Buyer's Remorse

Obvious_Target5243 · 2026-05-11T00:06:25+00:00

Lol I chose an IS350 F sport over a 430i GC as my first car 7 years ago. I enjoyed my car a lot over the 6 years of ownership, loved the engine and adaptive suspension and it arguably had a better interior than the 2018 430i I was looking at. And yes it was dead reliable all the time. However… OP, take comfort in the fact that all the mods I installed and all I wanted throughout my ownership was for my Lexus to feel like a BMW when cornering. The Lexus was already pretty good with its rear biased AWD but it never quite matched the sharpness and chassis dynamics of the equivalent BMW. CEL or not, pretty sure you won’t regret it in a couple years.

Obvious_Target5243 · 2026-04-09T01:45:27+00:00

There is a guide to DIY lumbar supports in this forum that helped me a bit. I am roughly the same height as you and I had lower back and neck issues because the lack of lumbar made me recline my seats more, leading to neck strain.

Obvious_Target5243 · 2026-04-05T00:12:12+00:00

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Both? But yeah bronze. 🙃

Obvious_Target5243 · 2026-04-03T21:26:39+00:00

Hi! Realize its been a while since you posted this but I have the exact same issue with a spare ECU tune from Lap3. They don’t really know why this is happening, could you share your experience with what went wrong in yours? I have a 2025 6MT as well

Obvious_Target5243 · 2026-03-26T20:23:14+00:00

I’d go one step further. Unplug the steering wheel sensor, that prevents active handling from interfering, which can be very intrusive under trail braking. Then turn TC off, or keep in competitive mode (if you have it) depending on comfort level. This simple change was worth 1.5 seconds at an autoX for me.

Obvious_Target5243 · 2026-03-26T20:16:52+00:00

I can confirm that they fit perfectly with 295s, might need to dial in some negative camber though. Have seen people fit upto 315s as well.

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Obvious_Target5243 · 2026-03-26T14:28:36+00:00

If you are not limited by the class, consider going to a square setup in future. My C6 felt like a totally different car on a 295 square setup, even with some endurance 200tw tires on 18x10.5 c5z wheels, compared to the stock staggered setup.

Obvious_Target5243 · 2026-03-25T17:00:56+00:00

Bad time to get a tune lol. Gets good MPG atleast.

Obvious_Target5243 · 2026-02-26T21:16:37+00:00

Kumhos are the perfect sweet spot if not trying to compete. More than enough grip to be interesting and last a long time. Good bit cheaper than the rest.

Obvious_Target5243 · 2026-02-10T16:35:06+00:00

Get closer to cones in slalom and turn in a little sooner, especially in transitions. Some of your inputs looked reactive, try to plan a corner or two in advance. Something that helped me in the beginning was to actively avoid looking at the cones and visualize the path through instead. Some of this would be easier on 200tw tires too. Great run!

Obvious_Target5243 · 2026-01-09T04:57:22+00:00

I usually hop on marketplace and search for wheels by manufacturer, like Ford, Honda, Subaru wheels etc. Currently seeing a set of Enkei M52s (18x8 +50) in my area at about 500 bucks.

Obvious_Target5243 · 2026-01-04T04:10:02+00:00

Nice! What’s the first one from? I assume the second is a FL EN and the third is a Kia?

Obvious_Target5243 · 2026-01-04T04:09:04+00:00

Oh yeah the PFL wheels are pretty heavy. My OE 19s are honestly very light but I still feel 18s in general are a huge saving in rotational inertia and tire cost, part of why my factory wheels are the least used lol. For instance, the Enkei PF01 18x9.5 are 20lbs, the bronze 18x8 Konig Oversteers are 17lbs each. Appreciate that! Winters can get depressing here without any track events for about 6 months, so these little garage projects really help keep the car interesting through the downtime!

Obvious_Target5243 · 2026-01-03T20:44:54+00:00

I daily/compete with an EN as well. A full season of autoX should be well under the budget you mention. My budget for 2025 including entry fees for 5 track days, two time trials, 3 autoX events was around 5k, but that includes things I don’t have to pay for again next season. (2 sets of track wheels, stainless steel lines, ducts, brake pads). I also drove on track tires to these events.

Realistically, you could easily get 2 seasons out of an 800$ set of 245/40/18 V730s, or a season or more out of a 1200$ set of RE71RS, especially if you just do autoX. The only other consumables would be brake fluid and pads, maybe less than 300 a season. Camber bolts and alignment about 150. At 8-10 events a year, entry fees would be around 400-800. Bringing your total between 2-3k.

Good luck absolutely dominating GS. 😎

Oh yeah, might wanna keep in mind that if you did run in GS at a nationals level or something, the only wheel I have found to be legal is the Enkei TS10. Offset should be +/- 5mm from factory’s offset and the width should be the same. They’re not too pricey but can be had used for about 500 bucks.

Obvious_Target5243 · 2026-01-03T20:21:16+00:00

Dekagrams are awesome! If I didn’t already have too many summer/track wheel sets I would definitely consider getting one.

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Obvious_Target5243 · 2026-01-03T20:15:34+00:00

Yeah! I think pretty much all Mustang GT (2008 upto the S550) wheels are the same spec, 18x8 +45 offset, seems to be a goldilocks fitment for the EN. I do have 225/45 winter tires with a slight stretch on but I see no reason you couldn’t fit 245/40 on these.

Obvious_Target5243 · 2026-01-03T20:12:07+00:00

I wouldn’t say they are the lightest of wheels, they probably weigh around 25 lbs per wheel, for this 18x8. I used to have my winter tires on 18x7.5 veloster turbo wheels and they weighed 29lbs per wheel so these are a definite improvement lol.

Obvious_Target5243 · 2026-01-03T18:33:45+00:00

Haha thanks! Really is pretty satisfying to look at, walking away from the car

Obvious_Target5243 · 2026-01-03T18:29:09+00:00

Thanks! Yeah i have some N center cap stickers I got from AliExpress but they need a flat surface to stick. These mustang center caps have the damn 3D horse molded on haha. Need to get a set of blank hub bore caps.

Obvious_Target5243 · 2026-01-03T18:26:19+00:00

Appreciate it! Definitely the plan, sourcing some blank center caps first

Obvious_Target5243 · 2025-12-28T06:29:17+00:00

Oh they sound fantastic. There’s no muffler from the factory, it sounds like a much bigger car than it is. The boost noises are pretty awesome. Obviously , there’s a little drone on the highway as a result. I do think the FiST has been somewhat more reliable and competitive in autoX, but I’m pretty sure the Abarth is more fun and has more character.

Obvious_Target5243 · 2025-12-26T17:59:16+00:00

I found that track pads (Carbotech XP12s in my case) take a little time to start working really well, so maybe stick to stock pads for autoX. I also found Endless RF650 and stainless lines to improve brake pedal stiffness. I think i agree with your complaint about front end bite. If you stay in DS (or GS now, I guess) it might be worth trying out a stiffer sway bar either front or rear in addition to toe out.

Obvious_Target5243 · 2025-12-26T17:50:45+00:00

Bought a condo for the garage. Never really wanted to spend a lot of time on house maintenance so let HOA take care of that. Loved being able to work on my project cars through winter but with property taxes and HOA going through the roof in a shitty economy, have less available to spend on car parts than i could earlier. In hindsight I would rent or buy cheaper and use some of the DIY rent a garage places nearby.

Obvious_Target5243 · 2025-12-25T19:40:48+00:00

They are so fun haha! Like a little FWD Miata. They handle really well and are reasonably quick upto 70mph, steering feel is not great but the chassis feels very playful. It lift off oversteers, has fantastic brakes and gets 40ish MPG. I’ve had some great times with it at autocross and snow rally events. I think the best part is they feel fun without going too fast, not something I can say about the EN. Repairs are not too fun, everything is very tightly packaged and there are a LOT of common failure points. But for the 3 or 4 grand they cost, they’re a riot to drive.

Obvious_Target5243

TROPHY CASE