Bought it Friday tracked it Sunday! MX5 battle vid inside..pcasso87's track thread!
 

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This will become my track build thread so I will be updating this thread every now and then. Updates with pictures on ALL PAGES!! Page's 9-12 are the best.

Ok guys so here is my review of my new track toy + bonus pics and vids at the bottom (one of them has me in the FR-S battling out a friends NC Miata) So make some :popcorn: i hope you enjoy it.

After waiting for 3 months for my car I finally got it this past Friday, I showed up at the dealer and drove home finally in my new FR-S. The reason I bought this car was it was going to be for track duty only so I decided its first track day would be Sunday. I drove it as much as I could from Friday to Sunday and only managed to put 500 miles on it. I picked up an oil filter and some oil and did oil change before taking it to the track on Sunday to clear out any new engine debris. A friend of mine owns a U-Haul rent store so I borrowed a trailer because I was going to leave the FR-S at my garage spot in the racetrack where I used to store my past track car a 1996 SR powered 240SX with 400 WHP.

When I sold my 240sx I never thought the FR-S would be a good replacement track car right out of the box I expected I would need to do a lot to it before it even came close to the experience my 240sx gave me but I wanted something more reliable and newer so I sold it and set my mind on picking up a 200 hp rwd Japanese car, keep in mind my car history less than two years ago includes a 400whp 240SX, 370 WHP E90 M3, 590 WHP GT-R , and a 420WHP C63 this little car would have big shoes to fill.:(

We arrived at the racetrack around 1 PM since the motorcycles get the morning (Lucky them it was 98 degrees at least and sunny!!) We set shop in my garage, set tire pressure to 29 psi all around and had a snack as I showed some of my fellow club members the devil (and I say the devil because they all drive Mazda’s lol so any other car is the devil to them specially since Mazda sponsors the track). After some chitchat I was anxious to get behind the wheel of this car around this racetrack specially because this track is where the Miata’s, s2k’s, and lotuses have ruled the track because of their lightweight and nimbleness. Harris Hill Road Course is a 1.8 Mile 11 turn track that is very technical so lightweight and balance in power win this battle.

After dealing with the curious joes around my car, I hopped in with my friend and took it for a recognition lap since I needed to get used to the car. To my surprise the car was so easy to drive and predictable after the first lap I was already pushing it to the limit keeping the revs no higher than 6800 rpms. Fist laps were with the VDC in sport mode but after that i turned it off since the car game me so much confidence and the tires always let me know when i was about to reach their limit. Gear after gear and corner after corner I started to fall in love with the FR-S, I asked my self after pulling into the pits (This must be sorcery a 200hp car that can put a smile on my face just as well as cars that cost more than twice the price?) what’s the catch there had to be a catch since it was so much fun and I seemed to enjoy my self as much as driving any of the other cars that I had…. And then it hit me, this may not be the fastest car ever nor the most luxurious or refined but its pure purpose is to make the driver feel in control feel the connection between man and machine, this car serves the pure purpose of fun and I like fun!! Toyobaru I applaud you for this car, thank you for bringing back the fun in the everyday car. :clap:

Car ratings by bullet points:

-Steering Feel: Precise and nimble reminds me somewhat of a porsche caymans steering response.

-Power: Not the fastest but enough for small tricky tracks.

-Handling: Perfect balance , not to hard not to soft just right. I do think that when i upgrade rubber it will roll a bit so i might go with KW V3'S. The car would always let me know when i was about to reach the limit, if the back end stepped out a little steering input would correct it almost immediately.

-Brakes: Great pedal feel, after about 8 laps they would start to fade but remember it was almost 100 degrees outside. I think with ss lines, motul fluid , and better pads the car should be just perfect. If you are just going to be driving it on the street or auto-x leave the brakes alone they work fine.

-Drivetrain: Tranny shifts are short and precise, the clutch never seemed to slip. I would give it a A+

-Exterior: Head turner, everywhere i go people ask me about the car and give me thumbs up.

-Interior: Definitely the cars achilles heel id rather not comment on it lol. But who cares with a car this fun!! Only real thing i can praise are the seats the material is nice and they hold you great at the track!!






BTW: My only problem at the track was that after doing my first 4 laps I stopped in the pits and let the car cool down, when I tried to raise the windows the window motors for the left and right windows did not seem to work, no noise or anything they were not moving. I checked fuses etc and nothing was wrong. After 20 minutes I tried again and nothing so I went out for another 6 laps and mysteriously when I pulled into the pits again the windows worked like if nothing had happened. Weird…..


