Will300's Subaru BRZ Build (UK)
 

January 2020: New Year Plans

Happy New Year everyone. Welcome to my updated build thread. Here's a quick run down of my plans for 2020:

1. Order a new set of wheels, ideally forged.
2. Order a set of track brake pads.
3. Go on a European Roadtrip.
4. Do atleast 1 European trackday.
5. Get the car detailed (resealed).

Possible Options:

1. Order Harrop Supercharger.
1a. New clutch.
2. Rear Wing or spoiler.
3. Look into buying a bucket seat.

More to be revealed in the coming months.


April 2016: Introduction:

Hello everyone, I've decided it's about time I did a proper build thread for my 2nd Subaru BRZ as thing are now starting to get more interesting.

My plan is to build a fast road car with some track focused additions. The car is my daily vehicle so I'm not planning to strip it out and turn it into a track monster. Just something that is easily to live with during the week but gets thrashed at the weekend.

Thanks for looking

Will

Modifications as of April 2020:

Engine and Exhaust:

ACE Header - CS400 Manifold – Ceramic Coated by Performance 1 Coatings in Volcanic Black
Rogue Motorsport 2.5" Front pipe with CAT and Resonator
Rogue Motorsport 2.5" Resonated Catback exhaust
Hel 19 Row Oil Cooler
SPA Design - Oil Temp & Oil Pressure Gauge (Block8Head guage holder)
Cosworth Sump baffle
Cusco Sump plug
Perrin 3” Big MAF Cold Air Intake
Tuning Developements Ecutek remap
HEL Performance braided clutch line
STi Engine Mounts

Previously Installed:

AVO 2.5 Non-Resonated Cat Back Exhaust (Previous)
Tomei Type 80 Titanium 3” Exhaust (Previous)
Stock 2nd CAT (Previous)
Cosworth Low Temp Thermostat (Removed - Standard item refitted)

Suspension, Chassis & Brakes:

Tein Flex A Coilovers – Approx 35mm drop
Summit Rear Control Arms
Whiteline Anti-Roll bar kit - BSK016 (F: 20mm - R: 16mm)
Custom AP Racing Big Brake kit by Reyland Motorsport - AP Racing CP9200 Calipers, AP Racing 330x28mm discs
Subaru WRX STi Rear Brembo with DBA Rear Brake Disc - DBA42656-10
Ferodo DS2500 Front Brake Pads
Endless MX72 Rear Brake Pads
Hose Technic Braided Brake lines
Cusco master cylinder brace
Perrin shifter bush
Powerflex rear diff mount Left & Right bushes
Powerflex front and rear subframe inserts
MTEC Shift Springs
MTEC Clutch Spring
3" Shift Extension from Ebay

Wheels and tires:

Current Setup:

Wheels: Rays Gramlights 57CR 17x9 +38 in Gold
Tyres: Michlin Pilot Spot 4 in size: 245/40/17

Spare:

Wheels:949Racing Wheels 17x8 +40 in Black
Tyres: Yokohama Advan AD08RS in size: 225/45/17
Winter Setup: n/a

Previous Setup's:

Wheels: Japan Racing JR29's 17x8 +35 in Bronze
Tyres: Michelin Pilot Sports 4 in size: 225/45/17

Wheels: Rota Grid Drifts 17x9 +42 in White
Tyres: ContiSport Contact5's in size: 245/40/17

Wheels: Japan Racing JR18 17x8 +35 in Custom Bronze colour
Tyres: Goodyear Winter Tyres in size: 215/45/17

Exterior:

Tinted rear window & rear side windows
Debadged
Rear Spoiler Delete
TRD Fender Fin in D4S Black
Rays Dura-Nuts L42 Blue wheel nuts
Verus Engineering Race Splitter with end plates
Verus Engineering Non-Aggressive Diffuser

Previous:

Genuine SARD LSR GT Wing (Previous)
White side stripes (Previous)

Interior:

Alpine INE-W925R Head unit with Navigation
Cobra Nogaro bucket seat with custom Rogue Motorsport Seat mounts (using OEM sliders)
Intec High Level Brake Light
Perrin Cam Solenoid covers
Schroth Rallye 3 ASM Harness
Top Sage Bonnet Struts

Possible Future Modifications:

See above

Pictures:

Current - April 2020:
https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...1e05d4697f.jpg


Previous:
https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...5a85f19cfc.jpg
https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...7fcccce3b0.jpg
http://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/upload...c051ede4b1.jpg
http://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/upload...631bd11aef.jpg
http://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/upload...5878a69b6b.jpg
http://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/upload...4ddf63e61d.jpg
http://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/upload...0ed8973bef.jpg
http://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/upload...314997e217.jpg
http://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/upload...4c40c31cea.jpg
http://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/upload...16367d018d.jpg

