Tye300's 86

[Tye300]

BC Coilover Swift Spring Upgrade



Ever since I installed the BC Racing Coilovers, I was hesitant with the 10k/8k springs that came with them. On the track and paved asphalt roads, these springs work wonders with the handling of the car. On the streets with uneven concrete however, it's a bit harsh. Since Manila does not have a lot of smooth asphalt roads, it could be a bit fatiguing to daily drive with these rates. So I faced a crossroads, either sell the BC kit and get a more expensive coilover, or try the Swift spring upgrade I've been reading about a lot on the forums.
I first read about the Swift spring upgrade on the NASIOC forum, and most of the people who did it seemed very satisfied with the switch. They said that the Swift spring is just a spring that does a better job at being a spring, compared to the generic Taiwan made spring. Better alloy, process and quality control seemed a reasonable theory for me. I had no experience with Swift before I did this, so I just made the jump blindly. I just told myself that if this fails, I can sell the BC kit with the Swift upgrade and just get a set of KW V3s and call it a day. I just wanted to give the BC damper another shot, plus it would still be cheaper that a KW V3 kit.
I ordered the kit through Jeremy at FT86Speedfactory.com and the springs arrived in 2 days at my US address. Jeremy suggested that a 7K/6K combo would do well on the street and would fare good on occasional trackdays so I went with that. Shipping to Manila took around 25 days so it took a long wait.

Install:
Install was very easy, just remove the top of the dampers and replace the springs, then put the dampers back on the car. It took us around 2 hours taking our time.





Verdict:

I'm glad I did the switch. Everything I read on the forums were true. Initial impressions are that the harshness of the BC springs are gone. Seems like the stock suspension was thrown back on the car, but still has that sharp handling characteristic that coilovers give. I have to evaluate further however as I have to get an alignment and corner balance again, I'll report back in a few days after I've done these things.
This is from their website: "Try Swift Springs on your vehicle, and experience what many racers are talking about. We strongly believe that you will feel the difference just like every other racer, and you might even wonder why you didn't try it sooner."
That sums it up for me, I just thought why I did not try it sooner. Now, I can enjoy the car even on uneven concrete roads without me bouncing around in my seat. Bumps are damped correctly and overall the suspension works smoothly now. I even had to stiffen up my damper settings 2-3 clicks as the Swifts soak up the road imperfections too well. If you're on the fence on this, just get them already!

[pcuerpo]

@Tye300, nice build!!

[Tye300]

Originally Posted by pcuerpo

@Tye300, nice build!!

Thanks bro! Did you start yours already?

[pcuerpo]

@Tye300, I'm still waiting for my unit actually hopefully within 2 weeks, I can bring it home already

looking forward to what else you'll be doing to your 86

[Tye300]

Trackday after Header install, Tune, and Swift spring upgrade

After the header, tune, and swift spring upgrade, I was raring to stretch the cars legs on the track. So off I went to Clark International Raceway with the BRZ/86 club Philippines for a trackday.



I also got to sample the Achilles tires for the first time, and all I can say is these tires are phenomenal!



Header+Tune impressions:
The Revworks header plus Tune really felt great on the track. The low end and midrange were significantly improved, which made powering out of turns very easy. Revs climbed to redline fast, which is helped no doubt by the 4.55 Final drive I installed earlier.



Swift Spring Upgrade Impressions:



The Swift spring upgrade really felt good on the street, but I was thinking it might be too soft for the track. I was pleasantly surprised that the Swifts were just right for the track than the oem BC springs. The BC spring rates were just too high for the car. During my last trackday, the car would sometimes hit the rumble strips and give a little bounce which would unsettle the car during cornering. The Swifts just soaked up the bumps and kept the car planted beautifully. Body roll still was minimal, and the car became neutral from the oversteer happy BC springs.

My best lap of the day:

[ame]http://youtu.be/1mBXY0pUg4s[/ame]

[86CH]

nice one pre

[Tye300]

Originally Posted by 86CH

nice one pre

Thanks bro!

[86CH]

pare im going holidays on december back there in philippines. may mkukuha kya akong trd parts jan? or any dealers...jealous ako sa body kit mo.. khit sana mkakuha ako ng boot spolier pag uwi ko.. any suggestion ..thnx pre

[Tye300]

Originally Posted by 86CH

pare im going holidays on december back there in philippines. may mkukuha kya akong trd parts jan? or any dealers...jealous ako sa body kit mo.. khit sana mkakuha ako ng boot spolier pag uwi ko.. any suggestion ..thnx pre

There's lots of shops you can get parts for your 86 here. I can bring you to some when you arrive. Just let me know.

[86CH]

thanks pare .. ill pm you

[Tye300]

Tom's LED Taillight and TRD Shift Ring Install

It's a rainy sunday here and I'm back for another round of cosmetic mods for the car. I ordered the Tom's LED Taillight and because I'm a TRD fanboy, a TRD shift ring kit. Both don't do a lot performance wise, but for me the tailights have been irritating the hell out of me since I got the car. The OEM taillights look even worse on a black 86, which reminds me of the ricer taillights of the 90's.





I've been looking for alternatives to the stock taillights for some time now. I've tried wrapping them with vinyl overlays which looked good at first, but the overlays would fade and turn pink over time. I've considered the Grazio & Co. which seemed like overpriced stockers, and Crystal Eye tails, which really don't seem to fit in with the 86's style. The Tom's however, looked like it should have come from the factory. Quality is OEM level, and so is the fit and finish. Things you have come to expect with the Tom's brand.





Install was pretty easy, just a plug and play affair. The only hard part is installing the flasher relay under the dash. The kit comes with great instructions, complete with descriptions and pictures.



The TRD Shift Ring is just an aluminum overlay that goes over the stock shift ring. It comes with double sided tape underneath, just peel off and stick over the stock ring. Instant TRD power points!



Here's some pics of the car after the install:





I'm pretty happy with the taillights. It makes the car more aggressive from the rear. It's funny how taillights make a big difference, plus the all red tails look really good on a black car.

[Tye300]

Found time today to take some pics of the car as weather cleared up. Here's how the car looks at the moment.

[NIKDENG]

Nice one Tye. Your car looks good as always. I'm having my Tom's installed tomorrow. They should have an easier time installing it then since they already did it to your car.

[Tye300]

Originally Posted by NIKDENG

Nice one Tye. Your car looks good as always. I'm having my Tom's installed tomorrow. They should have an easier time installing it then since they already did it to your car.

Thanks for the kind words Nik. Another taillight for you? What do you do with the other parts you tire of? Haha! Yeah I'm sure Mark can install those with his eyes closed by now. Post some pics bro.