GR86 SXC black 86

[GRistopher]

I've got a few mods turning up soon so thought I'd start off one of these threads.

I put my name down on the 86 waiting list in late July 2023 after all the motoring journalist Hype. It was a bit of a whimsical decision as I thought they were all sold out. A few weeks later while sat in my wife's car on the motorway, the email came through saying there was a car ready for me, so I had to tell her I was putting a deposit down on a new car. . By this time I'd had a FK8 type R for over 4 years and was quite keen to get back into something RWD.

An easy sale of the Civic on carwow followed by a lift to the dearlership after work and I arrived Home in my shiny new GR86.

About 2 weeks later I unplugged the sound-racer. (why couldn't they have put a valved exhaust instead?) and began searching for the ideal Exhaust. Eventually i decided on the AWE touring and put the wheels in motion to get it imported from the US.

It was a long wait for the exhaust. In the meantime I did an oil and filter change at about 1200 miles. No chunks of metal or RTV to be found which was reassuring

The AWE touring arrived in january and i decided to have a go at fitting it myself - it was actually really easy. I'm super happy with it, here's a short i recorded not long after fitting.



It sounds very naughty and I've had a lot of positive comments about it. Thankfully it's perfectly civilised when pootling along too. Just don't ask about the cold start!



Next up is new wheels and coilovers. I'm doing both together as i don't want to:

A: drive a lowered car on the standard wheels with no spacers, it'll just look silly.
B: drive a monster truck on wider wheels and standard suspension.

I've already taken the punge and ordered a load of stuff:

KW V1 coilovers - I really wanted stainless steel for longevity. It was between these and Bilstein B14. I haven't seen anyone else running KW and they have a great reputation for maintaining great compliance so thought i'd try them out.
Pedders offset top mounts & camber bolts. I didn't want to run coilovers with solid metal top mounts for NVH reasons - these should give plenty of scope for camber up front. I'll be re-using the rear top mounts from the standard struts
17x9 +45 Enkei RPF1s. It took me a long time to decide on wheels but I always came back to the RPF1s. I'm keen to keep a decent sized side wall as the roads around me are in terrible condition. They're also nice and light with a timeless design.
RPF1 Centrecaps
Motegi wheel nuts

The Pedders and Camber bolts have already arrived, although I found it hard to get too excited about these.

I'll be booking in to get some Goodyear Eagle Asymmetric 6 once I have a delivery date for the wheels. size 245/40/17

I may end up running a small spacer on the front too, but this is still to be determined, based on how the wheels fit.

Stay tuned for more exciting updates

 

[GRistopher]

I have a LOT of cardboard boxes full of car parts now. I've considered building a fort in the garage Just waiting on the tyres to come in which is the last item to be delivered.

My friend who I was hoping to help me fit the coilovers is busy until next week, and I've got a race weekend the starting on the 7th so it might be a while before I get it all on. I don't think i can bare to wait that long though so I might end up having a go myself this weekend.

I also want to give a BIG thanks to Chris from Tarmac Sportz for being a dream vendor for most of the Kit. Great service from them.

 

[GRistopher]

My tower of shame.

 

[KobayashiMaru86]

Where did you get the Pedders from?

 

[GRistopher]

Got them direct from pedders. I have to admit I didn't shop around. I was going to get rear replacement ones (OEM Spec) from them too, to help smooth out the install and make swapping back in the future easier, but for the cost I didnt bother in the end.

offset fronts

Pedders Multi-position Offset Strut Mount 580096

Strut Top Mounts Strut mounting plates are commonly used in macpherson strut suspension setups and are used to attach the strut assembly to the chassis. Front strut top mount are sold individually. Ideal for pre assembly of struts or just to replace

pedders.co.uk

Rears (part number)
585014

They arrived a day or 2 after ordering, can't complain

 

[GRistopher]

I got my tyres fitted (fit?) Today. Unfortunately it was a last minute booking since the tyres arrived this morning and the guy who knows how to clone the sensors wasnt available. Here's a sneak peak. They won't be going on the car untill I get the coilovers on though.