Dyno Plot - Current:

ACE Header / AVO Exhaust / Cosworth Panel Filter / Fensport Remap - Green

ACE Header / AVO Exhaust / Perrin 3" Big MAF Cold Air Intake / TD Dyno Remap - Red

http://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/upload...5560720d91.jpg

Dyno Plot - Previous:

Stock Car / Cosworth Panel Filter - Green

ACE Header / AVO Exhaust / Cosworth Panel Filter / Fensport Remap - Purple

http://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/upload...c0afd796c5.jpg

Hi,

Are the dyno stock tuned VS ACE Tuned

Yes, green is stock with a panel filter and purple is ACE CS400, cat back exhaust & Ecutek tune. The mapping was done on the road, not on a dyno.

Harrop SC has now been ordered :happyanim:, thanks to Abbey Motorsport in the UK. Now the long wait.

A minor update, today I fitted some Perrin Cam Solenoid covers & the Intec High Level Brake Light.

Hey Will did you import the 949 wheels to the U.K.? If so where from ?
Cheers

Hi Shiftspark

I actually got them through Tegiwa Imports, although when I ordered them Tegiwa were doing a 10% off weekend. The price (ignoring the discount) has gone up since I ordered them.

^ Thanks

As its now 2017 its time for an update on my build, but first I'm going to start off by wishing everyone a Happy New Year.

Anyway back to the car, I'd originally planned to go supercharged at the end of last year, however due to a supply issue I cancelled this after a couple of months.

I then spent a couple of day thinking about what to do instead of the supercharger, I decided to stay N/A and purchase some more modifications. First on the list was a big brake kit as I've always felt the brakes on the car were lacking some stopping power. This provided a substantial challenge in deciding what kit to go for, after spending considerable time looking at the various options available I came to the conclusion that none of the existing setups matched my exact needs. After discussing this with a fellow owner he suggested I contact a company who specialise in custom big brake kits. Over the following week I exchanged several emails with them and we came up with a kit which meet my needs.

The custom kit I ended up with consists of red AP Racing CP9200 calipers, AP Racing 330x28mm discs with custom hats, brackets and Ferodo DS2500 pads. Here are some photo's of the kit:

http://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/upload...9a759f5592.jpg
http://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/upload...c17bdef306.jpg
http://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/upload...2e4d09b741.jpg

Fitted to the car:

http://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/upload...22979ce8f8.jpg
http://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/upload...0448efa1ad.jpg

I also decided to upgrade the rear disc's to match the grooved fronts, so I selected Stoptech grooved rear discs.

http://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/upload...98d3d1718c.jpg

I still need to bed the brakes in, but they feel much better already. (Once I'm back on summer tyres that will help the bed in process massively)

The next mod I purchased was a Perrin 3" Cold Air Intake system with silicone intake tube.

http://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/upload...e72a4db49f.jpg

I also purchased MTEC shift and clutch springs. In my opinion the shift springs are fantastic, a definite must for our cars. However I don't really like the change in feel of the clutch spring.

The final mods I ordered were a HKS resonated decat pipe and Powerflex front and rear subframe bushes. I decided against fitting the decat pipe due to the extra noise it'd produce.

Finally due to the change in intake I needed to get the car remapped again, this time I decided to get the car dyno mapped, rather than road mapped like before.

Here is the before and after dyno graph:

http://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/upload...23c15485e8.jpg

As you can see my tuner managed to smooth out the mid range and get a little bit more power up at the top end.

The ACE CS400 is definitely a brilliant manifold for a daily driver, however I'd rather have a 350 but due to being RHD this is impossible.

Nice build

Should also get CP5316 to go at rear. It compatible with 05+ STI rear rotors.

Looks good! Reminds me of Ford livery on the shelby GTs

Thank you.

Teppei I did look at rear calipers, however I believe the stock ones are good enough. I've also got a good brake balance at the moment, this was the main reason I went with a custom kit. I went on a track day a couple of weeks ago and the kit was faultless, no overheating or fade. For me it's a perfect balance for a daily driver.

Thanks, I'm still not 100% sure on the stripes myself. They'll stay until I book the car in to be detailed again.

Here are some pictures from the track day:

http://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/upload...b4e8858b5b.JPG
http://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/upload...24acde0359.JPG
http://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/upload...b9164be682.JPG
http://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/upload...86cdf96c2e.jpg
http://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/upload...9658649ff6.JPG
http://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/upload...e3d0596d8f.JPG

I looked at that way back but the piston diameter is too big. It would move bais too far rearward. Sti caliper is a better option. Aluminium so very light.

So today myself and @DeaconRoc made a short video of the exhaust noise from my car.

The microphone is placed on the outside of the car by the license plate, this enables us to capture a realistic sound without any wind noise. The video starts off with a full launch up to 4th gear, then has some steady driving.

