Dadhawk's FR-S (6AT Firestorm)

[2pt5RS]

Originally Posted by Dadhawk

I thought about both those options but figure it would probably be easier just not to put stuff in the seat. Also, that doesn't help with the air bag switch, but that would be the least of my concerns if I hit something hard enough to set them off.

I'm not sure if this will still work, but it's worth a shot

http://wrxatlanta.com/forums/showpos...24&postcount=3

[2pt5RS]

Originally Posted by Dadhawk

My office is freezing today so walked outside to warm up for a second. Something about seeing this makes me want to take the rest of the day off and go to the mountains! I hate when work gets in the way!

Looks good just peeking out there!

Originally Posted by Spd229

"But hey, I'm here, you're here, what's the problem hawk? let's go. I was made for this moment. I don't belong in this stable of sedans and minivans, I'm a real car, let's goooo"

Hopefully your office parking situation is better than mine in midtown, I'm kind of fearing putting mine in the parking garage....people suck at parking and full parking garages give me nowhere to run

at least at a grocery store or walmart...I can park out of range as I'm not all too afraid of walking.

I work in midtown Atlanta. when I get my BRZ, I'm going to tuck the car into a corner parking space in the bottom deck where the car wash guy is. Hardly anyone parks there.

Alternatively, on the other side of that level of the deck is a row of parking spaces that are lined with pillars in between each spot. They are wide enough that no one can accidentally park too close to my car and get the ding.

Another alternative. Two of my coworkers park next to each other, but leave one space in the middle. one pulls in, the other backs in. I may just park between them. I never have to worry with them there!

[Dadhawk]

My standard issue 1st86 stuff finally got delivered to the dealership and they sent me an email to pick it up. Pretty much the same as we've seen elsewhere:

FR-S black with white letter hat
CF License Plate Frame
Limited Edition FR-S pen and case
Black "Bringing Back the Sports" t-shirt with Firestorm FR-S
2 $50 gas cards.

The CF frame and the pen are numbered 3 of 86. It is cool having a low number.

I'd post a photo but you've seen them all before at this point. It was the same as AtlantaRock's here minus the Toyota keychain.

Really hope we get the car cover though. Even after much cleaning and moving around, there just isn't enough room in our 2 car garage for the Mustang and the FR-S because of the doors on both. You can get in, but you can't get out.

[russv]

Originally Posted by Dadhawk

My standard issue 1st86 stuff finally got delivered to the dealership and they sent me an email to pick it up. Pretty much the same as we've seen elsewhere:

FR-S black with white letter hat
CF License Plate Frame
Limited Edition FR-S pen and case
Black "Bringing Back the Sports" t-shirt with Firestorm FR-S
2 $50 gas cards.

The CF frame and the pen are numbered 3 of 86. It is cool having a low number.

I'd post a photo but you've seen them all before at this point. It was the same as AtlantaRock's here minus the Toyota keychain.

Really hope we get the car cover though. Even after much cleaning and moving around, there just isn't enough room in our 2 car garage for the Mustang and the FR-S because of the doors on both. You can get in, but you can't get out.

I'm having the same problem with the long doors-the drivers door hits the garage wall and I struggle to get out of the car. Old age is a bitch.

[civicdrivr]

Unfortunately I have to park it outside for now. My only issue is trying to get used to the raised door sills.

[Dadhawk]

Originally Posted by russv

I'm having the same problem with the long doors-the drivers door hits the garage wall and I struggle to get out of the car. Old age is a bitch.

I wish old age was (the only) problem. Unless one of us backs into the garage, the one on the right can't get out of the car (either car). The one on the left is fine because we have about 3 ft on either side of the garage door. I guess I need that right-hand drive JDM model after all (car that is).

Believe it or not we could easily get the Mustang and the Astro in the garage, because the Astro had 'regular' short doors.

[russv]

Originally Posted by Dadhawk

I wish old age was (the only) problem. Unless one of us backs into the garage, the one on the right can't get out of the car (either car). The one on the left is fine because we have about 3 ft on either side of the garage door. I guess I need that right-hand drive JDM model after all (car that is).

Believe it or not we could easily get the Mustang and the Astro in the garage, because the Astro had 'regular' short doors.

I went and bought some rubber tubing and nailed it to the garage wall. Problem solved. Also figured out if I drove in at a slight angle I had more room for the door.

[Dadhawk]

Finally had a chance to plug in my Bluetooth OBDII connector today to see if it would work.

SUCCESS!

Equipment:

Generic BT ELM327 connector ($20 on Amazon)
ViewSonic gTablet running Froyo
Torque (Free Edition) but will upgrade to paid now that I know it works.

Also works with my Droid X which I sometimes use while driving as an "auxilary gauge" display. I figure it will mount on the "flat spot" on the console, but haven't tried it yet.

Downside, the position of the OBD connector SUCKS! It is directly inline the gas pedal. Every other car I own, or have ever owned, it was right where it should have been, on the left side of the steering wheel. The good news is its not actually in the way but I could see where you could hit it during spirited driving.

Also, the connector is tight and feels fragile. definitely want to use both hands when connecting/disconnecting from it.

I started a thread here in the ECU forum for questions and such if you have any. I'm no expert but I'm willing to share what I can.

Here are some screen shots.

[MmmHamSandwich]

Originally Posted by Dadhawk

Downside, the position of the OBD connector SUCKS! It is directly inline the gas pedal. Every other car I own, or have ever owned, it was right where it should have been, on the left side of the steering wheel. The good news is its not actually in the way but I could see where you could hit it during spirited driving.

