Superpenguin's "Not Another Build Thread!" Build Thread

[superpenguin]

Welcome to my build thread! This is going to take a while, because I'm focusing more on my driving than mods at this point, and the guys who are competitive aren't running a ton of performance mods anyway. My progression will look something like this:

Driver Mods > Safety Mods > Performance Mods

I'll be running primarily in NASA but have been out to SCCA events and might "slum" it with Pro Autosports as well. I previously had an RX-8 R3 and an RSX-S that I did HPDEs and Time Attack events with.

Big thanks to Mike @ CSG and Hal Dunn for the starting out/setup advice for this platform.

I took delivery of my little track slut from Big Two Toyota back in April. Oddly they seemed pretty clueless about the TRD stuff and I didn't end up getting as much as I wanted because they didn't have pricing for it :s

First things first, had them add tint, Scion clear bra, rear spoiler, TRD intake, Exhaust, and Short Shifter.

First picture once everything was done:



The garage is filling up!



Cooling off at our first track day (SCCA Track Night in America):



And then picked up this little bastard on the way home:



I can't sit here and tell you I was heartbroken...after considering cost and lead time I went ahead and replaced all 4 tires with 225/45/17 Michelin Pilot Super Sports.

At the track, my best time of the day was 1:14 on WHP East. That's about 10 seconds off Hal's most recent time, and all things considered I think that ain't bad. I'll be back out there in a couple weeks with the PSS's and I'm really interested to see if those times come down at all (though the temps will be up in a big way).

As far as mods go, next up will definitely be a set of dedicated track wheels/tires. I'm thinking of grabbing the 17x9 OZ Formulas while TireRack is still giving them away at $140/each. Also trying to decide if I want to get a quality set of entry level coilovers (ST XTA/KW V1, Bilstien PSS14) or wait and do it right once (KW Clubsports, AST,RCE, Ohlins).

In case anyone is interested where the "super penguin" thing came from, it was here:

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9c8FJ19yVE"]The Penguin Dilemma - Translation - YouTube[/ame]


And this was the orignal "super penguin with the big balls"... my 2008 Carrera S (gone...traded for the M3!)

[superpenguin]

Reserved for track lolz

[whiplash]

Nice ladies you got there in the garage!

[Lonewolf]

Are you still using the stock brake pads and fluid? I've heard most of the people who track say the stock brakes just can't handle much tracking before being toast...

[superpenguin]

Originally Posted by Lonewolf

Are you still using the stock brake pads and fluid? I've heard most of the people who track say the stock brakes just can't handle much tracking before being toast...

hmm, guess I should have mentioned that I'm on stock pads, and I flushed the system with ATE Type 200 before the first track day. I had three 30 minute sessions at ambient temps from 80-90 degrees and didn't experience any brake fade. Now, to be fair, I wasn't trying to squeeze every last ounce of performance out, and the track we were on isn't as hard on brakes as some of our other ones. That being said, I was really happy with how the brakes held up.

[Campo]

Glad to see another Zonie hitting the tracks!

Hal and Mike have both been super helpful to us as well (wife and I share the car and track time). If you get the chance, have Hal drive your car a few laps while you passenger. I managed to get my own time to within about a second of his time in my car after learning his lines.

I've posted a ton of video from Wildhorse east and west tracks in our thread:

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=53463

I look forward to seeing you on the track soon! I just need oil and tranny coolers before we go back out - this Fall should be nice!

[Acree]

That Dakar Yellow is a thing of beauty. What was the reason for a move to the FRS for a track toy? The one thing I've figured out since moving away from the BRZ is there are tons of better/cheaper places to start for track builds.

[ModinJapan]

Nice idea on bettering your driving skills then the car, the opposite of most people.

Also nice garage, 4.4 liter v8 twin turbo, 4.0L N/A v8, and a 2.0l v4.. You've got a fun collection there sir!

-Josh