Discussion
Robins said:
Looks great mate!
I'm really struggling to decide between 17s and 18s for mine both look great. I think the 18s fill the arches well but yours and a few others look perfect on 17s
Cheers dude.I'm really struggling to decide between 17s and 18s for mine both look great. I think the 18s fill the arches well but yours and a few others look perfect on 17s
The way I view it is that the car left the factory with 17s for a reason.
I think 18s can look better in a "stance" sort of way but for me it will always be 17s. I prefer the racey look of the smaller wheel with a meaty bit of tyre showing. And to a point, the bigger your wheels, the slower you're going to accelerate - However, I'd imagine the difference will be negligible making the small leap from 17" to 18" though.
ECG1000 said:
Robins said:
Looks great mate!
I'm really struggling to decide between 17s and 18s for mine both look great. I think the 18s fill the arches well but yours and a few others look perfect on 17s
Cheers dude.I'm really struggling to decide between 17s and 18s for mine both look great. I think the 18s fill the arches well but yours and a few others look perfect on 17s
The way I view it is that the car left the factory with 17s for a reason.
I think 18s can look better in a "stance" sort of way but for me it will always be 17s. I prefer the racey look of the smaller wheel with a meaty bit of tyre showing. And to a point, the bigger your wheels, the slower you're going to accelerate - However, I'd imagine the difference will be negligible making the small leap from 17" to 18" though.
Aesthetics are one thing, but personally I'd want to reduce unsprung weight and go for lighter wheels than the OEM option. I did this on my Focus ST and saved 3KG per corner.
Podie said:
Depending on the wheel, 18s might weigh more.
Aesthetics are one thing, but personally I'd want to reduce unsprung weight and go for lighter wheels than the OEM option. I did this on my Focus ST and saved 3KG per corner.
Agreed.Aesthetics are one thing, but personally I'd want to reduce unsprung weight and go for lighter wheels than the OEM option. I did this on my Focus ST and saved 3KG per corner.
Interestingly enough, I weighed one of the Rota's with a fresh tyre mounted when they were new - turned out to be around 1kg lighter than an OEM wheel/tyre despite being an inch wider.
This update will pretty much bring us up to where I am now...
Last time, the nights were drawing in and I was deliberating on some rally style wheels from Compomotive to go with some winter tyres. Turns out we had a pretty mild end to 2015 so nothing came of that - for good or for bad...
Then sadly on boxing day my work got pretty badly flooded, cocked up Christmas a bit, then the first few months of 2016 were spent getting things back to normal. So cars took a back seat for a while. Only had a few snow days so the wheels/tyres wouldn't have been much use anyway.
Only picture I got during that time - parked up near Catterick Garrison:
Not much happened to the GT86 for a while, just the usual commute and the odd hoon.
Fast forward to May, enter company car!
I wrote a dedicated thread on this asking for help from the PH community. My aim was to get something that was decent but didn't overlap onto the GT86 too much, if at all. Golf R's and GTI's were discussed, as were M135i's - however I felt running any of them would put the GT86 out of business due to there not being enough of a contrast.
I finally settled on this behemoth:
Land Rover Discovery 4 SDV6 Commercial.
This fitted the bill perfectly! Complete contrast to the 86, quiet, comfy, civilised and to top it off, very little benefit in kind to pay
My commute is also about to change from a 6 mile b-road dash to a 25 mile city/motorway waft which I feel would be a waste in the 86. It will come useful in the snow and from the glorious twelfth onwards when we're forced off the beaten track!
The only silly thing about it is the lack of rear seats. This can be remedied by sticking some in specially made for the commercial. If you fit standard Land Rover seats, you lose the commercial status and get shafted by the inland revenue! I don't have the need to ferry lots of people around at the moment so I'm in no rush.
The picture above was taken on the Disco's first outing at the Silverstone Classic. Pretty nice place to spectate from.
With the 86 being taken off daily commuting duties the plan now was to enjoy it more as a treat. So sometimes use it to go to work when the sun's shining - but mainly on an evening when the roads are quiet so I can give it a good thrashing! I also try to plan good weekend trips out to some proper driving roads. Only consisted of North Yorkshire at the moment but I have my head set on exploring Wales and Scotland very soon! And of course the odd track day thrown into the mix.
