It's less temperature-tolerant than we were looking for, but the Type-NS has good modulation, a mild initial bite and no noise, something few of our cars can brag about. Compared to the original TRD pads, which bite harder and with a stiffer feel, the Type-NS pads feel more street-oriented. The good mid-travel modulation feel also makes balancing heel-toe downshifts a simple matter. Considering this car sees more street time than track time (where fade is the issue), we're pretty content. We don't have new braking numbers with the pads and tires. We'll let you know how they hold up after five hot laps.
A New LookFor all our judging of people with carbon fiber layered fiberglass hoods and fenders, we should be ashamed that we've now joined the dark side. But we're not. And it's not because we're trying to put the MR2 on a diet before the fight, since the Seibon carbon fiber hood and chin spoiler together weigh about the same as the stock hood.
The real reason is that we (well, I) unintentionally destroyed the hood, adding to the long list of other body panels we've had to replace on this project. In my search for places to store test gear one evening, I drove off while forgetting to slam the hood shut. At 20mph, aerodynamics took hold and flung the hood open. I was lucky to come away with an intact windshield.
After calling around for parts and prices, we decided that having Seibon graciously donate a composite hood was a hell of a lot cheaper than buying parts from Toyota and having them painted. Seibon also threw in the chin spoiler. While we can't vouch for the aerodynamic or weight advantages of the new parts, they are quite good as after-market body parts go in terms of finish. The hood, however, is a pretty bad fit.
AlignmentOur final task was a track-friendly alignment, courtesy of Shoreline Motoring in Huntington Beach, California. While the car already flings around corners with ease, it still has the steering feel of a mid-engined car (unsurprisingly).
At turn-in, the car does not respond as sprightly as the minimal resistance in the wheel indicates. As the suspension loads up at turn-in, the steering suddenly becomes heavy. Although this is typical of most street-going mid-engine cars, we wanted just a little more agility. Shoreline was able to dial in one-sixteenth of an inch of toe-out in front and slightly less in the rear. Camber was pushed to negative two degrees in front by using smaller bolts in the stock adjustment slots, while the rear camber was taken to negative 1.5 degrees.
It's not much, but the turn-in and mid-corner feel has changed dramatically. So much so that we'd be afraid if the car had a limited-slip diff, since it would spin if the throttle were accidentally bumped mid-bend.
Next time, when we finally face the Elise, we'll see if all our enthusiasm was just a joke.
Previous InstallmentsMarch 2002Part1: Intro, battery, suspension, testing
August 2002Part 2: Exhaust, shifter, safety
May 2003Part 3: Waiting for the go
October 2006Part 4: Aged to perfection