I finally got around to doing the clutch return spring delete.
Wow.
I'm amazed they still ship this car with the spring. Like many others, the BRZ made me feel like an MT amateur with its unpredictable clutch bit and vague feel. After a couple weeks of driving it, I think I basically just relied on muscle memory to get it right. But even so, I'd still royally mess up starts and 1->2 shifts at an alarmingly high rate.
Installation thoughts
The delete is relatively straightforward. I'd highly recommend getting a buddy to hold down the clutch pedal with a broom handle while you're hips-deep in the footwell.
I ended up using a few zip ties to hold the mount that gets left behind. It bugs me a little bit to know I've already used zip ties on a brand new car, but at least it isn't a mod I ever plan to undo!
No photos of the delete since its been covered fairly extensively around the forum. I cleaned up the spring and promptly locked it away, hopefully never to be seen again
Driving impressions
Straight away I can say that this is probably the best modification you could do to this car. The clutch pedal is now firm but predictable. It feels like a real MT now. The bite point is so much more obvious, and I find myself exercising much finer control at slow speeds and hill starts. The spring was less of a problem when you were up to speed, but it was a huge pain coming off of stoplights or putting around parking lots.
A lot of people seem to say the pedal isn't actually any stiffer. It definitely is. If you haven't driven MT cars before this, it might heavy to you compared to stock. However, the pedal is still much lighter than my brother's '16 Mustang GT. Nothing to worry about.
There is a tiny bit of play at the top of the pedal's travel as everyone says. Its so minor that I forgot about it after 5 minutes of driving. No problems there either.
All in all, I'm thrilled with this tiny little "mod" to the car. Its important to me to get the most out of the essentially stock car before getting into "game-changer" mods like coils, tunes, FI, etc.