning after a great full English at the B&B we left for carding mill valley another valley walk with reservoir and waterfalls but a bit more rugged than our walk in Wales maybe not the ideal place for my pregnant wife.
To make sure we weren't hungry for the trip home we stopped at The Haughmond for an excellently cooked rare roast beef sunday lunch, (veg was on the side for those thinking we just had a yorkshire pud, gravy, beef and potatoes). The bread and butter pudding topped off the whole meal. To finish off the weekend we spent a tortuous couple of hours crawling back on the motorway to get home.
Car performed faultlessly and seemed to pull much more noticeable whereas I felt it had been lacking power at times round Europe but this could have been from higher ambient temperatures, altitude or possibly heat soak. As for the exhaust its great to have some more noise and definitely made the drive more enjoyable when your on a twisty B road where even if you aren't going any faster you feel like you are and to top it off the wife hasnt complained about the noise yet.
First stop was the Evo triangle and we headed down the A5 lower side to Betsy Coewd
Stretch our legs with a walk around Cwm Penamnen which looked spectacular with the autumn back drop and waterfalls.
Then headed to the West side of Evo triangle along the B451 which felt a bit more remote and the roads were empty, we had planned to continue on to the East side of the triangle however the fuel light had popped up a couple of miles back so we kept onto the next town and also stopped for a quick bite at Con Amici which went down pretty with the wife.
On the way back missed out on the East side of the triangle (please dont tell me its the best side!) as apparently the WRC rally was more important.
We stayed at the big bear lodge as seen on ch4's four in a bed which lived upto expectations
Had an obligatory anniversary Meal at Lepone's in Oswestry
Next morning after a great full English at the B&B we left for carding mill valley another valley walk with reservoir and waterfalls but a bit more rugged than our walk in Wales maybe not the ideal place for my pregnant wife.
To make sure we weren't hungry for the trip home we stopped at The Haughmond for an excellently cooked rare roast beef sunday lunch, (veg was on the side for those thinking we just had a yorkshire pud, gravy, beef and potatoes). The bread and butter pudding topped off the whole meal. To finish off the weekend we spent a tortuous couple of hours crawling back on the motorway to get home.
Car performed faultlessly and seemed to pull much more noticeable whereas I felt it had been lacking power at times round Europe but this could have been from higher ambient temperatures, altitude or possibly heat soak. As for the exhaust its great to have some more noise and definitely made the drive more enjoyable when your on a twisty B road where even if you aren't going any faster you feel like you are and to top it off the wife hasnt complained about the noise yet.
Great thread OP!
I won one of the 86 prizes to drive one up the Goodwood hill-climb at the UK launch.
Was really impressed, except they put me in an auto!
Still I test drove a manual in 2014, but the numbers didn't work for me at the time.
But they are holding value well - maybe because there are more people who will pay £15K ish for a used one than there ever were people who would spend £25K+ on a new one?
Whatever, a manual GT86 is still on my radar as a possible future purchase - a great driver's car for anyone who wants a roof (so no MX-5)!
Hope you keep enjoying your car!
I won one of the 86 prizes to drive one up the Goodwood hill-climb at the UK launch.
Was really impressed, except they put me in an auto!
Still I test drove a manual in 2014, but the numbers didn't work for me at the time.
But they are holding value well - maybe because there are more people who will pay £15K ish for a used one than there ever were people who would spend £25K+ on a new one?
Whatever, a manual GT86 is still on my radar as a possible future purchase - a great driver's car for anyone who wants a roof (so no MX-5)!
Hope you keep enjoying your car!
Finally got the Speedline Turini's on, a long time coming (priorities shifted when I found out a little one was on the way). Really happy with how they turned out and will be interesting to see how these new Yokohama V105s perform. I actually got along with the Primacy's pretty well in dry, hot and even damp conditions but as soon as the temperature dropped and it got wet and greasy out I was definitely surprised on a few occasions. Hopefully the new tyres will be more predictable but still allow some now and again
bassett said:
Finally got the Speedline Turini's on, a long time coming (priorities shifted when I found out a little one was on the way). Really happy with how they turned out and will be interesting to see how these new Yokohama V105s perform. I actually got along with the Primacy's pretty well in dry, hot and even damp conditions but as soon as the temperature dropped and it got wet and greasy out I was definitely surprised on a few occasions. Hopefully the new tyres will be more predictable but still allow some now and again
I love that. Makes me want one even more. I ideally wanted to go for a UEL manifold, but instead opted for a cheaper, quieter and more mot friendly option with a milltek overpipe and cobra decat front pipe. I was under the impression that removing the overpipe heat shields and with a bit of persuasion that it would pull out one way or another Didn't quite gp to plan and I found that it kept getting stuck against the manifold so the manifold came out which was so easy I kind of regretted not going UEL although I imagine the engine studs could be a pain after repeated changes come MOT time.
Stock front pipe with integrated catalyst and resonator
The annoying overpipe and all its heat shielding
Front pipe side by side
Overpipe side by side (doesn't look it but the new one is on the right and the photo doesn't do it justice for how squished the original OEM part is)
New shiny pipes (apart from the overpipe as that's second hand)
On start up I didn't notice much of a change but once on the move you definitely hear it. The sound has changed from a slightly characterless deep tone to one with more of a throaty edge and a touch more burble. Performance wise it was only a shakedown to make sure there wasnt any knocking which it passed. I will see how the ecu compensates over the coming journeys and hopefully a few extra ponies will be released.
