Draco-REX's BRZ "Ghost"

[bmf]

I might pick those tips up from your store
Looked great on Friday night

-Kim-

[Draco-REX]

Originally Posted by bmf

I might pick those tips up from your store
Looked great on Friday night

-Kim-

I don't have any at the Sawmill store until the next truck, unless you want 4" tips. The Cemetery RD store has a pair of the 3.75" in stock, everyone else only has a single tip.

[Draco-REX]

Copied from the tint thread I started:

So the BRZ needed tint. And who am I to deny a reasonable request? I went with 35% all around this time. I usually stay legal, but this time the 90+ degree heat may have had something to do with my decision. :P

There will be a quiz.

Before:


After:


From Inside:


A sun shield makes the interior really dark:









Pop Quiz:

Did you notice something else about the After picture?

Here's a closeup:




EDIT: Forgot to add something the tint installer discovered. The door switches act strangely; just disconnecting them doesn't work. With the door open, press the door switch in to raise the window. Then while holding in the switch, remove the bolt that holds the switch to the chassis. That will disconnect the switch and leave the window up. If you don't hold the button in, the window will stay down. THen you can just use tape to hold the switch in place until the tint is cured.

[Dave-ROR]

Spotted the tinted corner lens right away

[Scooter Style]

Looking great dude. Have to meet up and do a "black and white" shoot around town somewhere.

[Draco-REX]

Originally Posted by Scooter Style

Looking great dude. Have to meet up and do a "black and white" shoot around town somewhere.

We will probably end up at C&C together at some point. Though I'm not sure when.. Next Sat is out, the 23rd is possible depending on work, but the following three are out.

You could come by the Byers meets on Friday nights.

[Scooter Style]

I heard about the byer's meets.... Is that on sawmill or hamilton. Might go to C&C saturday.

You get your bra done by julius yet?

[Draco-REX]

Originally Posted by Scooter Style

I heard about the byer's meets.... Is that on sawmill or hamilton. Might go to C&C saturday.

You get your bra done by julius yet?

It's the Byers on Billingsley off Sawmill. Under the windmill.

Julius did his thing last Wed. Pretty much the same coverage as you. Bumper, half hood, fenders to match, mirrors, a-pillars, 6" of roof, headlights, and rear bumper at the trunk opening.

[Draco-REX]

Installed the front plate bracket. See original post HERE

[bmf]

Draco, where did you end up going to for window tinting? and Price?
I havn't been on CR for a while...

Car looks great, hopefully i can make it out to Byers this weekend.

[Draco-REX]

Originally Posted by bmf

Draco, where did you end up going to for window tinting? and Price?
I havn't been on CR for a while...

Car looks great, hopefully i can make it out to Byers this weekend.

A2Z window tint, $259 for full ceramic.

[bmf]

Originally Posted by Draco-REX

A2Z window tint, $259 for full ceramic.

Will call them up tomorrow, How long did they take to do the job?
Did you leave the car there or waited ?

[coufal]

Thanks for the profound analysis! Both your cars are amazing, I cant wait for my CBS limited!

[Draco-REX]

Originally Posted by bmf

Will call them up tomorrow, How long did they take to do the job?
Did you leave the car there or waited ?

Only a couple hours. I waited.

Best part was I could get in on a Saturday and didn't have to schedule out to mid July.

[Wepeel]

That was a great comparison to read Draco.

With my '06 WRX, I noticed the same thing with the clutch - going to other cars, I nearly slammed the clutch pedal through the firewall. Then going back to the WRX, it felt like a leg press. My '08 STI clutch seems quite a bit lighter though.

With the STI it's easy to get crazy with power - cheap and easy - it's easy to forget how hard it pulls in Stock/Stage 1 form. I remember someone saying the best mod they ever did for their STI was to get a low-power daily beater car.

[eikond]

I dig the smoked corner lense.. looks real nice!

I'm going to get some clear lenses when they hit the mark at affordable prices. But I've got WRB.. Smoke looks excellent on a black car.. i'd do the same thing.

[Draco-REX]

Originally Posted by coufal

Thanks for the profound analysis! Both your cars are amazing, I cant wait for my CBS limited!

Originally Posted by Wepeel

That was a great comparison to read Draco.

With my '06 WRX, I noticed the same thing with the clutch - going to other cars, I nearly slammed the clutch pedal through the firewall. Then going back to the WRX, it felt like a leg press. My '08 STI clutch seems quite a bit lighter though.

With the STI it's easy to get crazy with power - cheap and easy - it's easy to forget how hard it pulls in Stock/Stage 1 form. I remember someone saying the best mod they ever did for their STI was to get a low-power daily beater car.

Glad you guys liked the writeup.

The clutch does annoy me, and I'm wondering if a master cylinder from another Subaru might work.

Originally Posted by eikond

I dig the smoked corner lense.. looks real nice!