Going to run them round to get the sensors programmed tomorrow so theyre all tucked up in the back. See below for the obligatory 4 wheels in the back of a GR86 shot. It's 80 quid to get them installed and programmed. Part of me wishes I just bought the programmer but hey-ho.

They'll have some nice centre caps, nuts and matching valves when it's all done.

Stay tuned for the next episode. Don't forget to like and subscribe

 

[ZN8]

One of my all time favourite wheels. Looking forward to seeing them fitted!

 

[GRistopher]

All loaded up for tomorrow. My mate (with some assistance from me) is installing all this lot. I couldnt have bought all this at a worse time in terms of finding time to fit it all, but thankfully it's going on before the summer is over. Can't wait to see it / drive it.

Next update will be it all on the car.

 

[GRistopher]

Wow, theyre really pretty and shiney

 

[GRistopher]

Well...

 

[GRistopher]

I love them so much. I'm really glad I went for the red nuts + dustcap combo. Nice to have a bit of colour.

The KW V1s are set a bit low. There's knocking from the arb drop links which is really annoying and meant I didn't drive anywhere apart from straight home.

I'll be raising the ride height tomorrow night or Sunday to hopefully resolve this.

Initial impressions are that ride and NVH is improved, but I haven't really tested due to the arb knocking issue.

Once I get this sorted I'll be getting am alignment done.

I'm so happy with the wheels.

Oh, and I know the car needs a wash. It'll come over the next day or two but I couldn't resist taking pics now.

 

[GRistopher]

OK. Continuing today's log. I just found the source of the knocking which having now fixed, scared me a little. It wasn't the ARB. The top mount nuts weren't tight at all. (Big nuts in middle). We really struggled tightening them with the spring compressors on, amd while searching for reasons for knocking after lowering, someone suggested checking them. I love forums.

I got a good amount of turns on them. I'm just glad I had only driven a couple of miles on a straight road before finding out. DIY mechanics beware. Check everything!

Now that's dealt with OH MY GOD THIS CAR IS f***ing AMAZING NOW!

Literally every aspect of the driving dynamics is way better. The most noticeable of all is the NVH. All of the horrible resonance from the front end has COMPLETELY gone! It's unbelievable how much quieter the road noise is. And with 245 section tyres too!

These KW V1s are amazing. And I can only think that the combination of these, lightweight 17s and slightly taller sidewalls (maybe the switch to Goodyears too) is just a match made in heaven.

I'm yet to get an alignment but the handling is really good. I didn't really press on but the horrible floaty feeling during direction changes that the stock springs gave has gone completely gone. Grip levels are higher, but not stupidly so, second gear corner exits feel great in terms of the amount of traction and how the car wants to (mis)behave.

Ride over bumps and potholes is fantastic. I'm not sure if this is more down to the 17s or the KWs (probably both) bit it really is a huge improvement.

I'll be getting an alignment done on Monday or Tuesday, then I'll really get to know her new talents.
I'm so happy with how everything has turned out.

I'd like to thank Ross for all of his guidance when choosing suspension. Going for a fixed rate high quality damper has proven to be an amazing reccomendation. And the pedders top mounts are great too - maybe they have helped reduce the resonance as well as giving great options for camber.

Also a big shout out to Chris from Tarmac Sportz for doing me a great deal on the wheels, coilovers, centre caps, spigot rings and wheel nuts. I'd highly reccomend anyone to contact him if you're planning on a similar upgrade.

Now I'm just bummed out I have to work all weekend and can't spend it driving.

Stay tuned for the next exciting episode!

