Steven

It would appear then that to have any real benefit on your car, you would need to fabricate a custom solution that best addresses your particular vehicles aerodynamic weaknesses. I doubt a universal piece of angle (that could be made for about $30) would make a realistic difference then. Further it also appears that randomly placing additional pieces under your car may actual worsen the vehicle's aerodynamics compared to stock standard.

Actually that article gives a clue as to the standard performance of these - 0 to 100km/h in 6.8 seconds, which tops the Aurion at 7.4 seconds. The Aurion has plenty of power to be a bit of fun so this should drop any thoughts of the FT-86 being a slouch. Granted it isn't a street weapon but out of an N/A 4 cylinder of only 2 litres I can see this little beaut (especially if a supercharged version is released) at being a hoot. Still would prefer Turbo over supercharged though. Better get to saving

I always take the dealer report with a grain of salt - they likely just check the bearings by looking for any movement or low level grinding with the wheels off the ground. A low hum is an indication of a lightly worn bearing that probably still has plenty of life left, but anyway other things include the drive shaft and CV joints, as well as the gearbox itself. So if we can't trust the dealer, where can I have the car checked out properly? Any suggestions welcome. Finding a quality mechanic is the bane of many a car owner, but I do believe you will receive better service at a reputable independent mechanic as opposed to a dealership

I always take the dealer report with a grain of salt - they likely just check the bearings by looking for any movement or low level grinding with the wheels off the ground. A low hum is an indication of a lightly worn bearing that probably still has plenty of life left, but anyway other things include the drive shaft and CV joints, as well as the gearbox itself.

A low hum at certain speeds can be a possible indicator of worn wheel bearings, however your car is fairly new so it's just a idea. How many kms have you done? Further does the hum ever return louder when going 100km/h or more?

Okay the newer pics are slowly growing on me - the interior is outrageous which is to be expected of a car like this. If the tuning houses can get some decent power out of these then they might be seriously considered when I come to upgrade my car in a few years

I'm in Looks like a Hoppy's meet if the forecast is to be believed

I actually prefer the orange Toyota version over the Subaru due to slightly more aggressive styling. Also the styling of the car seems to pull over the higher ride height very well. I am expecting Subaru (and their fan base) to get FI on these things quickly, but see Toyota making subtle changes to the powertrain department to make such mods fairly difficult. Even just using their proprietary "unhackable" ECU would cause dramas. The brake package also seems a bit disappointing, if the car is expected to be built for corning/handling other than straight line performance then you would assume a good brake package would be on the cards. I can see myself possibly owning one of these in the future (assuming I'm able to fit in one), however it won't be purchased brand new and it will depend heavily on how the public (and aftermarket) receive and review it.

I would very much like to see a photo of it installed in your engine bay. Pictures are better than words as they say

Love to see another Aurion getting some mods. Keep it up

I'd say it was a pretty decent if it includes the XEDE + installation + tuning. Furthermore it allows further tuning in future to make the most out of whatever other modifications you do.

You're not wrong, in fact the standard Aurion and TRD rear brakes are both PBR and are very similar in appearance. What you are looking at in that picture is the US Akebono style Camry brake calipers. I don't know how the guy got them, as even the Australian delivered Camry uses the same brakes as the Aurion. I can only imagine he purchased them from overseas as the Camry model. They will bolt up the same no worries, but IMHO they are an inferior style brake package to the local PBR sourced items.

Taking the bigger car out eh

I think there will be rain this week, so hoppys?

so I come almost at last on the grid. Yes, for example, now I know how to do emergency braking in the wet... 50% of braking will give maximum braking distance To apply on the street in wet 1. I understand the importance of not following the car so close in the wet, you should increase the previous car distance by 100% for safety (according to the data, you lost 50% of friction in the car without ABS, and 30% of friction in the car with ABS).. There are way too many accidents on the wet on the street due to following the car too close. Sydney drivers follow car really close and really impatient 2. I understand the importance of VSC, it is designed for you to steer away from the danger in front of you 3. I understand the tyre in the wet lost grip much more faster than in the dry, due to a very narrow envelop of traction I am hoping for some open area for me to test the car in the wet to understand more the tyre characteristics on the wet.. You seem to live in a very "by the numbers" world, trying to put figures on things that you shouldn't. Statements like "50% of braking will give maximum braking distance" is what will get you into an accident very quickly. For your statements 1. Whilst I agree doubling your car distance in the wet is a very good idea, the car's "friction" as you call it is the same with or without ABS. ABS doesn't give you better traction (sorry, I mean "Friction), it's just a driver's aid to assist unskilled drivers. A skilled driver can pull up a car much better than an ABS system can. 2. VSC is designed to keep to car pointing where you aim it - it's the driver who steers away from the danger (ideally) 3. Wha? Maybe this should be translated to "The roads are slippery when wet", but to keep you happy lets throw a few % figures in there and some big words.

Thanks for your useful contributions, as always. BTW we're talking about fuel we put in cars, not what you use to sniff in your spare time

A large chunk of them have support for reverse cameras. Like I stated, you need to actually go to a shop and speak to the professionals and outline your needs to them. From that they will be able to recommend units, from which you will be able to do further research of your own online to make up your mind which is the unit for you.

The factory units are all very limited in functionality and IMO represent very poor value for money given the asking price. If you aren't happy with the "plug and play" type of aftermarket GPS units for the Aurion, then I would suggest visiting a professional car audio shop and seeing what offerings the big brands like Alpine, Eclipse etc have on offer - most have double din units these days that offer the same features as the plug and play type but in a more cohesive and better designed package / GUI

Okay I'm back from work so I can write this up properly. Essentially the problem lies with the side retainer clip that the bumper clips onto. The clip is probably best described as a U channel lying on its side. Over time the weight of the bumper plus the elements (ie hot summer days etc) causes the plastic to soften and the U channel to expand slightly, which results in the bumper dropping slightly as well. This can be fixed in one of 2 ways. The obvious is 2 replace the side retainer clips from new ones from Toyota (no idea on cost). The other method involves using a heat gun to soften the plastic and close the U channel back up (even going further if you want). I did this on mine and the gap has come up perfect. The image below shows the points that need adjusting. Ignore the lower red circled area, it's the upper 2 red circled areas that often need fixing. You don't need to remove the front bumper to remove these retainers, simply popping out the sides will give enough clearance to remove the clips from the vehicle. Once you remove the retaining screws they come off fairly easily. If you need more help on popping off the bumper check the FAQ for detailed instructions.

Fixed it on mine - will post how later

The rear parcel shelf has always had an issue with speaker depth fitment due to the boot springs. Whilst you can get away with a small spacer under the factory trim, you mostly need to select your speaker around what's available. The thread "ZR6 Speaker Upgrade" mentioned in the FAQ has quite a bit of information here. The surround for your headunit can be sourced through car audio shops. Most professional ones will have an idea as to where you can obtain one, otherwise you can search ebay for "Camry stereo fascia" or other like wording, they're around $40 or so not including postage. Local options might work out cheaper. Modding the Aurion unfortunately requires much careful planning in advance. I hope you are able to make use of those speakers in the end.

The smart entry system uses a sensor that communicates directly to the body control module (BCM). In essence, when you are near the sensor with an emitter (being the key fob), the sensor detects it and its unique signal and informs the BCM, which confirms if the signal is the correct one. If so, when the boot switch makes a request to the BCM (upon pressing the button above the number plate) to open the boot, the BCM activates power to the lid lock solenoid and wallah, your boot opens. What this means is that there isn't a 12v line that suddenly becomes active when you stand in front of the boot. A similar exchange takes place when you stand near the car doors, in that the interior illumination will activate which you could use for door floodlights, but this isn't the case with the boot lid obviously. At this time I can't think of a straightforward method to accomplish what you are trying without actually opening the boot. There are other methods I can think of but they would activate the boot flood lights when you were present elsewhere around the car (ie about to open the drivers door).

got one, just CBF using it

Won't get roadworthy until tonight and registered tomorrow Such small, insignificant details