Back to the 86: Behold...the Green Hornet!

[phm14]

Konig Ampliform in today. 17 x 8 40 are weighing 17.3 lbs. PS4S 235/45 due in next Wednesday...should be near or under factory wheel/tire weight.

[phm14]

Originally Posted by Will BRZ

Sweet congratulations. What part of town are you at? The bronze Ampliforms will look great on the car.

Eagle Springs, near Atascosita (NE Houston). You?

[phm14]

What's this???

[phm14]

Tires mounted, center caps on...

[phm14]

From factory 215/45-17 to 235/45-17. New wheels/tires save 2.5lbs per corner. Color is close to the factory bronze:

[Vracer111]

Just wondering why you wanted to go with such a noticeably taller tire size than stock? Sure combo weighs less than stock, but you are decreasing responsiveness in acceleration/decelleration by that diameter gain. Looking for better highway cruising ability with the new shorter FD?

[phm14]

Originally Posted by Vracer111

Just wondering why you wanted to go with such a noticeably taller tire size than stock? Sure combo weighs less than stock, but you are decreasing responsiveness in acceleration/decelleration by that diameter gain. Looking for better highway cruising ability with the new shorter FD?

The photo seems to exaggerate the height difference. It eyeballs out to the .7" diameter difference (diameter&circumference are increased 2.8%) in the Tire Rack specs. I wanted a bit more sidewall under the wheel for sketchy Houston streets. If I wind up at the track more than planned, I can always look at a more aggressive setup. I learned a lesson from my 1st 86, after I installed 18x8.5 Enkei Raijen wheels on it. Stock power and suspension are very noticeably affected by too much tire...The lower geared diff is one of the things that attracted me to another new 86.

[phm14]

I verified that preload was set to give the full 30mm drop. The ~9mm lift from the larger diameter tire off sets the chassis drop to ~21mm, close enough to the 20mm starting point I have in mind. Baseline height measurements were taken on the stock setup. Each corner was loaded with a floor jack, prior to torquing down rubber to metal joints. Added some grease to the front axle top hat ball bearings while I was in there.

[phm14]

Cool that they thought to notch the deck panel in the trunk for damper adjusters. I just used a sharp knife to cut a "X" for the shock shaft.

[phm14]

I've got about 100 miles on the new tires/wheels & coilovers. I'm going to fine tune ride height before aligning, and car has settled a few mm since yesterday. On rougher roads, I'm into the rear bump stops more than I like, so I will raise the car ~10mm and see how that feels. The goal here is a compromise: firm (not harsh) street ride that's till fun for the occasional track weekend at COTA.

[phm14]

Anyone know where I can buy the TRD lip spoiler pre-painted Hakone green?

[phm14]

BTW, here's my 1st 86 journal, from 6/2012: https://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7934

[phm14]

This thread is the best reference I've found on suspension set up for the 86/BRZ: https://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=131052
I'm currently feeling out ride height on the new coilovers, and the info there is very helpful. Now I'm making decisions about alignment. My car may see the track 2-3 times a year, so I'm wanting a livable street alignment that's tolerable on track. Do you guys find dropping a few mm of ride height on the drivers side helps with road crown? How significant would the affect on grip be left to right? I still have the worksheets for alignment & corner weight from my NC Miata. Anything to watch out for using those specs as a baseline for the 86, other than the more limited adjustability? I am running the OEM camber bolts up front. After starting with the pre-set 30mm max recommended drop setting on these coilovers, and raising the car twice now, I'm between your height recommendations for street and track. Car handling/drive have improved with each incremental increase. With the car dropped below the 949 recommended pinch weld heights (stock on my car was ~153mm at all 4 corners), running 17x8 +40 with 235/45s, the car was into the rear bump stops waaaay too much on my local roads. The pic below was ~133mm front, 142mm rear, measured at the pinch weld jack points.

[ka-titties]

Originally Posted by phm14

This thread is the best reference I've found on suspension set up for the 86/BRZ: https://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=131052
I'm currently feeling out ride height on the new coilovers, and the info there is very helpful. Now I'm making decisions about alignment. My car may see the track 2-3 times a year, so I'm wanting a livable street alignment that's tolerable on track. Do you guys find dropping a few mm of ride height on the drivers side helps with road crown? How significant would the affect on grip be left to right? I still have the worksheets for alignment & corner weight from my NC Miata. Anything to watch out for using those specs as a baseline for the 86, other than the more limited adjustability? I am running the OEM camber bolts up front. After starting with the pre-set 30mm max recommended drop setting on these coilovers, and raising the car twice now, I'm between your height recommendations for street and track. Car handling/drive have improved with each incremental increase. With the car dropped below the 949 recommended pinch weld heights (stock on my car was ~153mm at all 4 corners), running 17x8 +40 with 235/45s, the car was into the rear bump stops waaaay too much on my local roads. The pic below was ~133mm front, 142mm rear, measured at the pinch weld jack points.

I followed the 949 guidelines pretty closely and found that their settings made a huge difference from my prior setup. ~145mm pinch weld height, -2.5deg rear and -3.5 - -4.0deg front camber settings. For your tire treadwear and size, I'd suggest -2deg rear, -2.5 or -3.0 deg front with zero toe all around to prevent premature tire wear.