Discussion
Hi All, With a wedding looming and family friendly diesel cars on the fiancées agenda man maths prevailed and I ordered factory fresh GT86 in the following spec;
· 2015 GT86 Spec
· Starlight Blue
· Manual Transmission
· Half Leather/Half Alcantara heated seats
· Spoiler
Few pics after collection
So far the run in period has been pretty good with a weekend in Salisbury and then Goodwood to put the chassis to work. Even capped at 4k rpm you still get to feel the back end wriggle out of tight bends and roundabouts and is ridiculously more involving than my previous TT V6. Cant wait to get those first 1,000 miles out the way to start using all those revs!
You might have picked up by now the spoiler isn't fitted as the dealer did a great job of not ordering it with the car. However they did sort it out and ship one out as they knew it was their mistake so it is now taking pride of place on my dining room table. Instead of fitting it I'm going to get something better which leads nicely onto the tweaks I've got planned although they are more likely to be in next year sorting out the small details and my pet hates whilst maintaining a flexible fast road car.
Adam
· 2015 GT86 Spec
· Starlight Blue
· Manual Transmission
· Half Leather/Half Alcantara heated seats
· Spoiler
Few pics after collection
So far the run in period has been pretty good with a weekend in Salisbury and then Goodwood to put the chassis to work. Even capped at 4k rpm you still get to feel the back end wriggle out of tight bends and roundabouts and is ridiculously more involving than my previous TT V6. Cant wait to get those first 1,000 miles out the way to start using all those revs!
You might have picked up by now the spoiler isn't fitted as the dealer did a great job of not ordering it with the car. However they did sort it out and ship one out as they knew it was their mistake so it is now taking pride of place on my dining room table. Instead of fitting it I'm going to get something better which leads nicely onto the tweaks I've got planned although they are more likely to be in next year sorting out the small details and my pet hates whilst maintaining a flexible fast road car.
Adam
Great to see some positive comments, thanks. As for the colour the GT86 was originally released in blue and a few months back with the 2016 spec they changed the blue to be a warmer hue which on bright days looks purple.
I will definitely add more on the power question after I’ve racked up a few miles as it was always in the back of my mind especially after my first test drive which was literally around the block and left me less than impressed. Fast forward 6 months and I was in a better position to buy and thought id try for a longer test drive at another dealer. We went down every type of road id typically drive and that was it, I didn’t even make it to the Nissan and Subaru dealers had scheduled in for the same day.
Blayney – i was surprised to see that wasn’t a link to the Avo turbo kit. The lights are one of my pet hates as well with too much chrome and Lexusness so i’ll be looking into these or possibly the Tom’s units.
I will definitely add more on the power question after I’ve racked up a few miles as it was always in the back of my mind especially after my first test drive which was literally around the block and left me less than impressed. Fast forward 6 months and I was in a better position to buy and thought id try for a longer test drive at another dealer. We went down every type of road id typically drive and that was it, I didn’t even make it to the Nissan and Subaru dealers had scheduled in for the same day.
Blayney – i was surprised to see that wasn’t a link to the Avo turbo kit. The lights are one of my pet hates as well with too much chrome and Lexusness so i’ll be looking into these or possibly the Tom’s units.
Been having a good few months with the 86 and absolutely love driving the thing now im past the run in period. Over the Christmas break I had some time to fit a few small mods to the car.
First up was the 86 steering wheel emblem as from day one I couldn't help but feel this just didn't look right. Nice easy fitment with some sticky tape on the back and just needed to make sure it was on at the right angle and central. Wasn't overly impressed with the quality for the price with little dents all over it so the supplier sent a second one. Air mail took an age but then the second one was even worse. Fitted on the car it looks nice and from a few foot you don't notice the imperfections.
A Cosworth air filter was next on the list which was a doddle to fit even when I took my time to remove the air box and do it properly.
From the side you can see the little tab so that it only goes in one way.
Given im just outside the run in period I cant really tell if its adding much or if the engine is loosening up but it does seem to have a bit more pull at high revs and added noise through the inducted pipe.
Courtesy of Tarmacsportz i picked up a TRD style spoiler and had a quick trial fit before paint. It sat nice and flat so i took it down to a body shop a mate recommended.
The painter commented on the oem quality and finish which was a good sign with the only problem being he couldnt find the paint code on the system as its relatively new colour.
Finally was the arm rest which I decided to wait for a weekend when my dad was free to give me a hand and someone else to blame if it all went wrong. The Toyota PDF was a great help especially as it has the template but this job was a right pain in the arse! it was nerve racking stuff when my dad was holding the drill and almost drilled a hole in the alcantara. A few holes needed a touch of filing to line everything up and it came together in the end. Took about 1 hour and a half mainly checking and rechecking then filing with the most useless files in my tool draw.
It adds a nice touch to add to the interior and it will hopefully get some use on a few driving holidays I have planned this year when stuck on the motorways. The big trip we have booked this year is a week long euro trip. London, Calais, Lake Geneva, Lake Como, Davos, Lauterbrunnen, Nurburg then home. Any recommendations along the way would be great.
First up was the 86 steering wheel emblem as from day one I couldn't help but feel this just didn't look right. Nice easy fitment with some sticky tape on the back and just needed to make sure it was on at the right angle and central. Wasn't overly impressed with the quality for the price with little dents all over it so the supplier sent a second one. Air mail took an age but then the second one was even worse. Fitted on the car it looks nice and from a few foot you don't notice the imperfections.
A Cosworth air filter was next on the list which was a doddle to fit even when I took my time to remove the air box and do it properly.
From the side you can see the little tab so that it only goes in one way.
Given im just outside the run in period I cant really tell if its adding much or if the engine is loosening up but it does seem to have a bit more pull at high revs and added noise through the inducted pipe.
Courtesy of Tarmacsportz i picked up a TRD style spoiler and had a quick trial fit before paint. It sat nice and flat so i took it down to a body shop a mate recommended.
The painter commented on the oem quality and finish which was a good sign with the only problem being he couldnt find the paint code on the system as its relatively new colour.
Finally was the arm rest which I decided to wait for a weekend when my dad was free to give me a hand and someone else to blame if it all went wrong. The Toyota PDF was a great help especially as it has the template but this job was a right pain in the arse! it was nerve racking stuff when my dad was holding the drill and almost drilled a hole in the alcantara. A few holes needed a touch of filing to line everything up and it came together in the end. Took about 1 hour and a half mainly checking and rechecking then filing with the most useless files in my tool draw.
It adds a nice touch to add to the interior and it will hopefully get some use on a few driving holidays I have planned this year when stuck on the motorways. The big trip we have booked this year is a week long euro trip. London, Calais, Lake Geneva, Lake Como, Davos, Lauterbrunnen, Nurburg then home. Any recommendations along the way would be great.
Other than the wheels my only other big complaint about the exterior was the rear spoiler. I've opted for the TRD spoiler which suits the lines perfectly and had it painted by surrey accident repairs on Canterbury Road, Croydon who did a great job on the colour match and finish. At the same time I partly debadged the boot lid which cleans the rear up nicely.
Whilst cleaning it I had to sort the drivers door seal which curves around the drives rear quarter window and pops out now and again when opening the door. It looks like the sticky backing holding it to the B pillar has unstuck already so I will see if a blob of tiger seal keeps it in place as a detour to the dealer seems a waste of time at the moment.
Whilst cleaning it I had to sort the drivers door seal which curves around the drives rear quarter window and pops out now and again when opening the door. It looks like the sticky backing holding it to the B pillar has unstuck already so I will see if a blob of tiger seal keeps it in place as a detour to the dealer seems a waste of time at the moment.
Had a great start to the day yesterday as you can see.
Looks like the honeymoon period of ownership is over with this being the second time in two months with a flat battery, it wouldnt even unlock. It gets even better when you have to use a crap mechanical key you pull out of the fob that has no leverage which is almost essential when your parked nose first in a tight garage with a flat battery.
