RudysSC

Such is life I suppose! I need to reach out to my tuner and get a little bit of a plan together. He's a great guy and I know he'll make the time - I just need to commit to spending a couple of days with him to get everything ready to hook up, get the base settings all dialed in, and then go spend a good day or so on the dyno.

Hope life is good Craig - have you and your family in my thoughts still and am sending love from Denver!

KahnBB6

iTrader: (5)

This last month has been a roller coaster. I’m still grieving my father and just a couple of days ago a beloved kindred spirit, best friend and mentor in my life also suddenly passed away. Her son and I were the last two people to see her before she went. I’ve been helping him as much as possible with whatever he needs to get done.

It’s a lot of emotion and reality to process.

​​​​​​….

Well… I got the SC back today. I had the shop just pull the whole engine, pull both upper and lower oil pans and also install a new oil pump with a new timing belt to cover absolutely everything that could have been leaking oil. So now that’s fixed for good!

In addition, a lot of testing was done with all four of my stock ECUs. The verdict is that they’re all a little problematic in reality. Maybe the two that haven’t had new caps installed yet could be revived… but the real solution to all of these starting problems is…

A Haltech 2500. With a stock USDM 2JZ-GTE basemap that will get a very light/basic tweak tune.

(Nick, you called it months ago!!)

The shop tested the car with one they had on hand and it ran perfectly every time!

I can’t spring for it at the moment but I will over this summer and have the SC running again.

​​​​​​….

But the other news is that I got a new daily driver. A deposit back in March with three months of waiting and I’m now the owner of a 2023 Toyota GR86 Premium 6-speed manual

It’s much smaller than the SC but actually is (for me) practical at its size. It’s not nearly as powerful as the SC grand tourer but at 2,850lbs its 245hp (under-rated at 228hp officially) is pretty good in a basic 2+2 driver’s car that you can daily.

The GR86 factory clutch is SO light that after getting used to it for a couple of days I nearly stalled my SC when I got my shoe on its OS Giken twin disc today after the car has been dormant for so long.

KiroLS

Happy to hear from you. Sorry for your recent personal struggles, hopefully you have been able to console your friend the way I presume he consoled you when your father passed.
It’s good to know that you got your GR86, she/he looks great! I just watched a video today about the Trueno edition Toyota is going to release. They also mentioned that it is a dealer installed option and they will be offering it to 2022 or 2023 GR owners. This may be worth looking into I’d you plan to do any mods to it. Limited edition plus dealer installed won’t be as cheap as aftermarket parts but I’m a Toyota fanboy and trust their parts above the aftermarket offerings.
I look forward to hearing about your experience with Haltech. Your build helped influence mine because I wanted OEM like reliability in regrade to the cold start and idle. At the time the reviews I read on aftermarket ecus were all lacking in one way or another. I know you will give a honest and thorough review and I will wait patiently for that day.

joewitafro

Beautiful GR86! Also glad to hear the Haltech 2500 testing went flawless; I think you will be more than happy once you go that direction, haltech is not far behind motec.

Also sorry for your losses, I hope your passion for the automotive industry continues to be a tribute to the lives they lived. Both your SC and that 86 next to each other is truly a story to tell.

RudysSC

Ah man, Craig, you've just been through the ringer lately. I'm so sorry to hear about your loss. Keep that head up - life is so crazy and from what little I know about you I'm sure the people around you care for you deeply. I hope you have some friends and family nearby to keep you company.

On another note - absolutely awesome news about the SC and the Gr86. I still need to set my standalone up as well, but I have a feeling you and I are going to love life when we ditch our stock ECU's, MAF sensors, and silly electronic TB's. I keep seeing the new 86's around and I have to say they've really grown on me. They're a great looking car and the reviews on them have been excellent. It will be nice to have such a fun/nimble/simple/reliable car to cruise around town in!

KahnBB6

iTrader: (5)

Thank you Kiro. Yes, certainly did console her son just the same as he did me only a few weeks earlier. His mother was a huge figure in both our lives.

I helped him box up her important personal belongings and papers so that he could take them with him as he only had limited time before he had to go.

For years I would frequently go across town to help her with home medical and other needs, as did other close friends of hers in the area. She was very ill for many years and seemed to almost be able to turn the corner and finally be in better health in her retirement years. To me? She was a very dear friend with whom our large age difference didn't matter one bit... and also a true mentor to me in my field (which was hers also) and in life. I learned from her and will continue to even after her passing, such was the impact she made on my life.

If there is ever a person like that in any of your lives with whom you share such a rare kind of friendship and even mentor relationship (or if you are the one who is the mentor to someone else), always treasure them through thick and thin.

Her son and I have been friends for years and will continue to be. For her, the real family and support around her were all the true friends in her life whom she met along the way.

....

Regarding the GR86, yes I learned all about the dealer installed Brembo 4-piston front, 2-piston rear caliper package and Sachs damper upgrade. This is basically what was equipped on 2017-2020 Subaru BRZ Performance Pack models. I have seen a couple of those cars in person here and there. I found all the part numbers for this to order everything new from a discounted Subaru dealer since it wasn't an option on the GR86 order sheet... until now. I definitely wanted to recreate that option from factory parts engineered for the platform by the OEMs but now it appears that I can order it from the dealer parts counter and not worry about violating the warranty. It will probably be far cheaper than buying each part new separately from Subaru even at a discount. Individually those 2017-2020 Brembo brake parts (every little thing needed) ordered individually add up to just over $4k USD. I do hope the over the counter package option from the dealer costs less.

But yes, I do want to get that. I am also considering a 4.30:1 rear end upgrade later depending on how the car feels post break in after 1k miles.

I'm just going to daily the GR86 and not modify the engine. It's got good power and torque as is.

However I am trying to determine if I can avoid the factory and manual recommended 0W-20 synthetic oil and switch to a 5W-20 or 5W-30 without any negative effects. The DI engine can generate a lot of heat and good oil protection is important if you drive it spiritedly a lot. There really should have been a factory external oil cooler as standard but there isn't. Just a modest coolant pass through oil cooler... which is better than nothing but not totally ideal.

Also the oiling system for a boxer in a sportscar isn't as advanced as what you'd find in a Cayman or 911. Of course they cost tremendously more so that's expected. Realistically I'm almost entirely going to daily drive it as a reliable and mostly practical car so with my planned 3,000 mile oil changes that are way below the factory 7k mile interval recommendations I'm hoping that I am just being my usual paranoid over-prepared self.

Regarding the Haltech 2500, yes I will certainly post my thoughts here once I buy one and get the car running on it. My new mechanic/tuner swears by them and feels they are more advanced than the G-Force ECUs I was looking at... which are $1k cheaper. But maybe there is a reason for that lower price. Regardless the test was performed with the borrowed Haltech 2500 Elite with a USDM stock GTE base map from Haltech. I observed the result and I was sold. I just need to take a break from any more service and parts for a little bit.


This is what I heard also about the Haltech versus competition. I mostly loved that the newest version can plug and play with a 100% stock Supra engine configuration with little more than a $600 patch harness and a slight fine tuning of the initial base map. All emissions control parts are supported and sequential turbo operation is supported.

And thank you for your kind words. The relationship I had with my father and my recently deceased friend weren't based around cars at all but they knew I was a car person on the side. I think being able to have two such vehicles side by side is a very lucky thing in life and I'm very humbly grateful I have been able to do it. I won't be adding any more cars though


Thank you Rudy. It's been tough for sure and yes, I am very, very lucky to have good people in my life who care about me and I them. You and the crew here included. Right now I'm traveling (flying only) to the west coast for work and to reinvigorate some contacts out there. Fingers crossed for good outcomes!

My SC doesn't have VVT-i like yours but I agree... I think the aftermarket ECUs have come up in quality considerably in recent years. I am going to keep the stock setup as a plug and play switch to the Haltech. I look forward to reading what happens with your ECU Master

The GR86 is certainly nimble. Not super fast or anything but for enjoyment alone it has plenty. When I am past the 1k mile break in period and can exceed 4,000rpm I will let you know how it feels when opened up a little more. It's a rev and momentum car. A good sporty daily with good torque for its weight. Whereas the SC GTE has gobs of turbo torque and violent thrust and a much stiffer clutch (OS Giken vs Subaru/Aisin stock clutch).

But I like it very much so far. I just want to keep the little 2.4L engine happy with good oil and frequent 3,000 mile changes. Running costs overall are going to be lower than dailying a GTE swapped SC300. But I will say that the GTE manual SC formula is still a different animal from a GR86 which isn't easy to replicate in a brand new car these days.

My SC feels like I am driving in a proper Toyota GT coupe with power bordering on violence. A Japanese muscle car with beauty and elegance. The GR86 feels like you are driving around in a modest but very well made to a price point baby Porsche (with a front engine). All focus was on what you need in a driver's car that is practical and affordable. And since I usually only have one other passenger and just need the folding back seat and trunk for the rest of my cargo needs or maybe +1 more passenger it fits the bill very well.

Now beyond that if more practicality is needed then I think a GR Corolla is probably a better bet. And to that end I am still hoping you and your wife will get lucky with one of those this year since you mentioned you were hunting for one.

RudysSC

I'm so glad to hear you've got good company around you Craig! I can't imagine my life without my wife, family, and friends. I hope your trip to the west coast does you some good - sometimes just to get the heck out of dodge and change your scenery can go such a long ways!

I haven't driven a GR86 yet but I'd imagine it's just like comparing our cars to a new ND Miata or something of the like. I LOVE lightweight simple sports cars - however - you can't compare them directly to our cars. Completely different animals, each with their own unique qualities and driving experiences. I have to say - you have an AWESOME combo of cars. If the weather here was better year around I'd love to have a second sporty car that's lightweight, tossable, and easy to maintain compared to our swapped SC's lol.

We shall see! I've bugged the dealers where we have reservations and don't have much luck. They're awfully standoffish and you can tell their chomping at the bit to sell them as fast and for as much money as they can. If our name does get called, we'll see what they want for them. I saw a BEAUTIFUL white on in a parking lot the other day that I hopped out and looked over. Their bulbous fenders and big front grills make them look so tough. However, there's a few being resold at dealers here in town for $60-$80k... And ****, for that kind of money, I'd rather buy my wife a Supra, CTSV, IS500, or a C6 Z06 Corvette and get a lot more car for the money haha.

Barbary

My late condolences too
Joe

CLass of 1

When it rains it pours, eh buddy? Sorry to hear about your friend.

Bitter-sweet for sure, but maybe it’s time to hit the open road and clear your head. Enjoy the new ride.

Stay positive.

Nick

KahnBB6

iTrader: (5)

No Haltech yet but I did just get my newest-to-me stock 2JZ-GTE ECU back from Tanin Auto Electronix today after they gave it all new capacitors.

For the time being, let’s see if this gets my SC back up and running after having to sit patiently for so long. Fingers crossed!

The GR86 has been broken in for a couple of weeks now and it’s been amazing! It’s no boost monster by any means but it is seriously fun and a very easy to toss around little beauty! I also can’t complain about its fuel economy: it gets economy on the street which is on par with what my SC only gets on the highway

I’ll report back once I’ve had a chance to install the reconditioned ECU and see how it does.

LeX2K

Open it! I want to see their work. (warranty stickers like that are not legal)

RudysSC

So stoked to hear that you're enjoying the 86. Keep us posted on the new ECU! Still sending you good thoughts and Prayers Craig.