2013 Long Beach Pro Celebrity Race Specification FR-S Preview.

[merlin2111]

Could these be the guidelines for creating a spec 86 series? Sounds like it is a very well put together vehicle.

[naikaidriver]

Originally Posted by Darryljr11

If those wheels are less than 20lbs each i'm definitely buying them. I hope that TRD intake goes on sale here soon for under $300.

Not likely...

The TRD badge alone costs $200!

Seriously though, I would guess-timate this intake will cost more in the area of $500. Fact of life, if you want TRD goodies for your car, be prepared to pay a premium for it.

Scott

[kyolml]

looking at the coilovers, it seems has decent travel with no helper springs, which is likely the spring rate is not too high. I wonder how much they are shorter than stock in travel, doesn't look as long as the KW (RCE) ones.

[Moto-P]

Originally Posted by brianlo622

Does anyone know what this is?

That is a master kill switch that disconnects the battery from the car. It is mounted next to the passenger side window, so that safety workers can kill the electricals on the car after any incident to prevent fires, kill the fuel system, and all electrical ignition sources during a race.

[Moto-P]

Originally Posted by kyolml

looking at the coilovers, it seems has decent travel with no helper springs, which is likely the spring rate is not too high. I wonder how much they are shorter than stock in travel, doesn't look as long as the KW (RCE) ones.

The purpose of any helper spring on a set of coil-over is to take up the slack of spring perch against the spring travel when the spring does not match the shock stroke range. It does not alter or ease any stiff spring as it stays compressed fully when the car is loaded and on the ground.

These are properly designed from the start to be specific to this car, so there is not a need for a spring helper as stroke range and spring length are perfectly designed against each other as a custom build with Eibach/TRD Celebrity Race units.

[Moto-P]

Originally Posted by turbocat

Great read!

Is there info on these celeb racecars using oil coolers. From the pictures of the engine bay it doesn't appear so. I know there is mention of 0w-20 oil. I assume the oil gets changed after every race. That may be the reason they didn't bother with an oil cooler?

Thanks OP for the thread. The cars are very interesting with a nod to a well rounded club sport style setup.

What they told me was that this is only a 10 lap race, and oil cooler was not absolutely necessary for the duration of the race. Another point you might consider for the Celebrity Race is that it is held just 2 hours before a INDYCAR race on the same track, and therefore the less chance of having failed or crashed oil cooler core and lines, and spilling oil on the precious race surface is possibly more critical to the event...

I am sure they would be considering the oil cooler addition if it was more like a 30min+ or endurance race where engine oil can actually start to deteriorate in performance during the race.

Good eye and thinking!

[Moto-P]

Originally Posted by jkonquer

are they using cusco control arm? suprise they didn't make their own

The craftsmen at Toyota Motorsport had been given a very short time-frame to build these cars, and since the parts on this car is not made with full consideration for actually making them for sale, there was a bit more freedom in selecting quality parts from aftermarket companies who already make what the cars needed. Cusco is no foreigner to Toyota or racing, as they have been racing for over 40 years, and have worked with FT86 Project well before launch.

[Moto-P]

Originally Posted by naikaidriver

Not likely...

The TRD badge alone costs $200!

Seriously though, I would guess-timate this intake will cost more in the area of $500. Fact of life, if you want TRD goodies for your car, be prepared to pay a premium for it.

Scott

With Scion Optomize or TRD parts, what you are paying for is the ability to have it not void warranty, the extra testing needed to make it pass all quality and safety/reliability standards needed to qualify as a Toyota product that can be sold through dealers and with full warranty and dealer serviceable item. So if you don't need ANY of such assurance, you can seek similar parts in the aftermarket world... That's the difference in price.

It didn't matter to most of us when we worked on a 20 year old AE86, that's out of warranty... But for some, with FRS/BRZ being very fresh with 40+ payments left, this might be something to consider, I suppose.

[naikaidriver]

Originally Posted by Moto-P

With Scion Optomize or TRD parts, what you are paying for is the ability to have it not void warranty, the extra testing needed to make it pass all quality and safety/reliability standards needed to qualify as a Toyota product that can be sold through dealers and with full warranty and dealer serviceable item. So if you don't need ANY of such assurance, you can seek similar parts in the aftermarket world... That's the difference in price.

It didn't matter to most of us when we worked on a 20 year old AE86, that's out of warranty... But for some, with FRS/BRZ being very fresh with 40+ payments left, this might be something to consider, I suppose.

Valid point and very true. However, is it not also fair for the consumer to expect comparable performance gains in relation to other aftermarket additions?

Scott

[stevo_12v]

Great write up Moto!
Do you or does anyone here know who makes the orange tow strap shown in the picture below?

[toysub]

Great writeup. Hope to see some of these mods in a release series.

[kyolml]

Originally Posted by Moto-P

The purpose of any helper spring on a set of coil-over is to take up the slack of spring perch against the spring travel when the spring does not match the shock stroke range. It does not alter or ease any stiff spring as it stays compressed fully when the car is loaded and on the ground.

These are properly designed from the start to be specific to this car, so there is not a need for a spring helper as stroke range and spring length are perfectly designed against each other as a custom build with Eibach/TRD Celebrity Race units.

I know that. it's either it's a shorter travel/stiff design or not really stiff with good travel. once it's available for the market we will know what the measurements and spring rates.

[Moto-P]

Originally Posted by naikaidriver

Valid point and very true. However, is it not also fair for the consumer to expect comparable performance gains in relation to other aftermarket additions?

Scott

Exactly, and any product with price structure that is partly compasating things other than the hardware itself, whether marketing, R&D, warranty, extra measure of certifications, etc... It's hard to say one is better than another if consumers only look at Price/Performance.

Let's just say we have it better off than women, who get really bad ratios on cosmetics and fashion. Chanel and MAC lipstick costs $1.67 each to make, and they pay $24.00 because $15 of that goes to the magazine ads and big budget events... LOL!

[Moto-P]

Originally Posted by kyolml

I know that. it's either it's a shorter travel/stiff design or not really stiff with good travel. once it's available for the market we will know what the measurements and spring rates.

Yes, and valve and tube design also alters the requirements for how much of the piston side components can be allowed to travel within a case. So shorter piston/short case can sometimes have longer travel than another makers setup that's actually longer in external dimensions.

So yeah, it's all ultimately in the overall design, and costs of components being used. Often that balance is difficult in consumer products as cost is a huge barrier. While for something like this where there is reasonable healthy budget that's well beyond the reach of most consumers to make something very specific to the car.