GR86 SXC black 86

I had a bit of a nightmare getting another alignment booked after recovering from my back injury. After tweaking the ride height, (the front left was a few mil higher than the front right) I went around all of the garages in my town that advertised wheel alignment. Most of them said their kit wouldn't fit on the car because its (slightly) lowered. I reluctantly ended up taking it to national tyres who were more enthusiastic and checked that their allignment tools fitted. I asked them to make sure the camber was matching across the front axle and gave them the toe settings of 0.00 at the front and in at 0.05 on each wheel at the back.

When I came to collect the car they said they had done the settings as i asked, but didn't have a print out for me. As I said, I wasn't expecting much but I thought this would be a fairly standard practice. The guy said their machine isn't linked to a printer and that I'm the first customer he's ever served who knows what toe and camber are. That doesnt suprise me.

The weather has been absolutely atrocious so i haven't had a chance to throw her around much since. The car initially feels much better - there was a lot of toe-in, especially on the rears after lowering. I'll see how I get on with it, but now that there won't be any excessive tyre scrubbing I'll be happy to go on a longer journey to find somewhere that know what they're doing and has a proper set up.

I'm still VERY much enjoying having more chunky Tyres. The reduced anxiety of kerbing the rims has done a lot to offset the increased anxiety of smashing my sump straddling speed humps after lowering


My brake pads are showing quite a lot of wear. I think this is most likely due to the track day i did last winter. I was very careful not to put too much heat into the car - only doing short stints, and it was wet, but i quite quickly realised that the standard braking setup isn't up to much. I really fancy the reyland BBK but, given that the OEM discs are showing barely any wear, i'll probably go for a pad and fluid upgrade for now and save my money for other things that look like snails

I took the extra long way home last night to test out my ride height tweaks and alignment. Unfortunately the conditions weren't great, but even in the wet, the car feels great. Super agile with really neutral balance.

It now has that old M car feeling of swiveling around your hips. Looking forward to some better weather so I can go out for a nice drive.

I recently swapped out all my brake pads for EBC yellow stuff and they have a definite improvement over stock. I took the long way home (the opposite direction for about 10 miles towards the north Yorkshire moors) today on one of my favourite driving roads. There is a lot of elevation change which means some heavy braking zones if you're pressing on. The braking performance fealt good but in the heaviest section of downhill I could smell the brakes with the windows down. Not sure if this is a sign that they're overheating or that they're just hot. Needless to say I gave them a good cool off before coming to a complete stop. I do think I'll be doing a BBK at some point. Especially as I still want to add FI.

With regard to FI, I may end up doing a few more chassis modifications first. I'm fairly certain that the standard end links aren't too happy at my ride height and I'd like to get some lower control arms to dial in the rear camber properly. This will postpone the FI purchase slightly, but I'd like to get the chassis exactly how I want before adding more power.

Front drop links arrived today



Now I just need to find time to fit them.

Hopefully it'll cure the slight twanging I'm getting at full lock.

I haven't updated this thread for Quite a long time. Earlier this year, I had the tuning developments N/A tuning package installed. This was covered quite extensively in the "GR86 Remap - any news?" thread so i wont go into excessive detail here.
To summarise, the inproved power is nice, but the real improvements are in the mid-range where there is a significant amount of extra torque. tuning developments can also adjust the throttle sensitivity in the lower gears, which makes driving / manouvering at slow speeds much more pleasant.
They also dialled down the cold start a little, but it's still present.

I was really pleased with how this turned out, The car feels a lot punchier and sounds great (mor on this later).

This package includes:
Tubular manifold - EL or UEL
Overpipe
Ecutek Licence
Drop in panel filter
Dyno session and tuning.

The Manifolds are catless - which I suspect is where a lot of the gains come from. I Opted for the UEL manifold, which brings me on to the final thing to say about this package - the sound. I opted for a AWE touring cat back as the first mod for my car. I chose a louder exhaust because the GPF dampens the noise of the GR86 quite considerably. It doesn't drone at all, but is quite a loud system. Once you replace the OEM catted manifold, the volume really ramps up. It's certainly something to consider with the TD NA tuning package. your car will get significantly louder, and will introduce some rasp. The amount of additional noise is dependant on your catback system. For me, My car is now quite loud, and may be too much for some, but i think it sounds great. I made a video with sound & video recorded from my phone wedged under the passenger headrest. There are clips of the car with just the cat back exhaust, and also after the N/A package was installed. There are timestamps in the description explaining, what's fitted at each time. I'm no video editing wizz so i couldn't figure out how to add on-screen captions. Link to video

I have just had the Tuning developments stage 1 turbo kit fitted I'll add a write up of this soon once i get a few more miles under my belt with it. fornow, there is a thread here where i've written a few updates.