 

[Grblue86]

What kind of knocking sound was it making? I have a sound, it is more like a ping when going over bumps, I have oem shocks and springs but the peddlers front top mounts

Nice changes by the way

 

[GRistopher]

What kind of knocking sound was it making? I have a sound, it is more like a ping when going over bumps, I have oem shocks and springs but the peddlers front top mounts

Nice changes by the way

Kind of a clunking. Hard to describe. If you have a 19mm socket it's easy to check. Just pop the bonnet and see if you can tighten them up.

We thought they were TAF in the vice with the spring compressor on, but they really weren't by the time the car weight was on them.

 

[mackie]

Glad you’re enjoying it

I’ve done wider wheels, tyres, coils (HKS) and front brakes and can’t get over how good it is now. I swear my NVH is better too even with solid front top mounts.

Shout out to HKS supplying the coil over fully assembled at Japanese legal limit ride height and corner balanced from the factory, they certainly made my life easier.

I was worried I’d ruin the car but it’s almost viceless now (apart from occasional reminder it’s an inch lower) and just feels a lot more capable and planted with improved traction and body control.

 

[GRistopher]

I just went out for a propper test drive on some of my favourite local roads. I have to caveat my findings by saying that the car definitely needs an alignment, and that I'm judging the combination of KW V1s and the new wheels & tyres as I installed them together. There is visible toe in at the rear, and although I feel like I can pitch the car in as I normally do on a go kart track, it needs setting up properly. It's a bit squirrely under braking too.

NVH: massively improved across all surfaces, although my exhaust sounds a bit louder as I guess there's less space for the noise to escape. I really didn't expect this with the wider tyres. The awful tyre roar from the front end that is a talking point on this forum (and even has a thread dedicated to fixing it) has gone completely.
On our last trip to Wales. My wife (who normally sleeps on long journeys) commented on how draining she found the 86. I think she'll much prefer it now.

Ride comfort: much improved. Imperfections are soaked up beautifully. This was a very high priority for me and one of the reasons why I went for the KWs + 17s with a good sidewall. The fun roads around the lake district where I live are quite poorly maintained. With this setup I can be really leaning on the car over poor surfaces and, although I can tell the imperfections there, there is no negative effect on the car which is a vast improvement over stock. The tyres are also chunkier on the rims (I think this is a trait of the Goodyear tyres too) which means when I wont be able to avoid a pothole, the tyre shoud soak it up rather than the wheel rim.
every aspect of the ride is improved apart from one. At certain speeds on roads with a ripply surface, there is a little bit more pitching at slower speeds. The spring rates on KWs website arent stated in the usual kg (or whatever it is) units so I'm not sure how much stiffer they are, but I know they won't be on the stiff end for aftermarket coilovers. I have to admit i am knitpicking here as this very slight pitching rarely presents itself though, and it's barely noticeable. It's just me really analysing the ride.

Grip/traction: yes there's plenty! I've only driven in warm dry weather so far though. A full throttle exit from a 90 degree T-junction is met with barley a chirrup and the car hooks up flawlessly. The rear end is still playful in second gear corner exits. Just not quite as readily as on the stock setup.
Once up and running the combination of grip level and handling is great. This car (bare in mind there hasn't been an alignment yet) is very formidable with a good set of coilovers. I have ruined cars with coilovers before but this is not the case here. I would relate this to the first time I used proper lifting shoes for Olympic weightlifting, or riding my brother's very expensive and perfectly dialed in mountain bike when I'd only ridden crappy ones before. It's the same me, but now I'm using the right tools for the job. Grip levels aren't stupidly high but I wouldn't want to be taking corners on public roads much faster.
I haven't driven like my hair is really on fire yet, nor have I pushed the rear end enough to require countersteering as I don't want to push my luck with a wonky alignment, so I can't really report on this.
Turn in is great, maybe a little too much due to the alignment. I'll see how it is after getting alignment done. I like it how it is now, but am yet to explore how well I can trust it yet

In summary, I'm very happy. If I was designing the GR86 from the factory for myself, this is exactly how I would want it. I'd say it's the perfect OEM+ set up. There's still some tweaking to do, but for now, I'm very happy with how everything has turned out. I previously found the 86 to be limited by a slight feeling of disconnection during more exaggerated body movements. A floaty feeling as though you're holding a broom vertically by the end of the handle. This has completely gone now which means I can enjoy the car much more, rather than feeling like I'm driving around this trait.