Here are my lap times, just to give you an idea the fastest a stock mx5 nc miata has gone around this track with the best driver has been 33.1 i am not the same driver but managed a 35.9 bone stock, im sure that i will lower those times as i get used to the car. My fastest lap time in my GT-R was a 1.26.1 and in the C63 was a 1.29.5 Here is my lap time list from my V-BOX

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...-SLapTimes.jpg


Here is a picture of Harris Hill Raceway

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...oad-Aerial.jpg



A few laps in the FR-S

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0QhvEs4KyQ"]2013 Scion FR-S Lapping around Harris Hill road - YouTube[/ame]




* Updated video * Here is the Chase against the MX5 NC, the driver is a good friend and great driver. Keep in mind my brakes & tires were still hot since I let the car rest for only 1 minute before going out with the MX5.
2011 MX5: Stock except for intake, rotors, pads, and brake fluid.
2013 FR-S: Bone Stock

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzfBiRO_cbg&feature=player_embedded"]Lap Battle Scion FR-S VS MX-5 Miata NC @ H2R ( Track ) - YouTube[/ame]





Upcoming Videos Teaser!!

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pY6OVSb-Vxw&feature=g-upl"]Scion FR-S Teaser Video!! Track, Drift, & More - YouTube[/ame]



Pictures in chronological order:

The day i got it at the dealership-
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...S/09f72360.jpg

Polar bear in her new home-
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...S/d632e110.jpg

On our way to the track damn tailgaters!!-
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...S/f55ac9b3.jpg

Track Pictures:

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...S/IMG_0445.jpg
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...S/IMG_0446.jpg
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...S/IMG_0451.jpg
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...S/IMG_0456.jpg
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...96648996_n.jpg
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...S/GOPR0339.jpg
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...S/GOPR0343.jpg

Bonus pics:

Only in Texas, huge gas station there were about 5 more lanes behind us.

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...S/e2dd8475.jpg

My Ex cars

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...4/DSC01597.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...z/e09a53a6.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...0M3/M3powa.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...3/DSC01518.jpg

Awesome write up man, Thanks so much!

Car not strapped to trailer? :thumbdown:

Looks like you're enjoying it though.

This is OP's section about the brakes...

-Brakes: Great pedal feel, after about 8 laps they would start to fade but remember it was almost 100 degrees outside. I think with ss lines, motul fluid , and better pads the car should be just perfect. If you are just going to be driving it on the street or auto-x leave the brakes alone they work fine.

Of course the car isn't strapped down in the back, he was in the parking lot at the track. :/

hell yea you live close to Laredo... we shall do a frs/brz meet lol

Thanks for the report. I like H2R, need to get back out there. Last I heard they were planning to correct some bump issues. How's that going?

Thanks for sharing!

The runoff around that track does not look fun at all. Lots of tall grass and big bushes?

Its not that bad except if you get stuck in it when the grass is dry, a guys Z06 caught on fire because of the grass touching his exhaust pipe, his car was stuck so it almost burned to the ground total loss i think. Normally the parts where people go off its not that bad.

Here is what happened to my c63 when i went of track i tried to correct it as much as i could so that i would not end up sideways off track but it was too late, tire dismounted lol.

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...z/bc5a98c5.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...z/2f215fb4.jpg




It was strapped front and rear we were getting ready to get if off the trailer.


Exactly. ;)


They are taking donations from the members this month they said it should be fixed by next month. They have fixed a lot of the bumps though, its a lot better than lets say 3 years ago.

Check out the san antonio thread in the Southwest section, tons of guys are getting Toyobarus.

Loving your past cars! You got great taste.

nice!

Very good read!

Ouch. I'd rather share lawn mowing duties on a Sunday.

Good to see the Benz being put to use! You've mentioned this track a couple of times. Do you get your money's worth out of the unlimited use membership plan or do you also like pay-to-play weekend events?

Right on !!!

Enjoy and Thanks for sharing !!!

Def after racing it, I enjoy mine more and more :)

Very cool! I bet with better tires (RE11, Star Spec, or better), losing the 200 pounds of dead weight in the passenger seat (was he there for all the runs?), and taking it up to red line, you'll shave 4 seconds off your times easily. :D

Well for example last month i did not use it at all because i sold my s14 and i was waiting on the FR-S i was so desperate for a track fix that i thought about tracking either the wifes car or my old merc, unfortunately all plans failed after the wife saw me in the garage rotating her tires and loading up my helmet in her car lol. But usually i go at least once a month some times twice even if i dont run ill go sunday to the club house and chat with other drivers , do maintenance in my track garage etc. I also do other events ive done scca and other auto-x events. Yesterday they had a Gymkana event at harris hill and i wanted to go but got lazy because it was to late to do the oil change on the car i missed it by the videos it looked great!! Im trying to do as much events on the weekends as i can but i need sponsors im limiting my self right now to a set of tires per month :(.

Here is the Gymkhana Event it looked fun
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z12dXoNJeCs&feature=related"]gymkhana run2 - YouTube[/ame]




Thanks man, i actually had your exhaust on my E90 M3!! Sounded amazing def the best sounding M3 exhaust out there, not to loud not to quiet just perfect!!




Passenger was not in the car when i did my fastest run but im sure i can lower my time at least another 3 seconds just by getting used to the car and revving to red line. I cant imagine what this thing will do with bolt ons suspension , light weight reduction, brakes and grippy tires. Im sure i could easily get a better time than the c63 with just those mods. :burnrubber:

Cool. Be a crazy way to ruin a good day. :thumbup:

Out of curiosity why did you lower your tire pressure to 29? Most guys at the track that I've talked to recommend leaving the pressure at the OEM stock settings, or increase the pressure a little put to prevent sidewall roll. Personally I've always left mine stock (32/32) for my car. After 20 minutes sessions the pressure is usually up to 38-40.

You could say we were experimenting since the track was so hot. After about 10 hot laps the tire pressure was around 36. I will be rotating the tires and trying 30-31 psi this up coming weekend to see how it behaves. :party0030:

Dude I am so jealousy right now, not about the car, I have it already. Just that I'm in Toronto and the closest race track is 2 hours drive. Just don't seem to have the time to go.
Congrats again on your purchased.

Yeah man that does suck H2R is only 45 mins from my house which is not that bad. Wish it was closer though :D my dream house would be next to a racetrack id love to wake up to the sound of engines revving!!

Ordered my cusco tow hooks today , im on the fence about getting black enkei rfp1s with hankook rs3's + some kw v3's for the track what do you guys think should i wait for more suspension options?

Now this is how you're supposed to break in your FR-S! :respekt: :respekt: :respekt: :respekt:

btw, those are some very nice cars that you've owned! :eyebulge: What do you do for a living?

Off topic question. Is that an LS1 swapped Volvo 240? Please tell me it's a wagon too :burnrubber:

Hmmmm, somethings fishy

Having been around Harris Hill a few times myself (with chumpCar in an E30 and 200SX) I am familiar with the track. Looks like you are maintaining enough monentum to have fairly decent exit speeds. I plan to track my FR-S as well and can't wait. Problem is we are now in the hot summer and track events are few and far between. Most likely will be with PCA or Drivers Edge in the Fall.

Great write up and videos. Thanks.

Thanks man, I own a ticket broker business here in town, real estate in Mexico, and i trade precious metals from Mexico to China. Im part time in Mexico and part time in the US, keeps me busy though.:iono:



Its my buddies volvo lol. i think he said it has a 5.0 swap not to sure ill ask him, its a sedan BTW.:happy0180:


HUH? :hitcomputer:




I agree track is so hot right now, i cant wait until november for super nice temps!! Im sure lap times will be better for sure.

It looked like you were experiencing quite a bit of understeer through a lot of those longer radius corners. Was this the case or were you not attacking the lines so not to induce too much oversteer?

BTW nice work getting it straight to the track and good colour choice too ;). Im pretty envious of that track set up you have there too. How does your membership work, you just turn up whenever you want provided there isnt a meet on? It looked like you were the only guy out there...

No understeer i was not really pushing the car to the limit since i was only revving to 6.5-7k rpms. Membership works as follows you pay a one time fee of 2500 and then 200 each month after that garages are 200 bucks a month. Basically members get around 4 days a week, its open monday to sunday and hours open to members are posted on the website. I honestly love the track, most of the guys are friendly as well. I was alone because it was fathers day , my dad lives in canada so i had the day off lol there were only some miatas and an rx8. Members get to enter the track events for free as well so its kinda cool.

wow thats a pretty awesome deal. Not cheap but considering you pretty much have access most of the time id, definitely do that if I lived where you do. When you consider entry to events is free also, that adds up. My local track charges 100 dollars for an all day open practice in which you get 6x15min sessions. The only issue is they hold them about 9 times per year and the traffic is woeful!

Yeah the good thing about harris hill is normally traffic is not bad, specially if you go during the week. Sometimes ill take a half day off work and drive to harris hill just to do a few laps. :D

life, you are doing it right.

Drove the car again at the track yesterday, i have to say i have been more than impressed with it. I just placed an order for enkei rpf1's matched to some sticky rubber + some kw v3's, videos and lap times with the new setup coming soon!!

