Quick update after another fun track weekend:

1) Back to stage 1 - I pulled the JDL catless header and overpipe. My wife wasn't thrilled about the sound and catless smell, so I decided to take them off. Miss the 6000+ RPM pull to redline and the SOUND (oh God the sound), but the car feels surprisingly strong with OFT stage 1. I was running moderately rich before. My latest data logs show I'm running about dead-on AFR with OFT stage 1. Leaner is more power to an extent.

Link to some track datalogs:
http://www.datazap.me/u/darksunrise/...5?log=2&data=1

2) HPDE Advanced Group pt 2 - Ran advanced group again at my last track event. This time the group was much faster and my left arm got plenty of exercise :) I loved it though. Learned so much watching other people's lines and seeing where they found speed in corners. Ran some of my fastest laps just following the fast guys through corners. Top speed on the straight was about 120 mph with OFT stage 1, compared to 121 mph with OFT stage 2.

3) Possible Club Trials - I always enjoy meeting new people at the track. This weekend was no exception. One of the guys I met invited me to do club trials. Seems like something fun to try, so that could be the next step for me.

4) Steering Clunk - After the past 2 track days, I'm starting to hear a clunking/tapping noise when I turn the steering full lock at a stop. Not sure what it is, but I'm guessing it may be the stock endlinks binding up.

5) CEL fixed - Looks like replacing the coilpack fixed my P0351 CEL. Didn't have any more issues at the track, although the weather was about 20 degrees cooler.

BTW still loving the car! :happyanim: It's nowhere near the fastest or lightest out there (especially in advanced HPDE), but for how I use it I feel it's great.

Picture of the RR Racing stage 2 BBK installed on my FR-S. Wheels are 17x8 +42 WedsSport TC105N.

https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7206/2...5a1f6188_b.jpg

Also did a test fit on 17x9 +42 Apex ARC-8 wheels.

https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7155/2...ec7a5d67_b.jpg
https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7611/2...aa553725_b.jpg

As mentioned by others, no problems fitting these brakes with either wheels. Good clearance all around.

I've only done street driving so far, but the brakes feel great. Very stiff pedal within the first ~0.5-1" of travel. If anyone is experiencing a soft/mushy pedal with these, try bleeding the brakes again. That solved the issue for me. Cold bite on the street is fine. I'm on the BP-20 pads and they squeal less than my previous Carbotech XP10's.

Track day coming up tomorrow - I think these are going to be very good.

After a few beers and pizza with @endless_pain we got the RCE T2's installed. First impressions on the street are really good. I'm amazed that even though the spring rates are much firmer than stock, it's not that much harsher over small and medium bumps. I'm on the RCE recommended settings and everything feels well damped - the proverbial one bounce and done. Corner balance and alignment coming next week, then an open track day at Summit Main.

For alignment, thinking of going:

F: -2.4* camber, 0 toe
R: -2.0* camber, slight toe-in

Curious how the handling balance will compare to my old setup (stock FR-S suspension + camber bolts).

Also forgot to mention I got my header back from JDL a few weeks ago. I had been talking to them about a possible exhaust leak from the header so they checked it over for me and did some slight machining on the flanges. Installed it and everything is great now. Love hearing the UEL grumble again. :)

Quick pic after adjusting RCE T2's to ~20mm drop.

https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7401/2...793e6c39_b.jpg

Got an alignment done yesterday. Specs were:

Front Left:
- caster 5.8 degrees
- camber -2.4 degrees
- toe 0/0"

Front Right:
- caster 5.9 degrees
- camber -2.4 degrees
- toe 0/0"

Rear Left
- camber -1.6 degrees
- toe 1/16" in

Rear Right
- camber -1.7 degrees
- toe 1/16" in

Ideally would have another -0.3 degrees rear camber, but I'm on stock non-adjustable LCA's. Thinking about lowering the rear another 1/4" to add camber, but we'll see how it does like this for now. Should have plenty of time to test and adjust at an open track day this weekend.

A couple of pictures after a wash and fresh alignment.

https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7510/2...c7e28a6d_b.jpg
https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7366/2...caf0737c_b.jpg

Track day! Gorgeous weather. Perfect for testing out new suspension, alignment and tune.

https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7635/2...eac61af1_b.jpg

Any plan for aero upgrades?

I wish! Maybe next year, but right now still working on my driving. My best time at Main was a 1:32 this past weekend, but I want to try to get under 1:30 without changing anything. I think I can after rotating my tires (front shoulders heavily worn) and in cooler weather. Maybe. :D

Did you feel like your car was slower in the hot weather? I was only hitting 118 mph this past weekend on the straight, but last fall was reaching 121 mph. Did you get a chance to see how our cars compared in power?

