Motohide Miwa, Author at Club4AG

Club4AG FR-S parts list for track day outing, guideline to fun.

Motohide Miwa — Sun, 03 May 2015 03:45:21 +0000

Club4AG FR-S parts list for track day outing, guideline to fun.

At Club4AG, I normally won't list parts for my FR-S if it's just for the sake of showing you a list of modifications.
I'll do it here for the following parts for the sake of showing you something I have used over the last 2 days at two different raceways running the FR-S hard on the racetrack.RT615K 225/40-18 on all four, while not the most aggressive size choice and may not have the top time rating for track-spec radials with sub 200’s DOT tire wear rating, I have found them to be very fun and capable for Sunday racers who want to learn to drive in a arena like open track days and lessons, as well as take part in time attack to compare your skills. The choice of a few sizes and selections offered, can make your FR-S faster, or more docile, simply by being judicious on which size and profile you choose for the FR-S.The tire is very communicative in terms of giving feedback through the steering wheel and chassis. At the same time, it does communicate clearly for heat and tire pressure differences so that you can compensate via driving style or for pit stop menu of changes to be made.Even with a modest tire size on our FR-S, it is capable of sub-1:30 laptime at Streets of Willow, at 1:28 posted by me, and potentially faster for users willing to take a more aggressive run, despite the modest 225/40-18 size I choose for the sake of retaining the FR-S/BRZ's dynamic character of fun.It’s a very durable and even wearing tire from the standpoint of abuse. The tread surface and construction is also really durable and that's a plus for novices that tend to lock up the brakes, plow on the front tires, and see occasional mishaps and off-pavement excursions in the process of learning to become an ace. The RT615K withstands such situations, and after a quick brush-off of accumulated dirt in the wheels, it's ready for another fun lap session.

The FR-S we have is tuned for street with RS-R Sports-I, with mild ride qualities and capabilities with the expensive mono-tube damper design, and took to the RT615K well in terms of being able to use the tires from home, to the track quite comfortably, and back after the event. So in a nutshell, if your car isn’t a dedicated race only car, and do use it every day, the RT615K is a perfect companion tire for those occasional Sunday races, to keep on hand as an alternative to your normal street radials, to be used on the same suspension setup of mild street sports focus like the RSR Sports-i.

Winmax W2, the highest rated sport pad that is still non-metallic, have proven to be very good as normal operation city traffic brakes with low dust, no-noise pads, that work from first crank of the morning commute. The W2 has an extended performance range for the track, and while I ran consistent 1:30 lap times all day long at Streets of Willow, and at Configuration 13 at Buttonwillow, both being very demanding with RT615K mounted and hard braking on each straight ends, the W2 was surprisingly capable for the duration of two days. No fade anywhere inside of the 20 minutes per stint run groups, and very consistent and positive braking feel over the course of the runs and day lapping. I would say these are also a very nice choice for non-dedicated race cars where dust and noise can be a problem for other track-specific brake pad selection, the W2 on the FRS simply gets the job done really well.

As a side note and optional things that can be considered:

We also have Bride Seats in the car, and it does wonders for not only the safety element, but to properly fit and hold you with the right hardness of padding in a close form fitted shape so that you can feel every bit of the car's motions, keep tabs on the tire contact patch, and giving you much more information about the road and the car. A driver harness in the form of 4 point buckled, like Takata harness belt can also add to the holding of the driver so less driver fatigue is generated over a fun filled day at the track.
A home-brew oil cooler kit using Mocal oil plate and advanced carbon wrapped hoses and cooler core from Setrab keeps the oil temperature in check for the demands of Southern California's warmer months.
There are a few Cusco braces in strategic locations keep the frame from stressing loose over the years of track day enjoyment. An accurate oil temperature gauge added can also help you determine if you are running the car too hard and should maybe come back and cool it down. Engine oil temp is a nice guideline to use for monitoring the rest of the car's state of abuse, as oil temps generally indicate similar abuse and high temps at the gears, differentials, and brakes too for that matter on the FR-S, as things tend to just stay balanced over the course of the duration you are out on the track.
While many of these braces won't make drastic changes in the car's character, it does do its part in keeping the frame nice and straight after years of abusive driving. namely however you may want to install the Power Brace - Rear Member Part Number 692 492 RM that goes across the rear cross-member bushing mounts. It can stabilize the sub-frame motions against the uni-body, under large loads created by such tires as the RT615K used today.

