underdonk
Well-Known Member
- Thread starter
- #1
Originally posted on 6/12/21 - Last Modified on 10/10/22:
My '21 Toyota GR Supra 3.0 Premium and '21 Toyota Tacoma TRD Off-Road (tow vehicle):
My goal is to build the car for HPDEs and something to have fun with on the road. As such, my first goal is to improve the stock components which I find lacking. The front braces on the car seemed pretty cheap and flimsy on the '21s - almost like an afterthought - so I decided to upgrade to the Cusco front brace:
This definitely helped tighten-up the front end, made turn-in sharper, and made the car feel more precise. Definitely worth the upgrade, even on a '21 that comes with the bars from the factory. Next up was fixing the less than stellar brake pedal feel. So I picked up and installed the Verus Engineering master cylinder brace:
This helped significantly with pedal feel. So with that aspect of the car improved, I worked on a trio of modifications that are convenient to do at the same time: The airbox resonator delete, an air/oil separator, and the turbo heat shield, all from Verus Engineering:
A better shot of the turbo heat shield after installation without the airbox in the way:
Next up was a downpipe. After ordering and inspecting the aFe catless downpipe, I decided to return it. I was a low-quality component and the piping was stepped-down opposite of the airflow direction, resulting in a sizeable ridge against the airflow, ultimately resulting in turbulence and unwanted backpressure in the exhaust system. aFe customer support was atrocious (I ended up canceling my sway bar order with them as a result, as well). I considered it a significant design flaw. They considered it normal.. I paid $90 shipping to return - they wouldn't cover it. After many recommendations from members here, I went with the Active Autowerke catted downpipe:
First impression was that it's a very high-quality part. With the stock exhaust, it produces a good amount of additional power, as measured by my butt dyno. On the way home from the shop where it was installed, the car actually caught me out on the cold tires and I almost looped it on a public road. Very impressive. It also gave the car a bit of a raspy sound with a more aggressive tone overall. Still very subtle. While I liked it, I was looking for more.
So next up was upgrading the exhaust. Based on the information in this community, the stock exhaust is just fine and likely doesn't require upgrading unless you're making 600hp+ at the wheels. However, I derive significant enjoyment from the aural experience with any car I own. After much research I decided to go with the AWE Track Edition exhaust. I was warned it would be loud. And it is. Very loud. But the tone is intoxicatingly good. I highly recommend this exhaust system:
After creating a discussion here about our member's favorite upgrades (not necessarily ones that made them faster), I decided to buy a custom steering wheel based on the feedback about it. To me, the OEM steering wheel feels like it was straight out of whatever leftover parts-bin Toyota had sitting around. A user here recommended I reach out to @lpperformanceco (on Instagram), which I did, and after discussing what I was after and getting me a quote, I pulled the trigger:
It's a super high-quality part, the material feels great, has curves in all of the right places, and is nice and thick (which is the thing about the stock steering wheel that bothered me the most). The wheel makes a huge difference in how much I enjoy the car every time I get into it. I feel more connected to the car and the road. Plus it's pretty.
In addition to the above, I have the following components installed on the car:
The car's electronics have been customized using BimmerCode (w/ and OBDLink MX+ adapter) and xHP (w/ an MHD Wireless Orange adapter). The former was used to do things such as disable the seatbelt chime, remove traction control messages, and always start the car in Sport mode. The latter was used to flash a customized Stage 3 tune to the TCU that made a significant difference in how quickly the car up- and downshifts.
I posted the following comments about the aFe sway bars (which I ended up relenting on and bought them directly from aFe when they were in-stock) w/ SPL Parts end links, Twisted Tuning upgraded transmission mounts, and SPL Parts differential mount bushings: Yesterday I picked up the car after having aFe sway bars w/ SPL end links installed. They're set on the firmest setting up front and the middle in the rear. Remarkable improvement in the handling characteristics of the car. I'll say, subjectively, the largest improvement in any car I've done sway bars on separately from other suspension modifications. The car stays very flat in corners and is nice and balanced with these settings. Turn-in is improved and feels very sharp. I'm eager to see how they do on the track. Overall, well worth the expense of having someone drop the rear subframe and install the rear bar - not something I was willing to tackle myself in the garage.
I also had the "upgraded" Twisted Tuning transmission mounts and SPL solid aluminum differential mounts installed. Since I did these together, it's a bit tough to tell their effects apart, but I'll give it a go having done these separately in past cars. The trans mounts are definitely high on the "don't do these if you're sensitive to NVH" list. The car rumbles and clunks when in low gears while getting up to speed. You can definitely feel what's going on in the transmission. That may or may not be your thing. I love it... for a weekend fun car. @Thraxbert described it as visceral in another thread, which I agree with! It took a lot of the slop out of the drivetrain, so mission accomplished in that regard. Shifts feel more direct, and when combined with xHP, very precise.