Nice snap taken on an evening blast around some of my favourite local roads:
The fleet:
Spending time in both cars got me thinking...I could probably get away with making the 86 a bit more wild due to not having to deal with it on a daily basis.
So...back down to Fensport I went, this time for more noise:
Noise comes in the shape of a Tomei Expreme equal length de-cat manifold.
My exhaust setup now goes like this: Tomei de-cat manifold -> Milltek overpipe -> Milltek de-cat -> Milltek non resonated mid pipe -> Milltek back box.
I went for equal length because I didn't want that classic boxer rumble you get with unequal length. To me it's a muscle car sound more suited to the Impreza. I view the GT86 as more of precision tool where a higher pitched exhaust note is apt.
Well, that's exactly what I got! As soon as you reach 4000rpm, the car has a lovely rasp to it all the way to the red line - not too dissimilar to a Honda sound.
Whilst I was at Fensport the ECUTEK map was tweaked to work with the new manifold - pops and bangs were also enabled in to maps 1, 2 and 3. The whole package is pretty antisocial but I love it! Properly grin inducing. A lot keener to pull at the top end now. Probably a good job I'm only out when the roads are quieter now! Fensport reckon I'll be close to 230bhp now. The chap with the GT86 I met at Blyton has a very similar exhaust setup to this and has had his dyno'd at that figure. I'm not chasing numbers, just useful to know.
Only slight problem with the pops and bangs is you initiate them by lightly touching the throttle. This can get in the way a bit when you're trying to be smooth coming on or off the power. I'll get this sorted by having it disabled in map 1. Otherwise all good.
Hilarity ensued driving through here.
The next few weeks were spent being a hooligan enjoying the 86.
Weekend trip up to North Yorkshire with a couple of mates. One in a relatively standard GT86 with a cobra exhaust and the other in a 420d. We ended up setting off at the crack off dawn and came across not one other car traveling in the same direction as us. It was incredible!
Was feast for the ears hearing those Toyota's at full chat.
The BMW did surprise me here. I could barely make any distance on it in a straight line, despite all the money I've thrown at exhausts a mapping! Maybe to be expected given the torque advantage... However, as soon as it got twisty, I was gone. Suppose for me that's where it counts, in the fun parts.
Particular highlight to the trip was the Blakey Ridge/Rosedale loop. Awesome bit of tarmac where you really can open the taps. Just worth keeping your eyes peeled for sheep!
Almost forgot....my car apparently spits flames at full bore upshifts! It was captured on my mate's GoPro - will upload when I get the footage.
Couple of pictures taken at the top of Rosedale Chimney. First gear selected at the bottom, best impression of Initial D - group of ramblers at the top, not happy...
And that's where I'm up to now.
I was going to bore anyone that's reading with my thoughts of turbocharged, supercharged or sticking with NA. I'll leave for another day as it's bedtime.
Next stop Millbrook on the 10th for a CAT Driver Training Drift Day. Should be interesting!
Last time, the nights were drawing in and I was deliberating on some rally style wheels from Compomotive to go with some winter tyres. Turns out we had a pretty mild end to 2015 so nothing came of that - for good or for bad...
Then sadly on boxing day my work got pretty badly flooded, cocked up Christmas a bit, then the first few months of 2016 were spent getting things back to normal. So cars took a back seat for a while. Only had a few snow days so the wheels/tyres wouldn't have been much use anyway.
Only picture I got during that time - parked up near Catterick Garrison:
Not much happened to the GT86 for a while, just the usual commute and the odd hoon.
Fast forward to May, enter company car!
I wrote a dedicated thread on this asking for help from the PH community. My aim was to get something that was decent but didn't overlap onto the GT86 too much, if at all. Golf R's and GTI's were discussed, as were M135i's - however I felt running any of them would put the GT86 out of business due to there not being enough of a contrast.
I finally settled on this behemoth:
Land Rover Discovery 4 SDV6 Commercial.
This fitted the bill perfectly! Complete contrast to the 86, quiet, comfy, civilised and to top it off, very little benefit in kind to pay
My commute is also about to change from a 6 mile b-road dash to a 25 mile city/motorway waft which I feel would be a waste in the 86. It will come useful in the snow and from the glorious twelfth onwards when we're forced off the beaten track!
The only silly thing about it is the lack of rear seats. This can be remedied by sticking some in specially made for the commercial. If you fit standard Land Rover seats, you lose the commercial status and get shafted by the inland revenue! I don't have the need to ferry lots of people around at the moment so I'm in no rush.
The picture above was taken on the Disco's first outing at the Silverstone Classic. Pretty nice place to spectate from.
With the 86 being taken off daily commuting duties the plan now was to enjoy it more as a treat. So sometimes use it to go to work when the sun's shining - but mainly on an evening when the roads are quiet so I can give it a good thrashing! I also try to plan good weekend trips out to some proper driving roads. Only consisted of North Yorkshire at the moment but I have my head set on exploring Wales and Scotland very soon! And of course the odd track day thrown into the mix.
Nice snap taken on an evening blast around some of my favourite local roads:
The fleet:
Spending time in both cars got me thinking...I could probably get away with making the 86 a bit more wild due to not having to deal with it on a daily basis.
So...back down to Fensport I went, this time for more noise:
Noise comes in the shape of a Tomei Expreme equal length de-cat manifold.
My exhaust setup now goes like this: Tomei de-cat manifold -> Milltek overpipe -> Milltek de-cat -> Milltek non resonated mid pipe -> Milltek back box.
I went for equal length because I didn't want that classic boxer rumble you get with unequal length. To me it's a muscle car sound more suited to the Impreza. I view the GT86 as more of precision tool where a higher pitched exhaust note is apt.
Well, that's exactly what I got! As soon as you reach 4000rpm, the car has a lovely rasp to it all the way to the red line - not too dissimilar to a Honda sound.
Whilst I was at Fensport the ECUTEK map was tweaked to work with the new manifold - pops and bangs were also enabled in to maps 1, 2 and 3. The whole package is pretty antisocial but I love it! Properly grin inducing. A lot keener to pull at the top end now. Probably a good job I'm only out when the roads are quieter now! Fensport reckon I'll be close to 230bhp now. The chap with the GT86 I met at Blyton has a very similar exhaust setup to this and has had his dyno'd at that figure. I'm not chasing numbers, just useful to know.
Only slight problem with the pops and bangs is you initiate them by lightly touching the throttle. This can get in the way a bit when you're trying to be smooth coming on or off the power. I'll get this sorted by having it disabled in map 1. Otherwise all good.
Hilarity ensued driving through here.
The next few weeks were spent being a hooligan enjoying the 86.
Weekend trip up to North Yorkshire with a couple of mates. One in a relatively standard GT86 with a cobra exhaust and the other in a 420d. We ended up setting off at the crack off dawn and came across not one other car traveling in the same direction as us. It was incredible!
Was feast for the ears hearing those Toyota's at full chat.
The BMW did surprise me here. I could barely make any distance on it in a straight line, despite all the money I've thrown at exhausts a mapping! Maybe to be expected given the torque advantage... However, as soon as it got twisty, I was gone. Suppose for me that's where it counts, in the fun parts.
Particular highlight to the trip was the Blakey Ridge/Rosedale loop. Awesome bit of tarmac where you really can open the taps. Just worth keeping your eyes peeled for sheep!
Almost forgot....my car apparently spits flames at full bore upshifts! It was captured on my mate's GoPro - will upload when I get the footage.
Couple of pictures taken at the top of Rosedale Chimney. First gear selected at the bottom, best impression of Initial D - group of ramblers at the top, not happy...
And that's where I'm up to now.
I was going to bore anyone that's reading with my thoughts of turbocharged, supercharged or sticking with NA. I'll leave for another day as it's bedtime.
Next stop Millbrook on the 10th for a CAT Driver Training Drift Day. Should be interesting!
Edited by ECG1000 on Wednesday 3rd August 11:14
A fantastic evolution of a car that I have a bit of a 'thing' for. However, I'm interested in how you view the way you've changed the car during your ownership. You started off talking about how much you loved the compliant suspension and adjustability of the standard tyres - yet, all your modifications have effectively moved you away from a chassis that delivers this.
