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Lauren

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Posts posted by Lauren

  2. Posted · Report reply

    5 hours ago, jimmymac said:

    I’ve not had any letters from Toyota for this. This car has not had a hard life so doubt it needs new valve springs tbh. Any buyer coming to view it will see that and see It runs super sweet!


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    That's fine, but it will definitely fall in the group due to date of manufacturer for the valve spring recall. All TRD's do.  From my understanding it will run sweet but not if the valve spring breaks! ;) I still haven't had a letter yet, but had mine done back in March (Feb 2013 car). 

  5. Posted · Report reply

    Glad you enjoyed it. The view is worth it, but I'm not sure about those hairpins. You have to turn everything off anyway and boot it round as otherwise there can be some reversing involved as it's that tight. I've done it twice but didn't enjoy the staircase much. The first time I went up it was full of bikers, cyclists which was a nightmare. The second time it was quiet which was much better. Preferred the other side where it is more open. Did you get an oppportunity to drive the Grimsel/Susten, Klausen or Furka? The Grimsel/Susten is my favourite on the Swiss side though i think my favourite roads in the Alps are are around the Dolomites. The Hahnntenjoch and Grossglockner in Austria are pretty mega too. :)

  8. Posted · Report reply

    2 hours ago, Twigman said:

    Is that doing the mystery pedal dance? I've never committed that to memory.

     

    No, don't bother with that, just press the button for three seconds. It allows you to slide about all you want and no point disabling the ABS for the road. Something I really noticed in the last sprint at Blyton Park where it was wet all day, is that I couldn't floor it out of corners like I could in the dry. I had to ease the throttle down to get a clean getaway on the exit of the tight corners that were in second gear. Flooring it meant sideways and time lost. 

  9. Posted · Report reply

    Well quite, @Twigman. Sport mode allows barely any slip before it intervenes. I drive with everything off all the time. I could understand it more if people were doing that. But really it's clumsy application of throttle before you are out of the corner. Old Primacy tyres won't help of course. I'd need to be a hooligan to move mine in the wet on PS4's. 

    Angelina reacted to this

  10. Posted · Report reply

    12 hours ago, NJay said:

    Out of curiosity I've just checked mine and three of them are 5214 (the 4th is 0115 indicating replacement early in it's life) suggesting that they are the original tyres on my MY15 and have lasted 35k miles. Definitely not trying hard enough then am I lol. Also they have 4mm left not 5mm but even so that's half worn in 35k miles.

    I can wear out a set of continental sport 5s on the Celica in well under 10k miles so the primacys are alot a harder compound in comparison lol

    Tyres are only good for two years. By the third year they harden up. This is a lot why you are having the issues you are. I ran winters for three years. By the last year they were bordering on dangerous. Change the tyres, they are well over due. That is your problem. 

    @Jay just checked your first post on the forum. If your car is on it's original tyres that will be the issue. As I have explained above. 

    Luke reacted to this

  14. Posted · Report reply

    8 hours ago, Gray said:

    Thankyou for your review Lauren.

    Personally having driven it at the Thruxton event both on road and track whilst I agree with you about speedometer placement in general I didn't problem find it a problem in the Supra as I really liked the HUD. 

    You're welcome. The placement of the HUD is adjustable. If it's easy to do I will adjust next time so I can see it. I had the seat in it's lowest position and I'm 166cm/5ft 5" so it was just a bit too low for me to see. 

  15. Posted · Report reply

    1 hour ago, spikyone said:

    TOn the other hand, if you have £50k to spend on an impractical car you can get something that is very interesting, relatively low mileage, and you're less likely to be worried about high running costs.

     

    I always review cars as every day cars. I've tried impractical cars before, but the problem is you don't end up using them. I like to have just one car. I could cope with a Supra, I have zero interest in having more than one passenger and I probably have someone in the back of my car a couple of times a year, normally lift back from a pub or restaurant or some such. For me it would be factoring in the running costs. I do agree that there is a significant amount of competition in that price sector and it's a lot of money to spend so there is much to consider. 

  16. Posted · Report reply

    I think though as a daily driver, if running costs are affordable, it'd be a very nice place to be. I'm glad the one I tested was in white, I agree blue is boring and I like how the white highlighted the contrast to the black of the vents. I didn't overly mind the gearbox, that wasn't a big issue, I spent 90% of the time manually swopping cogs, though sure I'd love to drive a manual one to get total control. The Supra is obviously very capable and there may be some joy in it's sharp chassis that requires accuracy I suspect, a great deal more than the beautifully malleable GT86 which you can slide at any angle you want. The Supra is a different proposition with it's squarer wheelbase. I want to spend more time in one to get more of a feel for it and work on feeling the balance more in longer more open and flowing roads. 

    I look forward to part two of my review. :)

    Angelina reacted to this

  17. Posted · Report reply

    Supra review 5th October 2019

     

    Well, so much hyperbole, ‘the legend is back’, ‘fifty years of heritage’, ‘racing DNA’, the first global car by Toyota Gazoo Racing, Toyota’s rebranded motorsport department. Then there is the now legendary status of the A80 Supra with Smokey Nagata at the wheel driving at 197mph on the A1M at 4am in the morning. No pressure then? Much talk has been made of the collaboration with BMW and as is the way these days collaborations are extremely common in the car industry. Remember the Toyota/Subaru one with the GT86/BRZ? That turned out alright didn’t it?