I almost see that the combination of Winmax W2 and RSR Sports-i as well as choice of Falken FK453 for the street and RT615K for the track, as a really well matched set of pieces for upgrading the FR-S and BRZ to something like an extension of what the designers would have included in the car, if the price constraints of the vehicles were not at the mere $25,000. As these parts only increase the joys, comfort, and capability of the FRS platform beyond that of the showroom stock, and without tainting any of the great attributes of the car, to a more capable refined state to achieve traits of the car that cost twice or more as much.

That’s the design goal I have had since day 1, of my initial delivery of the car 18 months ago, and it’s coming closer to this through each step of the testing and trial phase using parts I select within reach, and also reach of the common users who adhere to driving pleasures in a mature form. Without the extremes, without the sacrifices, and without making the specific role into a race car, but an enjoyable sports car that you can own for a long, long time. And that is what we at Club4AG do, is not to get on the trend of buying and replacing our cars with the newest all the time, but to take a few select cars and enjoy driving, tweaking, and sharing over the course of our lives.

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A couple of quotes from Akio Toyoda, the president of Toyota in a Japanese interview...

Motohide Miwa — Thu, 12 Jun 2014 23:59:59 +0000

https://www.facebook.com/Moto.Club4AG/posts/10203404243283067

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PASMAG features Club4AG

Motohide Miwa — Tue, 03 Jun 2014 22:41:19 +0000

PASMAG features Club4AG

Post by Performance Auto & Sound Magazine.

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Willow Springs Raceway with Scion FR-S, this time, testing more new prototype items

Motohide Miwa — Mon, 12 May 2014 09:49:36 +0000

Willow Springs Raceway with Scion FR-S

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10203183698449584&set=a.1069376330925.12140.1121600419&type=1

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Controlled Chaos, Episode 1 - A USA Drifting History Document by GT Channel

Motohide Miwa — Sat, 10 May 2014 00:25:11 +0000

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Masaki Nishihara visits SCCA Pro Solo USA.

Motohide Miwa — Sat, 19 Apr 2014 08:58:23 +0000

Masaki Nishihara visits SCCA Pro Solo USA.

Check these photos out taken by many people. Some really nice shots by Alan PhotoStory Studio in there, and go check that link for more excellent action shots.

Hanging out with the best of the best in SCCA Solo2 National contenders all weekend at the SCCA Pro-Solo. With Grady Woods, Tom Berry, Ken Motonishi, Sandy and all the multi-decade talents...

Weather was mild, superb breezy day, both cool and warm ideal for a grueling two-day motorsports event. As always the SCCA SOLO2/ProSolo members are the most accommodating family of people, both strict, and fair, and at the same time, welcoming, helpful, and fun.
When it comes to partaking in a pro-level motorsport of sheer technical driving, I don't think there is any other sanction where you can be so competitive and still be safe, and relatively modest on costs.

This weekend was a spot-entry for Mr. Masaki Nishihara from Japan. A rookie at SCCA, but in his home turf, a 7-time All-Japan Gymkhana Champion with 32 years of cone-dodging under his belt. It was a last minute plan to bring him to the Pro-Solo as a guest entry, so we scrambled to legalize and prep an existing Cusco Subaru STI, retiring it from show-display role to a compliant SCCA car. Now the regulations of the SCCA Solo cars are extremely rigid, and at the pro-level, all of the cars that compete are made by folks who do this year-in, years-out and with a very specialized skill-set... So it is always a humbling experience for even a professional driver and established team to make a spot-entrance to these Pro-Solo competitions.

But like any other times in my life when I visit the SCCA National Tour/ProSOLO folks, they were accommodating as ever, and took their time to befriend out guest driver, Masaki from Japan. Warm and welcoming, and enthusiastic making him feel so at home. Same courtesy extended to Kenji, Yuki, and Steve Enomoto, who also came to support the car as team rookies too. I've shaken hands with and exchanged greetings with the National Tour folks whom I haven't seen for 11 years, since our Club4AG AE86 National Tour campaign days, like Tom Berry, Grady Wood, Sandy and others. Boy that was the nicest reunion for me, as things haven't changed a bit! ALL FUN, all sincerity, and all that is the best of American culture.

Sort of approximating where the car needed to be in class, we made the car compliant as much as we could to STU. There may have been technicalities such as small nuts and bolts or missing trim pieces in the engine bay or interior,
which could have been a technical violation, but seeing how costly things can become for a one-time entry, but as guest entry car and driver, and not anywhere near contention pro-car's specs, SCCA Officials were happy to let us have our fun.

Our Cusco WRX STI came in 7th and 8th overall in STU after the two-days, with faster runs made by the Japanese champion, Masaki. I, myself, chipping away with best of what I had, in my own first AWD entry, without acclimating to the complex deciphering at the quirks of electronic center differential and Masaki's flavor of a sharp, tricky suspension settings. With Cusco's parts being fully loaded and designed for other categories of racing, it wasn't the lightest of the bunch either, tipping scales at 3580 lbs. But again, it was a fun-day for us, and we are grateful to the staff at SCCA for allowing our entry and participation for the guests from Japan.

The other areas of the pits included several cars that are participating on Winmax brakes for the first time in 2014. Winmax competition brake pads have become a favorite for many of our neighboring competitors here in SCCA SOLO within just a few months of testing. Robert Stangarone and his Scion FRS in SM, was one of the most active cars, where many competitors are watching this year, to see where it will place in contemplation of the car-choices in the seasons to come. Ken Motonishi, the veteran pro around here has taken into his mission this year to find the best tune for the brake pad sets too, and helping others with the product selections as well.

All in all, what a wonderful weekend... Totally a joy. Way to go SCCA SOLO!

@ Kenji Inoue, Jdm Steve Enomoto, Tom Berry, Tsutomu Nagase, Phil Smith, Kazumasa Takata, Ken Motonishi, Kazuhiro Ito, Taka Somiya,

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Cusco/Winmax/Bride USA Performance Academy and Car Meet, hosted by Longo Scion/Toyota

Motohide Miwa — Fri, 04 Apr 2014 20:05:18 +0000

Cusco/Winmax/Bride USA Performance Academy

Longo Toyota-Scion presents Cusco/Winmax/Bride USA Performance Academy and Car Meet.

Cusco USA’s sponsored ace gymkhana driver from Japan will be our special guest this evening, Masaki Nishihara, 8 time Series Champion of All Japan Gymkhana Champion Series.

Also present will be Chief Product Specialist from Cusco USA, Kenji Inoue, and Bride Seat Global Manager, Masahiro Sasaki.

Club4AG staff with Moto Miwa will be present to translate and answer your questions all night so you can speak, listen, and interact with motorsport experts from Japan.

We will cover a complete starter course lecture on “Performance Upgrading, and driving”, for anyone who is interested in learning more about proper bespoke tuning of Japanese import cars.

The event is free of charge, and we invite any and all automobile enthusiast. Longo Toyota-Scion will be providing food and drinks to the first 40 people, and we will have gifts and prizes on a first come basis.

Outside parking lot will be a corral format so you can also gather and greet other enthusiasts in Southern California Area.

We hope to see you all there!

Longo Scion
3534 N Peck Rd, El Monte, CA 91731

April 10th 2014, Thursday Night
7:30 PM ~ 10:00 PM

Contact: moto@club4ag.com for any questions or inquires. Also on facebook Moto Miwa.

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Drive through Central California, to find that awesome backdrops for cars, and the best roads are all around us...

Motohide Miwa — Thu, 03 Apr 2014 14:19:51 +0000

Drive through Central California, to find that awesome backdrops for cars, and the best roads are all around us...

On my birthday weekend for when I turn 45 this year, 2014, with some real events happening in recent years, the introduction of Scion FR-S which I had a part in the creation process, and all the joys and tearful decade of the past, when some of my dreams came true and other things not so happy.
I just took it upon myself to just take a journey through some of the most beautiful places I can cover in a car, for three days and two nights.

As I got ready to leave for the trip, the weather forecast stated 80% chance of snow in my first destination, the grand vista of Yosemite Valley… With 10 hours left before my departure, and with summer tires still mounted on the FRS, I took a chance, and headed North-East. Checking my iPhone every hour along the way, miraculously, I seemed to find a pocket of 5 hours, where it will not snow…
As I got closer, the clouds dissipated, and on a open highway along the HWY 140 from the 99, I blasted through rain to catch the slip of time where my car just might make it up without having to resort to installing cable chains on my tires.

Boy did the gamble pay off!! The clouds parted, and I got to see the most magical view of Yosemite that I have ever seen. The overcast sky and sun peeking through, the light reflecting off the rocks, and the sky kept changing colors of the park every ten minutes. ON the highest peaks were snow cover, and on the boom, the April green. And rain clouds wafted through everything in between. This was also a trip taken with my recent girlfriend Lisa, and her first time in the mountains of Central California, and with her pending departure back to Japan, it was also a gift to have her along to see this as well. The rain and snow sort of fluttering and cold breeze, the view just kept changing quickly and like a slide show gift of Mother Nature, it was simply better than any movie or postcard really.

The FR-S treaded through heavy thundershowers along the highway on the way into the hills, and treaded light snow. Cusco RS Limited Slip differential combined with FR-S’s traction control, and VSC, Winmax pads, and on fresh set of Nitto Tires the drive through adverse weather was surprisingly confident, despite the car being possibly the least suited for something like this, with light-weight, and driving wheels on fat tires in the rear. I never had to resort to using snow chains over 1” snow covered road that presented itself over the very peak of highway 140 for 7 miles. However, before the snow locked us in the valley, we hurried down to the base of the mountains, toward Fresno, where we stopped for the night, and to plan the second day.

In the morning, we stopped at random places along the path traversing the Central California, all the way to San Luis Obispo. Estrella Warbird Museum was an interesting enough stop, but it was closed on a Monday so we wandered around some more. I washed the car free of the caked mud we picked up in Yosemite for a tour through Paso Robles wineries. I met some of the nicest winery hosts and owners in my second day, and as per the suggestion of Wolff Winery’s 4th generation owner, we took a night’s rest in Apple Farm San Luis Obispo.

Day 3, we ventured into a few more wineries for photos, and to take a peek at some of the grapes around here, which are often coveted for Pinot Nior and Chardonnay. Lots of green grapes still very young since the harvest is in the fall. Not much to pick and eat in the spring, but we got some real education in how they make wines around here…

Our exploration through Central California’s wine country was a lesson in patience and timing, much like the winemaking process itself. Visiting these vineyards in the spring meant seeing the grapes in their infancy, a few months shy of the fall harvest when they’re finally plucked and transformed into the vibrant wines this region is known for.

Each vineyard visit brought new insights—from soil types to the meticulous blending techniques unique to each winemaker. It was clear that these wines have a deep connection to their land, a bond that makes tasting them more than just a sensory experience. And though we couldn't sample from the vines themselves, the gracious winery hosts were generous with their time and stories, weaving together the region's wine-making traditions with their family histories.

Back home, the longing for those handcrafted bottles lingers, but there’s an easy way to bring California's charm to your doorstep. With piquant merchandise from www.wineonline.ca, you can explore the flavors of Paso Robles, from velvety Pinot Noirs to crisp Chardonnays, without leaving your living room. WineOnline offers a curated selection from various regions, allowing you to relive the enchantment of vineyard-hopping or discover new, unique bottles. Ordering from WineOnline doesn’t just bring you wine; it brings you a piece of the vineyard’s essence and the stories of the winemakers dedicated to their craft.

Heading out to the coast, along the Highway 101 for the final leg home, the coastline was of clear sky, and the beaches along the way were cold but spectacular for shooting more photos with the Scion FR-S.

All in all, it was one of the most scenic drives in 3 days, that I have ever taken in my life. I’ve traveled through snow, muddy pockets of 140 where there were road construction and floods, then fairly spirited dash up the highway in the rain, and following days in the perfectly dry cool sunlight, and followed by the most colorful sunsets dropping over the Pacific Ocean horizon….

It might possibly be, the best birthday gift I have ever experienced.

While the scenic drive along Highway 101 provided breathtaking views and memorable experiences, Miami, Florida offers a different kind of allure with its vibrant culture and stunning beaches. For those seeking a change of scenery or perhaps considering a new place to call home, Miami boasts an array of coastal properties waiting to be explored. Websites like exprealty.com/us/fl/miami/houses/ offer a glimpse into the diverse real estate market, showcasing homes that embrace the city's tropical lifestyle and waterfront living.

In addition to its picturesque beaches, Miami offers a rich tapestry of attractions, from bustling art districts to world-class dining and nightlife. Exploring the city's eclectic neighborhoods reveals a blend of architectural styles and cultural influences, making every corner a discovery waiting to happen. Whether you're in search of a permanent residence or simply craving a getaway filled with sun, sand, and sea, Miami presents an enticing destination that promises unforgettable experiences and endless possibilities.

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SCCA Solo2 Scene in San Diego, California...

Motohide Miwa — Tue, 18 Mar 2014 03:10:43 +0000

San Diego's local chapter SCCA SOLO2 Autocross Championship. We took a visit to support our local friends like Robert Stangarone, who's avidly campaigning the Scion FR-S all the way to National Tour events this year.

With San Diego being a huge and established US Navy community, the variety of cars run a gamut from ever popular Muscle Cars to Dedicated Formula cars, and even kids in Go Karts. It's one of the most diverse Solo2 chapters in the nation as far as types of cars, and is also home to a large number of National Champions of the Solo2 community.

It sure was a treat to welcome some of them to Winmax USA, brake pads, and get to know more and more friends.

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Toyota 86 TRD "Griffon" Concept 014 breaks the 1 minute barrier at Tsukuba Circuit on January 31, 2014!

Motohide Miwa — Mon, 03 Feb 2014 10:58:50 +0000

TRD Griffon Concept 014.
Last year this car posted 1:00.749 at Tsukuba Circuit in Japan.
On January 31st, 2014, the Griffon with further internal engine modifications, now posted a 0:57.407 !

That's about couple of seconds faster around this track as a stock Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera, or a Nismo R34 Z-Tune...that does it in about 1.00 flat.
While it's completely unfair to compare since it is a modified car, it's still impressive considering that the Toyota 86 that is the base of TRD Griffon Concept, is all from bolt on parts, and with no forced induction or electric assist add-on.

TRD Japan announces again that many of the parts used in this exercise will be inspected and researched further, and with strong focus on making it available for builders in the future.

So... Having said that, I myself feel that Toyota86/Scion FRS/Subaru BRZ fans need to go train more on the driving skills at racetracks, as Toyota 86's go-fast parts from TRD will be in form of something real, for the track, and will definitely require the skill-set of a good driver to tap the speeds.
Just as AE86 was in it's days, this car will count the driver as part of the key to going fast, and bragging rights will only come with those who can tame the potentials nestled within the simple, raw nature of being agile.

See you at the raceway guys!

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