SP Rides: Get a Grip!

BY MICHAEL KITCHENS

We’ve covered a ton of hachiroku’s in Street Pulse. They’re considered by many to be the definitive, affordable sports car and are part of import royalty. Yet, we’ve usually only covered those that promote the drift scene…primarily because that’s always been a large focus for the car. However, the AE86 has been competitively raced in many different forms including grip. And that’s what this Corolla is all about.

Max Pham purchased this 1985 Toyota Corolla GT-S when he was looking for a budget vehicle to get from a to b. He originally had no idea about the pedigree for this car until he completed a long road trip and was able to experience the overall reliability as well as the driving emotion it generates. With the help of a friend, he soon realized the potential for the vehicle.

This AE86 has been through quite a build-up over a number of years, most recently during Max’s efforts to compete in autocross with SCCA Hawaii (sccahawaii.org). In stock form, the GT-S comes with quite a few go fast goodies but it’s not what you would could consider “fast” by any definition of the word. However, the aftermarket scene is enormous and Max was able to slowly tap into that over time.

Exterior-wise, the car has been given the JDM look thanks to the Kouki Trueno front/rear bumpers as well as a Zenki front lip. A carbon fiber drop vent hood was added for better cooling efficiency while CBY side-skirts, fender flares and a J-Blood rear tail garnish add more oomph to the looks. The over-fenders allow a much more aggressive and wider set of tires with an 8.5 inch rim. Work Meister CR-01 15×8.5s are all around and wrapped with BF Goodrich G-Force Rival 225 ZR15/50s.

The engine has been swapped out from a supercharged 16-valve to an AE111 4A-GE 1.6L 20 valve blacktop…with a weight savings of almost three hundred pounds. This huge weight savings allows the Corolla to make better use of its HP:Weight ratio. A ton of mods have been added by Max to allow the engine and drivetrain to support more horsepower, further increasing the car’s performance specs.

“I love driving it around corners…but I wanted it to feel even better” says Max. His mod list for suspension components sends this point home…it reads like a suspension nuts’ dream sheet. Interior-wise it’s much the same story, with a ton of mods installed to improve capability while also adding a few creature comforts.

Although this vehicle is known for its legendary drift appeal, Max enjoys the competitive feeling timed events gives him…the push for constant improvement is measurable and constitutes a sheer rush for him and others who compete in grip events such as SCCA. In the end, Max believes be a responsible racer is the important facet to his current passion.

“Modifying a car takes a lot of time and money. When you’re older, it’s all about planning appropriately, keeping it responsible and improving the driver first” says Max.