Special K

Mine is similar to your NZ friend, Mark (turbo, 25-row oil cooler). On cold startup I see 7-8bar, at 3krpm warm it's 3-4bar. I'm using Millers 0W40 oil. Overheating is an issue but it only arises on sustained trackday use - I saw 135degrees at Oulton Park with sustained 6kplus engine revs. This is being addressed by repositioning the oil cooler for better air flow and vented undertray/bonnet. Heat buildup in the engine bay is, of course, an issue with turbo that does not arise with s/c in competition. I hope to guage the results at a Brands evening trackday in June before Woodbridge. If I can remember how to drive... Spec K

Engine was fitted with OEM pump rotors, plan was to install Reimax with the HKS upgrade. I have now reverted to the OEM. (Good idea to split the thread, Mark) Spec K

James, The GT86 torque converter has particularly thin blades, which are prone to warp under heat - mine did. Uprated valve body assembly/pressures engages the dog clutches/input shafts faster and more positively, reducing friction/heat. Uprated dog clutches (again, SSP) were part of my 2015 upgrade but they failed to arrive from the States before my engine rebuild was almost complete. Without the time to install these before the TSS commenced I took the decision to re-install the modified engine, run the first Sprint and then go for the planned transmission upgrade before the next round. However, the trans failed just after I had completed the 500 miles engine bedding-in a week before Snet (round one) - and the failure was overheated/burned out clutches. (The running-in was completed with zero boost and a strict 3000rpm rev limit). As I have stated previously, the standard autotrans is rated up to 260bhp - no need to do anything if you're below that level and pussyfoot around country lanes in old biddy mode... Recommended ATF for high output trans (and endorsed by Andy Frost, see Red Victor 1 Racing) is Red Line Synthetic ATF. Stocked by Fensport. Spec K

Memories.. My wife and daughter were insistent that we took both brother and sister from Cat Rescue... they were inseperable, so I reluctantly agreed.. The discussions over names became interminably boring, increasingly expressive and, worst of all, threatened the very fabric of home life - I was unable to enjoy the televised British Grand Prix. Outrageous.. A democratic decision had to be made... so I made it. "He's Buddy and she's Holly".... and so they have remained. Spec K

Aww..... dry your eyes, we'll make you an 'honorary Keith'.... (I once had a cat called Biscuit....) Spec K

Ah..... good point. And a good call for a manual trans car. But you don't have to shout! Spec K

On balance - and presuming output in the 240bhp region - I would recommend the uprated torque converter. Most manual f/i cars will be upgrading their clutches to cope with the additional 80-odd bhp, so it's the same thing, really. But converters generate heat - one item you might consider is the finned trans oil sump which Tommy at Summit showed me - a cheaper option than the SSP oil cooler. Mark at Abbey was the first to fit the SSP upgrade to a s/c car (I believe) - the guy was a Lydden for the BHP Show but I've not seen/heard from him since and I don't know how he has fared - it might be worth asking Mark. Spec K

Nige.... Nige, Nige, Nige.... forget the engine, my blurry eardrums would break !! Have you heard a s/cut sequential? Adrian is/has putting one in his car... how's he gonna get earmuffs inside his bone-dome? Listen to the in-car video of the GPRM projectile.. you're trying to put me in a box before my time! (C'mon, man - speak up! I can't hear you....) Yes, Tareim - the SSP upgrades will meet the extra demands of f/I. Yes - Fensport declined to touch the auto box because they admit to having no knowledge of it. (Considering that all Toyo warranty claims on auto boxes result in a replacement, not parts - and every box is shipped out to nowhere - is it fit for purpose? Raises questions, yes?). What matters is what your demands are, so listen to your f/i installer... If you are looking for just a street car with added grunt up to, say, 210-240bhp at the hubs (which is 35%-45% more than the std. car) the SSP uprated torque converter and stage one valve body assembly will suit you. That's it - a simple replacement jobby, nothing else required. Well, mebbe a better ATF... If you are looking for street car with attitude (and a yearning to take it seriously, say 240-260bhp, with Sprint) then I would choose the torque converter, upgrade stage two valve body assembly and consider seriously the rear trans oil cooler option, which includes an electric pump. This is not a simple replacement jobby - this is tapping take-offs/returns to the trans oil sump and routing oil pipes, mounting the heat exchanger on brackets inside the rear bumper, mounting/wiring in electric pump and (I recommend) fabricating a stone-guard over it. So we're into Abbey Motorsport/Fensport techy fit territory If you're looking at more than the occasional trackday as well (or, like me, wanna drive 200-odd miles at Spa on a 2013 day or seriously give it some beans at Oulton, as Lauren and I did in Feb this year) then, at that level of bhp, you're gonna need the uprated clutches. You would also be looking to improve the trans oil cooling, as the 'rear bumper' location is inefficient My car was dyno'd in Feb this year in both maps - road and race. The turbo boost difference, mapped at my request, was approx 0.2bar At the lower pressure I was producing, at the hubs 244bhp at 6700rpm / 216lb-ft torque at 4600rpm. Add 0.2bar and the respective figures were 265bhp/234lb-ft, which I ran for the final Sprint last year. I have happily run the lower figure for over a year, on the road, without autotrans upgrade. But I was on the ragged edge of reliability when it came to trackdays - it was a blessing I survived Spa and was (I think) down to the fact it's a low gear-change circuit. Oulton Park (with the added boost) cooked my box, we now know - my engine temp went up to 130degrees, so the trans oil was way above that.. the dog clutches removed from the box were 'blued/burned out' through overheating. Tareim - merely to give you another matter to put into you mental arithmetic. I am running a 4.67 diff ratio - not the standard 4.1 diff ratio - so I am faster off the line and using more gears... even in road traffic my car is changing gear far more frequently (and with more slip) than normal. Slip generates heat - and it is heat/distortion which buggers the box. Happy to share because it can improve the breed. Spec K