I'm going to get some clear lenses when they hit the mark at affordable prices. But I've got WRB.. Smoke looks excellent on a black car.. i'd do the same thing.

It was a necessary mod, IMO. Looks so much better now. I did a really bad job of it though, so I'm going to try and source some more, possibly darker, tint and do it again with the markers off the car.

[Prava]

dude the smoked out side marker looks so good! idk why i didn't think about doing that, but thanks to you, I do now!

[Scooter Style]

Licensee plate looks good. Gonna try to run w/o one for as long as I can.

Wondered about that ceramic tint stuff. I have a guy coming from Maryland to do a bunch of cars soon.

I didn't have him do my headlights. I am gonna do a custom lamin-x setup.

[Draco-REX]

Originally Posted by Scooter Style

Licensee plate looks good. Gonna try to run w/o one for as long as I can.

Wondered about that ceramic tint stuff. I have a guy coming from Maryland to do a bunch of cars soon.

I didn't have him do my headlights. I am gonna do a custom lamin-x setup.

If it's in your budget, get the ceramic. It's worth the extra cost, IMO. The ceramic tint blocks a huge amount of heat from the sun, but won't interfere with cell/key fobs/gps/etc like the metal tint does sometimes. The dyed film is just crap. I let myself get talked into it on the spec.B and I regretted it from day one. It lets in almost all the heat from the sun, is not perfectly grey, and has more imperfections. The extra $100 for ceramic is worth it.

[Enjuku Racing]

Looks so good in black!

[tripjammer]

Originally Posted by Draco-REX

Reverse Impressions.

So, it's one thing to go from one car to a new one. But it's very different going from the new one back to the previous car. The BRZ "Ghost" feels quick and tight and seems to be getting faster and faster as I drive it.

But how much of that is the car and my ability to use it improving, and how much of it is just a shift in perception?

In this case, I took my STI "Grip" out for a spin today.


I've had Grip since new. Power wise it's nearly stock with only a Stage 1 tune. I want to go Stage 2 eventually, but just haven't gotten around to it. Where Grip shines is in handling. There isn't a single piece of the suspension that I haven't had my hands on at one point or another. I'd put this car against almost anything when it comes to on-road handling.

I've AutoXed, "canyon" carved and done quite a bit with this car, so I know it inside and out. It has been a long time since Grip has scared me.

It scared me today. But I'll get to that in a second.

First off, the clutch. I thought Ghost's clutch was getting heavier as I broke it in. I've gotten better at feeling the engagement and I've been feeling better with the clutch. In this case, it's all perception. When I first went to start Grip and push the clutch in, I had to double check that I wasn't pushing in the brake. The stock STI clutch has never really been called too-heavy and I've never felt that way. But compared to the BRZ clutch, it's like exercise equipment. I was amazed at the difference and thought something had failed in the clutch since I last drove Grip.

Handling. While Ghost eagerly turns in and carves nice arcs through corners, there's still a slight feeling of effort. It's probably the Michelins scrubbing a bit. Grip on the other hand slices through corners so effortlessly. There's room to improve the BRZ suspension. However, while Grip changes direction quickly and with accuracy, it doesn't have the sense of eagerness that the BRZ has. Grip feels like it's following my commands to the letter like a soldier. Ghost feels like its eager to please and anticipates my steering inputs. Both are excellent aspects to have.

Throttle response. The BRZ's N/A engine is very responsive. Keep it out of the torque valley and the power is there instantly. Even with the tune on Grip, the throttle response is nowhere near as direct. Throttle inputs are soft and I just don't get the feeling that it wants to leap ahead like I get from Ghost. But that's the downfall with turbos and why I don't think turbocharging, no matter how little lag, is not the choice for the BRZ chassis.

Then I put my foot down. HOLY $#!+. I haven't feel that tossed back in my seat for a very long time. While Ghost is responsive and peppy with adequate acceleration, Grip is on a whole other planet. I put my foot down and wound Grip out and it frightened me for a moment because I wasn't ready for it. Driving Ghost has shifted my perceptions some. Is it a bad thing? I don't think so. It makes moments like above in the STI new again and a lot of fun.

So driving Grip after nearly a week only driving Ghost has really put a perspective on things. Ultimately, my STI, "Grip", feel like a weapon compared to the BRZ. It's sharp, precise, and efficient. Kind of like the vehicular equivalent of a rifle. Ghost on the other hand feels more like a martial art. It has flow and form. Responses are more organic and natural feeling.

If you want to stick with weapon analogies, Grip is like a broad sword, and Ghost is like a stiletto. Both will kill a man, but each in a different way.

Do I regret my purchase? Not at all. Ghost is still a lot of fun, and has a lot to teach me as well. It will make a great daily and enjoyable AutoXer.

That's it..I am getting BRZ limited 6 speed manual, and call it Lil Grip and then when the next gen WRX STI comes out, I will get one of those too, and call it Super Ghost!

You just helped me make my decision....