I do feel like the stock brakes can't quite live with the available grip now. They still stop the car ok, but on the longer downhill sections of road, I didn't have full confidence in them. A firmer peddle would be nice. Given the great options for BBKs available for not silly money. I may just go for one of these when the stock pads need changing, which knowing me won't be long.

Annoyingly, despite all the faff I went to getting the TPMS sensors cloned, they aren't working. I'll have to go back to the place that did them to find out why. I suspect they didn't clone them and have tried a different method.

Anyway. I'm going to enquire about an alignment tomorrow and hopefully get it done on Tuesday. I'll post another small update then.

Stay tuned for the next exiting episode / long drawn out essay by someone who can't think of the word for talking good... articulate,that's it.

 

[GRistopher]

Slightly increased the ride height today. I'm looking to get it just right before the alignment and although it looked cool before, it did make me a bit nervous.

I came up about 13mm on the rear and about 7mm on the front as it was sat on its backside a bit. It still looks great and I'll have a bit more confidence that I wont take chunks out of my exhaust on speedhumps now. It's also dialed out some of the toe-in which was visibly present on the rear.

I also maxed out the camber on the front. There is an oval hole for the top mounting point of the hubs on the KW V1s (sorry if I'm not using the correct lingo) and there's a decent amount of adjustment to be had there. In combination with the pedders, this might be enough without adding camber bolts in the bottom hole ( bottom hole). I'll take them with me when I get the alignment just in case.

The post adjustment test drive was wet. I can report that the wet performance is superb. Obviously new tyres help, but the increase in grip along with the removal of the 'aloof wobbly' feeling of the stock suspension gives so much more confidence.
I had a very slight breakaway at the rear and the transition into a a very slight oversteer - the kind that feels like the perfect amount for optimum forward momentum - was so smooth and creamy. It's moments like this that are my favourite part about this car and it appears to have been enhanced with this setup. I fealt like Jethro Bovingdon must have while he was making lots of pleasure noises driving the 458 speciale in the mountains around Fiorano . Still my favorite test drive video ever!

I have a decent length drive down to PF international this weekend and plan on taking the scenic route so I can enjoy some twisties on the way! Let's hope the weather is agreeable.

 

[GRistopher]

Booked in for an alignment next week at Tensport in Burnley. never used them before but they have decent reviews and seem very motorsport focused. A few local places that I've enquired with have been put off when I start talking about camber bolts and deviating from stock setup. The guy I spoke to on the phone seemed very confident.

 

[Conscript]

Booked in for an alignment next week at Tensport in Burnley. never used them before but they have decent reviews and seem very motorsport focused. A few local places that I've enquired with have been put off when I start talking about camber bolts and deviating from stock setup. The guy I spoke to on the phone seemed very confident.

I'm looking at how close "T" is to "F" on my keyboard and raising an eyebrow wondering if the owner of "Tensport" knew exactly what he was doing when he came up with the name....

 

[GRistopher]

Well, I had a bit of a boo-boo on Thursday and broke my back

Broke 2 vertebrae, but thankfully just the bits that stick out, not the main bone. No nerve damage but it's painful, and I have some other injuries as well including my right elbow, which limits my options for sick day entertainment .

Be careful on ladders, kids!

I've had to cancel my allignment as I can't drive. The weather is miserable up here at the moment, so at least I get to look at the water beading on the 86. The post-mod detail was definitely worth it! Silver linings and all

I'll see how I am the rest of this week and look to get the allignment booked in again for as soon as I'm able to drive.

Stay tuned for the next exciting episode!