trev
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Introduction:
Hi everyone! I feel like I learn so much on this forum everyday. I've decided to write up my build information to hopefully gain even more insights, but also help people learn from my mistakes and all of the issues I've run into. I'm an open book and still learning lot, feedback is greatly appreciated
Background:
I'm 23, from Ontario, Canada and work in cyber security. Working on this project gets me off of the computer and outside of the house! This is my first sports car and first time modifying a car. The amount of amazing people I have met through this car is unbelievable. I had my first track day last year and had an absolute blast lapping the car. I really didn't understand how capable this car was until I took it to the track. Shameless plug, you can connect with me on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/projectsbytrevor/
Goals:
I want a well rounded car. Something that looks good, is fast on the street and puts down solid lap times. I'm not chasing any specific quarter mile times or HP numbers.
Lets begin:
February 23, 2022 - I purchased this "used" 2021 3.0 GR Supra from a Dodge/Chrysler/Jeep dealership with 300km's. The dealership knew absolutely nothing about the car and was selling it on behalf of the dealership owner. This led me to my first issue. The car was sold at a dealership auction under the table and did not have a PDI performed. Toyota had no idea how I had ownership of the car and navigation/warranty had not yet been registered due to this. I had to pay out of pocket for the PDI to be performed at a Toyota dealership. I live in a rural town, around ~2000 population and our local Toyota dealership only services 1 other Supra (the dealership owner's). It's safe to say they don't work on many Supra. The car felt pretty stiff but this being my first sports car, I didn't think much of it. It wasn't until I saw a thread on the forums discussing a common PDI issue regarding shipping spacers. Sure enough, my PDI was performed incorrectly and my shipping spacers were still on the car. Once these were removed the car felt much softer going over bumps in the road.
This soft ride was short lived as I lowered the car on H&R springs. The day after picking my car up from the shop, I received the very common "Continued driving possible; Chassis" error code. Reading the forums told me the ride height bracker was most likely broken. The shop I took it to and 2 separate Toyota dealerships assured me the ride height bracket was not broken. I lived with the issue for over a year and it made driving at night misserable. The headlights pointed directly at the ground and I had absolutely no visibility without my high beams. I spun up a thread (my first and only) as a last ditch effort. The dealerships were not wrong, the ride height bracket was not broken. However, the cantilever system was orientated upside down and was causing all of my issues. After the bracket was adjusted, my headlights no longer pointed at the ground and just needed to manually adjust them slightly higher.
Now with all of the issues out of the way, we can begin with all the parts I've chosen, in order, my reasoning and if I would do things differently.
| Modification | Status | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Street Hunter Wing | 2022 - Current | Regretfully, my first mod this street hunter wing. I really liked the look of it on other Supra's and thought it complimented the car's body lines. Howevever, there are clearly more important cosmetic mods like ride height/fitment that should be done before a big wing. I feel like this is a common mistake by people modifying a car for their first time OR I'm just a ricer at heart. |
| Armaspeed Carbon Intake | 2022 - 2024 | I ordered through the guys at DSG performance - it took over 14 weeks to come in, but the guys over at DSG are awesome and helped expedite the shipping to me so I could install it before putting it away for the winter. Sounds phenominal, no complaints. |
| H&R Lowering Springs | 2022 - Current | As mentioned earlier in the thread, the installation of these caused a lot of grief over the span of a year. Once my issues were resolved, I was very happy with the springs. They still feel a little bit stiff and sometimes I wonder if I should switch them out for swift springs. They completely change the look of the car and I would never go back to the stock monster truck fitment from the factory. |
| AMS Performance Catted Downpipe | 2023 - Current | I decide to go with the catted downpipe as I knew I was going with a single exit exhaust and I didn't want the car to be too loud. Additionally, a shop local to me had it on sale for 500$ off sticker. It was a no brainer. |
| TE37SL's Pressed Graphite | 2023 - Current | Someone I met locally was parting out their car so I decided to scoop these up for a good price. It's hard to go wrong with TE's. |
| Carbon Mirror Caps | 2023 - Current | I found some cheap carbon mirror caps on Facebook marketplace and it was hard to pass up. It has the same carbon weave as the street hunter wing carbon. They really are a nice accent. |
| RK Titanium Signature Passenger Exit Exhaust | 2023 - Current | Out of all of the exhaust sound clips with the AMS catted downpipe, I loved the look and sound of the RK signature single exit. Only downside was the 16 week lead time. I also did not want to do any trimming of the rear diffuser. |
| 2024 - Current | I had such a great experience with RK and my echaust, contacting Rob to outfit my whole engine bay with his products just made sense. Once these parts are all installed, I will make sure to post pictures. |
| 2024 - Current | Some supporting mods from Verus that should help temps when I track the car. I love that Verus backs their products with data and temp graphs. |
| Titan Methanol Kit | 2024 - Current | From my reading online, I understand is that this car is very receptive to methanol. My concerns are related to how often I will need to refill the tank on road trips or just regular driving. I have driven the car to and from Florida. Also unsure what this looks like on a lapping day. I'm still becoming a better driver and I think turning off meth and just using the OTS multimap should be enough for what I'm trying to do at the track. I plan on using a 51/49 blend. |
| BM3 Flexfuel | 2024 - Current | The closest e85 pump from me is across the border and is 1.5 hours away. I would like the option to run some sort of blend to make more power on special ocassions. Who knows, maybe I'll order a drum! I frequently go to Michigan for work and plan on driving the car down to Florida this winter again. |
| Femto BM3 Unlock | 2024 - Current | DME is locked! I'm going on a trip for 2 weeks on the 21st on June. I plan on sending it out to Femto while I'm on that trip. A donor + clone is too expensive to justify my goals for this build. |
| x2 - ECS02 275/35/19 x2 - ECS02 305/30/19 | 2024 - Current | Went with the ECS02's for the cost benefit and reviews from other forum members. |
| Front lip | 2024 - Current | I ordered the EOS carbon front lip. Cheap and looks good. |
| Sayber Carbon Fiber Hood | ??? | By far my favourite aftermarket hood on the market right now. Not a priority at all for my build though. |
What I wish I did differently:
- Read the forums from day one! If I would have done this, my PDI shipping spacer issue and ride height sensor would have been resolved much faster.
- Looked for an unlocked DME. Having limited platform options and sending the DME across the world sucks.
- Order of cosmetic mods. Ride height --> wheels/fitment --> Street Hunter wing
I'm new to this. All feedback and suggestions are greatly appreciated. Be easy on me!
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