For the Love of Driving! - Toyota GR86, 86, FR-S and Subaru BRZ Forum & Owners Community

estarmer · 04-23-2013, 10:32 PM

I've been meaning to get a journal up about my FR-S and by now I have gotten a fair bit of what I wanted done, but time and life have kept me from posting is all up. Well the other day my son-in-law asks me if I'm ever going to start posting about my car. Seems he's been telling a few of his co-workers about it and that I need to get off my butt and start posting.

A little back story, I was just about a few weeks away from pulling the trigger on getting an 04 Z06 Leman's edition, that only had 10k miles on it and was beautiful. I've been a Novice driving instructor for the CFRSOLO2 program here in central Florida and I always loved the Z06 and how much fun it was. I think the acceleration of those cars in second gear is mind blowing and I really loved the hardtops of the C5 Z06's. Well my son-in-law Taylor has been telling me about this car that Subaru and Toyota have been developing and how cool it sounds. So I decided to look into it. This is kind of funny because for the longest time if there was anything new in the Subaru community I knew about it having had an 00 2.5RS that I raced for nearly 5 years.

Well I started looking into the BRZ and the FR-S and decided one day to drive by the local Toyota dealership and take a look. Wow... I really like the car in person more than the pictures I had seen. Then I start really doing some research and I found this site and I found a few familiar names that already had the car and were giving some great feed back. Then the kicker was when I found that Sam Strano had bought one and that he really liked it. I've been autocrossing in SCCA since 1987 and if you know anything about folks that know their stuff with Rear drive cars, it is Sam.

So first week in July I call a family friend who happens to be a general manager at Toyota of Melbourne and Order a whiteout FR-S. Ben the Sales guy that helps me out started sending me pictures as soon as the car arrived. Now that was the kind of service to give you confidence in a dealership.

Here she is arriving on the truck.

Her first tank of gas.

And the milage when I picker her up.

Well, this was the begining of a beautiful relationship.

Tucking her in to bed at her new home.

And she looks good with my wifes Legacy GT.

Well then I started to look into what my plan was going to be. What was I really going to use her for. As I've said I have been autocrossing since 1987 and I loved that buy I have a good friend who I've raced with for years that is now running with the "Hooked on driving" HPDE events and has been trying to get me involved. So I started looking at my options from that stand point. Only little hick-up is that I booked a cruise for my wife to Italy and the South of France that we are leaving for in a week. This has put a hold on most of my plans for the car. Well then things worked out for my and my Boat that I have had for sale for over a year, SOLD.. Some much needed extra cash found its way into my "mistress's" (what my wife calls my car) budget.

Lonewolf · 04-23-2013, 10:41 PM

It has begun...

Prepare your bank account for the pillage...

estarmer · 04-23-2013, 10:47 PM

Well like any car I have ever owned I have always felt that window tint and wheels are the first thing I need on a car. And while I have come to really like the stock rims, they just weren't cutting it in my book. The guys at FT86 Speedfactory had just what I was looking for and their knowledge and quick response to any of my questions was amazing. I was so impressed with their reviews on the Fortune Auto coilovers that they had put on their FR-S "Silver Bullet" that I decided to give them a try in-spite of the my leaning towards the KW's before that. So I placed an order for the 17 x 9 +35 RPF1's in Silver that they had and the Fortune Auto 500 Coilovers as well as the Hotchkis Sway bars. I tell you even though I know I've ordered something and it will be here soon I get impatient. Oh yeah I also ordered a Set of RS3's in 245 40ZR 17's for the RPF1's.

This is what was waiting for me when I came home a few days later.

These are some really light weight works of art in my book.

Even at stock height which is like a rally car

they look so much better that Stock. Yet I now can't wait for the coilovers.

Well it appeared that everyone got their tax returns in early and Fortune Auto was waiting on parts to finish my coilovers for me, so the waiting was brutal, yet the guys at FT86 Speedfactory kept my in the loop and I appreciate how that kept me from going nuts waiting for them to arrive. Well then one day as I get home I have another present waiting in the garage.

These are really well built units and the quality is absolutely top notch.

So that meant that the coming weekend was going to be spent with the mistress in the garage.

More to come.

Goya · 04-23-2013, 11:08 PM

love the wheels. any more pics of the wheels at stock ride height? I'd like to see how it sits with that +35 offset

estarmer · 04-23-2013, 11:12 PM

Very true, these car addictions of my can be very pricey

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estarmer · 04-23-2013, 11:18 PM

I'll post some more pics at stock height tomorrow when I get a chance.

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campy · 04-23-2013, 11:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by estarmer

Her first tank of gas.

