RallySport Direct's BRZ: The Albino Rhino

[BioRage]

Nice

Now it needs a REAL slammed drop.

Originally Posted by StevenEngage

I photoshop dropped it for you, due to boredom haha



the rear wheels poke quite a bit, do you think you'll have rubbing issues or do you plan to add camber?

[RallySport Direct]

Originally Posted by DanMac

Wheels look brilliant!
Interested to hear your thoughts of the staggered set up.

Well I love the look of a nice staggered setup personally, but in terms of performance, we will have to see. I have yet to really take the car out and drive it properly, so I will update once I do that

Thanks,
Rick

[RallySport Direct]

Originally Posted by StevenEngage

I photoshop dropped it for you, due to boredom haha



the rear wheels poke quite a bit, do you think you'll have rubbing issues or do you plan to add camber?

Thanks and nice photoshop! Love the way it looks And I don't think we will run into rubbing issues, that picture make the rear tires look further out than they really are, but if worse comes to worse, I am not opposed to running a bit of camber, I know the car needs it anyway. I just want to stay away from having to run excess camber just to get it to not rub, I think I would rather run a smaller tire or wheel at that point, but we will update once we get the car lowered.

Thanks,
Rick

[RallySport Direct]

Originally Posted by Nardi330

i wonder how much clearance are there between these wheels/tires and stock suspension.

looks hot i must add!!

thanks

The rears have plenty of clearance, where the fronts, it is minimal at most, maybe 2-3mm, but still offers the clearance we need. I did notice it just touches the front fender liner, but does not seem to rub into it at all, so we should be okay

And thanks everyone for the support and kind words, you guys keep me excited to get this project together and rolling!

Thanks,
Rick

[RallySport Direct]

Okay, now the fun truly begins. I have been wanting to start doing some real mods to our Albino Rhino, so I stole the car one day and quickly ran to my garage to install some goodies. Here are the results.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=un-YyPT14pQ"]The Albino Rhino BRZ Suspension Test w/ Eibach Pro-Kit Springs - YouTube[/ame]

I recently installed the Eibach Lowering Springs, Whiteline Comp ‘C’ Camber/Caster mounts, Work Emotion CR Ultimate 18x9.5 rear and 18x8.5 front with Bridgestone RE-11 tires wrapped around them. Now with being busy at work and in my personal life I did not really have a chance to take the car out to see what it could do, and I have been itching to go for a blast. Well my itch got too strong, so I “borrowed” Justin from work and we took the car out for some mid-day hooning. We found a secret spot, set up some cones and just went for it. At first I was still getting used to the new setup, but instantly could tell the car was much more crisp and precise, even minimal steering input was immediately followed by a response from the car. I always thought the car was darty in stock form, but man, this is just on another level.

After some hot laps, I started to feel more comfortable and confident with the car and the setup, the tires were coming up to temp nicely as well. I was able to focus on the differences between when it was stock and with the mods now, and I must be honest, the overall feel of the car, the “characteristics” of the car did not change much, it still felt very well balanced and planted to the road, just like stock. The main difference was just more grip, much, much more grip. I would have to say the biggest difference came from the Bridgestone RE-11 tires and the Whiteline Comp ‘C’ Camber/Caster mounts, when I had installed them I set it up for max camber and caster, and while the added negative camber helped those big sticky tires remain flat in the corner, the added caster gave us a much better steering feel and also gave us some additional negative camber through a corner as well. The smaller sidewall on the Bridgestones compared to stock really helped keep everything planted and gave me much more confidence in the corners as well. Now, don’t think I am leaving the springs out of the equation, but I was really expecting a harsher and stiffer ride from these springs, but to be honest, it almost felt like stock. You can tell there is a bit more spring rate under the car, but it is so minimal that once you drive the car for more than a few minutes, you forget that they are there. I think these springs are going to be perfect for those who want to retain stock like comfort, while still lowering the car for better looks and handling.