I am still covered with the toyota assistance and the AA technician was careful round the car as well as thorough checking every convenience light was turning off and not causing a drain. Even still he found a 0.4(assuming amps???) drain which he had expected to drop off to 0.1 once everything had fully shut down yet it didn't. The AA database listed a known fault and that the alarm drains the battery with the only advice to drive the car frequently although he still felt the battery condition wasn't right and it should be replaced regardless. Time to get in touch with Toyota as that's not fit for purpose in my books and isn't always possible with work away from home and 2 week long holidays.
Anyway as it had such a low charge, starting at 1 volt rising to 3 over 20 minutes of running the technician was concerned if the drive wasnt long enough or i stalled the battery would be dead and id be stranded. I decided to take the risk on a long B road blast to goodwood with the plus being id heard there was some sprinting on today, worst case if i broke down id get the AA out and they would send another bill to Toyota.
Luckily the car was faultless and it was a great drive. The weather was on my side and I found the tyres much more composed with predictable round about slides and high speed grip which was a stark contrast to the abrupt twitchyness I felt in the greasy, cold winter months. Having lost a couple of hours waiting for the AA the traffic was heavier than planned but with a dropped gear landing right at the start of the power band at 4k it wasn't too much bother with just a tad more planning required. The engine is also getting better and better, the low end does have a hesitancy but once through this your into the sweet spot and it starts dragging you harder with more punch to the red line and i love that it doesn't feel out of puff at the top end. The brakes were damn good aswell having avoided smattering a pheasant all over the front end although the wife was less than impressed as she was flung forwards having dozed off.
Even with the rocky 86 relationship I've booked up a week long euro tour in the summer with Italian lakes, alpine passes and a tiny bit of Germany covered to properly stretch the 86's legs.
Looks like the honeymoon period of ownership is over with this being the second time in two months with a flat battery, it wouldnt even unlock. It gets even better when you have to use a crap mechanical key you pull out of the fob that has no leverage which is almost essential when your parked nose first in a tight garage with a flat battery.
I am still covered with the toyota assistance and the AA technician was careful round the car as well as thorough checking every convenience light was turning off and not causing a drain. Even still he found a 0.4(assuming amps???) drain which he had expected to drop off to 0.1 once everything had fully shut down yet it didn't. The AA database listed a known fault and that the alarm drains the battery with the only advice to drive the car frequently although he still felt the battery condition wasn't right and it should be replaced regardless. Time to get in touch with Toyota as that's not fit for purpose in my books and isn't always possible with work away from home and 2 week long holidays.
Anyway as it had such a low charge, starting at 1 volt rising to 3 over 20 minutes of running the technician was concerned if the drive wasnt long enough or i stalled the battery would be dead and id be stranded. I decided to take the risk on a long B road blast to goodwood with the plus being id heard there was some sprinting on today, worst case if i broke down id get the AA out and they would send another bill to Toyota.
Luckily the car was faultless and it was a great drive. The weather was on my side and I found the tyres much more composed with predictable round about slides and high speed grip which was a stark contrast to the abrupt twitchyness I felt in the greasy, cold winter months. Having lost a couple of hours waiting for the AA the traffic was heavier than planned but with a dropped gear landing right at the start of the power band at 4k it wasn't too much bother with just a tad more planning required. The engine is also getting better and better, the low end does have a hesitancy but once through this your into the sweet spot and it starts dragging you harder with more punch to the red line and i love that it doesn't feel out of puff at the top end. The brakes were damn good aswell having avoided smattering a pheasant all over the front end although the wife was less than impressed as she was flung forwards having dozed off.
Even with the rocky 86 relationship I've booked up a week long euro tour in the summer with Italian lakes, alpine passes and a tiny bit of Germany covered to properly stretch the 86's legs.
Edited by bassett on Tuesday 27th February 22:35
Finally the battery issue has been resolved as Toyota updradged the little Panasonic battery to a 50% higher capacity Toyota battery.