James, I am re-siting the transmission oil cooler/electric pump from the rear (inside the rear bumper) and the engine oil cooler (in front of the intercooler). More on that later. Nige, I am told the manual ECU mapping is totally incompatible with the auto ECU mapping. Swaps as you suggest are fraught with problems. And the cost/benefit for Ecutek (or any other elecronics remodeller) to undertake the time commitment for a mere handful of autotrans cars in the world does not warrant it. Be that as it may.... my car is back with Fensport, Adrian has road tested it !! More on that later... Spec K

A trio of Keiths with but one different ce... no prizes for guessing what it is and a bucket of used sump oil over the head of whoever mentions it.. Spec K

James - it is not the power that is the issue, it is the autotrans. The engine is a solid as a rock once you drop the c/r... I don't know what the GPRM car is producing but it has to be north of 500bhp to live with the Astons and BMWZ4's in Avon GT racing . But that is fitted with an Xtreme 6-speed sequential box, rated at over 800bhp.. I have been offered a custom built autotrans - 4 speed - which would handle 1000bhp and could be made to fit. But no-one in the world (and I do mean no-one, as far as I have researched) has tried to unravel the autotrans ECU maps. And without that it's a waste of time to even think about it - you might just as well buy a manual and mod it to take an autotrans. Spec K

I don't want to pre-empt my dialogue but I can in all honesty say.... I don't know. Spec K

Yep, looks nice. But there's no turbo manifold... and is it 2.5" ? Spec K

.. because I've bought one as a spare... ( I've bought every other fscking thing on the market as a spare so I thought I'd make it a full house.. can't drive it though, it's a blurry manual..) Special_K , I have been 'Special K' (with helmet design, pictures and copy in Autosport/Motoring News) since my original entry as a 750MC competitor in 1967. It was my moniker through my advancement into Clubmans Supersports (driving the works Haggispeed) until I took a short break, in 1976. I returned to motorsport in 2013, a mere 37 years later (I said it was a short break!), when I was enervated to find that the moniker had remained unused. I am happy to concede this title/honour to you if you can demonstrate an earlier precedent. Spec K

Keethos.. .. the ugly duckling has transformed into a swan... brilliant! From weakness comes forth strength... .. but, as I'm a nit-picky 'Anti-Bling Party' founder member, it needs black stripes to 'join' the bonnet vents to the roof... and the rear spoiler, visually hanging in mid air, needs a rethink.. It looks delicious... and I cannot wait to see it in the flesh. Spec K

" Hollywood... here we come!! " Does ace driver become A.C.E editor....? Spec K

Love it! (Apart form the boozing, wimmening, overspeeding, no old fogeys thing.. not..) ... Smudge, how do I get an invite on this? Spec K

The 'upgraded oil pump' was binned by my engine builder, as its clearance tolerances were outside his acceptable parameters when compared with 'standard' Toyo clearances. We are talking tiddy bits here - 2thou to 5thou? - but sufficient to cause blow-by at these psi pressures.. Fensport immediately checked their stock items, all had the same tolerance as mine and I am told they checked with Nige.. I believe they are "re-manufacturing" them - is that right, Nige? Spec K

Mark - have HKS addressed this issue with their stroked crank? Spec K

I may have missed a previous post - sorry - but if you are talking about 'brace' as in top/bottom bracing in the engine bay I can vouch for their efficacy. A top 3-point and bottom 4-point Summit brace transformed the steering/suspension 'feel' and response on my car, even before I went f/i. And it was the bottom brace that made the real impact on me... all of the imprecise 'wobbly jelly' feel disappeared and I could feel the difference that even minor changes in camber/toe in made. It's difficult to explain to those who've never come to grips with a fully rose-jointed spaceframe race car.. It also sharpens your senses to what the tyres are doing, and the difference other tyres make. My car was driven by Adrian Smith (Fensport) and by Colin Hoad (CAT) at a Tein suspension development day at Millbrook (with Pitman) and their input has convinced me. Ignore my advice if it pleases you.. it is so long since I drove a GT86 I am now at inner peace with myself by frightening every learner driver in my locality by driving my tonka toy straight at 'em or overwhelming their rear mirror... it is the little things in life that provide vicarious pleasure.... Spec K

James - I didn't 'blow' the transmission, I cooked it.... overheated with some overexuberant, overrevving trackday driving.. the matter is being resolved. Smudge, you are right in thinking forged engine bits if you want to retain reliability over 1bar boost. The GPRM Avon car is running 2.2bar boost with forged pistons/rods. And a standard crank.... (gulp) Spec K

Oooerr.... this could get a bit confusing.. Spec K

I am gutted that I'm not there to see the 'unveiling', Keethos... ... will we see you at a Sprint this year? Spec K Spec K

There is some serious technical data in this thread - thanks, Jay, Mark and all who are contributing. I think I am the only turbo car (in the UK) who has gone HKS forged kit so far. And I have asked hashiriya if there are any plans in the pipeline for HKS to produce a lower c/r piston, as the current offering is 11.5:1, which is not far off our basic c/r. Which, without refined boost management, is about as useful (to a turbo car) as a chocolate teapot... There seems to be, from the data posted, a demand on the s/c brigade to generate high revs to produce high performance/engine efficiency. Am I reading your published data wrong? Spec K

Steve - the forged HKS kit has a c/r of approx 11.5:1 - way above Cossie or Merkin forged pistons but with s/c engines it is not so much of a knock issue as it could be with turbo. Or so I am told. We shall see. Spec K