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Lauren

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Everything posted by Lauren

  1. The early model seat is exactly the same with Alcantara base with leather bolsters. They may not be be fitted at Portbury Docks, though they may be, or they may be fitted somewhere else. Very few people have had issues with these seats in the GT. Though more have been sold so the odd issue is more likely, but far from common. The full leather option for the GT, was another option alongside the 'Pro' option which is the same as the Lux option effectively. There is no cloth option that are heated for either car. The cloth option is just cloth, not Alcantara. I am pretty sure, that the later seats are again exactly the same between GT and BRZ.
  2. That is not what I'm saying. Cloth seats are not heated. I was saying that the heaters on the leather/alcantara work better than on the full leather seats. The full leather option may only apply to GT86's. Not sure if they were available on the BRZ.
  3. There is no 'performance pack' option for UK BRZ's. Only the GT86 Blue Edition has it.
  4. As someone who knows how to operate the heated seats (a lot of owners don't), I can confirm that they are better with the half leather/alcantara option. You have to push the button forward to initially heat them, then push the button bcack once warm. Mine are hot within a minute. I don't wear any extra clothes when driving in the winter as I'd rather feel the benefit of them. They are well worth it IMO and far nicer than the no option cloth seats. Full leather heated seats don't work as well as I've found. I wouldn't buy one without heated seats. Glad I specified it as an option.
  5. It would be incredibly tight of the dealer to charge you for an oil filter when they are invoicing Toyota for over a grand for the recall work. Mine was obviously included.
  6. You may want to add pics and specs of your Bola wheels and whether they are with tyres. Also whether it's a straight swop or not.
  7. Lauren

    Looking at a GT86 today

    I would get the valve spring recall done, but don't worry too much about it. Auto box is okay down a country lane. It's not as responsive or as involving as a manual though. Check if it's had the steering wiring recall which should have been done in 2016.
  8. Lauren

    West Yorkshire Meet

    Great stuff Mike. I should be able to make that.
  9. Lauren

    Drivers Side Window Switch Issue

    Another tip is lukewarm water on the seal where the window joins the door until you hear it give. That's where it tends to stick. You can put silicone spray on the rubbers which does help, though I just do the former these days.
  10. Lauren

    Drivers Side Window Switch Issue

    Really common when it's icy. With doors closed, hold down both window switches for ten seconds and then the same on the way up.
  11. Lauren