I went out for a bit of a run in the car today after a small errand. It was wet, with occasional drizzling and it was completely dark, but I was able to go on a couple of decent roads in my area and drive without traffic.

It's really flipping fast! Not, pin you back in the seat take your breath away fast - the likes I have only experienced on Rita at Alton Towers - but I found myself arriving at the corners much faster and in much less time than before. It's not just a bit quicker than it was. it's really A LOT FASTER!
Has the "ring it out everywhere" nature of the car disappeared? Yes, and admittedly in the weeks leading up to getting the kit installed - I had it booked in for over a month - I was wondering, does it really need the extra performance? Well, If you find yourself thinking this a lot, and don't really want for much more performance, then a N/A tune, or maybe a supercharger would be more suitable. I have to admit though, I am loving the new found performance. Given the aforementioned weather conditions, I was taking it easy today, but the turbo kit adds a multitude of new dimensions to this car.

You can still drive it smooth and precise like it was when it was N/A. The guys at Tuning developments did a great job on the partial throttle mapping. driving with smooth intermediate inputs through your right foot provides a similar experience to the standard car, only there's a huge amount more torque available with little to no lag when you want it. And when you string together a few corners with full bore acceleration in between, It really gets the blood pumping. the Acceleration is unrelenting, and I found myself flying through 3rd gear, into fourth very quickly, before realising I was going fast enough for the sub-optimal conditions and the next corner was approaching much quicker than my mind and muscle memory had in it's storage. My previous performance benchmark as an owner was a FK8 Type R. The GR86 with 350BHP from a turbocharged engine is feels significantly quicker. I really look forward to getting a nice clear, dry day-time run in this car so I can learn more of its new personality. With some restraint and self-preservation of course. I'm well aware that this car is quick enough now to turn a fun drive into a very bad day - I will be careful!
The sounds from the turbo are the icing on the cake, chuffering and chattering like Darth Vader with a compressor wheel in his mask. I've modified and tuned turbo cars before, but the sound an experience from this setup is much more visceral than anything I've had previously. It's like driving a JDM, need for speed, fast and the furious sound meme in the best possible way! Wsssssssssssssssssssssssshhhhhhh, Su-tu-tu-tu-tuh! I don't think I'll ever tire of it, and it's arguably more smile-inducing than the added performance.

Downsides, well, it's a bit smelly! following the NA tune, it took a little while for the smell from release agents and heat wrapping on the new hardware to disappear, and they have come back slightly, but also when sat at a standstill, it is very apparent that the car is now essentially straight-piped. Cats really do a lot to minimise the nastiness that comes out of your exhaust. I'll be fitting a catted front pipe before too long which should help rectify this and also calm the exhaust note down a bit, which is now possibly even louder than it was when i had the NA package. I do enjoy the rather savage exhaust note, but it could be quietened down slightly and I'd still be happy with it. The sound levels and smelly exhaust aren't dampening the fun I'm having in the car, but I feel like long term, It's the responsible thing to do. Note for anyone thinking of doing any tuning that changes either the manifolds or front pipe; you should probably start with a civilised cat back system unless you like a noisy car.
Another downside is that I'm still trying to get over the feeling that I'm going to blow the car up. It feels quite unnatural to drive the same car, but with 50% extra power. I'm sure this will dampen over time but there are a lot of new noises and feelings to get used to. I'm quite analytical and have always been mechanically sensitive to vehicles. whenever I drive one of my colleague's vans, I always get out with a mental list of things I know need fixing or maintaining which they have been oblivious to. I need to get my brain used to all the new sensations.

Anyway, I'll be sure to add some more updates and maybe some video footage as I enjoy the car more, but for now, I'm a very happy customer.

