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- - Techknowfile's Hot Lava FRS [AZ] (https://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8166)

Techknowfile's Hot Lava FRS [AZ]

How can something so hot be so cool? (my last car didn't have air conditioning).

# 12 out of 12 Scion FRS available in Arizona

(More pictures coming soon!)

http://i.imgur.com/QWsXZl.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/MgB6vl.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/HodHwl.jpg

The story
So, I'm sitting at starbucks earlier this week, and hear my friend reading off a Facebook post mentioning 5 out of 6 FRS being sold from the local Toyota dealership. I instantly grab my phone, call the friend who posted it (marketer/viral media personnel for Toyota), and he doesn't answer. Next I call the dealership:

Me: I hear you all may have one last FRS available..
Phone dude: That is possible, let me go check for you. (lol, you know he didn't have to check)... :brief pause: ... Yes, there is one more in stock.
Me: What color is it?
Phone dude: Hot lava
Me: ...and the transmission?
Phone dude: Manual.
Me: I'm on my way.

Long story segment short - Tuesday night I drove my new FRS home.

Well.. actually.. that isn't completely true. You see, I have never owned nor driven a standard transmission car in my life, so I brought yet another friend with me to drive her home.

Now keep in mind I said Tuesday. I had to be at work at 8 am the next morning and I traded my Dodge Stratus (RIP) in, so I had to be able to drive a stick shift well enough to make it to work.

Time: 2AM - I'm sitting in the driver's seat of a manual car for the first time ever. 40 minutes, 5 "holy shit, nice car", and countless stalls later, I decide to call it a night.

Time: 8AM - One stall on my way to work, but I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing. The 1 hour demonstration I presented to my department went flawlessly (it was quite relaxing compared to stalling in the middle of the road).

Time: 12PM - Stall on my way to lunch.. in front of a cop who immediately turns on his lights. I get the FRS moving, the cop turns his lights off and continues driving.

Jump to DAY 2
8AM - stall once while parking at work. I was proud.
9PM - Behind a closed down grocery store. has a few parking spaces, a flat area, and a hill that goes up one one side and down on the other. Perfect :thumbup:

After trying out several recommendations given by friends and coworkers, something clicked.

All of a sudden, a car that I could stare at forever turned into a car that I can't stand outside of.
Oh my god
What have I been driving all my life? I feel like every second I don't have stick-shift mastered I am wasting the potential for an unlimited amount of joy and satisfaction.

Questions
I will have many.

Welcome to something special.

Wait til you start taking it out to some twisties! If just the Trans can get you that excited, think about what the chassis dynamics will do!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Guff (Post 247981)

Wait til you start taking it out to some twisties! If just the Trans can get you that excited, think about what the chassis dynamics will do!

Say hello to the switchbacks between Phoenix, Sedona, and Flagstaff. I cannot wait for the day I head south down these.

http://i.imgur.com/mBWygl.jpg

Congrats on the car man! I just took delivery of my Hot Lava MT on Monday, and I live in Tucson. Loving every minute of it!

Your car is Perfect!!!! Love the color.

Thank you all ^_^

This morning was the first day I decided to crank some music in the FRS for my drive to the office (usually daily routine). Coheed, children of bodom, the offspring, doesn't matter the genre, music makes this drive even more incredible.

Make sure to check that your radio is configured to the FR-S. To do this, first turn it off. Then, hold in the multiknob, and turn it. Go to the Car Type menu and click the button. Click the button until you get to FR-S. Many of the cars have been coming from factory configured as a tC, and it does make a sound difference!

There are only 12 in the entire state? I feel awesome now knowing mine was #2 delivered~!

same boat with you man, bought the car, have a friend drove me home and learn manual in a few hours. i don't pretend to be a car enthusiast, this car makes me one. congrats :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by mattles (Post 248632)

There are only 12 in the entire state? I feel awesome now knowing mine was #2 delivered~!

Yep, and rumor has it that we won't be receiving more for a while due to an issue at the docks. Bad for Toyota, good for us.

