decodeddiesel
Well-Known Member
- First Name
- Wes
- Joined
- Feb 28, 2021
- Threads
- 8
- Messages
- 794
- Reaction score
- 1,057
- Location
- Southern New England
- Car(s)
- 2020 Supra, 2016 VW Tiguan, 2007 Cayman
- Thread starter
- #1
In September of 2019 I went to my local Toyota dealership to look at the new Supra. At the time I was daily driving a Volvo V60 Polestar and had a 987.1 Cayman as my weekend/fun car. I am a mechanical engineer, and I admit, I have some pretty severe OCD about some things. When I read that the performance benchmark of the new Supra was the Cayman platform I went from being curious about the new Supra to downright interested and the OCD kicked in.
The local dealer had a red LE on the showroom floor. I was impressed, although skeptical about the transmission. I asked about a test drive and although I showed up in a car that was close in value to the Supra (my Polestar) the pinky-ring-wearing salesman guy with too much hair product laughed at me. We spoke a little and I ended up putting down a deposit on a Turbulence Grey 3.0 Premium, fully optioned, with CF mirror caps (not a fan, but whatever) that was inbound to the dealer. Three weeks later they get the car, and when I come in to test drive and purchase it they try to convince me that I was in a bidding war with another customer. I told them he could have it and walked. Turns out they lied.
555 days later the car had sat on the dealership showroom and had about 300 "demo" miles on it. I went back in looking for a deal. This was in March 2021 and now they needed to get it off of the lot. After some wheeling and dealing and me walking away initially, they agreed to a purchase price of $48k.
Obligatory crappy cell phone shot the day I brought her home:
I had planned on using the free NASA track day in 2021, and I was very excited about it when I brought the car home. Unfortunately I had a health scare and had major surgery in early June that put me on my ass for the entire Summer and Fall. Once I recovered I vowed that I was going to track my new Supra and do more to enjoy my life.
I've been daily driving the car for almost exactly 2 years at this point, keeping it mostly stock...mostly. Soon after I purchased the car in 2021 I bought a set of Conti DWS-06+ tires and had them mounted on the stock wheels. In March of 2022 I got an EcuTek tune from Mike Botti on the dyno at The Shop in CT. Mostly so I could turn off the burbles. As it turns out they are really annoying at 5am when you're driving through the woods past people's houses on your way to work.
Results from Mike Botti's custom dyno tune on 93 with no other mods:
Last summer I threw the stock PSS tires back on and participated in a few novice level HPDEs with an instructor at Thompson and Palmer with the car in more or less stock form on stock tires.
I ended up cooking the tires, pads, and fluid pretty good and found the limit of the stock configuration. I wanted to do more track days in 2022 but I purchased a home and got married so it just wasn't in the cards.
For 2023 I plan on participating in at least 6 HPDEs, including 3x days at Lime Rock Park's "Car Control Clinic" and 3 days of in-car coaching. I will likely do more as budget and time allows, but I am purchasing this track time upfront. I am interested in lightly modifying the car to make it more capable on track while still being an enjoyable car on the street. I started a thread in the Tracking, Autocross, HPDE, Drifting section and I have gotten some absolutely outstanding recommendations.
Mods so far:
The local dealer had a red LE on the showroom floor. I was impressed, although skeptical about the transmission. I asked about a test drive and although I showed up in a car that was close in value to the Supra (my Polestar) the pinky-ring-wearing salesman guy with too much hair product laughed at me. We spoke a little and I ended up putting down a deposit on a Turbulence Grey 3.0 Premium, fully optioned, with CF mirror caps (not a fan, but whatever) that was inbound to the dealer. Three weeks later they get the car, and when I come in to test drive and purchase it they try to convince me that I was in a bidding war with another customer. I told them he could have it and walked. Turns out they lied.
555 days later the car had sat on the dealership showroom and had about 300 "demo" miles on it. I went back in looking for a deal. This was in March 2021 and now they needed to get it off of the lot. After some wheeling and dealing and me walking away initially, they agreed to a purchase price of $48k.
Obligatory crappy cell phone shot the day I brought her home:
I had planned on using the free NASA track day in 2021, and I was very excited about it when I brought the car home. Unfortunately I had a health scare and had major surgery in early June that put me on my ass for the entire Summer and Fall. Once I recovered I vowed that I was going to track my new Supra and do more to enjoy my life.
