2017 Subaru BRZ Facelift

[Mr.Impreza]

Originally Posted by krayzie

Yes the STI BRZ wheels from Japan come in either silver, gunmetal, or black, 17" at 7J or 7.5J (7J didn't exist when I bought mine), 18" at 7.5J. I think here you can only get 17" black @ 7J width.

The RS 2.0 lip looks nice too as I don't think the STI lip fits the FRS bumper?

Oh those rims are tempting in the 17x17.5 but I bet they are very pricey due to the STI name.

Yeah here they just came in that glossy black in 17x7 which looks nice also.

But I'll probably just stick to my stocks rims.

~

Oh right, I completely forgot about the RS 2.0 lip! That would be a good choice also.

I see a lot of FRS/86 with the STI lips...however those are probably reps so they fit the bumper. Not sure if the STI authentic fits or not?

[chermo12]

Originally Posted by Oxyg3n

How do you guys think the Brz looks with just the STI front lip without the side skirts and rear skirts? I plan to only get the front lip..

imo you can't go wrong! I was on the fence with the full kit myself for a couple years. What I did was a) front lip first, then b) rear spats, then finally c) side skirts. I'm happy with the full kit now. But still miss the clean "front lip only" setup sometimes.

In addition to krayzie's pic, here are more references. (I'm running the 18x7.5 STi wheels btw)

[krayzie]

Originally Posted by Mr.Impreza

Oh those rims are tempting in the 17x17.5 but I bet they are very pricey due to the STI name.

Yeah here they just came in that glossy black in 17x7 which looks nice also.

But I'll probably just stick to my stocks rims.

~

Oh right, I completely forgot about the RS 2.0 lip! That would be a good choice also.

I see a lot of FRS/86 with the STI lips...however those are probably reps so they fit the bumper. Not sure if the STI authentic fits or not?

Even the original and facelift versions of the STI front lip are not interchangeable.

If I were to buy a FRS, it would be the RS 2.0 since it's basically the same look I was after.

[Sport-Tech]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

The Sachs may make a difference but nothing massive to the average driver using the car strictly on the streets.

Love the idea of the Series Yellow, but I just remembered something that threw a lot of cold water on buying one - all the shots of it I have seen have no license plates, and our Ontario light blue on white plates are going to look terrible on a yellow car.



Maybe we'll be able to get the Sachs later via the parts department if they prove worthwhile. Of course that will only work if they are a drop-in replacement with no other changes. One tester preferred the standard shocks on the track, liked the slight roll they gave lol

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Sport-Tech

Love the idea of the Series Yellow, but I just remembered something that threw a lot of cold water on buying one - all the shots of it I have seen have no license plates, and our Ontario light blue on white plates are going to look terrible on a yellow car.

Maybe we'll be able to get the Sachs later via the parts department if they prove worthwhile. Of course that will only work if they are a drop-in replacement with no other changes. One tester preferred the standard shocks on the track, liked the slight roll they gave lol

Meh. You would not even notice the blue after about a week. I just threw smoked covers on to tone them down a bit and they look fine on the Orange. Did the same with my first Lancer which was yellow and they looked good.

There are good aftermarket parts that would work as well or better at probably far less cost.

That is why I never rely on driver reviews of a car since 99% of what they say is influenced by their own preferences. Driver reviews are the worst possible way to say one is "better" than the other since there is zero real data to be had. Even track times can not be used since the slightest variable can change the results.

[Bristecom]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

The Sachs may make a difference but nothing massive to the average driver using the car strictly on the streets. Not everybody is a pro driver that can truly tell the difference even if they think they are. If they make a huge difference on your daily commute then you need to revisit how you are driving on a public road. The brakes will make a huge difference on the track.


Yes, the guy I talked to said they were getting one and that is all they have been told so far. No date or price has been set. Odds are that if they are mostly ordered already then there could be a dealer mark up applied anyway so whatever sticker price they give it could be completely meaningless.

I suspect the Sachs will definitely make a noticeable difference. If they were simply the same type of shock with similar valving but made by Sachs, then I'd agree with you but I'm almost certain these use their "Sensitive Damping Control" system, which uses two valves. This is why you get less body roll but yet it handles the bigger bumps better.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLIzz4QXHKA&index=552&list=WL"]ZF SDC Sensitive Damping Control Animation - YouTube[/ame]

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Bristecom

I suspect the Sachs will definitely make a noticeable difference. If they were simply the same type of shock with similar valving but made by Sachs, then I'd agree with you but I'm almost certain these use their "Sensitive Damping Control" system, which uses two valves. This is why you get less body roll but yet it handles the bigger bumps better.

I may not have been clear in what I was trying to say. There is no doubt there will be an improvement. What I was talking about was that improvement will have minimal effect on normal street driving. The Sachs could have a significant impact on track driving though.

[Bristecom]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

I may not have been clear in what I was trying to say. There is no doubt there will be an improvement. What I was talking about was that improvement will have minimal effect on normal street driving. The Sachs could have a significant impact on track driving though.

