Getting back into motorsports; making my daily FR-S dual-purpose

Minor update: It's been a great season of commuting, road trips, and motorsports events! I've still got to sort out bracket clearance for the passenger seat airbag wiring, but figure I'll do it in the off season. If any Twins owners want an aftermarket seat install walkthrough, I'm your man, LMK.

Until the get the wiring extended, passengers are strictly forbidden from moving the seat! Did a several hour road trip last weekend with a GRMer friend to visit another car friend and the FR-S delivered in spades as always. As a side bonus, fuel economy remains awesome; even with premium. The new seats are perfect for long drive comfort! Full disclosure, I still work for scheel-mann USA, but the long distance driving comfort is transformed over the mediocre-at-best stock setup with these awesome orthopedic seats which are adjustable and can accommodate real-sized American drivers/passengers!

On the same roadtrip last weekend, I picked up a Perrin oil cooler and will soon be purchasing a P3 Cars OBD gauge both for fitment during the off season as well...and I might pursue a few further mild aesthetic tweaks as well.

As the season winds down I registered for autocross both this weekend and next, then on to the winter doldrums after that!

We had a photographer come by work to take some photos of the custom seats in my car, plus the custom seats in our new company promo car. Still loving how the scheel-mann factory in Germany  matched the factory red stitching! The air bladder adjustable lumbar support is icing on the cake! scheel-mann usa is still small enough that custom is no problem if time isn't too tight.

The aforementioned company promo car in case anyone is bored with my FR-S. Group 4 911 rally replica built on a 70's shell with a 1989 Motronic Carrera heart, and plenty of KW suspension and Braid wheel widebody goodness...with a lightened reciprocating assembly and aftermarket exhaust , the throttle response is divine, and the sound....oh, the sound! I'm still reliving my first ride and in it weeks later. Did I mention the throttle response? So immediate...I can't describe it accurately, but awesome.

So...what does a set of custom seats like those cost?

In reply to russde :

The final price depends upon a bunch of variables. The sky is the limit for customization, and if you can dream it, we can build it. We're driven to fit seats to you so you can have unparalleled all-day driving comfort. We have both standard and XXL sizes to cover most of humanity. Everything-included bolt-in solution with mounting hardware and custom leather upholstery and stitching being the highest price, cloth upholstery ready-to-bolt-in below that, and off-the-shelf seats that you figure out how to install below that. Not trying to venture into canoe territory here, but the core of our business is individual consultation to find the best seat for you and your budget. Generally, the newer the vehicle, the more challenging it becomes with airbags and occupancy sensors, but we are always happy to help. If you are the stereotypical GRMer stuck in the 90's/early 2000's, everything is easy! 

If you have a particularly vision, we have access to thousands of upholstery options. Cloth, leather, leatherette, alcantara.

In-stock seats shipped to your door with all the mounting hardware start around $2320 each depending upon application. They all have 10-way adjustment including two-way adjustable lumbar support. They also have seat heaters and map net pocket already installed. Custom order seats have a sixteen week lead time and range from $1700-3500 each depending upon options, once again shipped to your door. I can drive a full day in these with zero discomfort, and I'm confident they will last multiple decades with periodic care. If you spend a E36 M3ton of time behind the wheel, the cost quickly amortizes into nothing but comfort and happiness.

In a slightly-after-the-fact post, here are some pictures from the last couple autocrosses of the year:

The car did well, and I had fun messing around with damping settings a little, as well as playing with TCS Sport vs everything off with the pedal dance to see what difference they make. I might not be fast, but on the last event, I got 5 runs on the morning and 5 more in the afternoon. My afternoon runs were all within 0.2 seconds of each other, so I'm consistent, and hitting some sort of limit. I suspect it is the 7 year-old Dunlop Direzzas ZII with multiple trackdays and plenty of autocross runs on them.

