Project GR-75 Build log - Mod List and Short Ratings

[Gabe]

Changing tires in the Supra a pain the butt because of the lack of studs, the wheel falls off and replacing the wheel is also a pain.
The ultimate fix for that is a stud conversion.
Picking up the right studs requires knowing if you will use spacers and finding a good quality studs. Usually close to a $200 value.
I will not convert to studs at the time being until I have my second set of wheels for the track.
In the meantime, this little gadget fixes the issue of the wheels being difficult to change. And is very cheap.

Wheel Alignment Pin Mounting Car Wheel Hanger. $13 in Amazon

Size: M14x1.25

Highly recommended. Get it as part of your basic Supra Mod toolkit

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[FLtrackdays]

The OEM tire in the 2024 Supra is the Michelin PSS. It’s a great tire with a compromise between grip / handling and wear. Has good dry and wet performance, which makes it an excellent option in the track.

The Michelin PS4S is considered the gold standard for sports cars, has higher grip and better cornering response. Excellent performance for wet and dry tracks and its ideal application is the dual purpose car that gets driven spiritedly in the street and taken to the track.

Intercontinental’s second iteration of the ExtremeConctact Sport has proven to be, at a minimum, equal; and in some aspects superior on both applications, its price is lower and has frequent promotions. It’s a no brainer, in terms of looks/performance and price.

Well done! That sounds like a perfect combo for the street. A tire that could do double duty, with beautiful flush wheels. Eventually, and I truly hope it’s a longer eventually for ya, you’re going to want a gummier tire for the track. A compromise will have to be made - loosing wet grip and longevity of the tire.

I’m still on a 100-200 tread wear for the track & my OEM wheels the other 6 months. I don’t want to pay for full slick every track weekend $$$ ?. Always a compromise.

Keep up the good work. You’re going to love her on track!

 

[Gabe]

Stage Mods

4 wheel alignment
Why: after dropping the car with the adjustable lowering springs, OEM alignment is lost. Need for a better alignment for the track
?Difficulty level: 1/5
? Equipment / products needed
- none
? Installation: shop. 0.0 hrs
?Total cost: $170
Result: proper performance alignment really transforms the car’s handling. Even though only the pros can feel a few degrees of camber or toe change, regular folks can tell the difference while driving in familiar roads. Provides a huge Boost in driver’s confidence with a car that feels sharp and stable.

?Notes: the OEM alignment serves one purpose: make it street friendly; but is not the best alignment for this car if you are planning to track it.
Natively, this car can’t have more negative camber, adding an adjustable suspension and lowering the car increases the negative camber which improves cornering, and allows earlier acceleration after exiting the corners as well as increasing stability and grip.
But the biggest bang for your alignment buck will be by neutralizing the large amount of toe in the car comes with OEM. It will improve tire wear and make the car much more stable on the straight and the entry of the corner eliminating that floaty feeling that many people complain about
Be sure to discuss with your alignment specialist whether this is a daily car, the amount of driving per year, what type of roads you drive on, and how many track days you will be doing.

look for an specialized Supra or BMW shop. Don’t go to a generic, or even worse, dealership center.

Load your vehicle with a full tank of gas. A very specialized performance alignment shop will align the car with you inside.

I will time the next alignment at one point next year when I have finished the aero part of the project and tested its effects on the driving characteristics of the car; taking into account how much downforce the car will gain, I’m expecting that I will require some adjustments.

? Rating: 10/10. This is a must for your car. The ride improves significantly.

 

[razorlab]

But the biggest bang for your alignment buck will be by neutralizing the large amount of toe in the car comes with OEM. It will improve tire wear and make the car much more stable on the straight and the entry of the corner eliminating that floaty feeling that many people complain about

What exactly do you mean by "neutralizing" the rear toe? Because more toe-in makes the car more stable, not the opposite.

 

[FLtrackdays]

But the biggest bang for your alignment buck will be by neutralizing the large amount of toe in the car comes with OEM.

