Dan7954 35 Report post Posted May 30, 2015 Found this site a few fays ago so thought i should post. Took an 86 for a testdrive a couple of weeks ago and decided to take the plunge. Ive previously had 2 mr2 turbos, mk3 mr2, fto, ctr, evo 5 etc. And most recently an e93 m3.. I put my car up for sale thinking id be waiting a while to sell it but it sold in under 16 hours! Anyway. The test drive. My initial impressions were that the car sounded like a sewing machine and power was an obvious downgrade from 400hp, some elements of the car seem cheap but amongst all that was a car i felt that i liked. The future will hold a turbo or supercharger upgrade but for now ill start with the lesser items. The car i have selected from a list at the dealer is a white 2012 manual with 10k on the clock. Im awaiting the v5 for a plate transfer so the car can be shipped to the dealer for me to look at it and approve/disapprove. I am a little concerned after alot of reading that if i will notice whether or not the car suffers from the 2nd gear issue at this time if year if i test drive it cold as ambient temps ar not that low now. When i mentioned that i want to check for this the salesman surprisingly said that he had niticed that with the gt86 and that you should be using more revs! This has caused alarm bells ringing but am i worrying too much ? I dont want to be lumbered with a lemon! Thanks in advance for any advice you can give. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dan7954 35 Report post Posted May 30, 2015 Another question id like to ask is about wheel setups. I know the stock set up is square but after having mr2s i cant geat my head round purchasing a square after market set up.. These seem to look best but wouldnt stagger look/be better bing a rwd car? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Keethos 842 Report post Posted May 31, 2015 Welcome to the club and I hope the viewing goes well. Regarding the 2nd gear issue, only a small handful of people have been experiencing this and someone recently seemed to have found a solution for his particular car which you could pass onto the dealer to sort out.....and I don't think the dealer knows what he's on about, if anything, you are more likely to crunch gears when pushing hard/more revs. Here's the thread I was referring to http://gt86.org.uk/forums/index.php?/topic/2478-Gearbox-Issue---Think-I`ve-Cracked-It-! As for the squared setup, I'm assuming you are referring to wheel width? A couple of people on here have gone for the staggered look, running 8.5J at the front and 9.5J at the rears. Some like the look but others think it'll make the car understeer more (I think) so they often stick with the square setup. Me personally I prefer the square setup but have all wheels wider for the more concaved look plus I can swap wheels around if I needed to then. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Special K 442 Report post Posted May 31, 2015 Welcome to the Club, Dan. I'll go with what Keethos says above. This car is rightfully claimed to be the best behaved vfm 'flingable' sports car available and when you start mixing wheel sizes you risk losing that ... and it takes a lot of technical wizardry (money) to get it back.. However, if bling's your thing then goforit.. I would certainly go for suspension mods to allow camber changes at front and rear.. Spec K Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lauren 2259 Report post Posted May 31, 2015 Welcome aboard. Were you on IMOC, having had SW20's? Square wheel setups if you're a driver. Staggered wheel setups if you prefer your bling/aesthetics and want the car to oversteer less. The car when it's cold first thing in the morning is a bit difficult to get into second gear when downchanging from third. After about two minutes of driving it seems to be fine and the usual slick gearchange returns. Some people have made a great fuss of this, but really though it'd be nice that it didn't do it, it's hardly a big issue. I wouldn't worry too much about the revs, the engines seem pretty tough. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dan7954 35 Report post Posted May 31, 2015 Thanks for your replies. Square set up on the wheels it is.. Still want the looks though so was thinking possibly 9j all round then with 225 tyres to match the trd spec.. I really want to heep the handling characteristics as i mainly wanted this car as its a drivers car.. First mods planned when i actually get the car are wheels, tein coilovers and toms tail lights. An to lauren, yes i was in imoc. Username was dansrev2turbo.. Thought i recognised your avatar.. Heres some pics of the old 2 which i still miss to this day, taken at wra2 2 Keethos and Lauren reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dan7954 35 Report post Posted May 31, 2015 ^^ i meant to match the trd in tyre sizes not rim width. Hope the gears feel good in the test drive.. I didnt manage to drive the demo cold as the salseman drove the first few miles. Hopefully it will arrive this week. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lauren 2259 Report post Posted May 31, 2015 Nice SW20! I think I've seen you around on IMOC over the years. 8J is nice on the 225's. 9J will give a fair amount of stretch. Though I've got tbh, I like a little stretch as it takes the slack out of the sidewalls which gives a sharper response if you like to play with tyre slip angles and move the car around a bit in the corners. I run an 8J with the stock tyres which are 215s. I look forward to catching up at some meets. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GT86Jay 202 Report post Posted May 31, 2015 Welcome to the Forum. I run 8" wheels with 225s and feels great. Plenty of grip on the road with Eagle F1s and not too much road noise! I also have Supercharger so a fair bit more power. In the dry no problems and can't find the limit of the tyres before I give in, wet is a little bit hairy at times but drive to the conditions. I am in no hurry to go wider. I think 8" with 225s is a nice combination for NA cars. The TRD stock uses 7.5J with 225s. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dan7954 35 Report post Posted May 31, 2015 Yea thinking on it your right. I remember seeing 235 on a 9j now and that was on the limit of looking silly.. 225 definitely will. Would like 9j for the dish but same can be achieved with a low offset 8j... If i can find any! Found some subaru advans on ebay with a tame offset but they are in a sorry state and would cost the same again to make them look nice presuming they are straight.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dan7954 35 Report post Posted May 31, 2015 http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/301636942284?nav=SEARCH Just found these.. A little on the slim side.. What do you think to the fit? Im a little warey that its overseas.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dan7954 35 Report post Posted May 31, 2015 Actually, to sit the way I'd want, I'd need spacers.. I'll think again. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lauren 2259 Report post Posted May 31, 2015 I've got 17X8 Rays which are just great for 215 or 225's. 7.5's would be okay for 225's though. 8" is better. Mine have an ET of 38 which is perfect as it fills the arches that much better. I had to wait a while for a set to come up, but snapped them up for £575 and refurbed them with a red powdercoat. Total cost about £800. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KevinA 695 Report post Posted May 31, 2015 You need to juggle between how it feels with how it looks, and yoyr choice will be personal. I'm happy with these 1 nikndel reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dan7954 35 Report post Posted June 1, 2015 They have a nice stance ti them kev, what diameter, j and offset are you running? 225 tyres? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lauren 2259 Report post Posted June 1, 2015 He's got huge tyres on it, isn't he up to about 255's now? Pretty sure he was on 235's for that pic. Overtyred IMO, but depends what you like. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GT86-Ian 351 Report post Posted June 1, 2015 Hi Dan welcome to the club, I was also at WRA2 in my P reg car, what a fantastic day that was.For an N/A car 225 on a 8 inch rim is about perfect, just need to find a wheel with a lower offset to fill the arches a bit. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KevinA 695 Report post Posted June 1, 2015 Dan they are 18x9.5 et 35 with 235/40/18 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Varelco 211 Report post Posted June 1, 2015 Welcome Dan! Like yourself I'm a newbie and I'm having a dilemma when it comes to wheels. You (we) are gonna have to compromise to a degree on either looks or driving characeristics when it comes to wheel choice. After driving a diesel golf for the past 5 years its made me realise how much I despise understeer so I will be going for a square set up. If I'm honest 225 on a 9j is perfectly fine, then again I'm an ex VW & drift guy so 225 on 9.5j-10j rims was considered pretty normal. Your gonna get mixed messages with regards to wheels as this is a drivers car. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JamesP1991 222 Report post Posted June 1, 2015 Welcome to the club mate, I am on 17x8" ET38 wheels and it feels great. On 215 section tyres at the moment as I am waiting to upgrade the boots. I reckon a nice sticky set of 225 section tyres will be perfect for you with N/A. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
smudge 1020 Report post Posted June 1, 2015 He's got huge tyres on it, isn't he up to about 255's now? Pretty sure he was on 235's for that pic. Overtyred IMO, but depends what you like. It's me that's on 255's 1 KevinA reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dan7954 35 Report post Posted June 3, 2015 Ah hi ian, even more from the mr2 fold! great day fmdaythat wra. Think i recognise another imoc user by their car list (toni?). Thse wheels are going to need alot of thought. Oversteer is crucial as i wanted this car to learn properly how to drive as before my priority was to keep it nice.. I still want the same for this car but to put it to more use... But at the same time i love a good stance. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dan7954 35 Report post Posted June 3, 2015 I think the 235a will be too wide for me. I was convinced on staying 17 but the 18 do generally look better.. Why didnt they use 114.3 ffs!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dan7954 35 Report post Posted June 5, 2015 Guess i can go a bit wider now when funds permit now the s/c is coming first! 1 Keethos reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lauren 2259 Report post Posted June 6, 2015 17's look just fine providing you lower it 20mm. I run a 17x8 with the OEM tyres on. Plenty of oversteer and very controllable. If you put whopping wide tyres on it will just be boring. 225's if you put an SC on I would say. I think it's good to learn the car NA and do the handling first before you think about SC's. Done 63K in mine so far pondering whether I will SC or not. I probably will, but now it's easy for me to know what I'd do in respect of tyre sizes. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
