To AE86 or not, that is the question!

[VladaS2]

Hello all,

A friend has spotted AE86 car, levin, hatchback in fairly good condition. He immediately jumped the owner if he would sell it and a surprised man gave a good price. Now the friend does not have a money now to buy it but I started to ponder. I already have a Ford Fiesta and Audi S2 (story on its own, a lot of money invested) So I was maybe thinking to sell fiesta and buy it. So I have couple of questions for knowing community

- What are normal monthly service costs
- What is average fuel consumption (ie. my fiesta gets 5-8 liters/100km
- and most important: what is the cost of upgrade to get it to casual drift specification

Cheers and thank you!

[Mux213]

Hi Vlada,

What are normal monthly service costs
Depends really on where you live and in what condition this hachi is, but on average I would say, pretty low. If in good condition hachi's do not use oil and need pretty normal service intervals. Brake pads and rotors aren't expensive to replace. Basically no different then most Toyota's.

Hachi's only become expensive if they need to be fixed (certain parts are harder to get then others and body work is expensive)

What is average fuel consumption
My hachi does 8-10 liters/100km. Depends on whether I'm driving normally or sporty. Long distance driving I've even had it under 8liters/100km
Also depends on how good the engine is, mine has 140k km on the odo so still pretty healthy.

cost for drift specification
Really depends on how far you wanne go. If your car is in good condition and you know how to do things yourself the following is a must:
- new bushes, 150 euros
- new shocks (preferable adjustable) 300 to 600 euros
- new springs, 150 to 400 euros
There are several options you have, some of the better require you to do cutting and welding of parts. You can also buy complete bolt on setups but at a price.
But I would say this is bare minimum to get your car into shape. Plenty of people that say a stock hachi is good enough but most stock hachis have warn out shocks and springs and I wouldn't recommend a stock hachi for drifting anyways.
Engine wise the stock hachi has just about enough power to have fun, great for learning. So I wouldn't do any tuning just yet.

Check the technical FAQ, there are some interesting links in there to read about suspention modifications and such. Also much to read once you want to turn your car into a profesional drift car and start tuning the engine and welding the body work, installing camber plates, adjustable four links, etc. But you said casual drift so I don't think you need to go that far.

[VladaS2]

Thanks for the comprehensive answer!

So you say that roughly for 1000 euro the car get get in shape. Are the parts you suggest stock toyota or 3rd party? In that case where is the best place to buy them?

What popular engine tuning "stages" exist for ae86 and how much are they rougly?

Thanks!

[Mux213]

Vlada,

Check the technical faq for some links to threads where suspention options are being discussed. Alot has been talked about. In a nutshell.
Off the shelf solutions:
TechnoToyTuning delivers a good set:
Front: http://www.technotoytuning.com/productdetail.php?p=334 725 USD
Rear: http://www.technotoytuning.com/productdetail.php?p=339 600 USD
(but for the rear you don't have to go full coilover so you can just buy shocks and springs, for about 200E)
Greddy has a new set, but don't know where to get it or how expensive it is
D2 has a good set, you find it on ebay, the set Robokill mentioned.

DIY there is a wide variaty of options, but PLEASE read the existing threads for more info on the work involved. Basically non adjustable shocks you can get bilstein, KYB or Tokico blues that usually cost you between 100 and 150 euro for a full set.
Adjustable shocks you can get KYB, Tokico's or KONIs, they range anywhere from 300 to 600 euro's for a full set. I prefer Tokico HTS, but many swear by KONI.
Do know that only KONI have a direct replacement for AE86 shocks but they limit your lowering options. All other shocks require cutting and welding.
Springs you can get Apex or intrax relatively cheaply (roughly 150 euros a set) but they are probably to weak. TRD and Swift produce performance springs at choosable rates but they tent to cost around 300 euros for a full set.
It is advisable however to buy a coilover sleeve for the front so you can adjust the ride height, pass racing, paradise racing and technotoytuning sell these. Often you can buy these including springs at a rate you specifiy and cost about 150 to 200 euros.

Read my project thread to get an idea about the work involved:
http://www.aeu86.org/viewtopic/ae86/t/12...=400#58581

Also read through the products list on technotoytuning to get a good idea about other suspention options that are worth while like RCAs, camber plates, adjustable 4 links, strutbars, etc.etc.etc. You wont need most right away, but you'll want them eventually.

Engine tuning I'll leave to others to comment. I think everyone's opinion is different. Since my engine is pretty much bone stock and for the time being will stay that way as I find it to have plenty power for my skill level, I'm not bothered yet.

[NoHachi]

The Greddy's are about 1600$ to 1800$ delivered. Pretty neat setup with length adjustable shock bodies and brand new axles. Takes a fair amount of knowledge to setup properly so probably wasted on 90% of the users.

[Red]

If I've done the math right, about 11.5 kilometers per liter at highway speeds, roughly 90-95kph. (26.5mpg) for the 85 US GTS, the 86/87 models are supposed to run 5-10% more, stock. Owners here typically report 24-31mpg highway, about 10-15% more or less. Of course the US models are heavier (the bumpers and doors) and the pop-up headlights increase drag badly.

As for what it will cost you...that depends. A cheap car will usually be in bad shape, and a 20+ year old car in bad shape can be a money pit. Other than that they are fairly reliable and simple cars, the only real problem would be the rear quarter panels no longer being available so any repairs there mean locating a junked car and doing extensive welding and body work. Same thing for the interiors, no longer available.

[VladaS2]

Guys can you give me some buying tips... What are the things to look out for when buying specially one AE86? Where does it rust the most?



At the end I want to be able to do this with my new car:

[Red]

There are no special tips. It's an OLD CHEAP ECONOSPORT, which means the original and later buyers were often inexperienced (didn't know how to care for it) or broke (didn't care for it) or abused it. Add that to 20+ years of wear and the fact that Japanese sheet metal was not protected very well (thin & not galvanized) back then, and you have to look carefully.

There are box beams running under the door sills, which are the only real structure in the middle of the car. Check the rear end of them, in front of the rear wheels, and if they are rusted out expect you'll need to have them rebuilt by a welding job. It there is any damage to the rear quarters, you'll also need body work to fix what it there, or extensive welding to patch in used quarters--the new ones aren't available.

While most of the mechanical parts are available, trim parts often aren't, and interior parts (seats, etc.) aren't, but there's usually something aftermarket or available from the scrap yards.

Mainly it is just an OLD CHEAP ECONOSPORT so there's been lots of opportunity for abuse--and for outright fraud by sellers who see a hot market for these cars. Check the VIN on the engine, dashboard, and body plates to make sure the car is what is is being sold as.

[Mux213]

I split out the performance posts into a topic that is now in the technical section

[oldeskewltoy]

RUST!
lower door edges
rocker panels(lower panel under door)
rear hatch!
rear wheel wells

IF the chassis is straight, everything else is just bolt on.......