I'm sure you can reach 1:30 with cooler weather. Yea I feel like the car is somewhat lacking power in the hot weather. Thanks to you, it was my first time getting actual lap time lol. Until now, i just went to track for testing car's limit and just seat time. I think because of my tires, exit speed from turn 10 was slower than you were, so my top speed was around 113mph this time. My best time with giving point by was 1:38 with crappy sumitomo tires haha. Still lots of work to do.

Hahaha yeah I remember when I had the Sumitomos, not that much grip. Also so much tire squeal everyone hears you coming 3 corners away and thinks you're crashing. :bellyroll:

BTW I'm glad you liked that Track Addict app. Easy way to keep track of laptimes and see your improvement.

You have any future plans for your car?

Yea it's a great app. Free version only allows 3 records, but who cares it works haha. RS3 level tire and OEM style oil cooler are on my list. I saw your car has oil cooler. How do you deal with winter season? Disconnect or just block the cooling plate?

I mounted my front license plate so it acts as a block-off plate for the oil cooler (Perrin OC is center mounted behind it). When I come to the track, I just take off the license plate. I also cut out the center part of the bracket to let a little more airflow through at the track. You can see the modified bracket in this picture:

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3768/...5eb1fe57_c.jpg

On the street the license plate works pretty well as a block-off plate for the cooler weather in the spring and fall. Highway oil temp gets to 175-180 F when ambient temps are 50-60 F. I don't drive it in the winter though (BBK doesn't have dust boots).

BTW before you get the OEM oil cooler, here were the results of some testing done by Mike at AZP:

I've never tested the OEM oil cooler, but his numbers for the Perrin oil cooler are very similar to what I see at the track (e.g., 220-245 F peak oil, 200-210 F peak coolant).

Good to know, I monitored my oil temp and just backed off the throttle as soon as I reached 255 F. Coolant was consistent at 210-220. Since it's my daily driver throughout the year, I may opt for OEM version. Still in the decision process though.

A couple of pictures doing a track day in my friend's S3 (APR stage 1, H&R springs / OEM magnetic dampers, Stoptech BBK, Hankook RS-3).

I did a full write-up elsewhere but TLDR version is: fast car, but missed driving the FR-S (mostly the responsiveness and feedback). Still had a lot of fun though.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8735/2...ea8302af_b.jpg
https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8140/2...3d667d6c_b.jpg

What are your thoughts on the diff inserts alone? Most people seem to install the subframe bushing inserts first or at the same time with the diff inserts, so I'm curious if they make an improvement by themselves.

Thanks :)

I'd call them a small improvement overall. I initially put them in to reduce drivetrain lash. It helps somewhat, but the more noticeable change was how they made the rear more responsive to throttle. It's like the stock setup would absorb some of the initial application (or lift) of throttle in corners, but the inserts will transfer more of that to the wheels. Not a huge difference though. Probably most noticeable in rainy track days with lift-throttle oversteer.

On the street, there's slightly more gear noise but nothing significant. My wife didn't even notice. I'd recommend them.

I'm curious why the 235/45/17 tires on the Apex 17 x 9 rims? Is it to allow more chamber and no rubbing?

No I got the Apex wheels intending them to be my street & backup track setup. I went with 235/45 to get a bit more ride compliance and lengthen the gearing slightly for the street.

I know my son's Apex rims with 245/40R17 tires & RCE Yellow springs limit the camber to < 1 due to the close proximity to the tower. I am thinking the 235/40R17 might be a better compromise to get more camber. Just wasn't sure about that tire size on a 9" wide rim.

Yeah that sounds about right. When I was on stock suspension, I had 235/40/17 Nitto NT05 tires on my Wedssport wheels (17x8, +42 offset). I was at -1.5* camber in the front using crash bolts and clearance was tight, maybe 5 mm or so between the tire and strut.

If your son wants about -1.5* camber, I think the 235/40/17 tire size could work. It'll run slightly wider on a 17x9 wheel, but there should be just enough clearance to make it work. Some tires run wide though so be careful with tire selection. (Also in case you're worried about it, there's no issues mounting a 235 width tire on 9" wheel.)