On to something more exciting, not quite the power modifications I want but for long time now I have wanted aftermarket tail lights and I've had them listed on the insurance since day one as I knew id be changing them. Id always been after full red units particularly TOM's units and with no UK stockists the only way is through Japan, generally costing around £350+ after shipping and customs so id been against the idea as its half way to a manifold/remap. Last week I came across a GT86 readers cars thread on here and saw the chap, David had fitted Valenti red edition tail lights. I dropped him a message to see where he got them from in case id overlooked a UK supplier and turns out he had sold the car and had the lights lying around waiting to be sold. I'd never usually go for second hand parts however given the low age of the parts I snapped them up along with Eibach lowering springs.
Fitting the lights was a simple job as the USDM wires for turn signals had already been repinned with the only nuissance being the new lights don't allow for remounting the wiring clips which are now cable tied out of the way.
A few before, part way through and after shots
20160612_152538.jpg
20160612_154109.jpg
20160612_155541.jpg
On to something more exciting, not quite the power modifications I want but for long time now I have wanted aftermarket tail lights and I've had them listed on the insurance since day one as I knew id be changing them. Id always been after full red units particularly TOM's units and with no UK stockists the only way is through Japan, generally costing around £350+ after shipping and customs so id been against the idea as its half way to a manifold/remap. Last week I came across a GT86 readers cars thread on here and saw the chap, David had fitted Valenti red edition tail lights. I dropped him a message to see where he got them from in case id overlooked a UK supplier and turns out he had sold the car and had the lights lying around waiting to be sold. I'd never usually go for second hand parts however given the low age of the parts I snapped them up along with Eibach lowering springs.
Fitting the lights was a simple job as the USDM wires for turn signals had already been repinned with the only nuissance being the new lights don't allow for remounting the wiring clips which are now cable tied out of the way.
A few before, part way through and after shots
20160612_152538.jpg
20160612_154109.jpg
20160612_155541.jpg
The lowering springs aren't even on yet and might not even allow me to get down to my garage but somehow I ended up buying some second hand alloys. They came up at a decent price with the only caveat that they aren't quite the perfect spec. Of the 5 wheels, 5 are in 99% perfect condition with the last one coming with a tyre with a bad curb mark but either way a spare is handy. Most of the wheels are mint but one has some very minor chips/light curb scratch which I will touch up. I've always loved the design of this classic wheel and it should look slightly different from the norm
Wheel specs
Speedline Corse Turinis (2120) in Light anthracite 18x8 100x5 et 48 with CB 57.1 which isn't quite perfect and I'm not 100% certain they will fit although other helpful forum members suggest they will. On the scales they came in at 9.6kg roughly so not exactly light although apparently very strong
Hopefully this picture shows the condition of them
They wont quite have the poke I was hoping for, maybe an extra 12.5mm as the ET is the same as the stock wheels if I'm correct.
After i find out if the springs lower the car enough but not too much and I can get into my garage I will also need to find some tyres, wheel nuts, TPMS sensors and work out how they are coded??? and fit some spigot rings adapting to the 56.1 CB Toyota hubs.
None of this is likely to take place for 2 months as I'm off on a euro trip in August and want the car stock in case of any issues whilst I still have the Toyota warranty and it will also be booked in for its first service shortly after.
If anyone has any advice on changing over TPMS/reusing old TPMS etc and recoding them id be interested to hear
Wheel specs
Speedline Corse Turinis (2120) in Light anthracite 18x8 100x5 et 48 with CB 57.1 which isn't quite perfect and I'm not 100% certain they will fit although other helpful forum members suggest they will. On the scales they came in at 9.6kg roughly so not exactly light although apparently very strong
Hopefully this picture shows the condition of them
They wont quite have the poke I was hoping for, maybe an extra 12.5mm as the ET is the same as the stock wheels if I'm correct.
After i find out if the springs lower the car enough but not too much and I can get into my garage I will also need to find some tyres, wheel nuts, TPMS sensors and work out how they are coded??? and fit some spigot rings adapting to the 56.1 CB Toyota hubs.
None of this is likely to take place for 2 months as I'm off on a euro trip in August and want the car stock in case of any issues whilst I still have the Toyota warranty and it will also be booked in for its first service shortly after.
If anyone has any advice on changing over TPMS/reusing old TPMS etc and recoding them id be interested to hear
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.
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 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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