Warning! This is not a hardcore build! The goal here is an 86 with just a little ‘extra’. One that’s just a little meaner, a little better looking, a little better handling and longer lasting than the run of the mill model on the streets. One that improves the factory package without ruining Tada- san’s masterpiece of balance and poise.
In other words, a day-to day grin machine with a full warranty that attracts the right kinds of attention in just the right amounts, can dance on any dance floor and flies well below the radar. Let’s go through what you’re seeing here step by step:
Rolling stock: Overall the wheel and tire package was chosen to improve both looks (bye bye huge fender gaps!) and performance with no penalty due to weight, no penalty in terms of longevity, no compromise in quality…and all without being ridiculously expensive. Wheels – 18 inch OZ Ultraleggeras. I chose these wheels because they’re lighter than the stock 17 inch rims (which the chassis is set up for), fit perfectly and look great without screaming ‘aftermarket’. They’re also great quality and relatively easy to replace (unlike obscure offset, exotic JDM rims). The decision was to run 225/40/18 Continental Sport Contact 2 on each corner.
There are certainly grippier road tires available out there but the goal here wasn’t achieve pure, ultimate grip by fitting near R-compound rubber, with no staying power or road manners. The Contis are a proven, cost effective way to get more grip along with excellent road manners, response, feel, ride comfort and longevity. Easy to source in the event of a puncture and best of all they’re not much heavier or taller than the OEM rubber (which the car is geared for).
The boingy bits! The goal here was to lower the car while improving the handling performance. The original plan was to swap in springs which were tuned to work with the factory dampers but these RS*R coil overs were too good to resist. They’re a single adjustable Motonotube type damper with solid rubber top hats (no camber plates to avoid NVH and reliability issues for daily driving) and custom valving to match the relatively mild spring rates of 5k in front and 6k in the rear.
These particular units are a limited run spec (less than 20) which has been specifically tailored to the 86 by a gentleman named Moto Miwa, who developed them with RS*R based on street and track driving in his own 86. Essentially we’re looking at a very good street/track damper solution which falls in the sweet spot between cheap Taiwanese knockoff coil overs that do little else but lower the car and more expensive, high end track oriented coil overs which are harder to adjust.