There is a longer video, but Deacon hasn't had chance to upload that yet.

A quick reminder my car has the Ace Header CS400 Exhaust Manifold (@AceHeader-MT), Stock 2nd CAT and AVO 2.5" Non Resonated catback exhaust.

[ame]http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2t431gYXRSg[/ame]

It sounds great! How does it feel compared to stock? Is it enough for you?

Compared to stock there is alot more torque in the mid range, the car now pulls how you'd expect it to. Its very aggressive in 2nd & 3rd gear which is fun when powering out of corners. I think for a N/A setup its kind of in a sweet spot, its a good amount of power and torque for daily and fast road car.

On track it could use abit more top end, however this is the trade off due to the manifold design, the CS350 would be better on track. Unfortunately the CS350 isn't compatible with RHD cars.

My issue now is to get any more power would mean spending a lot of money. Ideally i'd like about 230hp/200Ftlb with an N/A setup, but it'd be cheaper to go FI. So is it enough? in short Yes it is. However If I had a couple of grand sitting around would I go FI, Yes I would.

Yay. Oulton Park. Been round there a few times but not in a car. It's tiny isn't it? Great fun.

That day we ran the full circuit which is 2.6miles, so a decent length. I'd definitely say its one of the best UK tracks.

Minor Update:

As I've got a spare couple of hours I've finally got round to fixing the photobucket images on the initial post and the BBK post. I'm also going to do a quick update to let everyone know what's going on, nothing major at the moment.

On the 21st of May (god it doesn't seem that long ago) I attended the Show n Shine meet hosted by a fellow 86 owner, I ended up winning the best present car trophy after spending the previous day*completely cleaning the car inside and out, I also gave the car a*couple of last minute touch ups at the show, I got a total score of 14.5 out of 15 (I think), due to engine bay letting me down. Thanks again to Neal for organising the event. Here's a picture of the trophy and a clean engine bay, which I tided up the following day.

http://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/upload...1b798610c1.jpg

The following couple of months*I attended various shows and meets including both Japfests. I've also done 3 track days since the Oulton Park day back in February. One at Blyton Park with the club hosted by Lotus on Track, what a brilliant day that was. The car was faultless and the brake's were amazing, I definitely surprised a couple of the lotus guys with just how fast the car was. And in the past month I've done two track days (well 1 and a half) both at Bedford Autodrome, the first one was alot better than the 2nd, which I'll get on to shortly.

Here's a couple of photo's from the recent Partbox meet:

http://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/upload...a3727b5a43.jpg

This is quite possibly my favourite photo this year of the car.

http://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/upload...48d2722a75.jpg

On the 19th of August I took the car to Tuning Developments for @Mike@TD.co.uk*(& Nick) to service the car (4th year) and check a couple off issue's I had.*

For those that are interested here is the list of issue's:*

1. Exhaust manifold knocking/rubbing the undertray - Unfortunately this is the only niggle with the ACE CS400 manifold. Nick soon fixed this by hammering the undertray out. I'm looking at getting some uprated engine mounts as I'm not entirely convinced the issue has fully gone.

2. Exhaust system blowing - It turns out one of the joins on my AVO exhaust was leaking, so Nick took the exhaust off and resealed it.*

3. Brake pedal feeling a little spongy - Brake system was fully bleed, issue now gone.*

4. Tweaks to the throttle map - When I had the car remapped by Tuning Developments originally they mapped the car with two different throttle maps. One standard map and one more aggressive map. However I always felt the standard map was not responsive enough for my liking and the aggressive map was too sharp for daily driving (aggressive is perfect on track), so I ended up just using the aggressive throttle map. I informed Mike of this and he tweaked the standard map more to my liking, its now perfect for day to day driving.*

All of the above issue were sorted promptly. Once everything had been completed Mike told me that Nick had found an issue with the car which they couldn't fix (didn't have the part in stock). One of my rear ARB drop links had broken, it's that moment you then think **** how long has that been like that, I mean I was on track*at Bedford two weeks before. Anyway I wasn't happy but nothing could be done about it. I then swiftly emailed Fensport who I purchased the droplinks from and they got a new set sent out next day, Thanks Fensport. Let this be a warning to anyone running aftermarket droplinks, check them regularly.*

http://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/upload...51aeb8d37e.jpg

