Finally an owner, such a great car...
 

I've wanted one ever since I wrote about the release back in 11'
FR-S Release
and it's finally mine (insert lord of the rings picture LOL)
It's been said again and again, but as a new owner I wanted to put my 2 cents in as well, I've got a pretty decent car history so I'm not just babbling like a fanboy...or maybe I am LOL.

I picked up a leftover Manual 10-series that I had been watching for months. I wasn't really in the market for one persay, but if the right opportunity came around I figured I would jump on it. I missed my first "chance" to get one about 18 months ago - opting for the 13' FJ Trail Teams since I had a new baby on the way and already had a fun 2 seater weekend car. During this time some of my friends had picked up FR-S' and built them to the hill - either for Show, Track or pure JDM passion. Even my friends that weren't super "car" guys scooped em.

I sat by on the sidelines, thinking damn that's such a great car for the money. I even had a 1:43 scale FR-S I bought during a diecast ditch day that I kept at my home office desk to keep the idea of getting one in the back of my mind. It's one of those cars I just HAD to have eventually.

Some quick thoughts that may or may not have been said before:

Steering wheel - short of a video game steeringwheel, this is the best size offered straight from a manufacturer. Thickness and circumference is perfect. [Insert immature penis joke here]

Front Seats - First thought: Damn I'm getting fat! LOL. Where are the side bolster adjustments? Oh, there are none. Definitely feel sporty and fit the cars philosophy well, will be interested to see how they hold up over time. The didn't understand the seatbelt clip at first until I realized the car didn't have the adjustable height.

Driving Position - love it, wish I could sit "lower" personally but the seat is as low as it can get.

Rear Seats - unusable for most normally sized adults. They look like an afterthought IMO, which is GREAT. :)

Audio - I'm not quite the audiophile I used to be but let's be honest, this shouldn't be a huge factory in a car purchase IMO. I have the bang & olufsen option in my weekend car and I can barely hear music over my exhaust LOL. I like that it reads my MP3's and shows the album content, not much more I can ask for of a car this price IMO.

Headlights - 10-specific, but I love the daytime look of these.

EDC Lighting Package - 10-specific as well, cheesy but cool at the same time LOL. Outerbadge lighting? Cheesy. Interior "Scion" logo lighting? Cool...oh, it changes to "10" LOL. I'm probably just getting old but I find the less noticeable stuff cool.

Design - I love the lines of this car, I sincerely do. I always say the rear bumper look totally reminds me of the Ferrari Scuderia. Laugh at the comment then look at both.

Motor - So much controversy and he said/she said about this but in my unbiased opinion (and I've driven pretty much everything from Honda Fit to Ferrari 458) it honestly depends on the type of driving you're doing and the type of driver you are. If you understand the philosophy and fundamentals of the car - the motor will suit you. If you're looking for something else out of the car - yes, you'll want more mid-range torque, yes, you'll want more power, etc.

Clutch Feel/Transmission - Feels like the throw is sooo long, granted the last manual I drove was an E92 M3 at the Nurburgring in March LOL, but again - for the price point, it's as expected. Even the BMW felt long compared to a 991 personally so it might just be me. Shifting is crisp, I noticed a grind every so often at low rpm into second - again, might be just me. The reverse lockout is clever but brings the boot up a bit high for my taste.

I'm sure I left some stuff out LOL, still in the "honeymoon" phase so we'll see how my opinion changes after more time behind the wheel.

I've modded EVERY car/truck I've ever had but this one is going to stay stock for awhile [insert geico pinocchio image here] - hoping to get 1K miles on it and get it out to the track to work on my fundamentals, then build it as my skills get better so I can "feel" the difference as the mods go on. We'll see though LOL.

Anyways, if you've read this far - you guys have a great forum here, I've learned a lot and enjoy the threads, hoping to contribute more as I get time with my FR-S.

Obligatory Pic (I just realized I haven't taken any real pics of it LOL) although I'm sure you guys have seen your fair share of 10-series...

CONGRATS!

Great write up and I agree with most of what you said, especially this line:

I picked up the same sunshade for mine too LOL. I googled the Ferrari Scuderia, and you've got a damn fine point there!!! Enjoy :)

Welcome to the forum. Nice weekend car (Avatar). Looks like the V8 version Rtronic(I could be wrong). You'll quickly notice that the FR-S at around 2800lbs is alot more nimble than the R8 which weighs around 3600lbs. The FR-S is like a go-cart and I tend to drive it like one ...... safely.

Like You Should! :burnrubber:

Please do not compare a car with a go-kart.

Until you've raced a go-kart, it is like saying my corolla is like a lambo.

I race them - there is nothing like a go-kart except a go-kart.

I used to think people who said this were full of it but then I started racing them and man, nothing handles like a go-kart.

.

Congrats on your long-awaited purchase!

'LOL'

Albert, nice writeup!

The FR-S steering wheel is the smallest ever used on any Toyota. Even with it's electric rack I think it's the best steering feel of any Toyota, ever.

It made a huge improvement when I changed out the M/T fluid to Redline M/T 90 75W90 although others have also found benefits from other brands and weights compared to factory fill.

Have fun!

Thx for all the comments guys...still haven't had a chance to really enjoy it, hoping to get some time behind it this weekend sometime.

I actually stole this from my wife's car LOL. I got her the OEM sunshade for hers so this became mine - def entertaining.

Nice eye Braces, yep - V8 4.2 R-Tronic w/Stasis HPPF kit. Definitely apples and oranges between the two LOL.

Weird that we'd need to do that since it's a syncrhonized tranny? Or are you just saying when cold?