Overall I was very impressed with the setup, it still allows you to get the rear end out with the traction control off, which I did not think was going to be possible with that much soft rubber under the car, but again, the characteristics felt like the stock car. It does not feel quite as eager to accelerate with the larger diameter wheels and tires, but I feel like the car was never the fastest thing on the planet, and the added grip more than makes up for the minimal loss of acceleration, and I do emphasize the word minimal. I was really impressed towards the end of our session as the tires reached full temp, they made the car feel like a razor cutting through the pavement, you just had to point the steering wheel where you wanted to go, keep the gas steady and the car just zipped there like a quantum wave collapse and *poof*, you’re there. It was astonishing, there was so much more the car could have given, and now the biggest limitation is the dummy behind the wheel. Now I’ve known that has always been the truth, but at least before I had an excuse with the stock tires, now I must come out and admit “ I Rick, am a horrible driver”, ah that feels much better to get off my chest. Now that the internet knows about my driving skills, or lack thereof, one might ask, “so if the car was already out of your driving abilities, why are you throwing parts on it”? That is a great question, and the real answer to that is… For fun!!! Now don’t get me wrong, the car was a blast to drive in stock form, we all know that, but go ahead and throw on some sticky tires, take that corner as fast as you can, and just giggle like an idiot as the car tries to separate your skin from your body. I have never had a headache after driving a car before, but I got one this time, I felt like a newborn whose neck muscles are not quite strong enough, as my head bounced from shoulder to shoulder, tank-slapping through those cones. I remember thinking “Now this is a car!!!” as I was grabbing at my neck wretched in pain.

We know some people modify their cars to make it look better, some do it to stand out and be different, well I do it because like RickyBobby, I just wanna go fast!! I love feeling the G-forces as I throw a car recklessly into corners, I love feeling like at any moment, if something goes wrong, I might die. There is a special connection you can develop with your car, this not only comes from driving it and getting to know it, which you do, but I feel like a big part of that is modifying it to suite it to your own preference, to make the car yours, and for it to drive like you want it to drive. This is why I mod cars, this is what I have been waiting for with this BRZ, and from here on out, it is just going to get better and better.

We will keep you up to date with the next modifications, but don’t think we have given up on the suspension just yet. Take a look at the arms and the bushings on the rear of the car through the corners in our most recent suspension video, this should give you an idea of what we are thinking to attack next.

Thanks,
Rick

[RallySport Direct]

Loving this picture:



Our in-house Photographer always does an amazing job. Thanks JT!!

Rick

[RallySport Direct]

Just a couple of photos for you





Please note, this was not setup to be a picture, we just though it looked pretty cool

Thanks,
Rick

[W2]

Originally Posted by RallySport Direct

Just a couple of photos for you


Please note, this was not setup to be a picture, we just though it looked pretty cool

Thanks,
Rick

Very nice

[RallySport Direct]

Thanks!!! I demanded we get them hosted so I could post them up. The 2nd one is my desktop background too lol.

Thanks again,
Rick

[iLuveKetchup]

Wow! Thanks for those photos. My background as well.

[UncleFester]

Get that carbon driveshaft on yet?

[Guff]

I have a new lock screen wallpaper!

[RallySport Direct]

Originally Posted by UncleFester

Get that carbon driveshaft on yet?

hmmmm.. I have no idea what you are talking about...

And thanks for all the support guys! It is greatly appreciated
Rick

[RallySport Direct]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsGJf21uMto"]The Albino Rhino BRZ gets a new PST Carbon Fiber Driveshaft - YouTube[/ame]



