Spanish magazine (Autopista) review + new info + new engine bay photo. ECU flashable!

[SUB-FT86]

Originally Posted by madfast

ah i see, thanks!



i totally agree! the LF-A uses column mounted EPS as well. and while its steering is great, comparisons with other supercars shows that its a bit on the lighter side. i personally like the feel of heavier steering.

[Snoopyalien24]

Whoa man, you guys already have translated it all? I was gonna help, but had to run some errands. And yeah Matador, this spanish spanish is a bit confusing to translate. Good thing my great grandparents were spanish :P.

That caption of the spanish guy test driving it, says that "Toyota let us evaluate and give our opinions of the FT-86, so that the we can help toyota adapt it to the likings of Europeans." So pretty much it was still under heavy testing when it was reviewed. Meaning, whatever they didn't like, Toyota/Subaru, have already fixed it. Smart move.

Also, its a bit weird the fact that, both have the arms in the same position, same speedometer readings, same gear, same reflection in rear view mirror, same portions of the door show behind the drivers' hand, same glare on the carbon fiber accents. Same steering wheel position, even same glare on the radio! But, one A/C vent is closed in one of the pics... but who knows...... photoshop....*echoes*shop....shop....shop......

[LionZoo]

Just a note on electric power steering: The RX-8 steering has been universally panned as a precise steering with plenty of feedback. The RX-8 uses electric power steering.

[MiguelAE86]

Reading this makes me glad in Venezuelan lol

[Neutral_Eyes]

Originally Posted by LionZoo

Just a note on electric power steering: The RX-8 steering has been universally panned as a precise steering with plenty of feedback. The RX-8 uses electric power steering.

The RX-8's electric assist isn't mounted on the column though. We'll see in a few months.

[Allch Chcar]

Originally Posted by Kostamojen

Tried to get some more detail out of those engine bay photos, and added some notes:

Attachment 2619

That red cover on the intake manifold is the Diablo squid hat.

Originally Posted by subatoy

mmm nope. the compression ratio is not turbo friendly in any way.
Some people are concerned that there is no space in the engine bay where the usual Subaru turbo layout goes.
if by plug-in turbo you mean a turbo kit, I'm sure there will be plenty of aftermarket options but the engine as it sits is NO good for forced induction.

In other words, not ideal for turbocharging on pump gasoline.

Originally Posted by Dave-ROR

Every motor is a little different. One guys agressive tune can be death for another guys engine. That's why base and generic maps and such are conservative, so nothing bad happens (or at least there's a greatly reduced risk).

If you are going far enough to get a fully tunable solution spend the extra time and money with someone that can tune it on a loading dyno and get everything right.

Safe base maps can still be shared.

Originally Posted by old greg

If you want to create a DIY tuning community for this car the better tool to create it around (IMO) is the Tactrix OpenPort with ECUflash and RomRaider. For one thing, it's a hell of a lot cheaper ($170) since the hardware is really just a OBDII to USB adapter rather than a fully self-contained gadget. A less important point is that the software is open source, created by car enthusiasts and shared freely with other enthusiasts with no expectation of reward. IMO, this is much more in harmony with the concept of a community formed for sharing and cooperation than any proprietary commercial solution. And an even less important point; ECUflash and RomRaider are both way better looking than AccessTuner.

The only real downside is that you pretty much need a laptop, or at least a really long USB cord, as the OpenPort needs to be connected to a computer in order to work.



Usually in the $400-$500 range. Most tuners can work with the AccessPort, but there are also many that comfortable working with the open source solution as well.

I'm definitely going to go with a laptop tuning option. Unless you have access to a dynamometer and a pro-tuner that's the best way to go IMHO.

Originally Posted by Neutral_Eyes

The RX-8's electric assist isn't mounted on the column though. We'll see in a few months.

Yes. We shall see.

[stefan.MA]

Two more pics from a swiss website:

[Dark]

Awesome find.

[2fast4you]

Seats covered in Alcantara with leather bolsters.

[NorCalRider]

Awesome news about the tuneable ecu. Forced induction just got a little bit closer to reality.

[Kostamojen]

That seating position looks sooo perfect!

[brickjenks100]

delete..

[Nurburgring]

I would be careful with the interpretation of the text.

Reading through the article one can come up with a lot of misinformation:
- Wild speculation regarding horsepower and weight, from 150 to 200hp and 900 to 1200kgs
- Commenting on the Subaru BR-Z, textually "I don´t know if it will be using the D4-S head, but it is perfectly compatible with forced induction". Uninformed nonsense.
- Regarding "electronics" this is the exact translation: "Toyota has freed the electronics so that the aftermarket industry can offer different modifications, either mechanical, aesthetical or related to the car's behaviour."


He doesn´t seem to have much of a clue, and I highly doubt he was actually refering to a programmable ECU with that last sentence, he probably doesn't even know they exist.

[Dave-ROR]

Originally Posted by Allch Chcar

Safe base maps can still be shared.

Of course, but that wasn't the guys question.