     

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    The new Supra shares its basic platform in terms of running gear with the BMW Z4, but there are a lot of differences with the most obvious one being that the Supra has a roof and the Z4 does not. Plus it looks so much better. They both share the reworked BMW B58 engine which Toyota improved upon and whilst to the die hards it isn’t a new ‘2JZ’ it is a 3 litre turbocharged straight six. This is a well liked engine with 340bhp though some tests of production cars by tuners have seen up to 380bhp and 369lb/ft of torque, though 500nm as in the spec sheet sounds more. At around 1500kg it’s no lightweight but par for the course for a car in this sector. As we shall find out, it’s not lacking in torque.

     

    This car is fully loaded with every conceivable option and many will be relieved to find Apple Car Play in a Toyota. Good news, I think. There were too many options to fully appraise when I only had the car for an hour, but as the only car available for test drives in the whole of the North West this would be something of a taster to gain initial impressions. I didn’t play with the sat nav, turn the stereo on or try out the adaptive cruise and lane assistance options. My mission on a cool and slightly damp morning in Macclesfield was to focus on what it drives like and how it feels.

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    Getting into the car it feels similarly low to the GT86 and the driving position feels familiar. Nice and low and with the electrically adjustable seat I’m soon in a good driving position. I ponder if the accelerator pedal is a centimetre further to the right and note it being hinged from the floor.

    Richard from RRG Toyota Macclesfield tells me to try ‘comfort’ mode in full automatic as we head through Macclesfield. As I pull away from the lights I notice the throttle is soft in response and accelerates smoothly with no hint of what the power figures suggest. It feels a bit lazy to me, which is I suppose ideal if you’ve got no sensitivity in your right foot, but I prefer a sharper response. Solace is found in the ‘Sport’ button. Much better, it even holds gears longer which is uncanny. As we head out towards what used to be called Fools Nook and with a higher speed limit, I ease the throttle down. Wow, does it go. I’m pushed back in my seat, but soon have to ease off for traffic ahead. It gives a tantalising glimpse of what is to come. I note the seats are comfy and after the first few corners, the steering is direct. The control weights feel much as the GT86. That extra 300kg is well compensated by that powerhouse of an engine.

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    We turn left at Boseley and head up the A54 on the uphill in the direction of the Cat and Fiddle (Buxton Road). At last a clear road ahead of me, so I push the throttle to the floor in second, I’m already in manual mode. Wow, it’s quick, really quick, one gear comes after another and I joke to Richard that I better think about trying the brakes as we head into the tricky double right left chicane before snicking up the hill on an unseen left. This is Macclesfield so predictably there’s a small stream crossing the road ahead of us mid-corner. I’m on sticky Michelin Super Sports. No matter though, reminding myself this car is a bit precious and registered to the managing director of RRG, caution wins. The car feels surefooted and has a nice direct feeling front end.

    We push up the hill and soon catch a straggler who after a time opts to pull over and let me past. This car has some presence on the road. The A54 has a lot of crests and dips. I push hard along these trying not to get airborne, and the car copes with compressions well, the undertrays remaining as good as new!  The damping is good and the car feels controlled, no float and whilst we are in Sport mode, we are in normal mode for damping which is probably a good thing on a road such as this. There is zero slop in the suspension and as I push hard into an uphill left hander, the car feels direct and well connected.

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    What dominates the experience is the power. Perhaps it’s because I’m used to a whole 213bhp and half the torque of the Supra that I am constantly gobsmacked by the mid range torque of this car. It flies and the rate it piles the speed on constantly impresses. What I do notice and perhaps this is due to the shorter wheel base compared to my GT86 is that the Supra responds, really well, but feels like it may be a little more of a handful when the rear does let go. I didn’t turn the stability control or traction off on this drive given it was the only available demonstrator in the northwest, but I could feel it cutting in as I applied the throttle mid corner interrupting my progress and making it feel like I’m point and squirting the car down the straights in-between corners. Given the power of the engine, it’s making the Cat and Fiddle feel a bit too tight and twisty. It’s almost as if it craves some long fast sweepers where I can properly load the suspension and get it to work a bit longer. I’m desperate to try adjusting the throttle mid corner but here I feel like I’m either on it or off it, again stability aids making it feel a bit too binary for my liking. Thinking about it more, as the wheels are smeared with 275 wide rear tyres and 255 up front, with these super sticky tyres it’s not easy to exploit the handling and response on a dry road.