Recently I walked into my office and found a rather long box sitting next to my desk with the label “PST” on it, gave a quick peak inside and sure enough there was a whole bunch of carbon in this box. Yes, our carbon driveshaft has finally arrived!! I was super anxious to put this on, so I called over to Ziptie DynoWerks, our local shop with a Mustang Dynamometer, and they were kind enough to let us install the carbon shaft at their shop so we could get a good before and after. A few days of impatiently waiting like a kid before Christmas, it was finally time! I swung by work early to grab Justin so he could set up the cameras and help with anything needed. We packed up our gear, loaded it all in the BRZ and we were off to Ziptie DynoWerks. Once we arrived we decided to do a baseline so we could get a good before and after reading, so we strapped our BRZ down and let it rip. We did a few runs, as we always find the car makes the most power on the 4th run as the car gets nice and warm and loosens up. We made 161 HP on our final pull and decided it was time to install the PST carbon Driveshaft on the car. The install is super easy and Ziptie DynoWerks was kind enough to let us use their facility even though they knew we would make a mess….and we did haha. The old driveshaft removal literally takes about 30 minutes, and it is always helpful to have a buddy in the car to set or release the E-brake so you can spin the shaft to get to all of the bolts, this is where Justin’s E-braking expertise came in handy. Once all 4 driveshaft to differential bolts are out, you remove the 2 bolts that hold the carrier bearing to the chassis, pop the shaft free from the differential and the driveshaft should slide right out of the transmission.







Next, pick up that new, pretty, and superlight carbon shaft and slide that sucker in! Bolt it all up and marvel at how awesome you are. By the time my ego was nice and inflated, Justin and Ziptie DynoWerks already had the car back up on the dyno and strapped down. Now I am getting excited, not only because I would like to see at least some gains, but there is always that chance that you botched the install, and let’s be honest, seeing a driveshaft come off when the car is doing 100+ MPH would be cool to see, or at least cool to tell your friends about when they visit you in the hospital. My luck was strong this day as the car managed to stay together and after 4 pulls we saw a peak HP of 165 HP, or a gain of 4HP. I was hoping for a bit more, but I was excited as is to see any gains at all, so it was a good day.










We had already weighed the PST Carbon shaft and it came in at a featherweight 13.9LBS and now with the stock shaft off, we weighed it using the same scale, I was surprised to see the scale read 24.14LBS as it really did not feel that heavy to me. Either I ate my vegetables that day, or was just feeling extra strong, but I have to agree with what the scale says, as they never lie, where I have been known to stretch the truth just a bit . Now it came to the most difficult part of the whole process.. Math. As I struggled to do even simple subtraction, I had a flash back to grade school and my teacher drilling us on math problems saying “You will need to know this stuff by heart, it’s not like you can carry a calculator around with you every day”. Proving her wrong, I whipped out my phone/calculator, punched in a few numbers and voila, the PST shaft is 10.24 pounds lighter than stock.

Finally all the work will pay off, I actually get to beat on the car.. err.. I mean, “test” the new driveshaft drive shaft of course, as this is a strict scientific comparison with absolutely no horseplay. Pulling out of the shop, my first impression was that it did indeed feel just a bit more eager to accelerate, which was expected. Being light with the throttle as the car warmed up, I made my way to a place where I could open it up a bit. Ah yes, the Freeway on-ramp, the ultimate, legal, 0-65MPH testing ground for a slow car. Going through the gears the car felt great, I felt the car was quicker to accelerate, and with less fuss too, and even outside of the brunt of its powerband. Now I am not going to say this made a night and day difference, but taking over 10 pounds of rotational mass off the drivetrain did make a noticeable difference for sure, and I love it! Harsh shifts seem less obvious to the driver as I felt the shaft take up a bit of the shock from the drivetrain, some hard/mis-shifts were on purpose, some on accident, but the shaft seemed to do a great job as smoothing them out. Overall I was very impressed, the install is very easy and straight forward, the gains are there, and can be felt without changing the characteristics of the car. The car is the exact same, but now with just a bit more… of everything. I love lightweight mods, anything to reduce weight is a huge plus in my book, I mean we bought this car because it was lightweight, not because it was fast, right? Well, something about being able to add even more to that just makes me feel good.





As always stay tuned for more updates, and let us know if you have any questions.
Thanks,
Rick