As a side note, Conscript kindly sent me the 3D printed accelerator pedal spacer which he tested, but removed after finding it wasn't to his taste. I'm hoping to get this fitted soon and try it out for myself. I just need a dry day at the weekend when I don't have a baby crawling all over me. choosing between this, and driving the car may be quite difficult! ...Stay tuned for the next exiting episode.

So, this lunch time presented the first day time dry period i've been at home and had some time to do car things. I had about an hour and a half, and the choices were drive the car, wash it or fit the pedal spacer. Well a couple of hours later, im sat here typing this on my phone with my little baby asleep on me, with a filthy pedal spacer-less car outside. But I've spent the last 90 mins or so grinning from ear to ear. I had an absolute blast driving the car today on some of my favourite local roads and by the end of my drive, I'd learned so much about the new chsracteristics of the car.

I started out on what i think is the best section of road near my house, which rises up quite steeply before dropping into a valley and back up the other side. Unfortunately there was a lot of traffic, but it did give me the opurtunity to test out the overtaking performance, which is now MUCH better. A problem i have with the ethos of the 86 and other moderatley powered great handling cars is overtaking performance - you cant enjoy a great road if you dont have the performance to overtake slower moving traffic. Now, the stock 86 isnt slow by any means but now overtaking is much easier - and safter as a result. That said there is enough torque to get a little squirelly in the damp in 3rd on cold tyres, which has to be considered.

I then moved onto some quieter, more remote roads which were also completely dry, where i was able to get some heat into the tyres and really enjoy the car without interference from other drivers. Damn this car is fun. The chassis can easily handle the extra power and it now feels like one of the fastest point to point B road cars I've ever been in. At least in the dry.
I had a huge smile on my face the whole time. It was such good fun. Oil and coolant temps stayed perfectly reasonable as well, which is nice to know.

This road ends with a T-junction onto a long straight, national speed limit section of the A65 which gave me the oppurtinity for me to test out what is one of my favourite things to do in this car, but with the new turbo. A full throttle acceleration starting with a right turn out of a T-junction with the TC off.

From a roll in 1st traction was broken leading into a slightly oversteering wheel spin, which caught up with itself as the redline approached. Then through second, third and into fourth, traction was absolute with warm tyres and the car took off like a rocket. So much fun.

I had a couple more spirited moments as I looped my way home before settling down and letting the car cool of gradually as i made my way back. I'm so in love with this car now

The only slight gripe i have, as mentioned before is the front pipe. The smells never reared their head today as I never really came to a standstill, but the exhaust note, while not much louder than before on the N/A package is a little raspier. I've been looking at options.
I'm also considering some cross climate 3s or similar on the OEM wheels as winter sets in properly. The 245 asymmetric 6 are great in the dry, or even warmer wet conditions, but i think the car will be more enjoyable in the colder months with some more appropriate rubber. I never really have to use this car so this isnt strictly neccesary but I'll see how the next couple of months go. I dont want to stop driving it.

sim61 said:

If you do swap to CC's, look out for the CC 3 Sport version. Jonathan Benson was raving about them in a recent Tyre Reviews video.

Click to expand...

Thanks. Yeah the sport version is available in a size that suits the stock wheels. Really, I would prefer 17s but i dont want to buy new wheels for winters.

So, I'm still looking at front pipes... This seems to be a common pass-time for me when I should be going to bed or when it's too stormy outside to do anything with the car.

I'm really keen to find a permanent solution to the catalytic converter conundrum. I need something that can provide enough flow for 350hp. But I also want something that actually works effectively and will pass an emissions test (maybe with a bit of residual heat) and stop the car stinking like a petrol station when sat in traffic. I'd also like something that's decent quality and won’t blow itself out of the tailpipe after a few months. Calming down the exhaust note a little would be welcomed as well. I like how it sounds now, but I'd be lying if I said it wasn't a little antisocial.

The initial obvious answer seems to be the AVO 5" catted front pipe. Most HFC front pipes have a smaller diameter core which doesn’t allow for as much flow, which is needed with the addition of the turbo, especially since I have the wastegate routed back into the exhaust. having a 5 inch diameter helps a lot. Unfortunately, it's only a 160 CPSI cat. Even though this will work to clean the exhaust when subjected to decent temperatures, there's not a chance it would pass a MOT emissions test. Similarly, research has led me to believe that a single 200CPSI cat - which is most cats on the market - would be very marginal on an emissions test. This isn't helped by the location of the cat in the front pipe. The exhaust gasses have a lot of opportunity to lose heat before they get there. Especially when going through a turbo first.