I've been daily driving the car for almost exactly 2 years at this point, keeping it mostly stock...mostly. Soon after I purchased the car in 2021 I bought a set of Conti DWS-06+ tires and had them mounted on the stock wheels. In March of 2022 I got an EcuTek tune from Mike Botti on the dyno at The Shop in CT. Mostly so I could turn off the burbles. As it turns out they are really annoying at 5am when you're driving through the woods past people's houses on your way to work.
Results from Mike Botti's custom dyno tune on 93 with no other mods:
Last summer I threw the stock PSS tires back on and participated in a few novice level HPDEs with an instructor at Thompson and Palmer with the car in more or less stock form on stock tires.
I ended up cooking the tires, pads, and fluid pretty good and found the limit of the stock configuration. I wanted to do more track days in 2022 but I purchased a home and got married so it just wasn't in the cards.
For 2023 I plan on participating in at least 6 HPDEs, including 3x days at Lime Rock Park's "Car Control Clinic" and 3 days of in-car coaching. I will likely do more as budget and time allows, but I am purchasing this track time upfront. I am interested in lightly modifying the car to make it more capable on track while still being an enjoyable car on the street. I started a thread in the Tracking, Autocross, HPDE, Drifting section and I have gotten some absolutely outstanding recommendations.
Mods so far:
- Bimmercoded out annoying a$$ fake engine noise and a couple settings.
- OEM brake fluid swapped for for RBF600 (I'll probably switch to Castrol on my next flush)
- Changed to LiquidMoly Special Tec for BMWs engine oil (5W-30)
- ECU unlocked and Stage 1 ECUTEK tune from Mike Botti (mainly done to eliminate the burbles), now making right around 400 at the wheels on 93 at near sea level.
- Currently I have Continental DWS-06+ tires on my stock wheels and plan to keep it this way for road driving. I will need to purchase new tires and wheels.
- Helmet, gloves, shoes, fireproof socks, underwear, and shirts.
- Project-µ brake pads
- Goodrich stainless brake lines
- Verus master cylinder brace
- After reviewing Apex's Tire and Wheel Guide and based on my experience, I would like to go to a square 18x10" setup running 275-35R18 tires. I'll probably get the SM-10s in 18x10 ET30. The ability to rotate tires being the main reason, the handling benefits and reduction in understeer are also enticing. I'm not sure what I'll need for spacers to use 10" wheels on the stock struts.
- For tires I'm looking into some decent 200tw tires that won't overheat during a 30+ minute lapping session. Suggestions include Nankang CR-S, Continental ECF, and Kumho V730s.
- Jackie Ding's PhD Racing Level 2 handling package is very interesting. Not being able to adjust camber out of the box is a real PITA, and I realize that most of the tires I am interested in will benefit from a -2° to -3° of camber. The Level 2 package will fix that.
- Strongly debating adding anit-roll bars because I intend to go to MCS coilovers soon and I'm not sure if they'll be needed with the upgraded dampers & spring rates. I've been burned in the past on this and ended up scrambling to find stock sway bars after a KW Clubsport install on my old STi.
- MCS coilovers. They just have a lot going for them and the automotive engineer in me geeks out on them pretty bad.
- Upgraded seats and the ability to use at least a 4-point with ASM and a HANS device for my helmet. I would like to be able to keep the seat heating functionality if possible. I'm about 6'2" tall and have a 38" waist. I have a bad back from my time in the service, and fixed back seats are not fun for longer drives but I may be willing to live with them if I fit well. I'm not sure what I'll need for bases and sliders, but something that would let me sit a little lower and gain more clearance for my helmet would be awesome.
- Given that I would like to use a harness, I am looking at the Cusco harness bar although it has some mixed reviews from what I've read. I may be interested in a roll bar but at that point it's no longer "lightly modified".
- Learn a few more tracks from the area, focus on solo driving with the occasional coaching session.
- Verus Engineering full aero
- Pure 800 with supporting mods (including intake manifold) and tune for race gas and 93+methanol for street use. I don't want to kill my transmission or driveshafts so 600 hp is plenty.
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Last edited:
. turbulence grey looks sooooo good!
Wes 
. You are so spot on to really enjoying this car and doing it right!!!!
