OEM+ Build Ideas
 

Looking for some advice here. I have some direction already but I'm looking for more ideas and help designing an OEM+ build. I drive a Kouki 86, and a lot of the smaller things I would have done an a Zenki are already taken care of, but mostly I'm looking for the small, subtle things to bring out the best in this car as it was designed. Mods like the HKS intake snorkel, reducing drivetrain inertia (I have te37s that I'm prepping to install at around 9 lbs savings per corner), bushings and transmission braces maybe, and other little improvements like that. I have an axleback coming as well, which is going to be my only major mod for now. Eventually I want to do an A350 and DT, but that's neither here nor there, gotta keep that stock warranty for a while anyway.

Long story short, I live in the Mojave desert, and a lot of the little things I'm planning right now are:
-HKS intake snorkel
-Volk te37 (17x7.5, already in the garage, just removing several layers of poorly done plastidip before I install)
-Remark Boso Edition muffler delete (no gains expected, just wanna get a rowdy exhaust.
-transmission bracing?
Verus hood louver kit (extract that heat, baby!)
-Oil cooler?
-Oil catch can?
-(Maybe some TRD lowering springs, but I know this isn't the right subforum to discuss those, and many driveways and intersections near me absolutely suck. My last car, lowered, would scrape and bottom out EVERYWHERE)

Basically I want to do small, quality of life mods to the engine and drivetrain so the 86 will perform it's best for many years to come and I'll get the best driving experience. I want to savor the next 30-50 years I plan to spend with this car. What other small mods would you recommend that don't necessarily increase dyno numbers, but do add quality of life?

Thanks guys!
Buck

Definitely get the oil cooler!


I only had a zenki, so some of these things may be taken care of already or be impractical:



* Quality LED license plate/side marker/interior/trunk replacements
* Toyota OEM mud guards (I really wish I did these sooner!)
* OEM Sliding arm rest
* Broadway wide angle mirror

For OEM+, do you plan on repainting the TE37s and leaving the stickers off?

Do the Forester XT oil cooler set up for the OEM+ look, otherwise, the Jackson Racing Dual Radiator/ Oil Cooler will be good too. You won't need a dedicated A2O cooler unless you're tracking (despite how hot it gets in AZ).

I don't have an issue with the current mirror setup, but I'll look into it anyway. With the backup camera in my rearview display, replacing that might be difficult. The armrest however? That's a great idea!

The te37s are bronze, the stickers are coming off with the plastidip, so I'll probably replace them, maybe even with pink stickers.

I'll look into the Forester oil cooler and the Jackson both. Some days it can be over 120f ambient, and worse on the asphalt, I've seen guys have cooling issues at temps below that, so I'm concerned enough to vent the hood and consider an oil cooler. Less heat, less stress on the engine, more power, longer life. Right? Haha.

Jeez and I complain about Texas heat O_o

It's not too bad on people since there's ~0% humidity all year round, but on cars it can be pretty bad, especially since stock 86s seem to dislike hot temps to begin with. A little extra cooling is probably a really good idea I think. Haha!

Something I think adds a lot of extra feel is upgrading the clutch to the Exedy stage 1. The effort required actually made me feel like I was driving a sports car instead of a marshmallow.

I 100% believe you should get at least a radium pcv side catch can. I put mine on my stock FRS and still caught a little blowby when I drove the car hard.

Another huge QOL improvement would be a carbon fiber driveshaft and fluidampr pulley. These are obviously big ticket items,but I think reducing drivetrain lash and adding that spring the carbon fiber driveshaft gives will make the car feel much more comfortable all around. Subjective opinion of course

Toyota Mud Flaps
Side markers
Window tint
Sun visor
Catch can
Oil cooler
Drop in air filter
License plate relocation
Stage one clutch
Tires
Perrin light weight crank pulley
Trd Catback

No particular order just listing them.

I got the gold tinted wide angle side mirrors. Helps so much with the glare of high beams from behind... Also need to tint the back window for the same reason.

Get some coilovers to lower the car a tad.

Sharpening the steering with the Perrin lockdown kit is a revelation.

Stiffen the rear end with a stiffer sway bar and a set of subframe bushings (i.e. Whiteline positraction kit).

And if you have the money, getting a shorter final drive gearset really wakes up the car. I would forego a light driveshaft and pick up a shorter FD instead.

The highways around here are all 75mph and flow 80ish most of the time, so I really don't want to go any more extreme than the stock 4.3 final drive. If it were the zenki I would absolutely have changed it, but 4.3 is already comfortably for a daily while not being too extreme on the highway. I've been wondering an aluminum or CF driveshaft off and on for a bit now, and I'll do a little more reason on it.

Regarding side markers, are there any that bolt in instead of using A clips? The A clips are frustrating to say the least, and I know verus sells the bolt in delete plates, but I haven't seen any bolt in marker lights if they exist. Still, other than improving the attachment method, I'm not terribly concerned about them yet for a QOL/OEM+ experience.

I'll look at a clutch. It's another thing I've been thinking about, but figured it wasn't worth the time to install yet. Might put that on the list for a year or so from now when I finally have a garage and can set it up for easier underbody work.

I'll look at just about everything suggested here. The mirrors catch my interest for sure. My rearview has the backup camera and auto tint, so that won't be changed, but rear tint, maybe even a louver setup to keep the sun out, could all be nice. The side mirrors sound really tempting. Oil catch and potential oil cooling are both on my short list.

I put in the Exedy stage 1 clutch and lwfw yesterday. Still in the break-in period but the combo is amazing so far. The flywheel really helps the engine free-rev faster (I was over-reving on downshifts initially) and the engagement window for the clutch is nice and wide. Really feels like an OEM+ mod. Only downside is some decel resonance in 5th gear, but otherwise can't wait for this break-in period to end.

Oil cooler may be unnecessary. Unless you're seeing oil temps that constantly rise north of 240/250, you really have nothing to worry about with cooling. On top of that, you have hood louvers planned which should assist a little in heat dissipation. You can do simple adjustments like running a slightly higher weight oil to have improved flow at higher temperatures as well. But I guess if budget is there, it's up to you. Many coolers run into issues down the road so you may want to steer away unless it's a necessity like for forced induction. But then again, you didn't mention your oil temps so I can't speak much for that.

What you mentioned is why I suggested the Forester kit or the JR dual cooler. I think with the hood louvers and Forester kit (and maybe a vented under panel) he would get plenty of cooling for an OEM+ set up.