Quote:
Originally Posted by nzer
Further from TRD supplier:
"The TRD suspension kits are made in-house by TRD Technocraft themselves, not shared with anyone (biggest difference you will easily spot is how the TRD units only have lower seat adjustment not both seat and body adjustment)"
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Toyota/TRD does not specialize in manufacturing suspension systems. MkII OEM MR2 shocks were made by Bilstein. Trunk and hatch shocks have typically been made by Tokico. The Kouki 86 has Sachs dampers. I imagine coilovers are contracted out like window glass (etching reveals the contracted OEM). Performance suspension is not a market they compete in enough to sustain viable in-house design and manufacturing on the level of Bilstein, Sachs, or Cusco.
I dunno, after what Moto said, it's going to be hard to convince me otherwise. Toyota sent a team to SoCal to consult with Moto and AE86 enthusiasts for inputs to develop the new 86. He's good friends with 86 Chief Engineer Tetsuya Tada and arranges meet-and-greets when Tada visits SoCal. Tada entrusts Moto to foster 86 culture as a "spiritual champion."
Those wrenches I posted earlier is the giveaway. Other manufacturers' wrenches look similar but none exact matches like Cusco/TRD. Close-ups of identical adjustment knobs: