YourOwnStupidity's Itasha '23 A90 MT build thread

[YourOwnStupidity]

Hello. This is my first big post on the forum. I have been lurking around since I ordered my Supra in 2022 and have been modifying my Supra since I got it in the spring of 2023.

Performance car background:

• 2015 Subaru WRX STI VAB
• 2021 Honda Civic Type R FK8
• 2022 Tesla Model Y Performance
• 1997 Toyota MK4 Supra (Overseas and sitting in storage)

I was generally neutral about the Supra since its launch but after I took an AT on a test drive in early 2022, I started to really "get it". Once I heard about about the manuals being released, it was a no brainer . I traded in my CTR and knew this was the platform I wanted to build on.

I am catching up now to document what I have done so far and anything I add going forward. I'll start retroactively adding my mods and my general thoughts now that they have been on my car for a while. My goal is a fun street car that can handle track duties 3-4 times per year and also hard park at car shows/cars and coffee.

The signature of this car is of course the Itasha wrap. At some point, I will have a post about the process and what I learned from getting a custom livery. Hope you guys find the build interesting


My philosophy is to do mods that 1) make the car look as cool or 2) do mods that make the car safer on track if step 1 is messing it up. That's why most of the mods will just be exterior and suspension. I have started researching some power mods but I won't be really diving into that until the manual transmission has been more thoroughly stress tested.

Happy to answer questions about my car at anytime though.

Feel free to follow my IG as well: @gr.pyra

Early ownership:

Phase 1 (No wrap):

Phase 2 (Current):

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[YourOwnStupidity]

Mod List:

Exterior:

• C-West Supra body kit in FRP. Painted satin black to match OEM diffuser
• Kuhl Racing 90R-RS Swan Neck wing
• Pyra Itasha wrap done by @styleup.studio on Instagram

Wheels and Tires:

• Wedssport RN05M
  • Front: 19x9.5 +28
  • Rear: 19x10.5 +32
• Michelin PS4S
  • Front: 265/35 R19
  • Rear: 295/35 R19
• Apex Wheels 14 x 1.25 stud conversion

Brakes & Suspension:

• CSG CP brake pads
• Endless RF-650 brake fluid
• Eibach Pro Kit Lowering springs

Interior:

• 777 x Zestek quick release steering wheel
• Sparco EVO XL

Engine:

• HKS Intake
• Boostlogic valved exhaust (No longer on the car)
• SP1R Exhaust

Miscellaneous:

• Verus Engineering jack pads

 

[yerrvang]

that is so hot

 

[jmikes]

As someone that has a guilty pleasure for them, it's refreshing to see an actually well done Itasha on a good car that sees track use.

Seems like every time I see an Itasha online or in person it's on a mom's hand-me-down sub-compact that's never gone past 70 MPH.

 

[YourOwnStupidity]

As someone that has a guilty pleasure for them, it's refreshing to see an actually well done Itasha on a good car that sees track use.

Seems like every time I see an Itasha online or in person it's on a mom's hand-me-down sub-compact that's never gone past 70 MPH.

Thank you that means a lot. I was initially quite nervous to get one for my car but it was well worth it.

IMO Itasha wraps get a bad rep in the US because they are not done properly. Probably a bit elitist but I really think the wraps require "completed builds" that stand on their own. It's just icing on the cake.

 

[YourOwnStupidity]

Mod Review: Eibach Pro Lowering Springs

The first mod that I will talk about is the Eibach lowering springs. Besides wheels, this was one of first mods I got for this car because the stock ride height of this car is simply too tall. I initially started on springs because I wanted to get a nice lowering without forgoing my in cabin damper control. I was originally looking between the HKS and Eibach springs but decided against HKS because I knew that I would only set the height once.

I had the install done by my trusted local shop and was quite pleased with the results:

BEFORE

AFTER

I did appreciate the inclusion of new bump stops that you can replace from your OEM ones. Surprisingly my Spoon springs for FK8 didn't include this despite being twice the price. It is nice to be able to restore your factory bump stops should you change your mind.

These are the US spec springs so they drop more aggressively. Eibach quotes around 1.7 for the front and 1.2 for the rear. At first, the car probably dropped by around 1.25" in the front and 1.0" in the rear but this did change over time (more on that later).

I've had them on the car for roughly 8000 miles and have driven it in a wide variety of places. On commutes, backroads, long highway drives, autocross, and track. I have done 1 track day on stock suspension, 3 with the springs and here are my general thoughts:

• On the street and in autocross, they ride roughly the same as OEM in both sport and normal settings. I only notice less refinement if I hit a particularly bad spot on the road. If you want the OEM ride experience while being low, this will let you have your cake and eat it too.
• The suspension has settled a lot more than other lowering springs I have used before. I am not sure if it's because of track days but I do notice that the car sits closer to what Eibach quotes as the lowered ride height now that the suspension has had some time to settle. This can be a good or bad depending on who you ask.
• The setup is too low and too soft for track. There are lots of documented research about the platform but if you truly care about track performance only, these springs don't cut it.
  • They won't solve the OEM body roll on their own and now that the car has a lower static ride height, you are prone to scraping stuff and being in the infamous bump steer. You may be able to mitigate this with Eibach's sway bars but I cannot confirm that.
  • When I ran at the Ridge in Shelton WA, I lost my underglow because the bottom of the side skirt would just barely scrape to the ground and tear off the LED strips. I also noted that in particularly hard corners, the car would become a lot more unsettled than when I ran stock suspension.
• With the C-West kit, it is extremely low. Most speed bumps will make my car scrape. I take everything at an angle because I assume everything will scrape. I can't take this car to work anymore because my parking garage is now too steep. Not necessarily a knock against the springs but just be aware that it comes with the territory.

I will probably be looking to coilovers in the near future. Currently looking at KWs DDC kit or Ohlins depending on my camber adjustment options. I will plan to adjust the ride height to about 0.8"-1" lower than stock so that I can get more consistent track performance and better QoL. Not a bad product but just not what I am looking for in suspension these days.


TLDR; Great springs for street, autocross, and spirited driving. Great value option if you want to get low without much street compromise. Track performance will suffer. Springs will settle much more so be aware of your personal situation. Bad for cars with low body kits unless you are about that scrape life.

 

[Loco38SUP]

About time you joined us here. ?

This one is definitely an attention getter. ?️?

-RJM

 

[Diablo]

I’m going to Google it immediately, and I’m no boomer, but I have no idea what Itasha is. I love Ren Red so you’re definitely off to the correct start. Looking forward to your future posts.

edit: otaku, waifu, etc. Got it. Love seeing everyone’s personalized builds. Carry on!

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