Welcome to the joyful world of manual transmissions. It's like sticking your arm into the car's guts and controlling it directly. :)

Is this your first RWD car too?

Congrats! Sounds like my first experience in a manual, although I wasn't in as nice of a car. Hot Lava is definitely the color I would have gotten if I had ended up with an FR-S.

Thanks for the story... Pure awesomeness and im happy u've experienced the love and joy of driving stick... Thanks for sharring!!!

Touching story about the stick shift! Welcome to the manual world!

Reminds ke of the first time I decided to learn to drive a manual. Rented a manual Orolla and set off into traffic (ulp)!

Congrats, here's to the beginning of an awesome journey. :)

Awesome story. I have always had trouble getting manuals to move. Once i get going i can shift seamlessly-- it's just the moving from a dead-stop which gets me. I'm glad you got it down, though!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Draco-REX (Post 249212)

Is this your first RWD car too?

Sure is

Quote:

Originally Posted by Asterisked Accolade (Post 250007)

Awesome story. I have always had trouble getting manuals to move. Once i get going i can shift seamlessly-- it's just the moving from a dead-stop which gets me. I'm glad you got it down, though!

Here's a great way to learn about clutch engagement and how to be very gentle with your clutch:

Turn car on, put in first gear. Don't touch the gas at all during this exercise. Let off the clutch slowly.

As you get better and better at letting off the clutch slowly you should be able to remove your foot off the clutch completely and the car will start moving just at idle. If you do it improperly, the car will stall or jerk forward and stall. Stop and repeat this procedure multiple times until you can get the car to move without stalling.

Once you get good at that, try doing your starts-from-a-stop again and you'll find it WAY easier. Let the clutch out a bit like you did before and as soon as you feel it grab, start to give it some gas.

Going from parked to 1st or reverse is no longer an issue for me. If you can give me tips on how to get going faster into first (higher speed) that would be greatly appreciated.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Techknowfile (Post 250068)

Going from parked to 1st or reverse is no longer an issue for me. If you can give me tips on how to get going faster into first (higher speed) that would be greatly appreciated.

give it more gas! if youre trying to launch from a dead stop you might have to slip(keep it engaged a bit longer) the clutch some to stop the wheels from spinning.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lytheum (Post 250095)

give it more gas! if youre trying to launch from a dead stop you might have to slip(keep it engaged a bit longer) the clutch some to stop the wheels from spinning.

I'll try this out, thank you! About how high is your RPM when you engage the clutch? And I assume that, in going faster and keeping the clutch engaged longer, you end up needing to immediately press the clutch down again to switch to second?

Also, I've noticed that most sites/videos that explain how to drive stick say that switching gears goes: gas off > clutch down > shift gears > clutch up > gas on, but this car seems to require a bit of gas before letting go of the clutch.

Quote:

Originally Posted by FoxtrotRomeo-Sierra (Post 248617)

Thanks for the heads up! You were correct, it was set to tC, and switching it to FRS made a noticeable difference (and I would have never found that menu).

Any recommendations for infotainment systems for the FRS? Oh and my last car had the really useful feature of the power outlets staying active if my phone was plugged in to the ac adapter, thus allowing me to charge my phone in my car. Is there a way to modify the car to do this?

it just takes a lot of practice. you dont want to be dragging the clutch but you also dont want to be dumping it to fast. if you start to smell something burning you know your doing it wrong lol

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lytheum (Post 250242)

it just takes a lot of practice. you dont want to be dragging the clutch but you also dont want to be dumping it to fast. if you start to smell something burning you know your doing it wrong lol

Yeah, this worked great. About half a second longer on the clutch and it avoids wheelspin. :thanks:

Nice car, nice plate! I'm flying down to Phoenix to pick one up in the same color in a week or two and I'm working on finding the twistiest route back to Colorado. I hadn't planned on going up past Sedona/Flagstaff but it looks like I have to change that now :D