First Mods (shifter setup, exhaust, intake). 2013 FRS. I have questions!
 

Just bought a 2013 FRS dark grey metallic MT. It stock and has 40,000 miles. I want to start doing some simple mods and have some questions. This is the first car ill be modding.

1. In 3rd or 5th gear at 4000 + rpm while accelerating i get a rattle noise coming from the shifter somewhere and other shifts could be cleaner and more quiet. Dealership said there was a service bulletin about rattle in shifter but I was past the warranty. After research i found changing trans and diff fluid to Motul 300, getting new rear shifter bushing and maybe new springs could help solve these problems? I also would get new trans mount bushing.
Thinking of:
-Whiteline trans mount
-MTEC springs
-Perrin rear shifter bushing? is this the best one have heard one or two bad things about it?
-Motul 300 (4L)on its way (good for both trans and diff? right?)
Should anything else be done?

(EDIT: toyota is replacing my shifter under warranty for rattle noise. am still switching to motul 300 fluids. may get rear shifter bushing later on.)

2. New catback exhaust.
Dont want something to loud because its my daily and would like to keep it under $600 if possible but will go higher if i need too. Have been looking at:
J2 exhaust on ebay- there are 2 different ones.
Flowmaster american thunder
Nameless axleback 2.5" with 4" or 5" mufflers. hear good things but only a axleback and just as much or more than these other catbacks
Invidia N-1
Not sure how these perform, sound clips never do justice and most have other mods. Personal experience would be great on best budget exhaust for around $600 or under. Doesn't have to be one I've said.

(EDIT: after more research i chose the MXP Comp RS catback. great price and good reviews)

3. Last thing in my first wave of mods is intake. lots of people saying aftermarket SRI or CAI dont give much power or lose power. most people say to go with just a high flow drop in and maybe a new silicone intake tube. Opinions? experience? Should i go for the full intake system like injen or some other brand or stay with simple drop in?

(EDIT: going with Perrin drop in filter, temporary noise generator delete keeping stock intake pipe until i find reasonable silicone one.)

(EDIT: also saving for OFT)

The answers are all out there and then some. I suspect a little more time reading (and watching vids) will help narrow down choices a lot, especially on exhaust.

Motul 300 is what I currently have in my car. I'm not sure that fluid, or any of the rest of the mods, will specifically help with rattle, which may be solvable with a little trouble-shooting and no new parts.

For intake, Grimmspeed or just drop-in filter and elbow with noise-maker delete. Everything else seems to need a tune to not cause issues here or there. YMMV.

Exhaust won't give you notable performance improvements either without a header and tune. N-1 is noisy (IMO sounds horrible but some like it) and Nameless less so. Haven't heard the others that I'm aware.

From where I sit you seem to have an urge to spend money on parts... I'd highly recommend spending a bit of time getting to know the car and figuring out what you want to do with it before diving in on parts and mods.

If you're planning on modding the exhaust further down the line after the catback I'd suggest to pick one on the quieter side rather than loud. So that would take out the N1 for sure.

Personally I think the Nameless axleback is overpriced for what it is... a muffler delete. You could pick up single exit muffler deletes for a little over $100. Or if you want a dual tip, Berk has one going for around $250... half the price of the nameless.

Skip the intake, stock is already is quite optimal. Just get a drop in. It'll be less finicky and much cheaper. Dry panel filters will do the MAF better than oiled ones like K&N.

If you want power, look at header + tune.

Skip the axleback and get a header and openflash tablet.
You'll get your noise, but subtle, and you'll actually get power, unlike your intake and axleback. Also would recommend just a drop-in KnN filter.

Header and tune unless you wanna spend the big bucks and go fi. Btw my car makes a new noise every week. Is what it is. Wouldn't have it any other way.

I know you didn't put headers, but I see some members telling you to do headers. I would just like to chime in.
Considering this is your daily. Keep in mind that a cat-less header, even with a stock front pipe you will have a smell (You may notice smell with windows down in traffic or when stopped.)

Also, since your in California, it's prohibited to remove the cat.

~

If i were you, I'd do;

OFT Stage 1 Tune for performance.
Catback exhaust for sound & small gain in performance.
Drop in Filter (Any brand you like)
Inlet Tube (Any Brand, and you need to figure out if you will want to keep the sound tube or not)

I have a review for a Fujitsubo catback exhaust and OFT Stage 1 Tune in my signature. Feel free to check them out for more information. :)

Apexi drop in filter and any brand inlet tube.
Catback if you want louder than stock get a Invidia N1 but that thing is LOUD.
Get a Invidia Q300 if you're looking to get a header down the road.
Greddy SP catback is another one you could get for about $155.00 more than your budget for a catback. Or save up and buy a Perrin 2.5 resonated catback that way when you add a header it won't be LOUD.
Join up with your local FT86 club and attend a club meet that way you can hear different catback exhausts.
That will help you decide what you want.
Just my 2 cents! ;)

Thanks for eveyones opinion.

really good advice. I will be staying away from headers since im in Cali. I do still want to be able to pass smog.

I have gone with a perrin drop in filter.
I did a temporary noise generator delete while keeping stock intake tube until i find a reasonable silicone tube to replace the stock one.
Grimmspeed looks like they make a really good intake but for $330 ill stay away from that for right now.
Switching to motul 300 trans and diff fluid
Ordered MXP Comp RS catback exhaust based on price ($569) and i heard many good reviews on it with only a little drone.
decided to Wait on shifter upgrades
want to save for OFT. but have never used one and want to make sure its something anyone can learn to use and operate.

on a side note i also changed all the badging on my car from scion frs to toyota gt86 and i think it looks great.

buy an open flash tablet. the tunes really wake up the car. i also happen to know someone who's selling one...

btw ofts are just about idiot proof. if you can operate a smartphone youre good to go.

I'm screwed...:cry:

anyone can use an OFT. And if you have some math skills and a little programming knack you can find in depth threads here on doing tons of stuff with it.

Grimmspeed is the only intake that seems to actually make extra power, but a tune is required.

Motul or redline fluids seem to help people with shifter issues.

Go slow on the mods. This car, especially the 2013 FRS, is pretty awesome.

Also go slow on any "bushings" or "mounts" or anything that firms up the ride. That stuff is awesome for track cars but absolutely sucks for daily drivers. Obviously your commute and what you are looking for will be different, but riding in a cement block can be awesome for the track and horrific on a pothole filled road on your daily commute.

Enjoy the car! The 2013 FRS is the most tail happy and fun.

Thanks for the advice and yea im going to wait on the shifter mods. i just would like to find a way to fix the very annoying 3rd and 5th gear rattle while accelerating above 4000 rpm.
Im very interested in the OFT. i watched a couple videos on it today and yea it does look pretty much idiot proof.

What makes the 2013 the most tail happy? just wondering. haven't heard that before.

do you know how much they are selling it for?

Perrin rear shift bushing is safe to add. Any added noise claims on that is smoke being blown up your ass.

Good choice on the filter versus a full intake. I only switched to a GrimmSpeed when I had it because I got it free.