Pretty frustrating the position it is in.

In other news, it's also pretty frustrating how much I paid for my Kiwi Wifi back in the day, only to see BT OBDII modules for $11 on amazon. (Sounds like the $24 BAFX model is the one to go with though)

[Dadhawk]

Approaching the end of my first two weeks, I have to say my FR-S is meeting the (relatively realistic) expectations I had for it as a daily commuter.

The gas mileage as recorded in the OP continues to impress at 30.22MPG over 616 miles of mostly Atlanta commuting. That means there is some time at highway speeds, sometimes at city speeds and sometimes at a dead stop. Just to set a benchmark, I did some measurements this morning. It took me 50 minutes to get to work. Of that 50 minutes, a little of over 20 minutes was sitting at a dead stop at lights, behind traffic, etc. This morning was a little unusual as I would say its normally under 15 minutes of dead stop time. Still pretty doggone good.

In two weeks, the FR-S has "saved" me $42.34 in my commute over my previous DD, and that includes allowing for the difference in purchasing Premium vs. Regular fuel. If the FR-S used regular, the price savings would be $56.29.

[Double4Free]

Originally Posted by Dadhawk

Approaching the end of my first two weeks, I have to say my FR-S is meeting the (relatively realistic) expectations I had for it as a daily commuter.

The gas mileage as recorded in the OP continues to impress at 30.22MPG over 616 miles of mostly Atlanta commuting. That means there is some time at highway speeds, sometimes at city speeds and sometimes at a dead stop. Just to set a benchmark, I did some measurements this morning. It took me 50 minutes to get to work. Of that 50 minutes, a little of over 20 minutes was sitting at a dead stop at lights, behind traffic, etc. This morning was a little unusual as I would say its normally under 15 minutes of dead stop time. Still pretty doggone good.

In two weeks, the FR-S has "saved" me $42.34 in my commute over my previous DD, and that includes allowing for the difference in purchasing Premium vs. Regular fuel. If the FR-S used regular, the price savings would be $56.29.

Car is practically paying for itself! :happy0180:

[civicdrivr]

Nice! Im averaging 31.1mpg according to the MID, over 700 miles in the past week, with my 6MT. Im loving how effortless it is to get a consistent 30mpg out of her.

[Dadhawk]

It's been almost 20 years since I last drove my little red 1985 MK1 MR2. As many of you may have learned here, it was my hope that the FR-S would bring back the "fun sport" I had driving that car. But really it was more than that with the MR2.

Memories are a funny thing. I'm sure that my fondness for the MR2 has only grown over time as bad memories of mechanical breakdowns fade and good memories shine.

I'm sure there were times in its last 3 years I really didn't enjoy commuting in it 60 miles in S. Florida heat without AC because it was twice the value of the car to fix.

And I probably wasn't having too much fun when I lived in DC and the e-brake froze up, even though the handle was down, and I had to stop at "Bubba Joe's" shop to get it knocked loose in a raging snow storm for a mere $150.

What I do remember is going to the Toyota dealer in 1985 to buy a pick-up, seeing the MR2 on a car hauler, and having never even heard of one, asking "what's that, how much, and here take my money!"

I remember being in it going on the first (blind) date with my future bride of 25 years in the car and how beautiful she looked that night in her 80's hair and black jumpsuit sitting next to me. I knew by the end of that night, she was "the one".

I remember the time it spun across 3 lanes of traffic on the DC beltway after some a@#hole ran me off the road, into a bridge abutment, leaving me unharmed but shaken, and how relieved I was that the car had only damaged the front bumper slightly.

I remember driving it at nearly 100MPH to get to the hospital because same said bride was 65 miles away in a hospital getting ready to deliver my oldest son a couple of years later. And how I used to carry him around in the car in a carseat (no airbags you know, and really we didn't know better then).

I also remember thinking about all these things as I finally let the car go, after 7 years, 170K miles, all worn out, now more pink than red. It had a good life but all things must come to an end. I'm sure it went straight to the junk yard, but I pretend that someone bought it, restored it and its still running out there somewhere waiting for our paths to cross again.

After two weeks, does the FR-S replace that? Well, it can't replace the memories, but it does indeed replace the driving experience portion of why I loved that car so much. No, it won't outrun every car on the road in its class, neither would the MR2 and yes neither are perfect.

But, now that I have gotten over the initial period of getting to know each other, I love the way you "wear it" rather than sit on it. I love the way it pivots, instead of drives, around a corner. I love that I have to slow down on off-ramps and in curves, not because the car can't handle it, but because I catch up with everyone else that has to slow down. I love the smile it puts on my face when I see it, and the money it leaves in my pocket at the pump.

Already the memories have started. I have the memory of sharing the first 3 miles in it with my beautiful bride in the passenger seat. I have the memory of picking up my youngest son in it the first time from school, and the smile on his face as his friends making comments to him about his Dad's "cool" car. I'll have the memory of driving it to my oldest son's wedding in a couple of weeks. And one day, I'll hopefully have the memory of rushing to the hospital to see the birth of my first grandchild, my beautiful bride at my side. That doesn't need to happen tomorrow though!

To quote one of my favorite old-school movies, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

[Dadhawk]

Originally Posted by Double4Free

Car is practically paying for itself! :happy0180:

I figure if I can drive it about 300K miles it will.