Sweet, I appreciate little facts like this. No wonder I like it LOL.

Thanks for this, if I continue to notice the issue I'll have Evasive swap it out before I head to buttonwillow.

When I read about the fancy lighting on the 10 series, I also thought they were silly, buy my coworker has a 10 as well, and they are petty cool

Congrats! I just got mine as well.

Yes, only when it is cold. In my morning commute, I double clutch for the first couple of miles which normally includes at least 2 stop and starts. Initially I thought the grind was a new car thingy and that it would ease out. Now after 1200 miles, it looks like it is just the way these trannies are and a character trait of this car!

I just ordered the TRD Quick Shifter to "alleviate" this issue... LOL. Yeah, I'm going to go with that excuse...

On another note, I tried my helmet on in the car for the first time and headroom wasn't an issue which is nice. I'm not very tall (5'9") but I've noticed having less room in Porsche/BMW.

If horizontal space ever becomes an issue, the headrests flip around to allow more space for the helmet, FYI. :thumbsup:

It is also more comfortable for a sleeping passnger... lol ;)

10 Days with the 10 series...

Well, 12 days to be specific but I wanted to post this 2 days ago LOL.

- I completely forgot how fun it is to own a manual, my last manual was back in 06'.

- I have yet to put gas in it LOL. I'm closing in on 280 miles - would like to get to 1K before I take it to Buttonwillow so I've been driving it as much as I can. I also noticed today that the gas tank is on the passengers side, usually JDM cars have it on the drivers...

- The car is sooooo light. Yes, I know it's supposed to be like that but it really is a throw back for me, all of my cars as of late have been 4 wheel drive in one form or another LOL.

- Did I say I love the steering wheel earlier? I love this steering wheel.

- I hear the chirping, but I don't care LOL - maybe it will go away with my first fill-up.

I haven't run into anything I can't "stand" about the car just yet - It's got a specific purpose for me so maybe that makes it easier, but honestly it does a lot of stuff very well for me.

Some pics, since I wanted to make sure I shot it before it gets worn in LOL.

Beautiful pictures.. your car is so shiny!

I can't tell whether that's the lens or the car making the photos really pop...Love those sunshades btw.

congrats on the new ride!

Do you have any photographs of your weekend car?

congrat for your purchase man!

i cant wait to receive my frs. i wish i had enough money to buy a monogram or a 10 series for the headlight.

dealer want way too much money for the headlight alone.

I'm up front.
http://www.albertroxas.com/wordpress..._8775_rev2.jpg

My TRD Short shift kit just arrived…must…resist…LOL.

where did you buy your eyeball sunshade from? i like it lol

Congrats on the beautiful car!

Since you're in So Cal here are my top 10 affordable "mods" that made a huge diff to me and others for performance only. I'm mentioning only performance mods as appearance stuff is so dang subjective.

1. Open Flash Tablet tune ($500), Increases power, improves driveability, unlocks e85 from e50 to e90 if you want it. Other tuning options of course exist at a higher price point (ECUTek)

2. Weighted shift knob ($100), Raceseng Slammer/Ashiko type 1.5lbs or more, makes shifting a pure joy.

3. Torco Accelerator ($20 for 2-3 fill ups), IMO the only Octane booster that actually works, is proven on the dyno and has also proven safe. Increases CA91 octane to 93- 105 octane. Much cheaper than race gas which in So Cal is about $10 gal. The increased octane prevents the ECU from retarding timing due to knock caused by our crappy gas but you probably already knew that.

4. Drop in Filter ($50), improves responsiveness and smoothness. Don't bother with an aftermarket intake unless you go F.I. most of them have been proven on the dyno to improve nothing. The stock intake is a CAI by the way.

5. RS-R RANUP ($50), another fuel additive that works. Improves smoothness, MPG and even dynos increased HP. Crazy I know, but ask anyone that's used it for their opinion. People that haven't couldn't know.

6. MTec Shifter springs ($35), increases the spring tension on the shifter making it feel even tighter for that bolt-action rifle effect. Easy mod.

7. Header cat delete or aftermarket EL or UEL ($0-$1000), destroys the torque dip for whatever amount you want to pay. Unequal Length Header adds Boxer rumble.

8a. Any lower spring ($200 - $400) that gives a modest drop (.5" - 1.2") AND includes replacement bump stops OR any lowering spring and purchase aftermarket shorter bump stops.
OR
8b. Decent coilover kit ($850 - $5000+) that suits your goals for the car. This part will take some soul searching and research as well. :)

9. Axelback or Catback exhaust ($500 - $1500). For a NA car this is mostly for aural improvement. Little to no gains have been found from a muffler swap. An axelback is fine because the stock mid-pipe seems to produce as much power as most aftermarket ones. However some exhausts you can only get as a catback.

10. Forced Induction if all the above doesn't cure your jones for more speed. At this point surrender your wallet and walk away. :)

Stole it from the wife...believe you can get them on Amazon LOL.

Thanks for the list! Def a few on here that I haven't considered - wasn't aware of the tunes avail.

Once I get a feel for it on the track I'll most likely do a few basics:
Coilovers: Considering Ohlins, HKS and KW
Wheels: Something lightweight and suitable for track. Always loved TC105N
Airfilter/Exhaust: Again, something purpose built.
Sways/Bushings - whiteline from what everyone is saying...
Finish it off with some add-on aero and call it a day.

I've got the Cusco Power Bars and Cusco CF Strutbar sitting in my office already LOL, more dress up stuff but my buddy was selling them so I figured why not. My TRD SSK arrived today as well LOL.