smudge

Got bored this afternoon so started playing around with the new brakes 1st up was seeing how big these were over the standard ones, so I just placed the disc on the studs to take a look Standard setup 362mm disc covers the old caliper and disc! Then I decided to clean them up a bit and split the discs from the bells to get everything looking good again Dirty carrier compared to a cleaned up one 2 cleaned up carriers Discs and bells split apart Clear that they've lost some colour, so thinking about painting them black along with the carriers too so that the new calipers stand out more And finally checked the condition of the discs a bit more closely, everything seems to be spot on. Still 32mm thick, no sign of wear whatsoever really! Plan is to spray the bells and carriers black, clean up all the bolts that hold the discs together and get the calipers looking smart in a special colour

Not a major update, but purchased some STi engine and gearbox mounts from Stu on the owners forum to stiffen everything up a little bit

The following day? What stops you coming to this then?

My car gets a lot of looks, just take it as a compliment/jealousy

1. Spec K 2. rob275 3. Smudge

As mentioned after TSS at Snetterton, brakes have been on the shopping list for some time I'm not a fan of K Sport or D2 after seeing a few friends with them have issues over the years, so my only options were Brembo or AP but I really couldn't justify the £2000 price tag that they come with So I started looking at some old Scooby conversions that a few people have done, and came across some AP's off an 05 Blob-eyed Scooby...just couldn't say no! 6 pot calipers with 362mm discs! That should do the trick! need to be smartened up a bit and I'll be putting my own custom touch on them as I have done with everything else on the car Unfortunately it does mean I need some bigger track wheels...my 17's barely fit the discs let alone the calipers! Doubt I'll get them fitted before Rockingham on 1st November but updates will be over the next few weeks

Where'd you get it from James?

Nice little purchase to smarten up the heated seat buttons

Waiting to see more on the 335 kit

They are basically the same

2 more fantastic shots from the weekend that have popped up on Facebook

Ditto on the recent late night drives. The cool, dense air makes a huge difference to the power output

Over 200miles on them today, nothing really too testing though. Very quiet in the motorway cruise and very comfortable I went for 255/35/18 Awesome sunny day at Trax, car got a LOT of attention

Wheels are ON! And a quick wash to get her all ready for Trax tomorrow And of course, standard reflection shot

Quick video of the startup sequence from the gauges as well

Bit of an update, midway through my 3 day prep for Trax on Sunday 1st off was some front-end work including new grills, chrome indicator bulbs and removal of front fog lights Front bumper as fairly simple to take off All out Bulbs changed Comparison of the grills Before After Note the front badge has gone too, only to be changed though as it looks weird without one. Glue is a BIATCH to get off!!! Then it was time for a full wash, polish and wax And new badges on, front and back So she's all shiny and ready to go! But wait, there's more!!! Today was a bit more gruelling than just a clean and some small swaps. Today was fitting of the gauges, lowering the coilovers and fitting the new wheels! 1st off, sealed the wheels up and got some Hankook rubber fitted And then fitted the oil filter sandwich plate so that the sensors for the gauges could be added And after an age of having to CUT my dashboard to get everything to fit, we have a boost gauge, oil temp and oil pressure gauge fitted Oil pressure doesn't want to see to register for some reason, so will look at that tomorrow... Next up was lowering the coilovers by just under an inch all round to get her sitting how I wanted Got a bit stuck with the ARB links being a bit of a bitch, so ran out of time after she was lowered. Ending up with this All ready for a final wash and new wheels to be put on tomorrow before heading up to Trax Stay tuned to see the wheels, which will TRANSFORM the car!

Great to see everyone again and to meet some new faces too Thanks to Abbey and Rob for their hospitality, and special thanks to Carla and Faith for putting all sorts of odd thoughts into Michelle's head at the BBQ! BAD INFLUENCES you 2 are!!!

Had my HKS Hipermax IV GT's on for about 2500miles now, over a combination of long motorway cruises, twisty B roads, pot hole-ridden roads, speed bumps and even a bit of track driving. I've had a number of kits in the past on various cars, KW's, Weitec's, Tein's, BC Racing - and nothing has even come close to the overall awesomeness of my HKS's. Everyday driving consists of all road types and surfaces, and I found the OEM suspension to be very bouncy and "crashy" when riding on rougher surfaces with holes in the road. I'm sure Mas will be able to tell me more about why this is, but the HKS just seems to soak up and bumps at all. I even had a period where I was AIMING for potholes to see just how good the rebound reaction is, and it's incredibly smooth and comfortable. Much more comfortable than the OEM setup and any other coilovers I've had before On the track, you get tonnes of feedback from the suspension in the corners, allowing me to correct certain things in the corners and then adjust for next time. The Hipermax's go from being super smooth, to an extremely firm feel without compromising any comfort. They really are a fantastic all-round piece of kit, and they don't look too shabby either Highly recommended for anyone looking at a mid-range product, especially with the 25% off that HKS currently have on them

