Targa Newfoundland Scion FR-S Suspension Tweaks and Racewear

Peter and Dave from Speed Academy continue their mad thrash on the Scion FR-S they’re preparing for Targa Newfoundland, this time by upgrading the sway bars, bushings and ball joints. And as you’ll see at the end of Episode 6 of their YouTube series documenting the entire build process, they also start to gear up to meet the safety requirements for Targa NL by wrapping themselves in Alpinestars’ new entry-level GP Start race apparel.

When Dave and Peter adopted this FR-S from last year’s Scion FR-S Tuner Challenge program it was missing a few parts including the front sway bar. This, of course, meant they had the perfect excuse to upgrade to Eibach’s anti-roll kit, which includes larger diameter and much stiffer front and rear sway bars that keep the FR-S’s amazing handling balance intact but reduces body roll in the process. Both bars are adjustable (two positions) so that roll rates can be fine-tuned to their needs.

Virtually all of the factory bushings on the car have been upgraded to Whiteline urethane bushings, which reduce compliance in these joints for greater handling precision and in some cases also correct suspension geometry on lowered cars. The front lower bushing, for example, is offset for improved caster and anti-dive characteristics.

Safety is, of course, also a big concern any time you go racing, especially at an event like Targa NL where trees and houses are just a few feet off the tarmac. In case of an in-car fire, both Dave and Peter will be wearing Alpinestars GP Start suits, which are constructed from 2 layers of fire-retardant Aramid fabric, plus a Nomex fire-retardant layer of underwear for good measure. Add to that GP Start gloves and shoes and they should be both safe and comfortable during the 43 flat-out Targa race stages next week.

They’ve also protected their heads with Stilo helmets and intercom, which have integrated mics and earphones so that they can talk to each other on the rally stages. It’s critical in a rally like Targa NL for the co-driver to be able to read the pace notes to the driver so he knows what’s ahead, be it a fast right-hander, a narrow bridge, or a giant pothole.

Targa Newfoundland Scion FR-S Gets Some Power Adders

The Targa Newfoundland Scion Racing FR-S is running in the Modern group at this year’s 5-day tarmac rally, meaning Dave and Peter had to keep the engine naturally aspirated. As you’ll see in Episode 5 of their YouTube series, they started with an AEM intake and a HKS single-exit exhaust system.

What you won’t see in this video (since the parts hadn’t arrived yet), are the further additions of a HKS air intake duct, which bolts in place of the smaller factory intake duct and feeds fresh air into the AEM airbox, and Crawford Performance billet power blocks, which lengthen the intake manifold runners and thus increase volume and mid-range power in the process.

In a perfect world Dave and Peter would have dyno tested all these mods in a step-by-step fashion, but because of time constraints they’ve left the dyno tuning until the end. You will, however, see a dyno testing video soon, where the factory exhaust manifold and front-pipe (which includes the secondary catalytic converter) are replaced with JDL Auto Design racing headers and a freer-flowing front-pipe.

Dave and Peter fly to Newfoundland tomomrrow to meet up with their FR-S on Saturday for Targa registration and tech inspection, but we have a few more updates for you before the racing starts on Monday.

Targa Newfoundland Scion Racing FR-S Gets A Facelift

The Targa Newfoundland Scion Racing FR-S build continues, in preparation for this world-renown 5-day tarmac rally from September 15th to 19th. Although Speed Academy’s Dave Pratte and Peter Tarach are primarily focused on making the FR-S faster and more durable, as you’ll see in Episode 4 of their YouTube series, they also wanted to give it a little extra attitude with some subtle exterior upgrades.

Although there’s no night racing at Targa Newfoundland, the Spyder LED projector headlights and LED taillights do give their FR-S a distinctive look versus the OEM lighting. The carbon fiber front lip and side splitters from Downforce USA also help differentiate the Targa FR-S from a showroom stock version, plus these should actually improve aerodynamics a touch, too.

Speaking of which, a Zele carbon fiber rear wing was bolted to the trunk lid, a rare JDM item they sourced with the help of Bulletproof Automotive. Dave and Peter opted for the Zele wing rather than a giant race wing because they wanted to keep the car looking more street-oriented while still adding a touch of rear downforce.

Peter designed the graphics package, integrating Scion Racing silver and red logo without turning the FR-S into a fully vinyl wrapped race car. The red R also ties in perfectly with the forged monoblock Volk Racing CE28RT wheels, which are finished in the aptly named Burning Red tintcoat.

The Volks aren’t just for show, though. These are some of the lightest and strongest rims money can buy, thanks to their proprietary forging techniques that not only create a remarkably stiff wheel capable of surviving the potholes and ditches Targa Newfoundland will throw at them, but also an extraordinarily light wheel (just 16.5 lbs in a 18x9.5’’ size) that will let the Scion’s 200-hp engine accelerate and brake more effectively (thanks to reduced rotational and unsprung mass).

They chose to wrap these wheels in Yokohama’s highest performing street tire, Advan AD08 R in a 255/35R18 size at all four corners. These are a 180 tread wear rated extreme performance summer tire that Peter and Dave tested against the stock tires and were blown away by the results. You can see their Advan AD08 R test results at the link below:

http://speed.academy/yokohama-advan-neova-ad08r-track-test/

Targa Newfoundland Scion FR-S Gets Upgraded Suspension & Brakes

The Targa Newfoundland Scion Racing FR-S, being prepared and piloted by Speed Academy’s Dave Pratte and Peter Tarach, continues its evolution from hand-me-down Scion Tuner Challenge car to Targa-ready race car.

As you’ll see in Episode 3 of their YouTube series of videos documenting their pre-Targa preparations, Dave and Peter have moved on to two of the most critical performance upgrades any race car can receive: brakes and suspension. They also continue their on-going wrenching competitions, this time to see who can remove the factory front shock and spring assembly the fastest.

Slowing down may not be as sexy as going fast, but powerful and fade-free brakes are absolutely critical to driver-confidence and safety. To address this, an Essex Competition Sprint brake kit was installed on the front of their FR-S, which uses AP Racing forged calipers and two-piece rotors. The amazing thing about this kit is that it not only significantly increases stopping power and fade-resistance, it’s also 20-lbs lighter than the standard front brakes. Win-win!

The factory shocks and springs have also been replaced by KW Clubsport coilovers, which not only feature higher spring rates and adjustable shock dampening, they’re also extremely durable thanks to the stainless steel shock bodies. The front top mounts are also camber adjustable, which will let Dave and Peter setup the FR-S for maximum grip.

We’ll have another update for you soon, when the factory wheels and tires are ditched in favor of some lighter and stronger wheels and some much stickier rubber, along with some subtle aerodynamic upgrades and even a bit of bling.

For in-depth stories about the Targa Newfoundland Scion Racing FR-S, check out http://speed.academy and follow them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/gofastwithclass

Building The Dream: Targa Newfoundland Scion FR-S Gets First Round of Upgrades

Peter and Dave from Speed Academy (http://speed.academy) are getting ready to fly to Newfoundland in a few days, so it’s time we got you caught up on the build of their Scion Racing FR-S.

As you’ll see in Episode 2 of their on-going video series documenting the build, the wrenching officially got underway at their “tuning dungeon” (a renovated chicken coup), starting with a pair of Recaro Profi SPG racing seats mounted on Buddy Club Super Low Down seat rails.

They also installed a pair of Takata Race 6 HANS 6-point harnesses in the FR-S, since safety is not something to be taken lightly at an event like Targa Newfoundland (some big crashes have occurred in the past, including a Ferrari going for a swim in the ocean). These harnesses are perfect for Targa since the rules require a HANS (head and neck restraint) device be worn, plus Dave is pretty sure the classic Takata Green should really bring out the green in his eyes. For you boring “black is the new green” types, Takata now offers their belts in Black as well.

Dave and Peter have also begun a fun “Racers will turn anything into a competition” element in their build videos, the first of which you’ll see here in Episode 2. We’re also pretty sure that as the result of this first competition, Dave’s going on a protein shake and raw vegetable diet.