    West Yorkshire Meet

    I will try, though it depends a bit what side of Yorkshire it is, as I live in South Manchester.
  12. The engine has not had a full rebuild. It has had the cam cover off, cams removed and valve springs changed.That is all. When I had mine done I left it a full 10K till the next service before I changed the oil as per the service schedule.
  13. That doesn't seem too bad on balance as it would be hard to absolutely prove what caused it, despite all of us having a good idea what did! You will get 12 months warranty on it, so if there are further problems you'll at least be well covered.
  14. I'm afraid I do not know, as I've not been in that situation. I've got agreement before work has gone ahead, even if it means waiting. I wouldnt worry too much about the courtesy car, they won't be really.
  15. Agreed it's worth asking for that, as I had this when I had my wiring loom replaced. To pay the full cost would have been thousands. It still wasn't cheap, but was a lot cheaper. However, in this case it would likely come down to who had the cam cover off last time and misapplied the sealant who you'd think would be more liable. If the OP knows that information then that would help.
  16. A new GT86 Club Series has been launched and this time it's called the 'Blue Edition', with it's own colour of electric blue. You may remember the other Club Series edition in Solar Orange. That model was solely cosmetic, but whilst you could say the same of the Blue Edition it has an optional extra called the 'Performance Pack'. The interesting thing about the performance pack is what you get for the extra £1460. Richard from RRG Macclesfield invited me down on a sunny day to drive it. How about this for value? In the pack there are 4 piston Brembo calipers up front and two piston Brembo calipers a the rear. The Sachs dampers are revalved to increase their stiffness and gain more focus on handling. There is also some strengthening to the lower arms on the rear suspension and you get a set of different wheels. These are presumably to be able to clear the new bigger brake calipers and bigger discs. When you add up the cost of these extra and very nice parts, it seems like an absolute bargain for the money. The performance pack is only available on the Blue Edition, so could this be the best GT86 you can buy right now? Let's start with the colour, which if you want the performance pack you will have to like. Thankfully it's a lovely colour reminiscent of Porsche Maritime Blue which really is no bad thing at all. I rather like it. There is something just so appealing about a nice set of Brembo calipers on a car. Whilst the standard GT86 brakes are certainly adequate I have found their limits at times on Alpine descents and also on the race track. A big brake kit with greater stopping capacity is hugely confidence inspiring when you are pushing on and let's face it, you'd have it wouldn't you? Here's the fronts and rears respectively: This car supplied by RRG Macclesfield also has the addition of an HKS drop in air filter and a resonated Cobra exhaust. I totally agree with Richard here in that the first thing you should change on this car is the exhaust, the stock one is just way too quiet. When I review a GT86 for RRG Macclesfield I always follow my usual test route, the 'Lauren Triangle'. This takes the A523 out of Macclefield to Boseley, then the A54 up to the top with the downhill route being on the infamous A537 Cat and Fiddle road. Fifteen years ago I used to live in Macc' and this was my test route and practice route when I was racing back then. It's a spectacular drive with a real good variety of corners, compressions and perhaps more importantly a route I know intimately. So what do the changes mean? Well, setting off on the relative cruise in traffic out of Macc' and towards Boseley, the car maintains it's decent ride quality as the standard kouki car. It's a comfortable and more refined place to be than the earlier zenki car which I have. Richard told me that when he got out of a stock 2018 car and into this one that he felt that the car cornered more flattly and was better controlled. When I look for these comparisons it's really tricky as my benchmark is of course my car which I've driven for past 122,000 miles and my car has coilovers, poly bushings and pretty much everything done on the suspension, so a stock car always feels like more of a cooking version in comparison. But, compare I shall. There are no changes to the interior in the Blue Edition, so no orange stitching that you got in the Original Club Series car. After a sedate drive we turn left onto the A54 to Boseley and this is my chance to open the car up, so off we go. As I approach the first tricky set of S- bends I can see that the road is glistening somewhat. Perhaps not ideal when I remind myself I'm on the Primacy HP tyre, I've got the car set to track mode as well to allow me a little more slip, well some is better than none at all! The car inspires confidence and we navigate the first few tricky bends easily, not pushing too hard. This is my first time on the brakes and there is a lovely amount of feel to them. I note that they require a higher pedal pressure than my car running AP 4 piston calipers up front. That's not a bad thing as it allows you to modulate the brake pressure well. Then as we start to climb we inevitably happen upon a seemingly well driven Fiat Panda, though I'm barely trying to be honest. From here we end up behind a tractor for some time and end up in a line of traffic. Sometimes it goes your way, other times it doesn't. Never mind we pull over further up in a lay by to take some pictures and let the traffic go The traffic has gone and I know we are about to give this car a real test. The next section of road is very up and down with some hard compressions with sweeping bends and a good opportunity to push the car a bit harder. As we hit the first series of bends, the car loads up well maintaining it's composure and as the road dips and rises the damping is certainly keeping up with things, I feel confident to push the car harder and it's standard ride height, means I can push the car hard through compressions that would cause my car to be kissing the tarmac. We become briefly airborne over one of the rises, just leaving the tarmac, but the car deals with it no problem. I'm impressed and enjoying myself here. The difference in damping between this car and a standard one, feels for me fairly subtle, but perhaps coming from a car with bespoke dampers and active suspension it was always going to be far less of a difference when comparing to mine. What is important here is that there is some perceived to help to turn in and the damping has no problem dealing with mid corner bumps holding it's line and staying composed. As we rise towards the top of the A54 I notice they've laid new tarmac, time to update my records and I think that I haven't given the brakes much of a test yet, but there is the downhill on the Cat'n'Fiddle to come. We cross the plateau and pass the Cat and Fiddle pub which is still not open. Terrible pub in an iconic location. And so we begin our descent and through the first corner, 'Moisties', named so because it is always damp due to water running across it and then onto the 'Balcony' giving a great view over the Peak District. All the corners on the Cat'n'Fiddle have names. The best thing about this road is how far you can sight ahead and soon we easily pass the traffic in front of us. This car has only done 700 odd miles, so the engine feels a little tight and I'm being a bit easy on it. As we approach the first tight left hander at speed, I'm able to really get on the brakes. The car stops well, no doubt about that, pedal feel is more than my car but it is not difficult to modulate it well. I did find it a little hard to move the rear around under braking on the turn-in but I know that it's easier on my car with more front bias, but the car grips well and I can still neutralise any understeer, leading to the stability control just intervening on the exit with a smidge of opposite lock. This car just eggs you on and really a GT86 is simply made for roads like these. Even better the road is nice and dry for the most part, so I can work the suspension and the balance feels good. I'm aware with stock geommetry settings that more negative camber helps get rid of any understeer, but I think this car is doing a bit better with it's uprated dampers over the standard car. I can feel myself getting into the zone, relishing every heel and toe downchange, loading the car up ready for the next corner, nailing the exit and getting a little bit of oversteer in places. We pull over for a quick breather and more pictures and some five minutes later all the traffic we passed at the top, comes by! A quick glance and oil temperature is around 120C, which shows that you can get it to a fair old temperature if you are working it hard, but it never really seems to go above this at least on the road. The rest of the drive down is spoilt somewhat by traffic, but never mind, we've had a good few clear sections to test the car. This is really a test of the performance pack and it's no surprise that it is absolutely worth having. You'd have to be crazy to order a Blue Edition without ticking the Performance Pack it is just an absolute no brainer. The cost of individually buying the Brembo calipers all round would easily be more than the cost of the performance pack and you get wheels and uprated dampers as well. This car really is the ideal base model if you want to go modifying. My only observation with the brakes and this may relate to comparing them to mine is that I wondered if the pads didn't quite bite as well as mine. I've been mulling this over, but I think it is that mine require less pedal pressure to get them to bite and this could simply be more that I need to acclimatise to this set up. This car also has the improved JBL setup and Richard gave me a demonstration. It is way, way better than the original JBL setup, though seeming to use the same components there has been some retuning. The bass is more prominent and the clarity of sound is much clearer. Again, I have a £3000 pro-install in my car, but the new JBL system starts to look worth the money as the standard sound system is just so poor. I think they should offer the JBL set up as standard really! The spare wheel has gone and you have a sub instead, much like the old setup. I'm not sure whether a spare would fit underneath it, that's something to look into. The gear stick surround now has a leather gaiter which is much nicer than the cheap looking synthetic in earlier cars. My car next to the Blue Edition: In summary, the Performance Pack is a total no brainer. It would be absolutely brilliant if Toyota offered this as an option on all new GT86's but at the moment you'll have to order a Blue Edition to get it. I would!
  17. There is no reason to be any difference, Nigel. It's not like buying a house!
  18. Lauren