I know the outlay for the figures dont weigh up but i cant resist seeing how a remap brings the new parts together and it also offers a few nice extras.
Also thought I'd check my tyre pressures as the wheels have been on a few months now. I was very surprised to see 40psi on every wheel even when i had told my mechanic mate to use 35psi. I dropped them down to 33psi as a bit of an experiment and it's shaved the edge off the firmness, again like the exhaust it needs some more testing though.
Stock front pipe with integrated catalyst and resonator
The annoying overpipe and all its heat shielding
Front pipe side by side
Overpipe side by side (doesn't look it but the new one is on the right and the photo doesn't do it justice for how squished the original OEM part is)
New shiny pipes (apart from the overpipe as that's second hand)
On start up I didn't notice much of a change but once on the move you definitely hear it. The sound has changed from a slightly characterless deep tone to one with more of a throaty edge and a touch more burble. Performance wise it was only a shakedown to make sure there wasnt any knocking which it passed. I will see how the ecu compensates over the coming journeys and hopefully a few extra ponies will be released.
I know the outlay for the figures dont weigh up but i cant resist seeing how a remap brings the new parts together and it also offers a few nice extras.
Also thought I'd check my tyre pressures as the wheels have been on a few months now. I was very surprised to see 40psi on every wheel even when i had told my mechanic mate to use 35psi. I dropped them down to 33psi as a bit of an experiment and it's shaved the edge off the firmness, again like the exhaust it needs some more testing though.
Thanks Eezeh and I don't think the photos do it justice either as the blue really pops in the sun with hints of purple where as the camera phone photos look quite flat
This week ive had the car down at Abbey Motorsport to have the 86 remapped following the upgraded exhaust components.
Ive had the following maps added on Marks(remappers) recommendation
1. 98ron
2. 98ron with flat foot shift and launch control
3. 98ron with flat foot shift, launch control and downshift blip
4. 95ron and limited to 5k rpm all gears
Mark didnt feel different throttle sensitivity would be beneficial on N/A and I agree as all map options behave in the same way rather than mixing things up. All maps also have the loud cold start removed which I am sure my neighbours will approve of.
Obviously the car didnt make crazy horsepower and the overall gains on the dyno graph wouldnt blow you away either. I think this is to do with the base graph being a stock 86 and not my actual car pre remap although it does show 10hp/10lbft over stock with a torque dip lower in the rev range. Mark also commented on the engine being quite tight as afterall the car has only done 6k from new and it was a scorching hot day.
On the hub dyno
Some of the early base graphs in the dyno room
Today I've taken the car to one of my favourite local stretches; the B2042 between Riverhead and Edenbridge which is a nice tight and twisty section perfect for using the revs and changing gears. Overall it felt epic being an early sunny morning, clear roads and windows down, the tyres inspiring confidence and much more progressive, the exhaust growling in the background and the new remap tieing everything together. There is definitely more punch from the engine, full throttle from 3.5k it builds harder than before and whilst I'm not pinned to me seat on a wave of torque it does gradually push you back into the seat as the revs rise which I'm sure it didnt before. The torque dip is still there but less noticeable from being around 4-500 rpm lower in the rev range. With the extra power it is also keener to rev and you find the needle ticking round to the limiter that bit quicker. As a package it is now pretty much exactly as I wanted and what should have been the base point for what left the factory.
This week ive had the car down at Abbey Motorsport to have the 86 remapped following the upgraded exhaust components.
Ive had the following maps added on Marks(remappers) recommendation
1. 98ron
2. 98ron with flat foot shift and launch control
3. 98ron with flat foot shift, launch control and downshift blip
4. 95ron and limited to 5k rpm all gears
Mark didnt feel different throttle sensitivity would be beneficial on N/A and I agree as all map options behave in the same way rather than mixing things up. All maps also have the loud cold start removed which I am sure my neighbours will approve of.
Obviously the car didnt make crazy horsepower and the overall gains on the dyno graph wouldnt blow you away either. I think this is to do with the base graph being a stock 86 and not my actual car pre remap although it does show 10hp/10lbft over stock with a torque dip lower in the rev range. Mark also commented on the engine being quite tight as afterall the car has only done 6k from new and it was a scorching hot day.
On the hub dyno
Some of the early base graphs in the dyno room
Today I've taken the car to one of my favourite local stretches; the B2042 between Riverhead and Edenbridge which is a nice tight and twisty section perfect for using the revs and changing gears. Overall it felt epic being an early sunny morning, clear roads and windows down, the tyres inspiring confidence and much more progressive, the exhaust growling in the background and the new remap tieing everything together. There is definitely more punch from the engine, full throttle from 3.5k it builds harder than before and whilst I'm not pinned to me seat on a wave of torque it does gradually push you back into the seat as the revs rise which I'm sure it didnt before. The torque dip is still there but less noticeable from being around 4-500 rpm lower in the rev range. With the extra power it is also keener to rev and you find the needle ticking round to the limiter that bit quicker. As a package it is now pretty much exactly as I wanted and what should have been the base point for what left the factory.
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