Dude did you try to park that as far away from the pump as possible? haha

Accurate Race Shop · 04-23-2013, 11:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by campy

Dude did you try to park that as far away from the pump as possible? haha

I do the same thing to keep the hose from rubbing on the car... but I also put the gas cap on the lid to avoid the same it rubbing as well.

estarmer · 04-24-2013, 06:22 AM

That photo was taken by the sales guy. He was making extra sure he didn't curb my rims. I told them I didn't even want them prepping the car until I was there. They didn't put one of their stickers or license plate frames on the car. I said if they did I wouldn't take delivery.

Now that you pointed it out, I'm a little miffed that he let the gas cap hang on the side of the car. Oh well, not many folks are as anal as some of us cat nuts are about our cars.

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Redlinedfrs86 · 04-24-2013, 09:04 AM

looks great!

estarmer · 04-24-2013, 05:59 PM

Thank you, it looks even better now that it's lowered. I'll get those photos up hopefully tonight. This car is just so easy to work on, I really appreciate the engineering that went into it.

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estarmer · 04-27-2013, 01:32 PM

Sitting at Scion Exposed 10 in Tampa, and just wanted to thank Toyota for putting on these great events.

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Redlinedfrs86 · 04-27-2013, 08:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by estarmer

Sitting at Scion Exposed 10 in Tampa, and just wanted to thank Toyota for putting on these great events.

Sent from my AT100 using Tapatalk 2

Wish I could of made it out there ..

estarmer · 04-29-2013, 09:46 PM

Ok, so my trip to Italy is only two days away and I'm sorry I didn't get the extra pics of the car at stock height earlier so here are a few.

These shots give a pretty good idea of the car with 17 x 9 +35 RPF1's with no suspension changes.

I'll continue my posts when I get back from Italy, who know's maybe I'll find a GT86 to take some pictures of.

And just for fun here is a photo a friend of mine took on the way to Scion Exposed 10 in Tampa this past weekend.
I think for as young as he is, he's got some real talent with a camera.

04-23-2013, 10:32 PM	#1
estarmer Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Drives: Whiteout FR-S Location: West Melbourne Posts: 26 Thanks: 1 Thanked 4 Times in 3 Posts Mentioned: 0 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	For the Love of Driving! I've been meaning to get a journal up about my FR-S and by now I have gotten a fair bit of what I wanted done, but time and life have kept me from posting is all up. Well the other day my son-in-law asks me if I'm ever going to start posting about my car. Seems he's been telling a few of his co-workers about it and that I need to get off my butt and start posting. A little back story, I was just about a few weeks away from pulling the trigger on getting an 04 Z06 Leman's edition, that only had 10k miles on it and was beautiful. I've been a Novice driving instructor for the CFRSOLO2 program here in central Florida and I always loved the Z06 and how much fun it was. I think the acceleration of those cars in second gear is mind blowing and I really loved the hardtops of the C5 Z06's. Well my son-in-law Taylor has been telling me about this car that Subaru and Toyota have been developing and how cool it sounds. So I decided to look into it. This is kind of funny because for the longest time if there was anything new in the Subaru community I knew about it having had an 00 2.5RS that I raced for nearly 5 years. Well I started looking into the BRZ and the FR-S and decided one day to drive by the local Toyota dealership and take a look. Wow... I really like the car in person more than the pictures I had seen. Then I start really doing some research and I found this site and I found a few familiar names that already had the car and were giving some great feed back. Then the kicker was when I found that Sam Strano had bought one and that he really liked it. I've been autocrossing in SCCA since 1987 and if you know anything about folks that know their stuff with Rear drive cars, it is Sam. So first week in July I call a family friend who happens to be a general manager at Toyota of Melbourne and Order a whiteout FR-S. Ben the Sales guy that helps me out started sending me pictures as soon as the car arrived. Now that was the kind of service to give you confidence in a dealership. Here she is arriving on the truck. Her first tank of gas. And the milage when I picker her up. Well, this was the begining of a beautiful relationship. Tucking her in to bed at her new home. And she looks good with my wifes Legacy GT. Well then I started to look into what my plan was going to be. What was I really going to use her for. As I've said I have been autocrossing since 1987 and I loved that buy I have a good friend who I've raced with for years that is now running with the "Hooked on driving" HPDE events and has been trying to get me involved. So I started looking at my options from that stand point. Only little hick-up is that I booked a cruise for my wife to Italy and the South of France that we are leaving for in a week. This has put a hold on most of my plans for the car. Well then things worked out for my and my Boat that I have had for sale for over a year, SOLD.. Some much needed extra cash found its way into my "mistress's" (what my wife calls my car) budget.

04-23-2013, 10:47 PM	#3
estarmer Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Drives: Whiteout FR-S Location: West Melbourne Posts: 26 Thanks: 1 Thanked 4 Times in 3 Posts Mentioned: 0 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	Well like any car I have ever owned I have always felt that window tint and wheels are the first thing I need on a car. And while I have come to really like the stock rims, they just weren't cutting it in my book. The guys at FT86 Speedfactory had just what I was looking for and their knowledge and quick response to any of my questions was amazing. I was so impressed with their reviews on the Fortune Auto coilovers that they had put on their FR-S "Silver Bullet" that I decided to give them a try in-spite of the my leaning towards the KW's before that. So I placed an order for the 17 x 9 +35 RPF1's in Silver that they had and the Fortune Auto 500 Coilovers as well as the Hotchkis Sway bars. I tell you even though I know I've ordered something and it will be here soon I get impatient. Oh yeah I also ordered a Set of RS3's in 245 40ZR 17's for the RPF1's. This is what was waiting for me when I came home a few days later. These are some really light weight works of art in my book. Even at stock height which is like a rally car they look so much better that Stock. Yet I now can't wait for the coilovers. Well it appeared that everyone got their tax returns in early and Fortune Auto was waiting on parts to finish my coilovers for me, so the waiting was brutal, yet the guys at FT86 Speedfactory kept my in the loop and I appreciate how that kept me from going nuts waiting for them to arrive. Well then one day as I get home I have another present waiting in the garage. These are really well built units and the quality is absolutely top notch. So that meant that the coming weekend was going to be spent with the mistress in the garage. More to come. Last edited by estarmer; 04-24-2013 at 06:34 AM.

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04-23-2013, 10:41 PM	#2
Lonewolf Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Drives: Moped Location: CA Posts: 4,300 Thanks: 4,905 Thanked 2,132 Times in 1,195 Posts Mentioned: 21 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	It has begun... Prepare your bank account for the pillage...

04-23-2013, 11:08 PM	#4
Goya Member Join Date: Oct 2012 Drives: 2013 SWP BRZ Location: Oak Park IL Posts: 72 Thanks: 106 Thanked 14 Times in 12 Posts Mentioned: 1 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	love the wheels. any more pics of the wheels at stock ride height? I'd like to see how it sits with that +35 offset

04-23-2013, 11:12 PM	#5
estarmer Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Drives: Whiteout FR-S Location: West Melbourne Posts: 26 Thanks: 1 Thanked 4 Times in 3 Posts Mentioned: 0 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	Very true, these car addictions of my can be very pricey Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk 2

04-23-2013, 11:18 PM	#6
estarmer Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Drives: Whiteout FR-S Location: West Melbourne Posts: 26 Thanks: 1 Thanked 4 Times in 3 Posts Mentioned: 0 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	I'll post some more pics at stock height tomorrow when I get a chance. Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk 2

04-24-2013, 06:22 AM	#9
estarmer Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Drives: Whiteout FR-S Location: West Melbourne Posts: 26 Thanks: 1 Thanked 4 Times in 3 Posts Mentioned: 0 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	That photo was taken by the sales guy. He was making extra sure he didn't curb my rims. I told them I didn't even want them prepping the car until I was there. They didn't put one of their stickers or license plate frames on the car. I said if they did I wouldn't take delivery. Now that you pointed it out, I'm a little miffed that he let the gas cap hang on the side of the car. Oh well, not many folks are as anal as some of us cat nuts are about our cars. Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk 2

04-24-2013, 09:04 AM	#10
Redlinedfrs86 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2013 Drives: 2013 Firestorm FR-S Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 327 Thanks: 264 Thanked 133 Times in 106 Posts Mentioned: 2 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	looks great!

04-24-2013, 05:59 PM	#11
estarmer Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Drives: Whiteout FR-S Location: West Melbourne Posts: 26 Thanks: 1 Thanked 4 Times in 3 Posts Mentioned: 0 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	Thank you, it looks even better now that it's lowered. I'll get those photos up hopefully tonight. This car is just so easy to work on, I really appreciate the engineering that went into it. Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk 2

04-27-2013, 01:32 PM	#12
estarmer Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Drives: Whiteout FR-S Location: West Melbourne Posts: 26 Thanks: 1 Thanked 4 Times in 3 Posts Mentioned: 0 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	Sitting at Scion Exposed 10 in Tampa, and just wanted to thank Toyota for putting on these great events. Sent from my AT100 using Tapatalk 2

04-29-2013, 09:46 PM	#14
estarmer Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Drives: Whiteout FR-S Location: West Melbourne Posts: 26 Thanks: 1 Thanked 4 Times in 3 Posts Mentioned: 0 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	Ok, so my trip to Italy is only two days away and I'm sorry I didn't get the extra pics of the car at stock height earlier so here are a few. These shots give a pretty good idea of the car with 17 x 9 +35 RPF1's with no suspension changes. I'll continue my posts when I get back from Italy, who know's maybe I'll find a GT86 to take some pictures of. And just for fun here is a photo a friend of mine took on the way to Scion Exposed 10 in Tampa this past weekend. I think for as young as he is, he's got some real talent with a camera.

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