In the off season I'll keep daily driving the car, and plan to dial in a little bit more front negative camber and get it aligned, as well as replace the aged-out tires. I favor wear over ultimate performance, and given the lack of sound deadening in the FR-S, road noise is a concern, especially for the events a 2-3 hour drive away. What stock-size tire (215/45-17) should I replace the Direzza ZII with? I use the sticky tires for autocross, trackdays, and some street driving. I've been running time only, so autocross classing isn't a big concern. Typical warm weather is in the 80's in summer, so I'm not doing extended track sessions on 95 degree days. Early/late season can be high 40's in the morning. Having the option of swapping at work or at the shop and then driving to and from events, and even around town during the week when events are stacked thickly on the calendar is important to me.

In reply to ae86andkp61 (Forum Supporter) :

If you favor wear over performance the Falken rt615k+ or the Hankook RS4 would be a good option. The RS4s would likely age out LONG before you run them to cords considering you were able to get so many years out of the Direzzas. The rt615k+ price is really hard to beat. My only complaint is annoying rotation due to directionally tread design and a bit weak with rain dispersion. Personally I'm in love with the Michelin Pilot Sport 4s as I no longer change tires between events. It's a great do it all tire and usually within a second or better of the guys I usually would match in times.

Whatever you choose I think we are kinda living in the golden age of tires. Pretty hard to pick a terrible one.

In reply to captainawesome :

Thanks for the input; much appreciated. I've had my eye on some Michelin PS4s, so nice to have experienced feedback!

Cool that you work for Scheel-mann.   Are you on the customization team?  Once my powerball ticket hits i'll be getting a set.

In reply to onemanarmy :

Thanks; it is cool and I'm so lucky to have this job! 
I'm part of the team at scheel-man usa, which is three people total, so yes, I'm on the customization team.  I'm also on the warehouse team, the sales team, the dealer support team, the phone-answering team, and the taking-out-the recycling  team!  We're small enough we all have to pitch in everywhere, which is mostly fun and exciting. Helping with custom orders is fun, so I'll look forward to taking your call or email when you hit the lottery!

In FR-S news, I also scored a deal on a lightly-used Perrin oil cooler kit from a fellow autocross club member. He went back to stock before selling his car, and sold off a number of his aftermarket parts.

I'll certainly use the mounting system, thermostatic sandwich plate, and the lines/fittings, which look in great shape. I'm contemplating replacing the actual cooler with new as a preventative measure. It came off a running and driving, well maintained car owned by an enthusiast, so it isn't like a mystery used eBay oil cooler, or a blew-my-engine, so I'm selling my oil cooler which now probably has shards of metal in it scenario. What does the hive think? Flush it, back-flush it, and run it, or replace? 
 

I'm also eyeing one of the P3 Cars OBD gauges. It is vehicle-specific, and integrates into half of one of the dash vents, so the install looks really clean.

In reply to ae86andkp61 (Forum Supporter) :

After installing a used oil cooler on my car and eventually having issues with my fa20 not too long after, I'd go for a new core. Unless you can get it flushed and ultrasonic cleaned it's just not worth the risk. Also are you sure you need an oil cooler yet? Unless you are tracking hard all year I'm not sure you need it.

In reply to captainawesome :

I don't know that I need an oil-cooler. The oil temp reading capability is part of my interest in the P3 Cars gauge, because then I will have some data. I figured since the oil cooler was local and a deal I would pick it up, and resell it if I don't need it. 

For a while now I've been presuming that I'm fine given the fact that I've been doing trackdays without an oil cooler and haven't had any engine issues, or any of my oil analysis coming back with red flags. When I bring it up, 99% of the internet tells me that my oil is getting insanely hot, and an oil cooler is a must for any track work. 

In reply to ae86andkp61 (Forum Supporter) :

I know there are plenty of examples of folks who need them but I think the average Joe that tracks only a few times a year should be fine. You getting oil analysis and observing temps are definitely a good plan. Glad to see you are doing your due diligence.

I'm thinking ahead to 2023 and want to continue doing autocross and track days for seat time and improving myself as a driver.

I still love this chassis and the exterior styling really does it for me. So many things about the 2022 sound very appealing (more torque, more refinement, more chassis stiffness, same playful driver's car character, only a few pounds more weight.)

While both new versions are attractive cars, they don't compare to the original FR-S for exterior styling IMO. If I were to get a new one, I prefer the aesthetics of the Toyota, but the exact spec I want is really hard to find and Toyota doesn't do special orders. I registered interest online and I've had dealers calling me trying to sell me a spec I don't want at a markup, and my thinking is that if I'm paying a premium, no way in hell am I paying a premium for something that isn't exactly what I want.

This line of thinking lead to pipe dreams of finding a crashed 2022 and swapping the engine into my car, but near as I can tell this project is a huge (if not impossible) undertaking due to ECU, engine sensor, and vehicle electrical system differences, and nobody has done it yet. Basically, my car's ECU/sensors/wiring can't run the FA24, and trying to put the new ECU/sensors/wiring into the older car seems like it creates an epic clusterberkeley of compatibility issues, plus possible emissions compliance issues, and general play-nice-with-all-of-the-rest-of-the-older-car's-systems issues.

Going standalone means paying big $ to get it tuned/running OK, but it still won't be anywhere near OE levels of refinement, and also won't be emissions compliant, and may impact other vehicle systems (?) which is a non-starter for a daily driver in an area with biannual testing.

I also considered the possibility of buying a new one and attempting to backdate the fenders and front/rear fascia, but I think this approach (if even possible) is a quick way to make a mess of a new car I just paid a premium for, and would likely cost way more and take way longer in bodywork/paint than it seems at first glance.

So...I started thinking about ways to coax a bit more torque out of the FA20 without losing much from the features of the car I like (light weight, tossable, linear power delivery, decent fuel mileage, daily driver/weekend fun, reliable, emissions-compliant) and now I'm thinking about a little bit of positive-displacement supercharged boost. 

Got her all cleaned up and shined up today! The road trip to visit family over the holidays in the FR-S involved snow and ice, gravel that was put down for the ice, and then crazy wind and rain storms on the way back, which meant fording spots of standing water, driving through tons of downed limbs, and a few miles of gravel roads. There were muddy boots clambering in and out, snacks consumed inside the car, and it got dirty inside and out.

Today I did a foam cannon, thorough hand wash, clay bar, and finished with paint sealer. Inside got a vacuum and wipe down. I love the way this car looks, and life is great when you own a car that makes me say, "that's a great-looking car!" every time you walk up and every time you look back after parking. 

One more photo of the current level of shininess! I believe that as-of this afternoon I have a coated ACE 350 4-2-1 header, flex fuel sensor, and ECUTek cable on the way to me! That along with a tune should help minimize the torque dip for trackdays! I've never used or seriously explored the possibility of E85, but the flex fuel stuff comes with the header, so I'm game for entertaining the possibility. 
 

Still working on procuring a bit of boost to go along with the other mods; I've got my eye on a Harrop Supercharger kit. I'm really excited about a bit of tuning for this car!

Uh-oh...after 9 years of 100% stock drivetrain, I've tipped over the first domino!  The header, ECUTek, Flex Fuel kit, and bonus all new header gaskets and some of new bushings arrived today!

I'll just have to keep reminding myself that this car is a dual-purpose daily, and that I'm going to slightly amplify the stock characteristics.
 

I'm not rapidly going down the rabbit hole of more power, more grip, more brakes, firmer suspension, more aero, more chassis stiffness, more safety equipment...and then I'm trying to commute and do road trips in something way too specialized.

Glamour shots from a photoshoot at work. I'm still working on acquiring a supercharger; hopefully will have an update soon. I'm trying to learn about ECUTEK, flex fuel, and tuning, and may or may not use the headers. 
 

E85 is not readily available in my area; worth the hassle?

Also, I'm leaning heavily towards going with a baseline tune with remote revisions based on road session logging from a marque expert, rather than a dyno tune with a local tuner who may or may not have tuned an FA20 twin before. As a total noob at this, I feel like platform-specific experience is worth a lot and could save a ton in dyno time from local ECUTEK BillyBob Tuner and his dyno, but I'm happy to hear any input one way or another.

Skip e85 if it's not near you. Once you get supercharged you won't need it anyway, and if you do, it means clutch upgrade for sure as well as injectors. So depending on how far you want to go down the rabbit hole it may not be something you really need.

I recommend Counterspace Garage for tuning. They also do a great job pointing you in the direction you want to go, not what everyone thinks they need. So when it comes to whether the headers are a good choice for YOU, they can give you the pros and cons to weigh out.

In reply to captainawesome :

Thanks the input; it helps confirm what I'm hearing elsewhere. There is a repair shop/small filling station nearby with E70 (open repair shop hours, not gas station hours) so I think I'll likely skip the corn juice for now. I don't want to get neck deep into mods, so starting with the supercharger makes sense. I'm sure any power left on the table by not going full tilt on the mods will be forgotten as I enjoy the lack of a torque dip.

If I can come out of turn 11 at ORP (clockwise) in third gear and get some meaningful uphill acceleration, I'll be ecstatic! At the moment, it is a accelerator-on-the-floor in third at ~4000rpm affair, and if I grab second gear, I'm at redline and back into third wondering if I gained or lost. If I stay in third, the rate of acceleration is glacial until I crest the hill. I guess the one upside of my current situation is I can brake just before the last brake marker for turn 13. 

In reply to ae86andkp61 (Forum Supporter) :

You bring up a good point. Thermal capacity on the brakes will be tested and probably proven inadequate with a supercharger if tracking heavily. I'd start seeing what will fit your current wheels now and budget that into future upgrades. The nice part of most kits is you can print out the fitment template before you buy something that won't fit.

With all of that said, you may be fine just getting a few hot laps in before taking some cool down laps. Especially if the car isn't as much track focused and still needs to be daily capable. I can have fun using 80% of it's potential on track and 100% everywhere else. It's taken me a while for me to realize and accept that concept.

In reply to captainawesome :

Thanks for the input/validation. I will print off some templates and see what fits. As it is, the stock base-model brakes with upgraded pads and track fluid have been adequate. I've been (successfully) walking the tightrope between dust/noise/cold street performance and deep-into-the-end-of-the-straight-18-minutes-into-the-20-minute-session track performance. I feel like that might just shift with a supercharger.  If I'm honest, the brakes are noisy and dusty as berkeley, but hey, trackday life! 
 

I wonder if more thermal capacity through a moderate size bump and a similar dual-duty compound could work with the added speed. Reduced unsprung weight along with the bigger rotors/calipers would be icing on the cake. Another option is ducting, with or without the upgrade. Nothing is decided yet, and as you suggested, I could try it and see how it goes, doing some 8/10ths laps as needed to manage fade.

Did a few small tasks on the car today. There is a potential for cold and maybe a little snow tomorrow night, so I took the track tires/wheels off and went back to the stock setup.

I also softened the coilovers a bit, figuring it will help with the next few weeks of commuting until motorsports events start in earnest, and I lowered the right front corner to match the ride heights of elsewhere (it was about 0.25" higher  for some reason, probably my sloppy measurements.) 

I also replaced the gasket on the engine oil fill cap. It had gotten old/hard enough to leak just enough to have a little residue around the cap and filler, despite wiping them both off each time I'm under hood. A few bucks well spent, IMO.

I ran out of time before installing my P3 cars OBD gauge, but should be able to tackle it sometime soon.

I'm also still working with the seller on the newly-rebuilt used Harrop supercharger regarding purchase. She's working on packaging so she can get some shipping quotes. Hopefully I'll have an update soon.

Torque is a hell of a drug. Sounds like this ships my way tomorrow and I can't wait!

Minor update: the used supercharger kit is in my possession. I need to order a belt, an air filter, and might replace some of the hoses. I will also be redoing the wiring for the inline water pump (for the chargecooler.) The PO kindly threw it in, but a couple wires pulled out of the terminals in shipping, so I'm just gonna go ahead and assume if they can't bounce around in a box for a few miles, all the crimps need redoing.

Still thinking I'll do a big weekend of installing supercharger, oil cooler, boost sensor, maybe oil pressure sensor? maybe header? possible air-oil separator, new strut tower brace (s/c clearance) and new front splitter all at once. A few more parts to buy before I'll have everything ready.

I did a wheel/tire swap and some check over work in preparation for next Saturday's autocross. Unfortunately I had a stuck lug nut. I got it slightly loosened with a breaker bar, and got a penetrating oil tip in there and hosed the area down. A few minutes later I worked the lugnut on a bit, off a bit, on a bit, off a bit, back and forth with the breaker bar. Let it sit a bit more, then broke out my muscle and removed the lugnut. It put up a bit of a fight, but not an insane fight, and it looks like a couple turns of threads galled. Here's the lugnut as it came off, right next to the offending stud.

I have some spare lugnuts, but no studs. I do have M12x1.25 tap and die, which I put into action with cutting fluid. I cleaned everything thoroughly after chasing threads. The offending nut threaded easily and smoothly onto the offending stud by fingertip. I ordered a replacement stud, and reinstalled the offending nut so as not up damage another lugnut. It went on smoothly and torqued down happily enough, and most of the threads look OK, but I'm leery about running it next weekend if I don't get the stud replaced. The venue is a 2 minute drive or 10 minute walk from my shop, but still...holding the wheels on in an autocross environment ain't nothing to berkeley with!

I might have to break out my small emergency backup car and autocross the Cappuccino!

I also did a test-fit on my P3 Cars integrated gauge. Wow, what a slick bit of kit! It retains vent function, and plugs into the OBD port. Options include wiring it to the car's gauge dimmer, and adding/calibrating additional sensors,  neither of which I tackled yet. I mocked it up and connected it to test functionality. I'll get to adding wiring and finalizing the harness routing once I install the supercharger.

Just plugged it in, and I have:

-IAT

-Coolant temp

-Ignition advance

-EGT

-AFR

-Throttle opening

-Vehicle speed

-0-60 timer

-RPM with programmable shift light

-Vacuum/boost

-Battery voltage 

Very cool!

But where's the oil temp? It is supposed to be a supported function for the twins, but I don't see it. Mild bummer because oil temp was the primary motivation for buying the gauge, but the extras are so cool, it is still pretty awesome. Will have to call P3 Cars on Monday. If push comes to shove I can add a 0V-5V gauge and wire it in.

So far this week I ordered a replacement front wheel stud, and did a few more tweaks to the coilovers as I continue to wrap my head around the range of adjustments. I also ordered a new supercharger belt. 
 

I did a little fiddling with the coilover adjustments on the weekend, and then heard occasional noise from the left rear on potholes and similar. Not so much a clunk as a "CLUNKZoiiinnng" that made me think either a spring shifts slightly on the perch then snaps back into place, or something funky with the tender spring  when suddenly unweighting, or maybe the lower spring perch grub screw came loose and the perch was being twisted around the shock body by the extreme range of motion of the springs, or something similar.

I inspected the corner in question and noticed the dust cover seems to be scraping on the shock body. See the remains of the KW sticker.

Did some searching online and found it isn't unheard of the twins with these coilovers, but also isn't a serious issue. The grub screw has tight. This corner was riding a skosh high, and the dust cover looked like it was slightly twisted and/or bound-up, so I loosened the set screw, dialed the lower perch a half turn lower, and then grabbed the main spring and tender spring and manipulated both with my hands to release any bound-up tension, then cinched down the set screw. I also dialed out compression damping a couple clicks and left rebound the same. Much better in terms of noise after the changes!

Update on the P3 Cars gauge; I just need to reconfigure it to get the oil temperature display!  Didn't get a chance to try it yet as the weather was nice, so I drove the Cappuccino today.

In reply to ae86andkp61 (Forum Supporter) :

I'm interested in that gauge setup if you get the oil temp to display. Will it show oil pressure as well?