BTW ill share one more video guys subscribe!! More videos coming soon!!

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pY6OVSb-Vxw&feature=g-upl"]Scion FR-S Teaser Video!! Track, Drift, & More - YouTube[/ame]

Some pics @ the track yesterday!! It was 104 degrees outside my fastest lap time yesterday was only a 1.36.8 i could just not do better!! No overheating issues though so the car has a good cooling system.

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...S/IMG_0485.jpg
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...S/IMG_0477.jpg
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...S/IMG_0478.jpg
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...S/IMG_0480.jpg
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...S/IMG_0481.jpg
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...S/IMG_0483.jpg
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...S/IMG_0487.jpg
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...S/IMG_0490.jpg
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...S/IMG_0493.jpg



Done for the day:

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...45032520_n.jpg

Quick question.. did you have any trouble getting the FRS onto the trailer? Did you need blocks to get it up onto the ramps? How was the front overhang?

I'm concerned that after lowering it'll be pain to load. Half the time I don't load my NSX onto the trailer is because it simply cannot make it up w/o tearing out the front end.

I'm really curious how the oil came out, I'm at about 600 miles and haven't done an oil change yet. Was it silvery or clean? I was planning on doing my first change at 1000 miles but the dealer actually recommended I don't change it until the 5k mark.

Awesome stuff right here.

Out of curiosity, how much does the ambient temp affect lap times? If the car was the same and you drove the same how much difference would that make at this track?

Nice video, man. I like where you mounted the camera just above your left shoulder. It shows the track ahead but also shows your steering inputs well. I recommend you use this mount for your future vids!

What camera is it btw?

Shes trying to say "Shut up and drive me you silly man!" and after the six she was satisfied and gave you want you wanted haha

:thumbup:

I'm scared to see your fast food drive thrus :lol:

Glad to see the FRS at the track! She looks good and I can't wait for the upcoming vids.


btw did you ever try putting skinny tires on the c63 like Top Gear did haha

Nope she cleared it like a champ, im probably going to have to get a dovetail trailer when i get my coilovers since i will be lower almost about an inch lower.


I would say that i was loosing about 10% power just from humidity and heat that day, im sure i could do a lot better probably a second at least. Im happy to report i did not run into any cooling issues the car has no problems with cooling :bow:.

Go Pro Hero HD 2 , i've been trying different angles but thats the one i like the most as well ill keep using it for my upcoming videos. My next one will prob be a drift compilation ;).


Thanks man!! lol never but i did get a set of rikens and burned the hell out of them.


The first oil change was a bit silvery but not much pretty clean if you ask me, im doing oil changes every 1000 miles since i will be tracking the car most of the time. My first one was done at 500 next one was at 700 and then i will go all the way to 1500 and from there every 1000 miles.

Here are some pics of the oil change i did after two track runs, not that bad there was a bit of debris but not much, this oil change was done at the 700 miles.

Here are the pics and yes i am a pic whore........... Guilty :bonk:

Parts that i used, Btw i saw that funnel and bought it... Big mistake its horrible leaks everywhere i do not recommend it to anybody!!
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...S/IMG_0496.jpg

Picked up 6 quarts of OEM spec mobil one 0w-20. Its funny its labeled as fuel economy oil, if they only knew im getting less than 10 mpg's lol. one anybody have any suggestions on a different oil spec to use for track purpose im all ears!!
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...S/IMG_0498.jpg


K&N oil filter part #
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...S/IMG_0497.jpg

Oem Oil Filter:
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...S/IMG_0502.jpg

Getting her ready for her oil change
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...S/IMG_0500.jpg
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...S/IMG_0503.jpg
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...S/IMG_0504.jpg


Front Jacking location:

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...S/IMG_0505.jpg
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...S/IMG_0507.jpg


Changing the oil:
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...S/IMG_0509.jpg
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...S/IMG_0511.jpg
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...S/IMG_0513.jpg
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...S/IMG_0514.jpg
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...S/IMG_0522.jpg
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...S/IMG_0516.jpg

Here is a pic of the oil at 700 miles after two track days, i tried to find shavings but had no luck except for very small little specs.

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...S/IMG_0519.jpg

K&N VS OEM SPEC OIL FILTER!! I really like the design on the K&N specially because you can wrench it out if it gets stuck and its impossible to get a oil filter wrench in there if it gets stuck.
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...S/IMG_0523.jpg
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...S/IMG_0526.jpg

Heres what i am talking about

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...S/IMG_0525.jpg


Took almost 6 quarts!!

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...S/IMG_0527.jpg
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...S/IMG_0528.jpg