Lauren

No brainer, Kevin, changing the suspension always puts the geo miles out. So what did you go for setup wise?

Blog updated with various things including the Subaru factory tour at the Gunma plant: http://laurenblighton.blogspot.jp

I wouldn't have gone for the lower spec model after driving it for two days. It's just a bit nasty inside and lacks all the niceties of the UK spec. But it is still a GT86 and to some that's all that matters. Pretty sure this model wouldn't equate to much more than £15K list in Japan. I know that's not the whole story when it comes to buying a car in Japan. But, yes it does have an LSD, so has the important bits. The car is not good on 205/55/16 tyres. Too much sidewall flex makes it less fun and less precise. I've now got used to looking at the analogue speedo as there isn't a digital one. I think more people would have bought one, to a point, but only the hardcore. A car with such a low spec is not appealing to the UK market which is why they don't sell it here. There has always been lower spec versions of cars we receive in the JDM. The head unit does have blue tooth but we can't connect to it. So we are stuck with Japanese radio (not good) until we can find somewhere to buy a 3.5mm jack lead. We have worked out the sat nav though, you just put in the phone number of your destination and it does the rest, so pretty easy. We're unable to decipher how to deal with a postcode though. This car does have a reversing camera though.

I thought this one was really worthy of a thread of it's own. Picked up the hire car from Toyota rentacar in Yokohama this afternoon and spent 2.5 hours clearing the traffic of the city. Bit of a nightmare tbh. It really is poverty spec. 16" wheels with 205's, no spoiler, manual aircon, no cruise, no USB (or probably bluetooth), no fog lights, has a key to start with buttons to lock and open the boot. No boot button on the boot, but has a release inside and a button on the key. It has basic fabric seats, no leather whatsoever on the interior. Dash has no digital speedo and is black a bit like the Subaru. Has the Subaru rear view mirror. Not even sure if it has an LSD yet, too tired to find out tonight. Mark said the boot lid had no lining on the boot itself. I'm going to call it a lightweight version. Driving in Japan, well the first two and a half hours were bumper to bumper pretty much. It was only when we got on the express way and out of town that it freed up. Speed limits are low at 100km/h on the expressway for divided roads. But it's 60km/h on any single lane out of town roads. Limits in town vary from 30-50 km/h and get to a heady 60km/h on the bits inbetween. The last part of the journey saw us head up into the mountains, it was very steep and quite twisty. Road surfaces are generally excellent, very smooth for the most part. People are polite. I had to push my way in due to a sat nav error approaching a split, so did so, which was no problem. People middle lane on the expressway like you wouldn't believe, trucks are just as bad too. I showed the guys at the car rental place pics of my two Hachi Roku's, they were suitably impressed! More driving tomorrow as we are off to Subaru in the morning before heading off into the mountains in the afternoon!

It's a Toyota head unit and yes it's white. Beyond that I don't really know. No USB or bluetooth from what it looks like, has an auxillary in.

Nice! And in traffic!

Interesting Maz, G spec yes, that rings bells from our AW11 SC days. It's funny really because with the MR2 people would post on the forums saying they thought having a tin top (no sunroof or tbar) and wind up windows was a rarity and that's it's lightweight and thus cool until I'd point out they had a poverty spec model! Should be like this then, I think: http://www.tune86.com/toyota-gt-86-technical-specs-info-details Which means manual should equal LSD. I will find a suitable car park later to test that hypothesis. What blows me away is how low rent the car feels everything is way more plasticky, the dash, is just a plain black plastic for example instead of the mock carbon we get on the UK models and when you look around the car every conceivable extra you get in the UK is missing. Except electric retracting mirrors it seems!

I'll do a full report on the car when I get a chance. Notice the plate, cool eh? This car has done 49,000 kms and is not immaculate by any means. I found at least ten little dents in various places. You can see the one on the offside front wing. Good to be driving again though and in Japan!

Just in case you were considering red, this option is already taken too. Maybe pick another colour?

Always a good improvement to how the car looks.

That is unfortunate, Chris. Hope you get it sorted soon.

Good pics, Mike, looking good!

It means the main speaker and tweeter are separate like the stock speakers are. Ian has his combined as can be seen in the pic.

Decent speakers a good improvement over the woeful OEM ones. I have the two way component set of those.

A trip to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. Sobering stuff and adds very well with my trips to Berlin and Amsterdam, following the history of WWII. Went to a Teppen yaki restaurant this evening and had the most amazing food. Hiroshima Beef it was called, Kobe style, just wow, which was part of a six course meal.

Cheers Paul! Blog now updated with all the Toyota museum stuff! http://laurenblighton.blogspot.jp

Congrats on the order. You'll regret waiting for the new reg when you could have had the whole of August to play with it. Must admit I bought mine in February 2013, just wasn't worried about the reg really. But that's cool, you'll love it when you get it! Whereabouts are you in the UK?

Do you know what the spring rates are Kevin?

Demon Tweeks will sort you out. As to how much you spend, how much is your head worth? I'd always say get the best you can and never buy without trying one on. I have an open face these days as it's way more comfortable and cooler too. Car to car contact is impossible in a sprint. If I was racing against other cars I would go full face of course. You don't need to worry about timing plates. Not needed. All helmets will meet BS requirements, they have to. The more expensive car helmets are FR (fire retardant). I bought a Bell open face FR helment from DT for £215. Also the more you spend the lighter they are. I've got three helmets now, but the other two are ten years old. It's not bad value when you consider I've worn my older helmets hundreds of times over the years, so they do last well.

Yes, totallty understand that aircon is essential here! When will this heatwave end, it was 38C here yesterday, just totally exhausted by it which isn't made easier when you've got a big rucksack on your back! Don't worry Maz, thanks for your efforts, tis very much appreciated. I'm beginning to realise that it is not a straightforward thing to ask for such favours as it would seem tha the Japanese are sticklers for following rules, which will inevitably get in the way. We went to the Toyota musuem yesterday (as my FB shows!), no GT86 content but it was very cool indeed.

That is ridiculous, Kevin about the warranty. The airbag light is always on, it is to indicate it's working. You can of course turn the passenger airbag off for child seats.

Thanks for doing a really good and comprehensive write up, Geoff. I am considering my options and having driven all the different conversions it's a tough call to be fair. Enjoy that whine!

Good work. I went with 2 deg neg camber on the front and 1.75 degrees on the rear. Front toe parallel, rear 6&2. This is a baseline Fenspot setup really. I can't comment on damper stiffness as I have an active system, but the handling is excellent and there is no way a standard car can keep up.

Well we have now escaped the madness of Tokyo and perhaps like London, it's the kind of place I enjoy in little bites. There is some relief to be heading out into the country at 150mph towards Nagoya on the Shinkansen as I type. Today, the Toyota Automobile Museum. Japan is in the middle of a heat wave at the moment, 35C but with 93% humidity and it's the humidity that is the killer. Anything above 25C and I'm in pain so we're suffering big time. Mind you the locals look like they've had enough of it too. Fingers crossed it cools soon. Lots of wam winds inbound from the south in part due to a tropical storm over the Phillipines.

You'll have to go yourself, it's the only way to see what goes on in a maid cafe.