I'm currently looking at getting a 5 inch, euro 6 weld-in cat, and having it welded into my tuning developments secondary cat / gpf delete pipe.

Typical ratings of cats of this size are 300CPSI - up to 350hp, or 200CPSI - up to 500hp. Although I'm already towards the limit of the 300CPSI, but I'd rather have this problem, than be stuck with a car that can't pass an emissions test.

Time to find a local fabricator.

Unfortunately the neaerest one is an hour away. If i have to travel, Id probably got back to tuning developments and ask them do it.

I used to know a guy who is a hobby welder. He's the type of guy who fully de-seamed a mini and builds steam engines and stuff in his shed. I'm hoping to tap him up to do it, but i wouldn't be suprised if hes swapped his welder for RC rock crawler

Edit: i just looked on his facebook and theres a video of him melting metal bars in a home made coil thingy

A little update. I have a lot of small jobs to do. I'm getting some cross climate 3 sports in 225/40/18 fitted to the stock wheels tomorrow afternoon.

I also bought a steering wheel spacer of a fellow member this week - I've wanted one of these for ages. He also offered some wheel spacers at a decent price, so I received those in the post yesterday at the same time. This encouraged me to go for the CC3Ss as I couldnt bare the thought of driving around in a lowered car with the stock wheels lost in the arches.

I have an afternoon to myself tomorrow, so after getting the tyres fitted, I intend to borrow the drive-in area of my works unit to get the spacers and wheels installed. If time permits ill also install the steering wheel spacer and the throttle pedal spacer conscript sent me as well.

I had a 35 mile each way journey today. Grip levels were typical of a british winter, ie, non-existant. The car wanted to light up the rear wheels even towards the end of 3rd gear where the torque has dropped off. I'm really hoping the CC3Ss provide some increased grip and traction in wet conditions. I guess I'll find out tomorrow.

Well, I crossed a couple of items off the list. I ran out of time to install the steering wheel and pedal spacers, but I was able to install the wheel spacers and stock wheels with the 225/40 Crossclimate 3 Sports. First point to make. Check your pressures after getting tyres fitted. I had two at 35 PSI, one at 42 PSI and one at 47PSI!! How is this so difficult for them to get right? I asked for 35 PSI knowing I would drop them down slightly afterwards. I'm currently running them all at 34PSI with a very small amount of residual temperature.

These tyres are REALLY good in our British wintery conditions. After scrubbing them in slightly, I went on my favourite local twisty undulating road which had a smattering of ground up dead leaves and some of those patches of standing water you get on hillside roads as water drains across the road as well as the usual puddles. These tyres dealt with these conditions in a way that I haven't experienced before.
Until this point, I've only ever used "summer" performance tyres. MPS2/3/SS/4, Conti sport contact 5 and 6 and Goodyear AS6, which are the tyres I have on my RPF1s for the 86. These tyres, as I'm sure many of you know are phenomenal in the summer, but when it gets cold, they are often out of their temperature window and feel really skittish and unpredictable. The CC3S solves this problem. Loads of confidence and feedback, Great lateral grip and performed well under braking - although I haven't done any full pedal-pressure braking. What I found most impressive was that they could handle a full throttle acceleration on a wet road in second gear! Last night on the AS6s I couldn't even use full throttle in third, and as a result, I was still hesitant in fourth - Yes, full boost hits pretty damn hard! They don't even seem all that noisy either.

Tonight was also my first time fitting spacers to a car. They are hub centric, and the type that bolt on to the hub, then have their own studs you bolt the wheels on to. the hubs had a bit of surface rust on them. I gave them a scrub with a wire brush but they still fit on very snugly. I took a lot of time to check that they were fully seated before torquing them up and putting the wheels on. I am slightly concerned that I wont be able to get them off when it comes to refitting my RPF1s in the spring.

I took a few pics in the lights of the unit that i was fitting them in. The fitment is bob-on and there is no rubbing or anything. I still can't stand the black wheels though! There is a bit less vertical clearance than before, given the slightly higher profile and chunky tread blocks.
Here's a few pics. I promise I washed the car last Sunday: