Category: Cars

General car related posts not specific to a project or person.

FRS first autocross event

Posted on | by Justin M.

My FRS first autocross event is finally here!

Certainly not the last, but it is time for my FRS first autocross event. After getting some of the initial upgrades in place, I can finally race it! This first event was more of a shakedown race. I really just wanted to see how the car would behave. Also, I wanted to make sure nothing broke on the car 🙂 We had a bit of a scare sliding on some loose gravel, however the day ended up great overall. The autocross course left something to be desired for testing purposes. But, it was valuable seat seat time in the FRS.

FRS horsepower post upgrades

Posted on | by Justin M.

Post upgrade FRS horsepower!

Now that I have all of my engine modifications installed, it is time to hit the dyno. Our goal on the dyno is to figure out the FRS horsepower after the upgrades. The addition of intake, headers, exhaust, and a tune should show decent improvements over the FRS stock dyno power numbers. Being that these are small boxer engines, I am not expecting miracles. Increasing horsepower and torque in the mid-range would be ideal. Turbocharging or supercharging would be the next step for even more power. However, for my autocrossing needs, these engine bolt-ons are sufficient. I also have to stay within the rules of the SCCA STX class with my upgrades.

 

FRS first start after upgrades

Posted on | by Justin M.

FRS first start after upgrades and we got smoke!!

My Project FRS is back on the road! With all of my engine modifications now installed, it is time to proceed with the FRS first start. In addition to the engine bolt-ons, the FRS was flashed with an OpenFlash tuning profile. The OpenFlash tune updates the engine parameters to account for the engine modifications. The OpenFlash tablet also allows me to fine tune the car on the dyno. Fine tuning of the car enables you to get the most performance out of your engine upgrades. We can also monitor the engine parameters to make sure everything is running safe. Lastly, the OpenFlash tablet allows me to datalog the FRS engine parameters to use for research or diagnostics after the fact.

FRS upgrades ready to be installed

Posted on | by Justin M.

With parts in hand, I will be installing some FRS upgrades!

The prep of my 2013 Scion FRS has begun! I will be installing a number of FRS upgrades that I have stocked up over the past month or so. I started off by removing the front bumper of the car to install the Perrin cold air intake. While I had the bumper off, I also re-sealed my headlights as moisture had built up inside them. In addition to the Perrin CAI, I also installed a Perrin intake tube and a Perrin lightweight pulley. Lastly, I installed the various suspension components in the car, including my Racecomp T2 coilovers. The T2 coilovers are the key component when it comes to handling and chassis feedback.

Scion FRS stock power

Posted on | by Justin M.

My car on the dyno to get the FRS stock power output!

People love to modify their FRS’s with engine upgrades and the like. But how to you know the benefits of your upgrades if you do not know the FRS stock power output? The first thing I did before installing any upgrades on my FRS, was to get the car on the dyno to see how much power it made. This way, I can tell exactly what kind of benefits my future upgrades will provide. In addition, this gives you a “bang for you buck” analysis as well. Is it really worth spending $1000 on an exhaust system? Or, does the $500 exhaust system provide the same benefit?

Racecomp Tarmac 2 coilovers

Posted on | by Justin M.

Racecomp Tarmac 2 coilovers are here for my Scion FRS.

A core part of any high performance car is the suspension. Today I am un-boxing my new Racecomp Tarmac 2 coilovers that I received from Myles at RCE. These coilovers are double adjustable, which means there are two adjustments for damping. In addition to a rebound adjustment, they include an adjustment for compression. I also have another set of springs to use as another tuning option to the standard 400lb springs. These additional springs are from Swift, a well known name, in the 450lb spring rate. To begin, I will be using the Swift Springs in the stiffer spring rate to see how things go. However, if those turn out to be too hard, I might quickly switch to the softer 400lb springs. You can be I will be installing these bad boys very soon!

Lexus ISF autocross racing

Posted on | by Justin M.

Lexus ISF autocross racing on new Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires.

Tires are a key component when it comes to traction and grip in any kind of racing. I was able to test out my new Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires in my second Lexus ISF autocross race. The new tires really transformed how the ISF felt. With the old tires, the car was really loose and it was difficult to keep the 400 horsepower in check when accelerating out of corners. In addition, the lack of grip made the car very unstable and a bit scary to drive! The new Michelin PSS tires made the Lexus IS-F much more predictable and provided a lot more grip. As a result, the ISF was a whole lot more fun to drive.

FRS mods for STX autocross

Posted on | by Justin M.

Lots of FRS mods in the house!

It’s the winter season here in Colorado, so what better thing to do than start buying some FRS mods when you cannot drive 🙂 In this video I go over various parts I have accumulated recently. Some of the engine bolt-ons include my RevWorks UEL header, Perrin cold air intake, Perrin intake tube, Perrin lightweight pulley, and Berk cat pipe. In addition, I also picked up an  OpenFlash tablet, some Hawk brake pads, Whiteline bushing inserts, and more! I will be installing certain parts here in the near future. It should not be too long before the FRS is race ready and I can get it out to drive.

Enkei RPF1 wheels for my FRS

Posted on | by Justin M.

Enkei RPF1 wheels for my Scion FRS.

The Enkei RPF1 wheel is a pretty common performance wheel for many cars. Its popularity has grown because of its extremely lightweight at a reasonable cost. They also looks great and there are many cool colors to choose from. I picked up a set of RPF1 wheels myself just this past week. I chose the somewhat rare gunmetal color for my RPF1’s. Because the RPF1 is very lightweight, I should be able to run much larger tires while not being heavier than the stock setup. Since the FRS is a relatively low power car, maintaining low weight on the rotating parts is critical.

FRS detailing and paint coating

Posted on | by Justin M.

FRS detailing and paint coating session.

Whenever I buy a used car, or even a new car, I always want to make sure it is looking top notch. Most cars have scratch and swirl marks all over the paint. This is usually from improper care of the car paint and/or improper washing techniques. However, there are very few clear-coat paints that are immune to this and paint polishing is the remedy. Since I used to do professional detailing, I have all of the necessary tools and products to get the job done. I started the FRS detailing session by polishing the entire car with my Rupes Bigfoot random orbital polisher. The polish I used was Sonax Profiline perfect finish. In addition, once the car was all polished up, I coated the paint with 22ple Signature Glass Coating. The results are amazing and the Hot Lava orange color really stands out now!