Coming up on my first track day in a long while! Buttonwillow CW13. Very excited to try out this track. It'll be an open lapping day, so expecting a lot of seat time. In preparation, I knocked out some maintenance items:

- Changed tune from e85 back to 91
- Replaced rear rotors (Centric blanks)
- Swapped to track pads (F Wilwood BP20 / R Carbotech XP10)
- Trans and diff oil change (Motul Gear 300)
- Swapped back to track wheels/tires (17x9 Apex ARC-8 / Hankook RS3 235/45/17)
- Brake fluid change (ATE Type 200)
- Alignment

For the alignment, I went to West End and dealt with Chris. Great guy, very knowledgeable and easy to work with. For the alignment:

-2.8 degrees front camber, 0 toe
-2.0 degrees rear camber, 1/16" toe-in

I was a little hesitant on adding toe in the rear (I typically like 0 toe), but Chris thought it might be better for traction on corner exit.

Will give the car a shakedown in the canyons before hitting the track, but everything seems ready to go.

https://www.ft86club.com/forums/atta...1&d=1592183616

Canyon shakedown run went great. No mechanical issues. The rear rotors have a nice even transfer layer on them now. Friend came along with his S2000. Definitely notice the power difference now that I'm back on the 91 tune haha.

I also noticed more understeer with this setup, but nothing concerning. I'll see how the car does at the next track day and possibly play with the alignment from there. Can't wait to hit the track again!

Buttonwillow was a success! The car ran great all day, surviving about 4 hrs track time in 100-105 degree temps with zero problems.

Couple of quick thoughts:

1. Forgot how much fun it is going to the track! Love being able to completely explore the limits of the car in a controlled environment. Turn8 did a great job organizing. Buttonwillow cw13 was a ton of fun too. Elevation changes, slow corners, fast sweepers, lots of places to play around with the handling balance using the throttle.

2. The tires (hankook RS3's) are done. I think not tracking for 3 years and just street driving on them really shortened their lifespan. I drove a friend's BRZ (on relatively fresh a052's) to confirm and sure enough, I could stay on the throttle and hold lines that I couldn't on my RS3's. My friend had the same thought after driving my car. I'll try to kill these tires off and get a fresh set, maybe try champiro sx2 for 86cup.

3. It's been a while since I drove a stock Twin and I didn't realize how much more oversteer my car had. Coming out of the 2nd gear corner "off ramp", I could easily rotate the rear on my car and hold a slight drift (for fun), but couldn't do it on the stock suspension BRZ. May be related to lower grip tires (#2) as well.

4. The extra camber in the front was great. I still had to keep tire pressures higher than I like at 34-35psi to avoid rolling into the sidewall, but much better than before. Id love to get -3.3 degrees next.

5. Engine held up well after the recall. I noticed I now lose a slight amount of oil (about 1/4 quart during this last track day), but otherwise it keeps cranking along. Didnt even lose any coilpacks!

Another fun track day in the books at Buttonwillow. It was my first time instructing. I lucked out that my student was a friend who I hit the canyons with often. He drives an AP2 s2000 which I’ve driven a lot and is similar to the FR-S, so pretty easy time instructing all things considered. The hardest part was probably being on the track constantly, which gets exhausting!

It rained the second session which I used to hate, but this time it ended up being really fun practice catching slides. After that session, catching oversteer in the dry sessions was easy since it’s slower/more predictable. Made me appreciate wet track days in a way that I didn’t used to.

The champiro sx2’s are a great practice track tire (or spec tire). Not fast, but lots of feedback, predictable and durable. I was getting front outer shoulder wear with only -2.8 degrees camber, so I left my tire pressures high (33 psi cold). Ideally I’d bump the camber to -3.5 degrees or more but I can’t hit the track as often as I’d like, so I’ll leave the alignment for now. Btw still love the RCE T2’s. My student commented during a ridealong that the curbing only seemed to minimally upset the car. So good even a novice passenger could tell lol.

I think the mods to the FR-S are done. Only thing I’d change is to be able to use e85 on the track for a bit more power, but I was already burning through a tank of 91 every 3 sessions so I can’t imagine how much e85 I’d have to bring to the track. Hmm… maybe a good excuse to switch to the GR86 this winter.

Favorite shots from the last trackday.

We need to do a track day together. I will be at buttonwillow on the 17th

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For sure. A few of my track friends have been talking about doing Lotus SoCal events. Supposedly small run groups and well organized. I’ll PM you next time we go. Only problem is a few of us have babies coming in the 3 months so probably won’t be out again until next fall. But I’ll let you know either way.

Got ya!! I like do speed district as they keep car counts low. Your basically on track every hour :)

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Oh cool that sounds good too. I’m open to any org that maximizes track time and low car counts. :)