Do you feel that you've developed it into something that isn't quite as the engineers envisaged (and perhaps misses some of the original car's charm)? Or do you think this was a mission of 'personalisation' as much as anything else?
Do you feel that you've developed it into something that isn't quite as the engineers envisaged (and perhaps misses some of the original car's charm)? Or do you think this was a mission of 'personalisation' as much as anything else?
LordGrover said:
Thanks for update. 
Are you entirely catless now then? Assume you'll have to swap in a cat for MOT?
No problem mate!Are you entirely catless now then? Assume you'll have to swap in a cat for MOT?
I am indeed cat-less now. As you say, I'll probably have to stick one in for MOT, or perhaps find a friendly garage..
CABC said:
That is such a cool pairing.
A low BIK Defender. Brilliant!
Cheers mate. Not sure how many other people will have this pair - bit of an odd mixture A low BIK Defender. Brilliant!
C70R said:
A fantastic evolution of a car that I have a bit of a 'thing' for. However, I'm interested in how you view the way you've changed the car during your ownership. You started off talking about how much you loved the compliant suspension and adjustability of the standard tyres - yet, all your modifications have effectively moved you away from a chassis that delivers this.
Do you feel that you've developed it into something that isn't quite as the engineers envisaged (and perhaps misses some of the original car's charm)? Or do you think this was a mission of 'personalisation' as much as anything else?
Thank you very much. Definitely a car I have a thing for too Do you feel that you've developed it into something that isn't quite as the engineers envisaged (and perhaps misses some of the original car's charm)? Or do you think this was a mission of 'personalisation' as much as anything else?
Very happy with the changes I have made to the car, wouldn't be happy going back to standard from the point I've reached. Not implying a standard 86 is bad, but I'm confident in saying what I have now is a far more pointy and pokey proposition.
Don't think I mentioned loving the compliancy of the standard suspension? Perhaps you are referring to the way I thought it tackled bumpy roads in comparison to my old 370z? I think whilst this will be down to the suspension, a lot will also be down to weight and weight distribution.
The 370z is a heavy car for starters, then it's got a big lump of a V6 hanging over its front wheels. I don't think this did many favours when the road got choppy with quick direction changes. Compare this to a GT86 which is relatively light in comparison and has a nice compact boxer engine mounted very low down and far back in the engine bay. This lends itself more favourably to the type of driving I do.
The Tein suspension I have now is only marginally stiffer than a standard GT86 but with the added ability of being able to play with geometry settings to a greater extent.
The tyres I have now are the same Michelin Primacys as the standard car, just 225 section as opposed to 215.
I found the standard car (when really pushing) liked to understeer which required backing off to reel in or a prolonged boot full of power to eventually bring the back end round. With the current suspension setup, geometry and tyres, I've got a car with a lovely neutral adjustable balance which can be flicked into oversteer if the mood takes you, or more so if the skill allows!
In my opinion these cars were made to be modified. When they were first released in Japan, you could buy a properly basic thing with no creature comforts, steel wheels and bare plastic bumpers. This to me is the engineers saying "here's a good starting block, go do your thing and improve on it".
For me, so long as the modifications are done correctly they carry the original charm with them and multiply it.
My mission definitely was/is one of personalisation, but not to the extent of solely concentrating on aesthetics. It's mostly performance orientated - where the modifications have lent themselves to improving the car's appearance as well.
Hope that's a good enough answer
Edited by ECG1000 on Wednesday 3rd August 13:01
ManOpener said:
This just goes to show how fantastic these look with a small number of modifications. I'd initially crossed these off my list of "stuff to look at for next cars", but safe to say, looking at this example it's firmly back on.
Thanks pal. Definitely worth a look at if when you consider changing. As I've said before; make sure you go on a really long test drive!ECG1000 said:
Hope that's a good enough answer
Fair bash, and good on you for replying.It wasn't intended as a criticism, per se - more an observation that the standard car seems to come in for so much praise, that it almost seems unnecessary to 'mod' it substantially (unless you're unhappy with the power). I guess yours is the thinner end of the wedge in modification terms, but it's a slippery old slope from there in, particularly as good B-Road and Trackday cars are often very different beasts.