The diff mounts make the rear feel a bit grindy when getting up to speed with some faint whining to accompany that. I joked with a friend that you can now feel every spline in the diff when putting around. However, bushing deflection is completely gone, as you would expect with a solid chunk of aluminum. Any semblance of wheel hop (when accelerating quickly from a stop) has been eliminated. Power delivery coming out of low speed corners, or turning from a stop and juicing it, is buttery smooth. This will be beneficial on the track. However, I would hesitate on a daily driver, which my car is not. (Context: https://www.supramkv.com/threads/what-did-you-do-to-your-supra-today.2074/page-545#post-209629)
I'm very pleased with how the car is coming together. The inexpensive, passive upgrades to address cooling (save the Verus Engineering Hood Louver and Velossa Tech Ram Air Intake Snorkel noted below) have been completed, which this car needed due to the heat soak experienced on-track. Drivetrain slop has been greatly reduced through much stiffer transmission and differential mounts, with the upgraded motor mounts being installed soon. The basic power upgrades have been completed with one notable exception: The E35 tune for the JB4 I will be working with @Jesse DaBears. The next large(ish) upgrade I'll need to do even for street driving are a set of Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires (in factory size on factory wheels). At it stands, even running the 93 octane JB4 tune, I can't put down power at full throttle in 1st or 2nd gears without roasting the tires. Hammering it at the middle of the rev range in 3rd gear, if the pavement isn't perfect, causes the rear of the car to shimmy at the edge of adhesion. Overall, it's turning into a fun track and street car!
On deck to be installed by a local motorsports shop:
Updated bonus tow vehicle glamor shot - I've done some work to it:
My '21 Toyota GR Supra 3.0 Premium and '21 Toyota Tacoma TRD Off-Road (tow vehicle):
My goal is to build the car for HPDEs and something to have fun with on the road. As such, my first goal is to improve the stock components which I find lacking. The front braces on the car seemed pretty cheap and flimsy on the '21s - almost like an afterthought - so I decided to upgrade to the Cusco front brace:
This definitely helped tighten-up the front end, made turn-in sharper, and made the car feel more precise. Definitely worth the upgrade, even on a '21 that comes with the bars from the factory. Next up was fixing the less than stellar brake pedal feel. So I picked up and installed the Verus Engineering master cylinder brace:
This helped significantly with pedal feel. So with that aspect of the car improved, I worked on a trio of modifications that are convenient to do at the same time: The airbox resonator delete, an air/oil separator, and the turbo heat shield, all from Verus Engineering:
A better shot of the turbo heat shield after installation without the airbox in the way:
Next up was a downpipe. After ordering and inspecting the aFe catless downpipe, I decided to return it. I was a low-quality component and the piping was stepped-down opposite of the airflow direction, resulting in a sizeable ridge against the airflow, ultimately resulting in turbulence and unwanted backpressure in the exhaust system. aFe customer support was atrocious (I ended up canceling my sway bar order with them as a result, as well). I considered it a significant design flaw. They considered it normal.. I paid $90 shipping to return - they wouldn't cover it. After many recommendations from members here, I went with the Active Autowerke catted downpipe:
First impression was that it's a very high-quality part. With the stock exhaust, it produces a good amount of additional power, as measured by my butt dyno. On the way home from the shop where it was installed, the car actually caught me out on the cold tires and I almost looped it on a public road. Very impressive. It also gave the car a bit of a raspy sound with a more aggressive tone overall. Still very subtle. While I liked it, I was looking for more.
So next up was upgrading the exhaust. Based on the information in this community, the stock exhaust is just fine and likely doesn't require upgrading unless you're making 600hp+ at the wheels. However, I derive significant enjoyment from the aural experience with any car I own. After much research I decided to go with the AWE Track Edition exhaust. I was warned it would be loud. And it is. Very loud. But the tone is intoxicatingly good. I highly recommend this exhaust system:
After creating a discussion here about our member's favorite upgrades (not necessarily ones that made them faster), I decided to buy a custom steering wheel based on the feedback about it. To me, the OEM steering wheel feels like it was straight out of whatever leftover parts-bin Toyota had sitting around. A user here recommended I reach out to @lpperformanceco (on Instagram), which I did, and after discussing what I was after and getting me a quote, I pulled the trigger:
It's a super high-quality part, the material feels great, has curves in all of the right places, and is nice and thick (which is the thing about the stock steering wheel that bothered me the most). The wheel makes a huge difference in how much I enjoy the car every time I get into it. I feel more connected to the car and the road. Plus it's pretty.