Tracks are usually very smooth though unless you're riding up on the curbs. It sounds like the biggest advantage of these shocks is how it handles bumps so I think it will have a pretty noticeable advantage for street. But somebody will have to do a back-to-back comparison to know for sure I guess. Tsuchiya said in the Touge that the car felt immediately different as he started accelerating in how much less roll there was and how responsive it turned and he also said it was much more planted and "not scary" over the bumpy section. Sure, it was mostly aggressive driving but those are all factors that can be felt on the street unless you drive it like a grandpa/grandma all the time.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Bristecom

Tracks are usually very smooth though unless you're riding up on the curbs. It sounds like the biggest advantage of these shocks is how it handles bumps so I think it will have a pretty noticeable advantage for street. But somebody will have to do a back-to-back comparison to know for sure I guess. Tsuchiya said in the Touge that the car felt immediately different as he started accelerating in how much less roll there was and how responsive it turned and he also said it was much more planted and "not scary" over the bumpy section. Sure, it was mostly aggressive driving but those are all factors that can be felt on the street unless you drive it like a grandpa/grandma all the time.

The streets are not a track and track capable equipment is not required. You do not need to drive like a grandparent but the MAJOR benefits are lost unless you are driving like an asshat. Again can you feel it? sure. Is it a huge benefit on the street? No. You make the assumption that everybody that buys the package is at a high skill level and can take advantage of all the aspects of the car. This is the real world and most people driving the car can not and never will use it even close to the capacity it had with the regular parts much less with the upgrade. Sure a professional driver on a closed course says they are better (and I am not saying they are not) but that does not mean that Joe Blow can use them to advantage.

[deejaylew]

Originally Posted by Bristecom

Tracks are usually very smooth though unless you're riding up on the curbs. It sounds like the biggest advantage of these shocks is how it handles bumps so I think it will have a pretty noticeable advantage for street. But somebody will have to do a back-to-back comparison to know for sure I guess. Tsuchiya said in the Touge that the car felt immediately different as he started accelerating in how much less roll there was and how responsive it turned and he also said it was much more planted and "not scary" over the bumpy section. Sure, it was mostly aggressive driving but those are all factors that can be felt on the street unless you drive it like a grandpa/grandma all the time.

Originally Posted by Tcoat

The streets are not a track and track capable equipment is not required. You do not need to drive like a grandparent but the MAJOR benefits are lost unless you are driving like an asshat. Again can you feel it? sure. Is it a huge benefit on the street? No. You make the assumption that everybody that buys the package is at a high skill level and can take advantage of all the aspects of the car. This is the real world and most people driving the car can not and never will use it even close to the capacity it had with the regular parts much less with the upgrade. Sure a professional driver on a closed course says they are better (and I am not saying they are not) but that does not mean that Joe Blow can use them to advantage.

It just seems silly to say that better suspension is not useful on the street unless you're driving recklessly. Body roll and rough pavement are things you deal with when you turn into the 7 eleven parking lot too, not just at the track or when you're pushing the limits of the car. Comfort and preference comes into play, it doesn't have to be about track times.

This is all premature talk anyway, all of the things being thrown around as fact are just marketing jargon until someone actually drives an equipped model. The only comment on the performance package suspension that I read in a review thus far wasn't even positive

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by deejaylew

It just seems silly to say that better suspension is not useful on the street unless you're driving recklessly. Body roll and rough pavement are things you deal with when you turn into the 7 eleven parking lot too, not just at the track or when you're pushing the limits of the car. Comfort and preference comes into play, it doesn't have to be about track times.

This is all premature talk anyway, all of the things being thrown around as fact are just marketing jargon until someone actually drives an equipped model. The only comment on the performance package suspension that I read in a review thus far wasn't even positive

Ya I think what I am trying to say is not coming across well. I keep trying to get the right words and keep missing the mark. I will regroup and try again later.

[ToySub1946]

Having now watched that video from ZF Sachs AG, I'm totally in to all her sexy talk.

'Two valves on the piston rod'

'Road based excitations' and 'External excitations' ...certainly turns ME on.

[nikitopo]

You won't notice any big improvements from suspension. It might settle a bit better on bumps or track curbs, but that's all. I agree that it is not a great benefit for the street and even on the track is for professional drivers. The suspension on our cars is already very good. Only reason for changing the suspension would be the occasional rear bottoming, but I doubt that Sachs can do anything on this.

[Sport-Tech]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

Meh. You would not even notice the blue after about a week. I just threw smoked covers on to tone them down a bit and they look fine on the Orange. Did the same with my first Lancer which was yellow and they looked good.

You're probably right about getting used to it. The more I think about it the real issue for me is the yellow paint itself - not sure how that would wear over time, it's just a solid tint, not lemony enough and in need of more flair.

Doubts on the yellow were reinforced when I walked around a '17 CWP in a dealer lot last night, I found it stunning in virtually every respect; the white body contrasted with the black accents to great effect. Not that the '16 CWP nearby was unattractive, but by comparison it seemed blander and a bit dated.