    Oil starvation on track

    It's not really an issue as such as long as you have adequate oil in the sump. I've never had any problems, run the same tyres as you and have been doing trackdays and sprinting in the car for seven years now. Adrian does run an Accusump so has a dry sump, but he does run aero and 265 wide 888's!
  19. Lauren

    Jap2Jap NW - Eccles Manchester

    Jap2Jap monthly meet Barton City Airport, Liverpool Road, Manchester M30 7SA https://www.facebook.com/events/1380848988766931/ £3 entry. Money goes to veterans. There is a cafe on site, it's a nice chilled local meet for Japanese cars. Let me know if you're coming. Start time 1pm. Normally there till around 3.30pm or so.
  20. Lauren

    MartinT's BRZ

    Put a screwdriver to the oil pump and see if it's that. Popped over to see Gary from RRG earlier and he was telling me that Andrew Lowe had a similar problem, like a knocking sound. The oil pump was getting noisy.
  21. Lauren

    Geo and alignment numbers

    That's a shame, Dan. Really you need a print out to know what the settings are as you cannot tell by eye alone. I used to geo setups myself manually, back in the day before Hunter alignment machines. But at least I knew what settings I had done. Rear toe is very critical. Camber is not so important when it comes to stability. I would take it somewhere you can at least check the settings as you don't want to end up backwards into a hedge.
  22. Lauren

    Geo and alignment numbers

    Half a degree will not really make any differences. It's the toe settings, particularly the rear which change how it feels in terms of stability. More toe in on the rear equals more stable and the opposite is true of course. What are your toe readings?
  23. Welcome aboard, Andrew. You are welcome, good choice! I think the Blue Edition with performance pack is the best GT86 you can buy, so great starting point. Check out the events as we have Japfest Silverstone looming and this is always the show of the year if you fancy getting out and meeting other members. I see you're in Lancashire, we do attend the monthly Jap2Jap meets at Barton airport in Eccles if you're interested.
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