It was now time for round 2 at Bedford (Thanks Deacon, I'm now broke again ). The day started off well, I meet most of the guys there, did the noise test which I passed and thought that was that. However it turns out that Nick's fix on my exhaust made the drive by noise level alot louder. Unfortunately this meant I got black flagged in the first session, damn Bedford and it's low drive by limit. I was however given a 2nd chance, so on my 2nd session I decided to short shift, no complaints this time. 3rd session, I had Deacon*in the car as he was interested in the stopping power of my AP Racing BBK. I pushed alittle bit to hard and got black flagged again, this was me done for the day. For reference Bedfords drive by limit is 87.5db apparently I was hitting 92db.*I'm going to look*at getting something sorted over the next couple of months to hopefully lower the drive by noise level. I'll also be looking at getting my oil cooler fitted and a oil temp / oil pressure gauge fitted.*

As I now had a free afternoon I decided to help out a fellow club member I'd been speaking with (Alucado). He's*interested in my BBK as he's*looking to*purchasing the same setup. Anyway he was in talks with Lucas @ PartBox about a set of Rays wheel's he was selling, but he didn't want to commit to buying them without knowing if they'd clear a BBK setup. He spoke to myself and Lucas and we arranged to try the wheels out on my car. The wheel fitment is:*17x7 +42. So I gave Lucas a call and told him I was now free for the afternoon, a couple of hours later I was at Partbox. I meet with Lucas and we had a chat about various things,*mostly about me spending money. Anyway here is a couple of shots of the Rays wheels on my car, which as you can see clear the BBK without issue:

http://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/upload...bf0595da50.jpg
http://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/upload...e3d53677cf.jpg
http://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/upload...9d52df2c9e.jpg

That's it for now, thanks for looking.

awesome build, i like those rays wheels

Been a while since my last update, nothing has changed performance wise.

However today I picked my car up from being detailed. Car now has PPF applied to the front bumper, along with a couple of pieces on the rear bumper. G-Techniq Crystal Serum Ultra Black applied everywhere else. I also had the engine bay cleaned and front brake calipers sealed.

I ordered some new wheels a month or some ago, they are Japan Racing JR29's in Bronze, size: 17x8 +35. Fitted with Michelin PS4's.

Also fitted a new Yuasa 60Ah battery as the standard 48Ah one died on me.

Here are a couple of photo's.

Update: 08/09/18 - End of year track prep - Pic heavy

Twelve months ago myself and a few others did a couple of track days in August, of which two of those days were at Bedford Autodrome. Unfortunately the 2nd time at Bedford got cut short due to my car being black flagged for noise, at the time my exhaust consisted of ACE Manifold & AVO Non-Res Catback.

Anyway earlier this year I decided to remove my AVO exhaust and replace it with the standard cat back. The plan was to then get a track friendly custom exhaust made up over the next couple of months. Unfortunately various issue's happened over the next 6 months which meant this never happened.

Come August I realised my car needed its 5th year service, plus I'd ordered various parts which also needed fitting in preparation for the next lot of track days. I therefore decide to get everything done a the same time and finally get the custom exhaust I wanted made up.

After a couple of phone calls to various place, I decided to go with a very busy specialist who could fit all the parts, service the car and make an exhaust to match my requirements.

My exhaust requirements consisted off:

2.5" Catback with a Y pipe design
2 separate back boxes
A large center resonator
Catted front pipe with a 200cell race cat and a resonator.
Track friendly - Most important bit

Interestingly the specialist had a similar design already planned for their own car. The car was then booked in and after 3 weeks the car was ready for collection.

Here's the list of upgrades that have been installed.

Engine and Exhaust:

Custom 2.5" Front cat pipe with Resonator
Custom 2.5" Resonated Catback exhaust
Hel Oil Cooler
SPA Design - Oil Temp & Oil Pressure Gauge (Block8Head guage holder)
Cosworth Sump baffle
Cusco Sump plug
HEL Performance braided clutch line
STi Engine Mounts

Exterior:

Verus Engineering Race Splitter with end plates

Future modifications - I planned on getting these installed with the above, but due to various reason I changed my mind:

Verus Engineering Bonnet vents
STi Rear Brembo's

As you can see from the upgrades I had fitted alot of these will help benefit the car when on track. This should mean I can run longer stints without the car over heating. Unfortunately most of these modifications are hidden away in the engine bay, so there are no pretty pictures.

However here are some photo's of the exhaust system I had made up. I'll also get some updated photo's of the car in a couple of weeks.

Myself & @DeaconRoc meet up today to perform some quick noise tests and get a couple of videos of the new exhaust.

Here is some DB readings from the exhaust - These are measured using a proper decibel meter, however there will be some variation due to wind noise and other vehicles.

Static 1m Away - Center of Exhaust:

101.5db Peak / Blip
90.4db stable at 4.5k
63db warm idle

Static 1m Away - Side of the car:

91.3db Peak / Blip
80db stable at 4.5k

Drive by - Near (Curbside):

Normal cars: 70-85db
BRZ: 88db
BRZ: 3rd-2nd downshift: 91.9bb

Drive by - Far (1 lane from curbside):

Normal cars: 70db
BRZ: 79db
BRZ: 83db at constant high revs 6-6.5k RPM
BRZ - 2nd-3rd up shift: 92.6db

Inside:

Cabin windows down up to 7k RPM: 86.2 db
Cabin windows up to 5.5k RPM: 84.2db
Normal cruising windows down: 73db
Normal cruising windows up: 72db


These seem like decent readings for a catless manifold, 200cell race cat and 2.5" exhaust. The static and drive by decibel readings should be fine for Bedford Autodrome, however the peak on gear change could cause an issue. The readings were taken relativity close to the roadside and the noise meters at Bedford are a couple of meters away from the track, which should hopefully help.

Here's a couple of on-board videos - the microphone is attached to the rear license plate.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEbYtESTQM4"]Through the rev range[/ame]

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLvRUD4563E"]Normal driving - between 50 & 60mph[/ame]

ACE makes a RHD A350 now!

Update 13/11/18 - Bedford Trackday

On the 5th of November I joined several other members of the club at Bedford Autodrome. My plan for the day was to shakedown/test the new exhaust, oil cooler & Verus aero components. And myself as I hadn't done a track day in over a year, due to one reason or another.

First challenge of the day, the dreaded noise test. I knew the new exhaust was quieter than the last setup but I wasn't sure by how much, the static test hit 89db's. However I passed the static test last time, but failed the drive by, by about 2db's. Considering I had also removed the factory 2nd cat and replaced it with a 200 race cat with resonator, I was still alittle unsure about the drive by.

The good news is this time I didn't have any issues with the exhaust passing Bedfords rather strict drive by limit :D, obvious they don't tell you how much noise it actually makes unless you fail.

The Hel oil cooler managed to keep on top of the oil temps, the highest I hit was 115°c this was after several warm laps. (I wasn't pushing during the day)

Here's some footage from the day, audio is recorded by an external microphone by the exhaust:

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6_6CSVrhXc[/ame]


Here's a couple of photo's courtesy of Robert Baxtor & @VAD17: https://www.rbpsphotography.com/

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...3486bad433.jpg

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...5291bbd2a5.jpg

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...9a6abbc5c5.jpg

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...54b1d70dcd.jpg

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...557fded2ad.jpg

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...9ff7c97b0e.jpg

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...c96f6cbc70.jpg

Update 02/12/18 - STi Rear Brembo brakes

As I'm sure many of you know a couple of years ago I had the AP Racing front BBK fitted, that is one of my favorite modification to the car.

I've always wanted to get a set of rear calipers to go with the fronts, I was aware that the 08+ STi Rear brembo bolted straight on. After searching for a couple of months I came across a set of used Impreza STi Rear Brembo calipers for a good price on ebay, they also looked in reasonable condition.

A couple of days later these turned up:

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...46198f8331.jpg

As you can see the lacquer had started peeling on both calipers, this wasn't an issue for me as I was going to get them refurbished anyway.

I decided to send them to the UK's top brake caliper refurbishing company, BCS Automotive in Nottingham. Let's just say I won't be using them again any time soon.

Once I got them back they looked good as new. I also made sure to seal the calipers with G-Techniq C5 wheel armour, this helps stop any brake dust from sticking to the caliper.

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...f8a6379a11.jpg

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...054455f15f.jpg

I then needed to source a set of disc's, I was aware that @smudge had already done the conversion and had several issues with getting the right brake disc's.

A couple of other members use M-Tec discs, however these are know to have some quality issues. I decided to do some more digging, eventually I found a dual drilled DBA plain rotor that would bolt straight on.

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...be3ad8716c.jpg

The next purchase was a set of brake pads, I could have ordered a set of Ferrodo DS2500's to match the AP's up front. However I've never been happy with the cold bite on the DS2500's, so I decided to look for another option.

I did some research and found the Endless MX72 brake pads. These are a Street Circuit hybrid pad with low dust and high initial bite, however they are expensive at over £600 for a full set, if bought in the UK.

I had a quick look around and found them on Nengun, for half the of the UK price. A full set was swiftly ordered, the front pads had to be made to order as they don't keep the AP caliper fitment in stock.

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...13ec59847b.jpg

I had to buy a couple of other little bits and pieces before performing the swap, i.e. calipers bolts etc.

The whole kit was then fitted by @Mike@TD.co.uk and the team at Tuning Developments.

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...ab0a344714.jpg

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...f5571664e9.jpg

The pads haven't been properly bedded in yet, I need to be remove the existing pad transfer from the front rotors, which will be done with normal driving. I'll bed them in properly after winter.

However I can already tell the new setup has much better bite and stopping power than before.

Here's is a spreadsheet with everything I ordered and part numbers for those interested in doing the swap:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1r5n...ew?usp=sharing

Update 02/12/18 - Hel Oil Cooler

If you read my previous update on the 08/09/18, you'll see that I had a Hel Oil Cooler fitted by Rogue Motorsport with a 92°c thermostat.

As the temperature has now dropped down into single digits I noticed my oil temps were quite low.

I'd already spoken to @Keethos about the issue before the cooler was fitted, he suggested we 3d print a cover that can be easily attached to the oil cooler to block it off.

I also purchased a piece of foam with a sticky backing, which I stuck to the 3d printed cover. This would absorb any vibrations and stop the oil cooler from getting damaged.

The cover has been cable tied around the oil cooler to hold it in place.

A quick test has shown that my oil now gets up to temperature quicker and is at least 10°c higher than before (without the blanking plate).

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...ec6e843cb5.jpg

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...bb5b5e4908.jpg

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...de1f5f8111.jpg

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...64ed17fa30.jpg

Update 23/02/2019 - Silverstone Trackday

On Thursday I attend a Circuit Days trackday at Silverstone, with several other members of the club. (Special thanks to @Vad17 for organising the day). This would be the first test of my new brake setup, featuring new Rear STi brembo's and Endless pads all-round. I was happy with the performance of the brakes, balance was good, no issues with over heating. Stopping power was the same as the Ferrodo's. I still think I'd prefer something with more of an aggressive bite, however I suspect that would mean sacrificing daily usability. So I might try running a dedicated set of track pads and swapping them out just before the event in future. Overall however they performed flawlessly.

I'm not sure if it's Silverstone specific but it felt like the car was suffering with too much body roll in some corners, even though I had the suspension set on it's stiffest setting. A set of stiffer ARB's has now been added to my watch list 😆

Overall it was a fun day out with a decent amount of track time, even if it was a little busy on track.

Here are a couple of photo's from the day:

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...bb79db754.jpeg

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...065b25736.jpeg

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...7b99bf207.jpeg

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...39913b81f.jpeg

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...6bc2b8992.jpeg

Update 19/03/2019 - Bedford Trackday

Another month, another trackday. This time at Bedford Autodrome, I've been to Bedford several times now and it's such a good circuit as it has quite a mixed track layout, long straights, tight corners, hairpins, chicanes, etc. It was a fantastic day, everyone was well behaved, there was lots of track time, only 1 red flag and little traffic. The weather was also good for March and dry for most of the day, other than 5 mins at lunch when there was a quick shower.

Thank you @Vad17 for arranging.

There is nothing new to report on the car, it performed relatively flawlessly as expected. A few things I've noticed, the car doesn't seem to roll as much at Bedford compared to Silverstone, so Anti Roll Bars have been removed from the shopping list for now. Suspension for both track day was set at the 1st click from full stiff. @Willclarke said it's very flat round the corners which he didn't expect. Overall I'm happy with the balance of the car, its very neutral, precise and easy to rotate on throttle, making it excellent in the corners.

My only complaint is with my brake fluid. I'm not happy with how my pedal feels and how soft it gets after a short period. I'm currently using ATE Type 200 which although is track focused, I think I'm going to get something with a higher boiling point.

Here are a couple of photo's from the day:

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...29f1c1e32e.jpg

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...8f0b8893ed.jpg

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...e8223e31c2.jpg

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...bceb561ba2.jpg

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...fb2991ac75.jpg

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...4953214943.jpg

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...d7c5fa6bff.jpg

Update 05/05/19 - Japfest 2019

Today I attended Japfest 2019 at Silverstone, with 59 other members of the drivers/owners club. This was a great turn out for the club and nice to see so many faces new and old.

Here's a couple of photo's of my car from the day. There are a couple of close up of the Verus Engineering splitter with race upgrade kit and dry carbon end plates, as I've just noticed I haven't posted any close up's before.

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...baa087bf03.jpg

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...6144f114e5.jpg

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...2e6c3c115d.jpg

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...74af2c5f9e.jpg

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...775651e7ec.jpg

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...88a8d839db.jpg

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...9b98797195.jpg

Update 11/05/19 - Blyton Park Trackday

On Saturday I attended a Javelin Trackday at Blyton Park, it was a good day with everyone well behaved and reasonable weather, slightly overcast with only a small spell of rain in the afternoon, around 3o'clock.

After my previous trackday at Bedford Autodrome, I had an issue with the brake pedal going soft after a couple of laps, so last month I took the car to Rogue Motorsport to have the oil changed and the brake fluid replaced. Rogue bleed the brake system (inc the master cylinder) and supplied Millers Racing Brake Fluid 300 Plus.

I didn't experience any issues with a soft pedal at Blyton, however it's possible that might be because Blyton is alot shorter than Bedford so the brakes aren't getting worked as much. For research purposes I ordered a set of Racetech Motorsport temperature stickers (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Racetech-...8AAOSwPhdVDZ~m) to apply to the brake calipers. The max temperature registered on the front calipers was 143°c, the rear's didn't even reach the minimum temperature of 121°c. I'm going to also look at getting an infrared thermometer (I'm fairly sure I already have one somewhere), which I can then use the measure the disc temperature.

With quite a few trackday's coming up in the next couple of months I'm considering swapping the front pads out and re-fitting the Ferrodo DS2500's. Whilst I really like the MX72 pads on the road as they have better inital bite and feel compared to the Ferrodo's, I think they lack the aggressiveness of a more track biased pad. I'm also going to order a set of track tyres to go on my 949 Racing wheels, I'm considering the available options but it looks like the most likely tyre will be the new generation of Yokohama AD08RS.

Here are the photo's from the day:

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...63e5daa834.jpg

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...a8770da636.jpg

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...ede5036963.jpg

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...f89f7edebe.jpg

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...0164e2a852.jpg

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...d696da17c7.jpg

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...e5edd39554.jpg

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...50635ff77b.jpg

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...8e2679b461.jpg

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...027b176a51.jpg

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...5bd73e02c1.jpg

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...8236c7733c.jpg

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...e26c3e0778.jpg

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...105e1ad3a7.jpg

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...ad8d18a4f9.jpg

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...9295542ed1.jpg

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...0f865a9caf.jpg

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...e69de761ee.jpg

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...60deff0cec.jpg

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...839f0f5611.jpg

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...95a819fd46.jpg

Update 01/06/19 - Detailing Job

Over the last couple of weeks I noticed my windscreen wasn't clearing when using the windscreen wipers, it was just smearing the water over the screen. Not cool when your trying to drive down a dual carriageway and you can't see straight in front of you.

So yesterday I decide to clean the car and then re-sealed the glass. My go to product is G-Techniq G1 Clearvision Smart Glass, I've used this for a couple of years and it never fails to impress with how well it repels water. It takes about 40minutes to apply, you apply 3 layers to each window (you only really need 3 on the front, but it's easier to do all the windows), 5 minutes apart. Then you leave the coating to cure for 15minutes, before removing any left of residue with the G2 remover. I also bought a set of replacement windscreen wipers, I was previously using Michelin Stealth blades, however it appears these are no longer produced, so I opted for some Denso DUR-055R & DUR-050R blades.

p.s. For a single car the G-Techniq G1 coating comes in a 15ml bottle, this is more than enough to do all the windows on an 86/BRZ, with 3 coats on each window. I purchased the larger 100ml option as I'm going to do a couple of cars.

Here's a couple of photo's showing the beading:

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...97de9dd76b.jpg

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...6b4f495272.jpg

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...2c76af462e.jpg

Update 02/06/19 - Schroth Harness Installation

As I'm starting to do more track days, I decided I needed to do something to stop me moving about in the seat so much.

My initial plan was to purchase a bucket seat, however after looking at the various options and the cost, I decided against this idea. Mainly because I was eyeing up an Edirb 023 seat, which meant lots of ££££'s.

I therefore decide to get a harness setup first, as this is a much cheaper option. I'd seen that quite a few people are using the Schroth Racing Rallye 3 ASM harness, so after speaking with @Vad17 (and a couple of passenger laps) & @Mike I decided to go ahead and order one in Red.

It's a straight forward install once you know what your doing, although removing and refitting the seat belt buckle nut is a royal pain in the backside.

Here are couple of photo from the installation:

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...5a449a03a5.jpg

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...a4c6cb7b8a.jpg

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...da0bb53b34.jpg

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...6be54bbb98.jpg

Update 22/06/19 - Track Wheel & Tyre Combo Updated

In preparation for several upcoming track days over the next few months, I decided to get a set of track tyres. I've been extremely happy with the performance of the Michelin PS4's, however I didn't want to eat them up over a short period with alot of track use.

With that in mind and after doing some research on a good track tyre that is still safe to use day to day, I found two compounds / tyres that would meet my requirements. The Yokohama AD08R and the Nankang NS-2R. In the end I decided on the Yokohama's as I could get them extremely cheap, even cheaper than the Nankang's (this was the only deciding factor, I'd happily run either setup).

A set was swiftly purchased, however I was aware that Yokohama have recently replaced the AD08R with the AD08RS (for environmental reasons). So I wasn't sure what version of the tyres I'd actually be getting. As it turns out I got lucky and ended up getting one the first sets of AD08RS, these have been fitted to my 949Racing 6UL wheels.