In addition to the above, I have the following components installed on the car:
- Burger Motorsports JB4 w/ Custom Tuning by @Jesse DaBears
- xHP Stage 3 Transmission Flash
- Fuel-It! Flex Fuel Kit
- LiquiMoly 5w-30 Engine Oil
- Verus Engineering Differential Cooler
- Cusco Rear Power Brace
- FTP Turbo Inlet Pipe
- HKS Air Filter
- aFe Front & Rear Sway Bars
- SPL Parts Front & Rear Sway Bar End Links
- SPL Parts Traction Links
- Twisted Tuning Upgraded Transmission Mounts
- SPL Parts Solid Aluminum Differential Mounts
- Cusco Front and Rear Red Tow Hooks
- M Performance Carbon Shift Paddles
The car's electronics have been customized using BimmerCode (w/ and OBDLink MX+ adapter) and xHP (w/ an MHD Wireless Orange adapter). The former was used to do things such as disable the seatbelt chime, remove traction control messages, and always start the car in Sport mode. The latter was used to flash a customized Stage 3 tune to the TCU that made a significant difference in how quickly the car up- and downshifts.
I posted the following comments about the aFe sway bars (which I ended up relenting on and bought them directly from aFe when they were in-stock) w/ SPL Parts end links, Twisted Tuning upgraded transmission mounts, and SPL Parts differential mount bushings: Yesterday I picked up the car after having aFe sway bars w/ SPL end links installed. They're set on the firmest setting up front and the middle in the rear. Remarkable improvement in the handling characteristics of the car. I'll say, subjectively, the largest improvement in any car I've done sway bars on separately from other suspension modifications. The car stays very flat in corners and is nice and balanced with these settings. Turn-in is improved and feels very sharp. I'm eager to see how they do on the track. Overall, well worth the expense of having someone drop the rear subframe and install the rear bar - not something I was willing to tackle myself in the garage.
I also had the "upgraded" Twisted Tuning transmission mounts and SPL solid aluminum differential mounts installed. Since I did these together, it's a bit tough to tell their effects apart, but I'll give it a go having done these separately in past cars. The trans mounts are definitely high on the "don't do these if you're sensitive to NVH" list. The car rumbles and clunks when in low gears while getting up to speed. You can definitely feel what's going on in the transmission. That may or may not be your thing. I love it... for a weekend fun car. @Thraxbert described it as visceral in another thread, which I agree with! It took a lot of the slop out of the drivetrain, so mission accomplished in that regard. Shifts feel more direct, and when combined with xHP, very precise.
The diff mounts make the rear feel a bit grindy when getting up to speed with some faint whining to accompany that. I joked with a friend that you can now feel every spline in the diff when putting around. However, bushing deflection is completely gone, as you would expect with a solid chunk of aluminum. Any semblance of wheel hop (when accelerating quickly from a stop) has been eliminated. Power delivery coming out of low speed corners, or turning from a stop and juicing it, is buttery smooth. This will be beneficial on the track. However, I would hesitate on a daily driver, which my car is not. (Context: https://www.supramkv.com/threads/what-did-you-do-to-your-supra-today.2074/page-545#post-209629)
I'm very pleased with how the car is coming together. The inexpensive, passive upgrades to address cooling (save the Verus Engineering Hood Louver and Velossa Tech Ram Air Intake Snorkel noted below) have been completed, which this car needed due to the heat soak experienced on-track. Drivetrain slop has been greatly reduced through much stiffer transmission and differential mounts, with the upgraded motor mounts being installed soon. The basic power upgrades have been completed with one notable exception: The E35 tune for the JB4 I will be working with @Jesse DaBears. The next large(ish) upgrade I'll need to do even for street driving are a set of Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires (in factory size on factory wheels). At it stands, even running the 93 octane JB4 tune, I can't put down power at full throttle in 1st or 2nd gears without roasting the tires. Hammering it at the middle of the rev range in 3rd gear, if the pavement isn't perfect, causes the rear of the car to shimmy at the edge of adhesion. Overall, it's turning into a fun track and street car!
On deck to be installed by a local motorsports shop:
- Doteki Auto Solutions Polyurethane Motor Mounts (Track Version)
- Turner Braided Stainless Steel Brake Pads
- CSG C21/C11 Brake Pads
- MOTUL RBF 660 Racing Brake Fluid
- Complete Set of SPL Parts Kit for the A90
- Verus Engineering Carbon Hood Louver
- A91 Replica Spoiler w/ Satin Black Finish
- FTP Charge Pipe
- Velossa Tech Ram Air Intake Snorkel
- MST Performance V2 Intake System
- Hochman Fabrication Rear Brace/Harness Bar
Updated bonus tow vehicle glamor shot - I've done some work to it:
Sponsored
Last edited:
