Richard’s MR2 Turbo: Not Too Pretty To Pirouette

It began all the way back in grade school with Gran Turismo. A few years later, Richard Tran graduated from video games and started moving through the worlds of hard-parking BMWs and drag racing until his expanding network brought a few road racers into his life.

When they invited him to a track day with Speed SF in 2019, he accepted — but not before considering the consequences. Richard was opposed to taking big risks; he’d seriously hurt himself in a car crash a few years before, and he certainly didn’t want to damage his then-new M3, but they persisted — they told him he’d leave the the track feeling something extraordinary.

The feelings of euphoria following that first session helped him forget about the potential costs of thrill seeking. In fact, he’d been bitten badly enough to sign up then and there for another twelve track days. Quickly, he put the dependable M3 on the back burner; he had a cheaper, lighter, more maneuverable mid-engined car he believed would take more to master.

To the trained eye, his 1991 Toyota MR2 Turbo (SW20) didn’t look like the ideal track toy candidate. Actually, it looked more like a museum piece. Three-stage paint, fresh interior panels, and completely new suspension components were all parts of a three-year restoration that culminated in a show-grade vehicle. Richard was so proud of it, he displayed it at SEMA.

Work Meisters and the OEM kouki aero was all that was needed to make the SW20 pop — it truly is a svelte, sexy car.

Despite its immaculate condition, he felt it wasn’t too good to be used in the way he’d (ab)used his M3. In fact, Richard felt that he’d be missing out on something vital if he didn’t track it. There was a directness and a demanding quality about it that made him feel giddy at 5/10ths.

The second outing proved he had his head screwed on straight, but didn’t quite have the quick hands needed to manage the MR2. The factory components just wouldn’t cut it, especially on all-seasons, so he replaced the rotors with slotted Stoptechs and slapped on a set of EBC Yellows. Along with those, he installed a set of Tein Super Street coilovers, a pair of GReddy side skirts, and a 1998-spec spoiler with lifted risers for a little flash.

The basic package was fun, but far from friendly. “I made the mistake of trying to drive it like the M3,” he began, “and that just wouldn’t work. I learned pretty quickly that I couldn’t throw it around or brake as late as I could in the BMW.”

The odd agricultural excursion didn’t dampen his enthusiasm for his demanding new car.

After many red flags and several stern conversations with the track workers, Richard learned he had to soften his inputs a little and improve the chassis a lot. The second-generation MR2 is known as a nervous car prone to rotate without much provocation, but it can be tamed with some suspension work, a little maintenance throttle, and the right sort of staggered tire setup.

Giving precedence to the rear axle began by fitting the rear wheels with 245/40R17 Federal RS-RR Pros — somewhat wider than the 215/40R17 fronts. Then, Richard turned to Elite Performance’s Melody Cannizzaro to soften the sensitive midship’s edges. A little more front camber relative to the rear helped settle the rear end while cornering, and more toe-in at the rear kept it planted under braking and acceleration. Then, as advised by his friends, Richard tried stiffening the front to minimize the nose dive under heavy braking, which could encourage the lightened rear to spin.

Minimizing some of that see-sawing gave him much more confidence in the car, and the resulting improvements in cornering speeds helped Richard notice a few more of its shortcomings.

It wasn’t the tight, direct thing he thought a lightweight MR car would be, but, after all, it was nearing a half-million miles. Sunshine Auto overhauled the entire suspension, adding new control arms, bigger sway bars, inner and outer tie rods, additional chassis bracing, and a set of 808 Racespec coilovers from Bob Pham. “The new setup made the car feel like a go-kart. Actually, the first day back at the track with these mods, I went six seconds faster than I’d ever gone before,” he exclaimed.

Richard’s love for the Sailor Moon series gave this car its eponymous nickname.

“Those modifications transformed it from a decent daily driver to an uncomfortable track car, but I still trust it enough to drive it to the track — it hasn’t left me stranded once,” he said. Pretty impressive for a car that just passed the 500,000 miles on the odometer. Chalk a bit of that up to build quality from the late-eighties Japanese boom, some of that to Richard’s obsessive maintenance habits, and a little bit to the near-stock configuration of the power train.

Aside from a Mishimoto radiator an HKS SSQV BOV, and a Berk 3” exhaust, the original 3SGTE motor remains stock.

Aside from a splitter and a pair of canards, Richard doesn’t plan on adding much more. Actually, he’s confident enough to admit he’s the limiting factor at this stage. “My friends will get in and go six seconds faster than I can, so I know I need seat time more than anything. Well, I could use a set of Sparco Circuits because I’m getting thrown around on the stock seats, but that’s about it.

For me, it’s the perfect track car — dependable, fun, and constantly challenging. I don’t really care about making it the fastest car here. I’ve got a ways to go as a driver, anyways. I’m not here to be the best — I just want to have fun, and in that department, the MR2 always delivers.

My track friends’ words of encouragement and support have been a driving force behind my journey; pushing me to overcome obstacles and strive for greatness. I rolled my car once many years ago and I was in the hospital for months. I thought I wouldn’t walk again.

My wife did not want to see me in another accident ever again. Actually, she wanted me to retire, but she saw how happy I was attending track days with friends, so she now watches me track. I promised her I’ll never go completely flat-out ever again and I’m fine with that — as long as I get to see her smile.”

Special thanks to Elite Performance, The Driveway, and Sunshine Auto.

Lief Storer's GT-R: Big Dreams, Bigger Numbers

Lief’s love for casual canyon carving, like so many track rats, set the stage for a serious foray into track days. Running the sinuous mountain roads near Oakland and sliding Tahoe powder in his 2009 WRX was enough to whet his whistle for a few years, but when the prices on his dream car entered the realm of attainability, he decided to take the leap and turn his cost-effective pastime into a full-time hobby. An Adobe-sponsored corporate track day at Sonoma made Lief absolutely certain he wanted to push a more powerful car in an environment where he could safely push the car’s limits.

His dream car was not a hardcore thoroughbred, nor was it super light, but Lief was convinced it was the ideal platform for an aspirational build. His 2009 GT-R had all the potential for quad-digit horsepower and a place at the top of any timesheet. He had grand dreams about turning this tech-heavy heavyweight into a standout.

Plus, much to Lief’s liking, the car was practical. “I could throw a set of race slicks in the back, drive it to the track, swap ‘em out, and then when I was done, drive home. It wasn’t just about the power or the grip—it was an everyday supercar I could live with.”

His aim of regularly competing in Speed SF Challenge and other time trials encouraged him to find that elusive happy medium: sharpening it while still retaining some streetability. For some time, Lief drove the car to and from the track without any problems other than a frightening tire bill. However, as the car kept getting faster, Lief eventually turned a corner and decided to change the car’s designation permanently.

Out of the box, the wet weight of the GT-R is over 3,900 pounds, so serious stripping was in order.

About three years into regularly tracking the car, he called on Tony Colicchio at TC Designs to weld in a full cage. “The night before sending it to TC, I got a little carried away. I stripped everything out of the car I could, and before I dropped it off the next morning, I realized that I was going to build this car solely for time attack.”

After a few more weight savers like polycarbonate windows and a titanium exhaust, he moved onto the fixes that a heavy, complicated sports car needs if it’s going to last longer runs. A Litchfield transmission cooler, a CSF radiator, and all the Trackspec venting to keep the VR38 and the braking system reasonably cool.

The next order of business was bringing the Nissan’s nose in-line. “Understeer out of the box is awful…it’s akin to a bulldozer plowing than a precision race vehicle,” Lief admits. “I wanted the car to follow my steering inputs, and so we went to town on the front end. Now, there’s a Nismo LSD up front, a set of widebody fenders, and custom Brypar knuckles that allow me to run a set of Advan GT 18x12” wheels and Yokohama A005 slicks set into perfect alignment with SPL arms. Paired with a large front splitter fabricated by Trackspec, the car can rotate in slow corners and still tuck the nose in for fast corners, too.

An Overtake rear LSD was added to reduce drivetrain temperatures, and it also improves rotation. Even after considerable weight savings measures, the heavy GT-R stopping distances aren’t the shortest, so Lief fitted 4-piston Brembo race calipers with endurance pads. The difference in pedal feel from the OEM Brembo 6-piston to the race-oriented 4-pistons is night and day. They also offer a much lower profile for improved cooling, and the 32mm pads that will run five track days without any noticeable fade

The car was pointy and precise, but the bump in front grip came at a cost. “I got a little carried away at Laguna one day and spun it through Turn 6 at about 90 miles an hour. The wall was about five feet away when I came to a stop.”

The need for a complementary rear end pushed Lief to buy the biggest chassis-mounted wing he could fit: a 78” APR GT-1000. The resulting balance put the car into a new performance window that helped him set a few of his best times. He’d found a consistent, capable car that wouldn’t bite his head off if he made a mistake. Even better: the motor wouldn’t overheat in the course of a fifteen-minute session. Its oil circulation was not as strong, however.

“In my opinion, Speed SF Challenge offers enthusiasts a unique balance of risk and fun, while ensuring competition among a range of participants of varying budgets. The feeling of the grid is racey and competitive, but you’re not overly concerned with swapping paint.”

After an auspicious Sonoma session in which Lief set a 1:42.4, the motor let go. “I hadn’t been checking the oil frequently enough, and I believe I starved it in Turn 11 and threw a rod. The motor had seen around 30,000 miles, 20,000 of which were track miles. Every dog has its day.”

The cost of consumables with this heavyweight had been hard enough to swallow, but an engine rebuild gave him a reason to panic. With the price of a VR38 long block pushing $25,000, he had to get creative with his financing and find a shop that could pencil him in without emptying his bank account.

The cost was so extravagant that cross-country shipping the entire car was a worthwhile endeavor. Check6ix offered him the most appealing deal of the notable GT-R shops he’d contacted, and that meant sticking it on a hauler en route to Georgia.

Eighteen months later, he flew out to Atlanta to pick up his rebuilt baby. Cicio Performance had fitted the head with upgraded valve springs and cams, then filled the block with forged Manley rods and pistons. The cam change had bumped torque to a respectable 630 lb-ft, and that’s with the factory turbochargers still in place. Retaining the stock snails is not something that someone who’s just fitted a MoTec C127 ECU to their motor usually does, but Lief felt they’d do the trick. “I just wanted it to run reliably and respond to my footwork. I also wanted to keep the car right at the limit for running in NASA’s TT1 class.”

Coincidentally, the completion of his new motor lined up with Global Time Attack at Road Atlanta, so he flew out East with his helmet and suit packed, and met with the Check6ix team in the pits.

The car, sitting on a set of old Yokohama A005s, was frighteningly fast out of the box. Lief clicked off a 1:29 in practice, and after a few setup changes and some familiarization with the course, he managed a 1:26.6. This was good enough for a 4th place in the Unlimited class, which was filled with builds boasting another 300 horsepower. Though he was outgunned from the get-go, Lief was forced to compete in Unlimited as the rules for the lesser classes require a dashboard of some sort, which was absent in this car.

Back on the West Coast, Lief’s been racking up the sort of lap times that make everyone purse their lips and nod. Best of all, he’s been doing it without chasing quad-digit power. Currently, with just 600 horsepower and a wet weight of 3,400 pounds, he’s been able to put a 1:27.8 in at Laguna Seca. He’s spent a pretty penny to get this far, and he’s debating whether it’s worthwhile spending more.

“I’m at a fork in the road where all I see are diminishing returns, and at some point I want to start another project. I keep saying that it’s done, but part of me thinks I’ll need to work a little harder to perfect it,” he says. “I still want to get some weight out of the car—I can try tubed subframes and some more carbon panels; weight reduction has made the car so lively. It’s been an amazing journey—both building the car and investing countless hours on the simulator. We’ve both come a long way.”

After going sub-30 at Laguna, Lief has his crosshairs on getting under the 1:40 mark at Sonoma and under 1:50 at Thunderhill East, “There’s something about those ten-second incremental milestones that makes every one of us track junkies completely elated. I hope there’ll be a few more on the horizon.”

He might not’ve gone for bigger turbos, but it’s clear Lief is a guy who likes big numbers—and he went about getting them in the smartest way possible.

Tailai's Supra: Keep it Simple, Keep it Sane

Started tracking in 2018 after moving to the States to study at UC Davis. Being an undergrad student, Tailai time was booked solid. Even so, he had an image of Sonoma Raceway, an image he’d had in his mind since playing Gran Turismo in his early teens, and he knew he’d have to find a way to experience it.

With no real knowledge of the trackday landscape, he booked a three-day advanced driving course at the Simraceway Performance Driving Center, where he was able sample the circuit and the strengths of his daily, an E92 M3. “I didn’t know anything then, so I kept the stock pads and went to drive. The only thing I added was a big wing, because it was cool.

The car was stable and forgiving, and the classes went off without a hitch. The subsequent visits to the track weren’t always failure-free, though. “Whenever I tried to push, something broke.” He endured the bills and, without much of a racing education, he started modding the car to make more power — something entirely predictable. He slapped on a VF supercharger and, after it was installed incorrectly, he blew the motor.

Disappointed, he sought out something reliable with more tuning potential. He didn’t like how American cars drove, so no Camaro. The atmospheric BMW engines weren’t all that interesting to him, but the potential of some of the turbo cars caught his eye.

“I first bought the Verus full aero, which I now see was foolish. I should’ve started with suspension, but the aero kit was too cool to ignore,” he laughed.

He didn’t exactly settle on another car from the same marque, but he wasn’t far off. After finding an impressive deal on a 2021 Supra, he pulled the trigger.

The first outing in it, he left it completely stock. Very capable already—capable of lapping Sonoma in the 1:53s. By this time, he’d started studying what would keep his ass in the seat and what would drop times the fastest.” I wanted the car to be reliable, so I didn’t touch the powerplant. There were more important things to change.”

Maybe the pleasure of seeing the car kitted out was the right move, because it wouldn’t let him down like his first set of coilovers would. The first set of KW Clubsports broke after a few days. Fortunately, his growing social media presence helped him secure a more track-oriented setup; KW reached out and offered him a set of Competition coilovers.

Then, seeing how easily he was squeezing noticeable performance from the package, he got a little smarter with his tuning approach. He hit the books hard and called on his years of building soccer robots for RoboCup Junior. With his analytical mind whirring away, Tailai could not ignore the way Supra’s weight was working against him. “Weight savings starts out cheap, but it gets pricey pretty quickly,” he admitted. Just by pulling the carpets, seats, adding a cheap Chinese fiberglass hood, and changing the battery, he trimmed an impressive 200 pounds from the car, and only spent an afternoon a few hundred dollars.

Less mass saves some strain on the binders, which don’t need too much help. Pads from CSG, stock rotors and calipers, a basic ducting kit, and even with Goodyear Supercar 3Rs and the aero loading, the brakes last an entire session without fade.

Mods were kept minimal. A set of SPL control arms for more camber and toe adjustment, a Sparco bucket seat, and a chopped exhaust rounded out the short list. Fortunately, the A90 just doesn’t need much help from the factory — just a sportier alignment:

With Jackie Ding’s advice, he increased front camber to -3 degrees, increased the rear to -2.8, set the front toe at 0, and, to minimize some of the bump steering, a smidge of rear toe-in. About 0.3 degrees, actually.

Tuning took some time to understand, but like his choice in modifications, he fumbled his way through it until he could learn enough to make the right decisions. “At first, I had the rear wing angle turned up to the max before adding the splitter, so at 8 at Thunderhill East, the car just went straight. That scared me. After that, I started to read up on aero balance.”

After adding a splitter and trimming out the rear wing, he found a sweet spot that gives him some reassuring push in faster corners. Combine that with a car that is easily rotated on throttle in the slower corners, and it’s not hard to see why he’s gone so much faster in the span of a year.

“As soon as I touch the throttle, I like it to rotate a little,” he explained.

And with that, he had a platform he could take to the track and run lap after lap. It’s super reliable. After forty-minute sessions at Thunderhill in 100F weather, the brakes and the engine remain cool. The Supra is happy to take the abuse.

His dedication to the craft, complemented by his studious approach and background in robotics helped him go from a total novice to someone fighting at the front of Speed SF Challenge’s S2 class in just two years. You don’t make that progress without cracking the books and being a little ingenious. Now pursuing his PHD in electrical engineering, he is confident he took the right path. “If you don’t have a budget to hire an engineer, you have to learn to do it yourself.”

Tailai has done most of the work in his garage. “From chassis tuning, I gained probably two seconds.”

And although he sees the importance in building a dependable, approachable, reliable car, he knows that racing is not just an engineering exercise. It takes practice, physical fitness, and coordination. So, after he adds the new Spage aero, the rest will come down to him. “There’s still a lot more potential there that I’m not getting. Honestly, I’m still a pretty bad driver,” he said.

For someone who’s currently lapping Sonoma in the 1:45s, but had no idea what an apex was a few years ago, that is a masterpiece of self-effacement. Not everyone advances this quickly in the sport, but Tailai’s taken the sensible approach and put track time first. If that isn’t a compelling case for reliability, I don’t know what is.

Adam's S13 Coupe: Silvias Do More Than Slide

Some might think that S13 coupes aren’t really suited to turning quick laps, but some know better. Adam Swan’s owned thirty-five different S-chassis cars, so he knows better than most. This particular car, bought before some of the JDM favorites were considered investments, only set him back a few grand. That would be a steal for a stock car nowadays, but this one had the running gear from an S15 Spec R.

That means an SR20DET, a six-speed transmission, and the viscous limited-slip differential in a body weighing around 2,750 pounds. It was immediately at home on canyon roads and shorter drift tracks, where Adam beat it mercilessly for the his first few years of ownership.

It even got the S15’s gauge cluster.

At the time, he was crewing for Valkryie Autosport/GOTO Racing, then running a Nissan R35 GT-R in various time attack series. Inspired by the challenge he was partaking in, he decided to take his recently acquired S13 and try the road course for himself.

Being light, moderately powerful, and rear wheel-drive, the S13 had the bones to become a track car. He called upon his experience and added some budget basics to free up a few horsepower and find some support.

For the power adders, he grabbed a trio of no-name budget bits: a 4” turboback, a front-mount intercooler, and a manual boost controller. Good enough for a healthy 220 horsepower at the driven wheels, which, after stripping the interior and stuffing a Joshua Sher half-cage in there, made for a pretty punchy machine. Great torque and a much wider powerband—one perk of the S15’s variant of the engine—propel this 2,600-pound car at a surprising rate. It’s not just about peak power, but mass, gear ratios, and available traction.

Forget Fancy Stuff

That last trait benefited from the first major handling improvement: 5Zigen FN01RC wheels wrapped in a staggered set of Toyo R888Rs—235s up front and 255 in the rear. To make the most of the wider footprint and improve support, he added Fortune Auto 500 coilovers, SPL tie rods, and a no-name front swaybar bought off eBay. Remember when an S13 was a budget sports car?

Even without primo parts, the package was enough for fast laps without any drama. However, it was nearly stock in other areas, and that became a problem when the factory S14 one-piston brakes would vary wildly from corner to corner, even with upgraded pads. Additionally, the VLSD’s tendency to peg-leg limited a lot of his corner-exit potential. Not perfect, but not too bad for what was essentially a stock car.

Life was stress-free a long time; going to track days without breaking the bank, running full laps without worrying, and putting in respectable times. As his confidence grew, Adam started to wonder if a few aero pieces might not make a massive difference. Adding an Alumalite splitter and an NRG rear wing spruced up the basic shape of the Silvia, but the aero change worsened his confidence.

Some inspection from the sidelines showed that the trunk was flexing under the pressure of the wing. This was due to a lack of trunk reinforcements, which, when added, made a huge difference. The balance went from being skittish at higher speeds to neutral with a hint of understeer in the fast stuff; something easier to lean on when learning the basics. It also helped cut about five seconds off his previous bests.

Adam recognized that what the car required was a little fine-tuning at this stage. Switching from Toyos to a set of Advan A052s proved to not only give him longer stints before the tires’ performance would dwindle, but after playing with pressures for a few lapping days, he found that he was getting much closer to that reassuring sort of balance he’d been after for some time.

By getting the preloads, ride height, and cambers correct, he was able to feel at ease while pushing. When the rear stepped out, his drifting experience came in handy. Even though the of the suspension wasn’t widely adjustable, he could get it to do what he wanted it to.

He took it to Global Time Attack twice, both times competing in the Limited Class—a best of 11th in 2020.

Resurrecting the Silvia

His business SwanSpeed has picked up in the last couple years, so the trusty Silvia has taken a spot in the back of his garage. Though the engine’s been plucked from the bay, it’s not a cause for dismay. The reason it’s gone is because he’s finally found the sponsorship needed to make the car a front-runner in Limited.

The body’s been widened with Origin overfenders to run wider tires; 275s at the rear—hopefully enough to harness the power the new motor will make. The heart of the new build, currently in progress, is a TEM Machine IndustriesM-built SR20 with forged internals, a quick-spooling turbo, E85 capability, and with any luck, a little over 500 horsepower.

The Silvia might not have the traction of some of its rivals, but it’s an underrated chassis in a grip setting. It doesn’t have much mass to push around, nor does it have many vices. Provided the brakes and differential are replaced for something a little stronger, Adam might be able to give his inconspicuous Silvia a fighting chance against the S2000s and GT-Rs. Not terrible for a car with less than ten grand invested.

A big thanks to Horsepower Industries for their endless support.

Sam's Semi-OE Turbo Miata: Taking Advantage of Pre-COVID Pricing

I try to fight the occasional sting of envy when I walk through the Speed SF pits. One particular car made me want to crawl up inside a hole and cry—this immaculate ‘00 Miata. I’ve already bought and sold one NB Miata—a car I wasn’t completely enamored with, but after learning that Sam Tsui was able to get this car with such an incredible collection of parts for the 2022 price of a rough NB without a hardtop, I was kicking myself for not buying one a little earlier.

A couple years prior to the pandemic, Sam helped define the term “pre-COVID prices.” He’d had some fun over the prior five years in a Fiat 500 Abarth, but the high center of gravity, intrusive nanny systems, and cost of performance parts were too much after some time. He’d grown somewhat comfortable with the car, but its odd behavior in fast transitions kept him from pushing it harder. As he was starting to push hard on a regular basis as a Lemons racer, he started searching for a rawer car. Within a month, he came up on the steal of the decade.

The low costs of a Miata drew him to seek out a lightly modified NA or NB. “I wasn’t looking for something that had been pretty much completed, but that’s just how it worked out,” Sam said. At a barbecue, he learned of a sorted track car his friend was looking to sell. This car had pretty much what any track-oriented Miata needed, an immaculate exterior, and it had a special motor fitted.

The trials and tribulations of turbo Miata ownership are nothing new, but it seems that sticking to a semi-OEM route can keep the headaches to a minimum. What Sam’s friend had done was swap the entire powertrain from a Mazdaspeed Miata—the 1.8-liter turbo engine, six-speed gearbox, rear axle, and limited-slip differential. With a few bolt-on parts from Flyin’ Miata and a good tune on a standalone Hydra Nemesis EMS, the engine makes a healthy 210 horsepower and 200 lb-ft of torque. Best of all, that torque came on strong at 3,000 rpm. That really changes the driving experience. Now, the throttle is squeezed and not pounded like a veal cutlet.

It looks nearly factory because it is.

Having only a set of 15x7” Avanti Storm S1 wrapped in 205s to put that power down, Sam had to recalibrate his right foot pretty quickly lest he spin in a slow corner. “The Fiat was easier to drive; I could floor it in hairpins and it would hook without any wheelhop. With the Miata, I have to squeeze the throttle carefully in second and sometimes third gear.”

As he was looking for that added feeling of connection, he made sure to replace all the tired rubber bushings with polyurethane items. In conjunction with a stiff set of Megan Racing coilovers, the reduced slop helped him achieve a handling balance that verged on oversteer in most places. In fact, the Miata will try to spin if it’s thrown into the corner, so Sam learned to slow his steering rates down a little. Much more than the Fiat, the Miata is eager to rotate.

And stop. The brakes were replaced with the Flyin’ Miata Little Big Brake kit, which consists of Wilwood four and two-pot calipers clamping OEM rotors. For a car this light, the stock rotors are more than sufficient. On a set of 200-TW tires, the braking this 2,450-pound car is capable of will leave most folks with their mouth agape.

A basic lightweight flywheel aFactory ABS, a hard top, and a good amount of safety equipment help Sam push with confidence.

For how little he got this car for, you’d expect there to be a stripped interior, rust, or some other catch. I’m sorry to say, this car has very little wrong with it. Cosmetically, it’s about as nice as a track car should be. The interior is all in place, and there weren’t any hack cuts in the carpet to fit the rollbar, either. The hardtop is painted nicely, the wheel fitment is subtle but noticeable, and the generally understated appearance doesn't scream regularly driven track toy.

For a turbo Miata, it’s pretty robust. Sam has run nearly twenty track days with the car on the stock radiator and fan setup, only aided by a Flyin’ Miata FMIC, and it still runs cool. However, he has to watch the water temp when the ambient is pushing 100.

Though it’s been tuned to such a high standard and really doesn’t need much else, Sam left his mark on it. In addition to swapping out the bushings, he fitted the interior with an OMP wheel, a Hard Dog rollbar/harness bar, and a RaceDirect.com 6-point harness. Just a few tweaks, but enough to make it feel like it’s his. Without a doubt, this no-stone-unturned track car doesn’t need much more.

Simon's STI Wagon: Many Mods Spoil The Subaru

By the time Simon started tracking at age 33, go-karting was out of the question. His body hadn’t been calloused properly from driving those cost-effective but physically draining machines during his teens and twenties. Plus, being a proud Northerner, Simon wasn’t ever too eager to drive in hot temperatures, and not only does a kart puts its driver right in the middle of a heat sink, it requires them to wear a racing suit. He sought out something a little more comfortable to get his jollies with.

Always fond of the Subaru’s rally-inspired road cars, he grabbed an ‘06 WRX sedan and started autocrossing. Fearing the five-speed would shatter under the strain, he decided to upgrade to a new STI a few years later. This time, he’d have a stout six-speed, a little more power, and a fifth door. This wagon, with its softer lines and extra storage space, represented the best drive-to-the-track car for Simon.

His honeymoon phase was bliss. However, after learning a little more about the EJ257’s ringland issues, he had a little irritating voice to contend with every time he took his wagon to the track. Still, he made a few modifications, kept power outputs reasonably close to factory, and learned how to get the most out of this surprisingly swift and nimble hatchback.

Of course, his plan to remain conserative with power outputs was, well, a little idealistic. Even keeping power under the 400-whp-mark, he found that the engines kept popping. After a worrying but relatively ineffective fire during an autocross, he decided to splurge and get a fully built engine courtesy of IAG Performance.

This special lump included a parts list four pages long and a price tag not far from the cost of a stock STI. Clearly, he was committed to seeing just what the EJ257 could do when he threw everything at it. The big ticket items that might raise an eyebrow are an IAG Stage 3 Magnum EJ257 Subaru Closed Deck Short Block, IAG pistons and rods, a Supertech valvetrain, ID1300cc injectors, and a custom GTX2971R turbo that fattens the powerband sufficiently for the road course. The total power output: roughly 450 horsepower at all four wheels.

Oiling and cooling proved to be the biggest problem for this engine, regardless of its level of modification. To keep the motor lubricated at high g-loading, he ran KillerB’s larger oil pan, baffle, and pickups; as well as Crawford’s air-to-oil separator. Adding a vented hood helped extract some of the heat from the bay, and a PTP Lava turbo blanket, Koyo radiator, custom 19-row Setrab oil cooler did the rest. Though he didn’t test the car in truly scorching temperatures, it proved to stay chilly in Laguna Seca’s dry heat.

“It’s a fun car when it works. I’ve had some thoughts about returning it to stock and just enjoying it for what it’s meant to be, but I feel I’m past the point of no return,” he laughed.

Of course, it wasn’t meant to excel only on straightaways. The biggest modification he made—one of hundreds—was surprisingly simple: chassis stiffening. Between the TC four-point rollbar and the CUSCO chassis bracing—mounted mostly on the underbody, gave the once doughy wagon a much more athletic character. “It wasn’t the motor or power that surprised me most—it was the CUSCO bracing. I had to relearn everything; it’d become so tail-happy overnight!”

That edginess was dialed out for a more Massive AP six-pistons clamp the front rotors and give the 3,200-pound wagon strong braking performance and repeatable trail-braking—a must in a middleweight four-wheel drive. The platform’s inherent understeer is mitigated somewhat by getting the most offered by the KW V3 two-ways and camber plates, but it’s something he prefers; the softer edges of a push-prone quell his nerves.

Thank Christ the footwork was sorted as well as it was, because now he’s dealing with a power downgrade and the wagon’s sharp handling is now its greatest strength. Why the downgrade? It’s recently been made smog-friendly and the only real power adder is a COBB tune. “It’s a little on the slow side, but at least I’m not going to worry about another engine bill anytime soon,” he said with a smirk.

If the lengths Simon went to trying to find the most this platform can provide taught him much, it’s that there’s some sense in staying stock. “Too much worrying detracts from the driving experience, and the more modified the car is, the more I worry,” he admitted.

For now, he’ll have to learn how to enjoy a machine with grip that vastly outweighs its power output—though it’s tough calling a 300+ horsepower turbo car a momentum car. For comfortable commutes and spirited backroad driving, he’s got an EVO X on hand that he’s committed to keep near-stock. He learned his lesson with this bewitching but fickle wagon that will undoubtedly remain the focus of his excessive side for years to come.

ENGINE
IAG Stage 3 Magnum EJ257 Subaru Closed Deck Short Block
Closed Deck Block Halves
Machined for Fire Lock Ring
Machined for 14mm Head Studs
IAG Spec JE FSR 99.75mm 2618 Forged Pistons
IAG Spec H-Tuff Connecting Rods with 625+ Rod Bolts
ACL Race or King Main and Rod Bearings
STI Nitride Crankshaft

Supertech Titanium Spring Retainers and Spring Seats
Supertech Valve Spring Kit (Exhaust and Intake)
OEM Valve Guides
R&R all Intake and Exhaust Valve Guides, 5 Angle Valve Job, Head Resurfacing
Grind and Polishing Spring Ends for titanium retainers
Bowl Blend EJ Heads
IAG 14mm Head Stud Kit for EJ

Subaru JDM 12mm Oil Pump Part# 15010AA310
Gates Racing Timing Belt
RPS MAX Series Clutch with Street Disc
ACT Streetlight Flywheel

KillerB Oil Pickup
KillerB Oil Baffle
KillerB Larger Oil Pan
Miltek Catback Exhaust (with custom Laguna Seca turn away tips)
Agency Power aluminum 3" Turbo inlet (with 3"->2.4" silicon adapter). DEI wrapped
Stock VF48 turbo
Cobb FPR
Cobb Flex Fuel Kit (fully installed but unplugged from the ECU)
DW300 Fuel Pump

Koyo Racing Radiator
Custom oil Cooller (19 row Setrab core, Mocal 200F Thermostatic Sandwich Adapter)
Crawford v2 Air-Oil-Separator
KillerB Radiator Shroud
Stock rear differential with Perrin cooling cover (holds more fluid as well)
COBB OTS Stage1 ACN91 NWG map (COBB AP v3 is included)

INTERIOR
OMP HTE-R Racing Halo Seat
OMP 6-point Racing Harness
OMP Seat Side Mounts
Sparco Seat Sliders
Planted seat base (customized by TC Design)
4 Point Weld-in Rollbar (Half Cage) by TC Design
Partially stripped in the back
Small leather FactionFab steering wheel
5v USB hardwired plug for the windshield mounted camera (under the rear-view mirror).
Strong (3 point) Rollbar mounted camera mount.

EXTERIOR
VIS VRS Style Vented Carbon Fiber Hood
Cusco Front And Rear Tow Hooks
Aerocatch hood latches

SUSPENSION AND CHASSIS
RCE Tarmac T2 Coilovers with 500/500lb Springs (9k/9k)
Whiteline Front adjustable 22mm rollbar
Whiteline Rear adjustable 22mm rollbar
Whiteline Adjustable (Front) Ball Endlinks
SuperPro Rear Endlinks
Vorshlag Camber Plates (front)
2011+ STI Front Lower Control Arms (LCA)
SuperPro Front LCA Front Bushings
SuperPro Front LCA Rear (no Caster ALK) bushings
SuperPro Roll Center Adjuster (RCA)
2015+ STI Fast Steering Rack (13:1 ratio)
SuperPro steering rack bushings
Cusco Steering Rack Bracket
SPT Steering Cooler
Super Pro Rear Trailing Arm Front Bushing
Super Pro Rear Trailing Arm Rear Bushing
Super Pro Rear Upper Control Arm Inner Bushings (non-adjustable)
Super Pro Differential Pinion Bracket Bushing replacement
Super Pro Toe Arms
Cusco Rear Adjustable Lower Control Arms (Links)
Whiteline Rear Subframe Bushing Inserts
Whiteline Differencial Bushing Inserts
Kartboy Pitch Stop
Kartboy Front Shifter Bushing
Kartboy Rear Shifter Bushing
Cusco Front Lower Arm Bar Type II (H-Brace)
Cusco Power Brace Floor Center
Cusco Power Brace Crossmember
Cusco Power Brace Rear Member Side
Cusco Power Brace Rear Lower
Tanabe Front Strut Tower Brace
IAG Competition Series Engine Mounts
GroupN Transmission Mounts
Whiteline Gearbox Mount Bushings (positive shift kit)

BRAKES
Essex AP Racing RadiCal 6-piston Front BBK (Ferodo DS UNO pads)
Custom Front Brake ducts with fog light covers as duct inlets.
OEM size rear Ferodo DS UNO brake pads
OEM size rear Stoptech Powerslot Rotors
Stoptech Rear Stainless Steel Braided Brake Lines
GrimmSpeed Master Cylinder Brace

WHEELS AND TIRES
Enkei PF01 18x10 ET35 wheels (no TPMS sensors!)
Motorsport-tech custom (wheel and hub centric) 3mm front spacers for better strut clearance
Yokohamas A052 (265/35-18)
APR Wheel studs all around

Ed Susman's 718 Cayman: Proving the Four-Cylinder's Potential

Caymans are a common sight at Northern Californian tracks, but not many of them make over 400 lb-ft of torque. Though the six-cylinder variants have a grander sort of appeal, Ed Susman, a Subaru tuner with a penchant for turbocharged flat-fours, saw the potential in the new 718 chassis with the 2.5-liter engine.

Now, with a seriously wide footprint and suspension upgrades to match the gains in grunt, his turbo Cayman has been proven as a particularly quick car on both quick and slow circuits. Even better, there’s still so much potential with the platform which Ed, an obsessive tuner, aims to unlock.

Now that Ed has gotten intimate with this force-fed, four-cylinder midship, he’s been able to give this car a dash of the old 911 Turbo ferocity that makes it a very different car to drive. Unlike the atmospheric variant, this Cayman requires the driver treat the throttle with extra concern. Does one sacrifice a little mid-corner speed with so much power available? Possibly, but if there’s a delay in throttle application, the straightline advantage makes up for whatever difference there may be—and then some. 

The factory output—365 horsepower and 309 lb-ft at the flywheel—is nothing to sniff at. More importantly for low-speed tracks, it’s the way the motor just pulls from zip that changes its character so much. from that of the high-revving atmospheric versions. A flatter mid-range and a screaming crescendo isn’t what this motor offers, instead, it pulls like a sled dog from virtually everywhere in the rev range. Because it makes its peak torque figure from 1,900 to 5,500 rpm, it really doesn’t matter which gear is selected. It’s this ability to keep the car moving forward at about any speed is something else which cannot be savored with the old naturally-aspirated motor.

Not surprisingly, those figures were a little on the conservative side—just as Porsche is wont to do. After Ed got his hands on the motor, all it took was a downpipe, an E30 blend of ethanol, and a little tuning on the factory ECU to extract serious gains.

Of course, it wouldn’t be possible without Ed’s magic. The motor now makes 460 horsepower and 440 lb-ft at the rear wheels. Even wilder, the powerband has been broadened some; pulling harder from 3,000 rpm to 7,500. As crazy as it might sound, there’s still more mojo available—it’s just that the fuel system needs a little beefing up before it’s accessible.

Since the peak figure is available just shy of 2,000 rpm, it makes the delivery a little less than linear. Depending on the tires he’s using, he switches between two maps on the Cobb Accessport to soften the mid-range torque. If he’s using A052s or Supercar 3Rs, he gives it the full enchilada. If he’s on street tires, there needs to be a slight softening of the gradient of the mid-range ramp in order keep the rears from spinning everywhere.

Regardless of compound chosen, Ed had to throw a set of 305s on the rear if he wanted any traction in the second-gear hairpins. Thanks to Apex Wheels for giving him a set of 19X9 and 19X11” SM-10s, he was able to get the desired amount of rubber within the the factory bodywork without any rubbing or rolling. Somehow, they fit underneath the factory bodywork. 

More than mere meat, the secret to its inspiring traction lies in his clever throttle tuning. Now, there’s a more linear throttle position-to-output to make that horse-kick delivery a little more manageable.

With the car making serious horsepower with relatively little work, Ed now had a series of figures he could attract a whole new slice of clientele interested in making their Cayman dust GT3s on the freeway. His work had only really begun, though. To get the car to do what it’s supposed to do best, he had to improve footwork to complement the free-breathing motor. 

The list of upgrades is refreshingly short. With a set of camber plates; SPL control arms, camber arms, and toe links; and Ohlins Street/Track coilovers, he’s been able to make the car much, much more manageable. “Where it was nervous, it’s now neutral,” he declared. 

The footage below definitely conveys the violence of the turbo motor—even if the muffled soundtrack doesn’t. Ed has to tread carefully, otherwise the turbo motor simply monsters the driven wheels. Still, there’s a real playfulness to it all. Clearly, the turbocharged motor suits the Cayman, but it changes the emphasis from rolling mid-corner speed to getting the thing pointed and administering that power. While he might not be able to lean on it like he might in a similarly sorted atmospheric variant; it still looks predictable and playful. 

The car still has a lot of work ahead of it if Ed’s going to be satisfied. The front end simply doesn’t cooperate as he’d like, mostly in the high speed sections, and so he’s planned a bit of aero and weight reduction to help this car point as he’d like it to. For now, he’ll keep himself busy improving the deftness of his right foot—his brilliantly tuned engine is still grunty enough to roast the rears in fourth-gear corners. 

Showdown at Sonoma: Battle Between the Fastest Stateside A90 Supras

They’d known each other from the forums and hours on the phone, but they hadn’t met in person. For the last few years, both Jackie Ding and Will Kwok have developing some of the fastest A90 Supras in the country, and only recently were about to partake in some friendly competition.

Jackie’s PhD Racing Supra, now famous online thanks to his growing YouTube channel, caught the attention of Will in 2019. “Will quickly became a huge supporter of PhD Racing Lab and is now our biggest customer. He’s always a great guy to talk to, so he was one of the first people I told I was coming out to the West Coast. Naturally, we started talking about a little battle when I was there,” Jackie told us.

It was Gary Wong, Will’s hired hotshoe, who supplied Jackie with Speed SF’s schedule. Jackie picked the dates that interested him, and the two decided to have themselves a duel. If Jackie couldn’t finish more than a half second ahead of Gary at Gary’s home track, he’d have to buy dinner.

Footwork

Since Will got most of his pointers from Jackie, perhaps first real time attack driver to develop the A90 Supra in the U.S., the parts used on the two cars aren’t that different. Both share most of the SPL catalog available for the A90, including the SPL front lower control arms, SPL adjustable front caster rods, SPL rear toe links and eccentric lockouts, SPL bumpsteer correction kit, SPL rear traction links, SPL rear upper lateral links, and SPL front swaybar endlinks. There are a few notable differences, though; Jackie’s car sports the Reinharte two-ways coilovers while Will’s is on MCS three-ways.

Powerplants

Supras have a certain reputation to live up to, and both these cars do that with over 1,200 combined horsepower. Jackie’s B58 is improved with VP MS109 direct injection and a Garrett GTX3076R Gen 2 as part of the AMS Alpha 6 turbo kit. The total output: somewhere in the 650-horsepower range.

Will has explored a little more of his motor’s potential. His sports the Pure800 turbo, flex fuel, and port injection,—enough for 700 horsepower at the real wheels, depending on power map. The power outputs are similar, but Jackie has to leave a little on the table as his gearbox hasn’t been built, unlike Will’s.

Though slightly heavier, Will’s car is a little faster on the straights due to a stronger gearbox and another fifty horsepower.

For both Sonoma and Laguna, both cars sported the same tires: 275/40/18 CSR. However, the grip levels provided varied due to weight and aerodynamics. Jackie’s car-driver combination is somewhere around 150-200 pounds lighter than Gary and the purple car, and the configuration of wings and splitters are different enough to provide very different characters. While Will’s car has the Spage V1 front splitter, Jackie’s has the V2. Both running the Spage SP012 68” swan neck GT wing, but Jackie’s wing is mounted slightly lower for a less understeery setup.

Similar setups, similar parts—that would be the case since Will has relied on Jackie for tuning advice. However, their design ethos differ somewhat. Jackie’s car is much more suited to the high-speed stuff, while the purple car is more compliant, more squishy, and better suited to the slower tracks on the West Coast.

Subtle Differences OVER one Lap

For the first half of Sonoma, Gary held the edge. The bumps in Turn 1 were tough, but when it came to hard braking and high-speed direction changes, as in Turns 7 and the 8/8A esses, Jackie and his slightly pointer car pushed ahead. Turn 10 obviously favored the aero grip of the red car, but it wouldn’t be fair to say it was as simple as turning the wheel and matting it. As we can see in the footage below at 8:53, a little braking too late and adding a little too much throttle after the speed change prior to Turn 10 caused a moment which might’ve given Jackie a little heart palpitation. Without a doubt, Sonoma is a driver’s track that Jackie had to learn in a hurry.

“Their car handled the bumps better, so in sector 1 at Sonoma, Gary definitely had an edge on us. Our car, being more stiffly sprung and heavy on compression, is a really high-speed focused aero car. While we lost a little in Sector 1, we gained that back in Sector 3’s high-speed esses,” Jackie elaborated.

“I was surprised with the braking performances. We were both running the same CSG pads, but I think I had more confidence in my brakes, even though I’ve only got a Stoptech Trophys on the front axle. Will’s car has APs 9660s front and rear. I think the big reason for that was our more advanced front splitter; having that extra downforce gives us extra front grip under braking,” he added.

At the end of the day, the main difference was in downforce. Both cars produce comparable grunt and share the same footprint, but subtle changes in aero balance and perhaps a slightly svelter shape gave Jackie a slight edge around Sonoma, though it’s only fair to mention he’s been developing this car longer and driving it a lot more. Still, nobody felt shortchanged at the end of that glorious day. Sonoma’s not the easiest of tracks, and it definitely doesn’t suffer fools, and to put that much power to the road through moderately sized tires and not crash is an accomplishment in itself. Dinner looks cheap after the cost of a smashed carbon clamshell.