Best mod under $500?

[fumanchu1]

Originally Posted by strat61caster

lol that's nothing, @Tcoat commutes longer just to get to work. It will be well worth spending three hours driving to the track and back for the fun you'll have. This handy site exists too:
https://torontotrackdays.com/
I'm 1.5 hours away from Laguna Seca and Sonoma Raceway, 3 hours away from Thunderhill, all one way and the driving distance is the least of my worries.

Looks like you could hit at least 2x autocrosses per month in the warm season at the Powerade Center in Brampton:
http://www.pitl.ca/seriesinfo.php
http://trillium-bmwclub.ca/content/autocross

Not sure who else runs in the area, could probably ask around here instead:
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=19

I agree, my biggest worry would be that curve at laguna seca and the ensuing wall

[strat61caster]

Originally Posted by fumanchu1

I agree, my biggest worry would be that curve at laguna seca and the ensuing wall

Actually my biggest worry is finding a convenient day to do it and affording the fee for the event and tires/brakes.

The Corkscrew is one of the easiest corners there if you're not trying to be a hero. But the most sickening as a passenger.

Originally Posted by mav1178

Alignment, while great, changes the driving characteristics of the car. Increased camber tends to make the car tramline more, which is a royal PITA for a daily driver and/or bad roads.

-alex

Heh, camber bolts won't push him up over -1.5 degrees, should be a nearly invisible change for most people with the exception of added grip while cornering.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by strat61caster

lol

Maybe Hankook Ventus V12 Evo V2 would be an affordable summer tire, ~$90/ea US on Tirerack. Don't have a line on a good website to check actual prices to you but I tried Tirerack which charged $260 to ship it to a shop in Toronto so

So I added up what I know for the shipping you stated, fees, exchange, taxes etc and the $90 each tires would cost me $890 just to get them here. That includes no installation. Even the $260 to ship actually costs $338 with the exchange.


As I said earlier in this thread the $78 rear diffuser I bought from Ebay cost me $260 by the time I received it. My wife almost killed me with it.


You guys think we are joking or exaggerating when we say that things cost more here? You can't make this shit up!!!!!!

[mav1178]

Originally Posted by fumanchu1

I agree, my biggest worry would be that curve at laguna seca and the ensuing wall

The Corkscrew is only a problem if you overthink it. You just turn right as you enter and accelerate... nothing to hit.

Kind of like driving an oval banked course... the only time you hit is if you lift.

Originally Posted by strat61caster

Heh, camber bolts won't push him up over -1.5 degrees, should be a nearly invisible change for most people with the exception of added grip while cornering.

... then 6 months later we get a thread about the car being "jumpy" across some roads.

A lot of people don't understand how alignment changes affect the car's handling. Even changing tires to more aggressive compounds makes it follow grooves in the road more, and many find that unacceptable.

-alex

[mav1178]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

You guys think we are joking or exaggerating when we say that things cost more here? You can't make this shit up!!!!!!

Currently $1CAD buys about $0.76983 worth of USD goods, at a straight exchange rate.

Most banks will add 1-3% to cover their own costs, so you're looking at about a 25% premium in price for purchasing US goods and sent to Canada.

-alex

[chaoskaze]

TRD intake is pretty good if 500 is all you gonna spent for "Preformance" You can get OFT later.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by mav1178

Currently $1CAD buys about $0.76983 worth of USD goods, at a straight exchange rate.

Most banks will add 1-3% to cover their own costs, so you're looking at about a 25% premium in price for purchasing US goods and sent to Canada.

-alex

Plus applicable duties, tariffs, taxes, shipping, etc that are all added on top of the exchange rate price. The Ontario tax for example is 13%. That is 13% of the exchanged price including all of the fees!
So something that is $100 US becomes $125 and then fees are all added bringing it to say $180 and then the tax is applied to that total. This means that the $100 item is now $208.
Shipping costs from the US to Canada are way out of whack as well. I wanted to order a model kit from the US and shipping was going to be $40 for a $10 kit. Ordered the same thing from Korea and it was a total $10.50 shipping included.


Go into Ebay and set the shipping to Canada and see just how bad it is!

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by chaoskaze

TRD intake is pretty good if 500 is all you gonna spent for "Preformance" You can get OFT later.

About $600 here! And that is actually a Canadian price.

[mav1178]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

Go into Ebay and set the shipping to Canada and see just how bad it is!

I do this on a daily basis dealing with Japan... their domestic consumption tax rate of 8% is preventing me from shipping items to a consolidation facility there for purposes of stuffing a container.

-alex

[chaoskaze]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

About $600 here! And that is actually a Canadian price.

Time to find that Dealer coupon with their 10-15 % off off parts/accessory in your mailbox! Close enough!


Or find one onsale... + TRD is nice for the sound you get I think.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by chaoskaze

Time to find that Dealer coupon with their 10-15 % off off parts/accessory in your mailbox! Close enough!


Or find one onsale... + TRD is nice for the sound you get I think.

I have the drop in and it is noisy enough.

[chaoskaze]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

I have the drop in and it is noisy enough.

I can't tell the difference between drop in & oem filter.

Funny thing is i'm still on stock air box after almost 40k mile & after careful research over the last 2 years... decide to pull trigger on TRD intake. lol

But then again I'm also eyeing that HKS inlet.... cuz I heard it will make intake noise louder...


*Translation: Just need more induction noise @ this point of life, Tired of exhaust.

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by strat61caster

Diagree, camber bolts and alignment or tires can be done for $500 for noticeable improvements to performance.

Originally Posted by jsimon7777

I don't think there's a right or wrong way to do mods. There are just mods. As for performance, an alignment and crash bolts plus some tires, as Strat said, is the best way to start. Or at least an alignment and crash bolts. Stock tires are great.

I know we're in complete agreement. Just beating the horse for OP's sake. I didn't mention camber specifically because the car must first be driven to its limit to truly appreciate the effectiveness of negative camber. I maintain that it's much safer to explore the car as-is with the inherent understeer. Only after it becomes frustrating for the driver would I recommend easing it into a more balanced state. Understeer really is safer for 99.8% of the drivers out there.

[solidONE]

Seeing that the OP has the '15 FRS, hes probably still has plenty of tire left.

This is the order of the first mods I did when I first purchased my 13 FRS, IIRC.

1. AFE drop in filter
2. 1 set of camber bolts
3. a set of RS3 shod RPF1 wheels
4. Catless front pipe
5. OFT
6. Swift sport springs
7. a second set of camber bolts for the front because "hella-camber"
8. track-pipe

You can easily do a set or 2 of camber bolts + alignment, drop in filter, front pipe and/or track-pipe for well under OP's $500 budget. With the left over money he probably can get some decent brake, trans and diff fluids if he does it himself. That would be my suggestion from a "bang-for-buck" perspective.