C70R said:
Fair bash, and good on you for replying.
It wasn't intended as a criticism, per se - more an observation that the standard car seems to come in for so much praise, that it almost seems unnecessary to 'mod' it substantially (unless you're unhappy with the power). I guess yours is the thinner end of the wedge in modification terms, but it's a slippery old slope from there in, particularly as good B-Road and Trackday cars are often very different beasts.
It is indeed a slippery slope! Only last night I was out for a b-road blast up Holme Moss, I couldn't help but feel how much some FI wouldn't go amiss. Bearing in mind it's a steep climb to the top.It wasn't intended as a criticism, per se - more an observation that the standard car seems to come in for so much praise, that it almost seems unnecessary to 'mod' it substantially (unless you're unhappy with the power). I guess yours is the thinner end of the wedge in modification terms, but it's a slippery old slope from there in, particularly as good B-Road and Trackday cars are often very different beasts.
But when I'm on flat, tight, twisty roads, I'm more than happy with the performance - especially because you can use all of it most of the time.
Think it's all relative to what type of road you are on. Having said that, the prospect of FI does excite me - just not sure if it'll be a good idea in the long run.
ECG1000 said:
It is indeed a slippery slope! Only last night I was out for a b-road blast up Holme Moss, I couldn't help but feel how much some FI wouldn't go amiss. Bearing in mind it's a steep climb to the top.
But when I'm on flat, tight, twisty roads, I'm more than happy with the performance - especially because you can use all of it most of the time.
Think it's all relative to what type of road you are on. Having said that, the prospect of FI does excite me - just not sure if it'll be a good idea in the long run.
SC rather than turbo, Shirley?But when I'm on flat, tight, twisty roads, I'm more than happy with the performance - especially because you can use all of it most of the time.
Think it's all relative to what type of road you are on. Having said that, the prospect of FI does excite me - just not sure if it'll be a good idea in the long run.
CABC said:
SC rather than turbo, Shirley?
Well, that was the direction I intended to go if I eventually take the plunge - hence forking out for a manifold.But....I went out in a Cosworth Supercharged GT86 the other day and wasn't that impressed.
It was an automatic however which never fails to put an 86 in bad light due to the rubbish gearing. For example, 3rd gear in an auto is pretty much the equivalent to 4th gear in an manual.
Need to go out in a supercharged manual to fully cast my vote. I think turbo will be more exciting in terms of thump in the back grunt but supercharging will lend itself more suitably to the GT86's character.
Edited by ECG1000 on Friday 5th August 14:24
Did you ever see the 'Savage Geese' YouTube channel when they started down the road of tuning a GT86?
Worth searching for it not...
I watch all his stuff.
A dry, quite witty presenter, who has a format and sticks to it, tests anything he can get his hands on, good production, and a sarcastic mechanic for when they get every car up on the lift...
Anyway his earlier stuff details his journey of improving a GT86, but ultimately getting a bit hacked off by it...
Worth searching for it not...
I watch all his stuff.
A dry, quite witty presenter, who has a format and sticks to it, tests anything he can get his hands on, good production, and a sarcastic mechanic for when they get every car up on the lift...
Anyway his earlier stuff details his journey of improving a GT86, but ultimately getting a bit hacked off by it...
Quickmoose said:
Did you ever see the 'Savage Geese' YouTube channel when they started down the road of tuning a GT86?
Worth searching for it not...
I watch all his stuff.
A dry, quite witty presenter, who has a format and sticks to it, tests anything he can get his hands on, good production, and a sarcastic mechanic for when they get every car up on the lift...
Anyway his earlier stuff details his journey of improving a GT86, but ultimately getting a bit hacked off by it...
Think I have seen that actually. Didn't they stick on a Vortech supercharger and start getting problems with cooling or lack thereof? Worth searching for it not...
I watch all his stuff.
A dry, quite witty presenter, who has a format and sticks to it, tests anything he can get his hands on, good production, and a sarcastic mechanic for when they get every car up on the lift...
Anyway his earlier stuff details his journey of improving a GT86, but ultimately getting a bit hacked off by it...
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