Just looking back on yesterday, I spent 2 hours cruising up to Snetterton, a few little sprints out of roundabouts here and there, a full day of sprinting round the track and then a 3 hour drive home (stuck in traffic). The car really had a full day on it's hands, and she didn't miss a beat. Love her more than ever right now Couple of videos from yesterday My 2nd run when the track was very greasy in the morning and I was still getting used to the new setup that I'd changed a little bit Then my 7th run which was my 2nd fastest run of the day (can tell I was pushing a bit harder than the 1st video) Didn't get to record my fastest as the battery in the GoPro went Really annoying that into Hamilton's (fast left hander) and then Oggy's (tight right hander) I was hitting the limiter about 200 yards too early, so couldn't shift up and had to coast into the corner. But main thing to take away is that I need some better brakes! The OEM ones do NOT like being stamped on with FI power going through the wheels!

Was at Snetterton today for my 1st session of the Toyota Sprint Series. 6 races throughout the year where Toyota's of all shapes and sizes compete together Started by leaving my place at 4.30am, had to get a cheeky photo when I stopped at Thurrock Services Of all the entrants, the GT86 is a popular car Which are split into 3 classes: N2 - Naturally aspirated street class F2 - Forced induction street class F1 - Forced induction pro class I was in class F2 with 3 others today. Played around with the HKS suspension a fair bit and managed to settle her down a lot more after the 1st run was very twitchy on the tight circuit. Was getting faster and faster throughout the day, and the car was really coming together, if not a bit hot So glad I'm not in the F1 class, I'd be up against this 400bhp beast! A fantastic day, great to meet some new faces - really enjoyed it and even came away with a trophy for finishing 2nd in the F2 class! Mas in the HKS GT86 was 2 seconds quicker, and after a few laps on the open track afterwards, we put it down to not being confident enough on the OEM brakes. Mas is able to stamp on his Brembo setup a lot harder and later than I can, making you a lot more confident going into a corner. Looks like brakes are next on my shopping list! Eyes on 1st place at the next stage in Croft in September Videos will be posted tomorrow

Today was awesome, picked up my new wheels and interior bits being sprayed in my custom colour We went for the grey from the Toyota (61K) as a basecoat, with my custom blend of purple pearl over the top. The result - oh WOW! Unfortunately it's very hard to take a decent picture of and really needs to be seen in the flesh Got all the pieces home And started to fit them Loving the look, getting rid of all the cheap looking silver in the interior. Just got to modify some of the dash to fit the gauge pod in the passenger side of the dash to finish it off Last but not least, the wheels! These are SEXY MOFOS! Wheels will be fitted in a week or so, just waiting for tyres to come through Prepared the car for TSS (Toyota Sprint Series) at Snetterton tomorrow, heading up in the morning for some more thrashing around a track got my own GoPro this time so will upload some more videos at the weekend

One of the guys put all our videos together instead of uploading them separately (idiot!) so I've used a site to chop my 2 videos: 2nd run out I think, had a press guy videoing me in the car. Awkward when he sticks the camera IN MY FACE! lol http://www.tubechop.com/watch/3444857 And then 6th run out I think, BIG drift on the way out of the "pit" area lol plus you can just about hear some supercharger whine too http://www.tubechop.com/watch/3444884

Will the system track "every" car on the road?! Highly doubt it, but would be awesome to get some of the tax-dodging bastards off the road It's not even that expensive. A lot of my friends moan about road tax every year - even if you're in the highest bracket it's a case of saving £40 a month...not a hard task!

1st track session today at Dunsfold round the North part of the Top Gear Test Track! Basically start line, down to the 1st corner but carry on straight instead of tight left, down to hammerhead which you go round backwards, all the way down the main straight to 2nd to last corner and Gambon. Great little test for the 86, with some tight turns and some high speed ones too, hitting up to 140mph on the back straight before heavy breaking into the 2nd to last corner Few pictures from today, videos are still being played with and uploaded (although the BEST one with the GoPro on the drivers rear window has corrupted ) All shiney and ready to go My personal favourite - DRIIIIIIFFFFT! Really amazing day, basically a press day for the Wings & Wheels show in a couple of weeks time which me and few others were chosen to go on. Just a morning of blitzing round the track with some media guys in the passenger seats taking shed loads of videos and photos. Car was SPOT on, sharp turn in, punches out of the corners and could still have some good old fashioned sideways action when I wanted to. Brakes didn't cope amazingly, particularly coming into a tight corner from 140mph...but they'll get replaced soon anyway (watch this space!) She's all ready for Snetterton at the weekend now

Just seen it pop up on Facebook, and now all the major news sites are confirming it http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-28749702 So sad to think that a man who brought so much joy to the world can be so sad in themselves to take their own life. A truly unique actor with countless performances that he'll be remembered for RIP Robin