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    I need more time behind the wheel to try out the features properly, play with damping modes and it would be interesting to see what it feels like on a wet road. One thing that has not come to mind is the turbo. There doesn’t really seem to be any lag with pushing the throttle, there’s no wait for a response. Whilst I would prefer a more sensitive throttle, this is probably more about my conditioning with my super sensitive throttle on my own car. The engine is very responsive, but perhaps it’s the mid-range torque that really dominates, though it does run freely to the limiter if you’re brave enough. The Supra just simply decimates roads like these, shortening the straights and bringing the next corner to you at an ever increasing rate. My mind is trying to process it all. I should also add that I didn’t try automatic mode as such, though I was really impressed by the speed of the upshifts using the paddles, I was probably in too low a gear a lot of the time, trying to remember I have eight gears to deal with rather than six. User error I admit, but there is a lot going on when you have a lot less time to think between corners!

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    With the Cat and Fiddle road bullied into submission by the Supra, I ease off and try to collect my thoughts. This would be a nice car to live with. The interior switchgear will be familiar to anyone who owns a current BMW and this is no bad thing. It feels in a different world compared to the hard plastics in my car and well, one would have to expect that given it’s twice the price. The infotainment systems are obvious BMW and there are a myriad of functions. I admit I was a little too busy driving to get a chance to try everything out. There is also a nifty head up display showing speed limit and speed, though I put the seat on its lowest setting so couldn’t see it, though it can be adjusted I’m told.

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    I like the dash with the central tachometer. Why don’t all cars have this, speed is always secondary to revs after all. I’m finding it a bit difficult keeping an eye on the digital speedometer, it would be better placed in the middle of the rev counter I think, but that’s reserved for what gear and drive mode the car is in. It’s probably a matter of getting used to these things though. The seats are nicely supportive and feel better than the seats in my GT86 which are really good. I like the feel of the controls and thinner steering wheel is a nice touch. Visibility is good, though at first I’m drawn to the huge chunky A pillars and small windscreen. Five minutes behind the wheel though and I’m not noticing it. Visibility from the rear view mirror feels a little like looking down a tunnel with the long rear windscreen framing the view, though there is a very good reversing camera that does apparently stop you hitting things as well as highlighting any points where you are close. There’s a decent boot as well, though the shape of the opening would restrict bulky items. Having no rear seats helps though.

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    As my drive nears its end, I’m given a lot to think about. Wow, that engine, the power, the ease with which you can make other cars disappear in you rear view mirror, the effortless overtaking, the way in which it pushes you back into your seat. If you’ve had a bad day, you could instantly improve your mood with one deft shove of the accelerator. I never felt like I could really properly assess the handling, which such high limits of grip and the stability control putting me on the naughty step. I absolutely understand that in a car with this kind of power how a less experienced driver could quickly find themselves in a whole lot of trouble very quickly in this car if it allowed more slip. Also with the short wheelbase, you will have to be quick to catch it. I think it will remind me more of driving mid-engined cars where opposite lock has to accurate and quickly applied. Things such as these I want to explore more. The Supra is enticing me to come back as there is unfinished business here. When RRG Macclesfield have their own demonstrator I look forward to getting to know this car better. I like it, a lot.

    Familiarity with this car makes me like the looks more. I love how it's got it's own look with a really obvious link to the MKIV Supra and bringing the old badge back. 

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    CherryBomb, MrBenoJacko, Stutopia and 6 others reacted to this

  20. Posted · Report reply

    Event Title: NW Curry night with special guest Tue 15th Oct
    Event Author: Lauren
    Event Date: 15.10.2019

    Our good friend, Ross is coming to Cheadle for a few days, so it would be rude not to catch up and give him the northern curry experience. :)

    It is a new restaurant and I've been itching to give it a try. What more could you want, plenty of car talk and a decent curry to go with it. ;)

    I'm going to try and book a table for 8pm:

    https://jathra.co.uk

    Jathra Restaurant

    90 Wilmslow Rd, Handforth SK9 3ES

    There is some parking out front and round the side, but plenty of alternative parking on the surrounding roads. 

    Let me know if you are coming as I will look to finalise the booking by Sunday, Monday at the latest. 

    1. Ross

    2. Lauren

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    NW Curry night with special guest Tue 15th Oct

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  23. Posted · Report reply

    9 hours ago, Church said:

    For new ones eco gas is back? Didn't know that. And price quoted seems sensible (was it for full fill or slight topping up though?). After all refill for me back then was 400eur 😕

    It was expensive a few years ago, but R1234yf is not expensive now. 

  24. Posted · Report reply

    4 hours ago, Church said:

    Eek. Whenever i look at that sticker and see R1234yf, i can only let out heavy sight. It was for not that much of production time, and not that long after manufacturing date of mine reverted to cheaper, but i didn't luckied out :(

    You lucked in as pretty much every car has used R1234yf for a fair few years now so it will be getting cheaper than R134A as the price of that goes up. 

  25. Posted · Report reply

    5 hours ago, Twigman said:

    So it says R-134a - that's the cheaper gas isn't it? 

    It was but now may well be more expensive while the other one is getting a lot cheaper about the same as what R134A was. So YMMV. 

    R134A was only used fleetingly in the GT86 around 2013-14, for about six months. Everything beyond that and before that if you have a 2012 build will be  R1234YF.  A new bonnet would not come with a sticker, so it can only be the original one unless it was a second hand bonnet? 

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