Pictures:

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...7e53e971b4.jpg

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...b543b816d2.jpg

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...38e9ed666c.jpg

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...d98ead84c5.jpg

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...3dac805b2d.jpg

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...40a114a8e4.jpg

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...e4fd7fcfdb.jpg

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...0ff3fa7752.jpg

Update - 22/07/19 - Bedford Autodrome testing the AD08RS

I finally got to test out the all new Yokohama AD08RS tyres at Bedford Autodrome, I fitted them to the car a week before the trackday. They are noticeably more grippy than the Michelin PS4 and surprising a lot quiter. Also the car feels alot lighter, this however could be down the lighter 949 Racing wheels as it's been a while since I last used them.

On track the tyres have lots of grip (you can hear me LOL at the grip in the video) with a good balance and durability seems very good considering the tempature was a relatively hot 30°c. They did start to slide a bit after about 5 laps, which meant coming in to the pits and lowing the tire pressues, which helped. I was running them at 30psi hot.

Here's a couple of pit lane photo's and a onboard video:

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...456ae6b1ee.jpg

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...6a29b12b8c.jpg

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...90e4a8547b.jpg

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qirN31t6QDI"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qirN31t6QDI[/ame]

Update 27/08/19 - Bedford Trackday

Another trackday at Bedford, this was pretty much the same as the one on the 22nd July, with 30°c heat. I was trying to find a good tyre pressure balance to limit the amount of sliding after an extended period. It felt like I only really got one good sessions at about 3:30 in the afternoon, when everyone had left and the track was basically empty (driving standards were abit hit and miss during the day). Still I was impressed with how the tyres held up and the amount of grip they provide.

I was concerned when looking for a more track focused tyre that it might over tyre the car, for my level of driving. However after a couple of days I'm now happy with the balance and control provided by the tyre. It's definitely a good purchase for someone looking for a dual duty tyre with a more track focused bias. In general driving they a comfortable, quiet and I've had no issues driving in the rain with them.

Unfortunately the day wasn't completely without issue, when going for fuel during the lunch break I noticed the car sounded alot louder than normal, on returning back to the circuit and checking the car over I found that the exhaust had cracked and was blowing quite badly 😟 knowing that I still had the afternoon and another trackday two days later, I decided to just carry on (more later).

Here's a couple of photo's from the trackday:

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...5a85f19cfc.jpg

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...c971ef2b33.jpg

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...97a334a821.jpg

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...e8b9823aed.jpg

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...fa7c7c9ed5.jpg

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...bdb4440a09.jpg

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...3ec0f76305.jpg

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...7dc1100ca7.jpg

(I didn't kill the cone, honest)

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...2f943582d6.jpg

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...24af9e8826.jpg

Update 29/08/19 - Snetterton Trackday

Following on from the trackday at Bedford on Tuesday, I headed to Norfolk to spend a couple of days away with the family and also do another trackday, this time at Snetterton. Normally Snetterton is a 3hour drive away and not a journey I want to be doing before and after a track day, so this was ideal.

Unfortunately as I previously mentioned the exhaust started blowing at Bedford, I'd had a quick look under the car and couldn't see anything so I assumed it was just a gasket. The blowing noise was coming from the center of the car, by the front pipe to central resonator area. I decided to carry on and head to Snetterton and thankfully the issue didn't get worse on the drive there.

Snetterton was a fun day, which lots of cool cars and good driving standards. When I arrived at the circuit I noticed there was another 86/BRZ owner, who'm I spoke to and he let me share his garage, which was very nice of him, unfortunately he doesn't use any social platforms so I'll probably never meet him again ☹️

Other than the issue with the exhaust the car performed well. It was a very warm day but cooler than the previous day at Bedford so the tyres felt alot better and didn't seem to have any issue's.

Here's a couple of photo's from the day:

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...6a6694f77c.jpg

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...272871d906.jpg

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...157741e0a5.jpg

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...36301b4089.jpg

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...735355f8bc.jpg

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...9da608a4b4.jpg

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...5458a15310.jpg

September 19 - Exhaust Issue

The weekend after I arrived home from Snetterton I decide to jack the car up and have a look to see if I could see where the exhaust was blowing from. Hoping it would be a gasket and a simple fix. After spending 10 minutes on the floor I eventually found a stress crack in the large central resonator. Boo, not a simple fix. Fortunately the car was booked in at Rogue Motorsport to have it's 6 year services, in the process of booking it in I informed them of the issue. The exhaust was all custom made by Rogue and they were happy to fix it free of charge.

Whilst I could call this a design flaw in the system, I'm aware of two other manufacture's systems which have had exactly the same issue in the same place. Speaking to Rogue they said this was probably due to vibrations/harmonics when the car is put under heavy load and they suggested replacing the one larger central resonator with two smaller ones and a support relief.

Here's a photo of the crack, unfortunately I didn't get any photo's of the replacement pipe.

https://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/uploa...609be21e02.jpg