Coming from a dedicated track S2K, I prefer the car to rotate easier. Thus I tried adding some toe out (up front) on the Supra. She didn’t like it however, lol. Got some errors on the dash. My car was lowered at the time. Hindsight is 20/20. It was too much all at once. Went back to neutral toe up front, height back up to OEM (for rub issues) and slight toe in, in the rear. You definitely could notice/feel more under hard trail braking when the toe was changed in the back.

 

[Gabe]

What exactly do you mean by "neutralizing" the rear toe? Because more toe-in makes the car more stable, not the opposite.

It seems My car came in with a high degree of Toe in from manufacturing or maybe I introduce it during the Spring install.
What the shop did was to bring back to neutral toe in the front and slight toe in in the back.
It may be placebo effect, but the car feels more stable, specially on the back where it tend to go a little loose when coming out the sharp corners on the track.

Unfortunately, I never got a base OEM alignment and my figures were skewed by the MSS installation (I did it and it was my first time)

 

[Gabe]

Coming from a dedicated track S2K, I prefer the car to rotate easier. Thus I tried adding some toe out (up front) on the Supra. She didn’t like it however, lol. Got some errors on the dash. My car was lowered at the time. Hindsight is 20/20. It was too much all at once. Went back to neutral toe up front, height back up to OEM (for rub issues) and slight toe in, in the rear. You definitely could notice/feel more under hard trail braking when the toe was changed in the back.

You are spot on. The shop tech where I took it recommended almost neutral on the front and some toe in on the back with the camber that the MSS springs allowed and no camber plates or more toe in the front as I was:

“Too green to try a more aggressive setting”

???

 

[Gabe]

Stage Mods

turbo cooling plate
Why: in the crammed engine bay, the heat coming from the turbo mixes easily with the rest of the engine components and increases the risk of heat soaking (heat damage to the car once the car is off and the cooling mechanisms are off line). a cooler engine is a healthier engine and has more room to perform better.
?Difficulty level: 2/5
? Equipment / products needed
- Six port turbo heat shield by Verus
? Installation: Self. 0.5 hrs
?Total cost: $175
Result: there is a demonstrated decrease in temperatures outside the heat shield

?Notes: Recruit a friend to help you. It’s a crammed space and you will need an extra hand to hold the plate in place while at the same time adjusting the screws. Installation is straightforward

? Rating: 10/10. Turbo is shielded. The manufacturing quality of the Product is exemplary. Made in the USA ??

 

[Gabe]

Stage Mods

Differential cooling plate
Why: another cooling mode that is easy to install and is backed up by data.
Trying to get as mucooling as I can get short of messing with the radiators or the manifold.
?Difficulty level: 1/5
? Equipment / products needed
- differential cooling plate by Verus
? Installation: Self. 0.5 hrs
?Total cost: $97
Result: Verus has published data on decreased temperatures on the differential

?Notes: very easy to install after lifting the car. Hoping that these cooling mods make a difference on the track. Time will be the judge on whether they carry downsides, like collecting debris. Installation is straightforward

? Rating: 10/10. Plate in place. is shielded. The manufacturing Product is exemplary. Made in the USA ??

 

[Gabe]

Stage Mods

Brake pad / fluid / lines upgrade
Why: Braking is more important than more power. OEM brake equipment is great for street driving, but on my first track weekend my brakes felt mushy and my stoping was not great (takes away a lot of the confidence). My instructor recommended to change the pads, fluid and possibly the lines for equipment that could take on higher temperatures for my next stint.
?Difficulty level: ? (Took the car to a shop with experience in this. I was not familiar at all with what would be needed)
? Equipment / products needed
- Front Hawk DTC 60 Pads Hawk $224
- Rear Hawk DTC 30 Pads Here $230
- Castrol SRF Racing Brake Fluid Amazon $110 (2 1 Liter bottles)
- Turner Performance Stainless Steel Brake Lines - Front & Rear Kit - BMW G29 Z4, Supra A90 MKV Turner MotorSport $169
- Rear brake kit 345mm x 24mm $600 (bought from fellow supra owner)
? Installation: Shop. 4hrs $480
?Total cost: $1813
Result: High performing brakes, fluid and lines
?Notes:
1. The ultimate brake guide for the car is Here: Mandatory read.
2. The base model rear brakes are 330 x 20 mm. There are no good options for high performance pads at that size. It is a better bang for the buck to change the rotors + calipers to the Premium model spec. IMO this is the only valuable difference between the two models. There is an active market and at the time of install $600 shipped was a fair price. (Rotors AND calipers)
3. These pads are dusty and noisy. NO way around that.
4. The shop installing the brakes, pads, and lines did a full flush of the system including the ABS. That requires specific equipment that I didn't have
5. The pads HAVE TO be bedded in obsessively. If I would do this again, I would’ve installed new rotors (they are not that expensive), I ended up warping the front ones on the track. So maybe new pads = new rotors when you are changing compounds. (We did everything possible to clean compound and bed them and again and again until they smoked and smelled by someone competent)
6. This car brakes very efficiently and the braking feels better as the laps go by. It was the opposite with my OEM stuff.

My car is driven very little on the street. SO I will keep the current stuff and not change to less performing pads. I dont see a need. My neighborhood thinks that the trash recollection truck is going around by the sound of my braking and that is ok.

Rotors replacement options Here. I think that for my current application, things like slotted or perforated rotors or big brake kits are an overkill and may actually not be as good as the standard OEM rotors with good pads and fluid.

? Rating 10/10 boost in confidence that I have enough braking power and that the risk of fading and spongy braking is decreased.

 

[razorlab]

Stage Mods

Brake pad / fluid / lines upgrade
Why: Braking is more important than more power. OEM brake equipment is great for street driving, but on my first track weekend my brakes felt mushy and my stoping was not great (takes away a lot of the confidence). My instructor recommended to change the pads, fluid and possibly the lines for equipment that could take on higher temperatures for my next stint.
?Difficulty level: ? (Took the car to a shop with experience in this. I was not familiar at all with what would be needed)
? Equipment / products needed
- Front Hawk DTC 60 Pads Hawk $224
- Rear Hawk DTC 30 Pads Here $230
- Castrol SRF Racing Brake Fluid Amazon $110 (2 1 Liter bottles)
- Turner Performance Stainless Steel Brake Lines - Front & Rear Kit - BMW G29 Z4, Supra A90 MKV Turner MotorSport $169
- Rear brake kit 345mm x 24mm $600 (bought from fellow supra owner)
? Installation: Shop. 4hrs $480
?Total cost: $1813
Result: High performing brakes, fluid and lines
?Notes:
1. The ultimate brake guide for the car is Here: Mandatory read.
2. The base model rear brakes are 330 x 20 mm. There are no good options for high performance pads at that size. It is a better bang for the buck to change the rotors + calipers to the Premium model spec. IMO this is the only valuable difference between the two models. There is an active market and at the time of install $600 shipped was a fair price. (Rotors AND calipers)
3. These pads are dusty and noisy. NO way around that.
4. The shop installing the brakes, pads, and lines did a full flush of the system including the ABS. That requires specific equipment that I didn't have
5. The pads HAVE TO be bedded in obsessively. If I would do this again, I would’ve installed new rotors (they are not that expensive), I ended up warping the front ones on the track. So maybe new pads = new rotors when you are changing compounds. (We did everything possible to clean compound and bed them and again and again until they smoked and smelled by someone competent)
6. This car brakes very efficiently and the braking feels better as the laps go by. It was the opposite with my OEM stuff.

My car is driven very little on the street. SO I will keep the current stuff and not change to less performing pads. I dont see a need. My neighborhood thinks that the trash recollection truck is going around by the sound of my braking and that is ok.

Rotors replacement options Here. I think that for my current application, things like slotted or perforated rotors or big brake kits are an overkill and may actually not be as good as the standard OEM rotors with good pads and fluid.

? Rating 10/10 boost in confidence that I have enough braking power and that the risk of fading and spongy braking is decreased.

Pro-tip: You can find the Hawk DTC60 brake pads at Tirerack for $197

 

[Rensuhlo]

If you have Protools, look into recoding your brakes to account for the aftermarket materials. Plenty of drivers on here to confirm the brakes felt massively improved after re-algoritheming the braking system.

 

[LexGiorgio]

Amazing thread! and awesome Supra man!

You sold me on the rock guards haha!

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