New here and know nothing!

[Trmx2]

Hi everyone!

I recently purchased a 2014 Raven FR-S on 10/31. So far, I'm loving the car but treating it like a baby for the break-in period (and probably for a while after since I am anal retentive)

This is the first car I have purchased on my own and thus, I want to keep this car for the rest of it's life (and maybe the rest of mine)

I'm 29, I live in Miami, FL, and I am NEW to the enthusiast car world.

Previous cars:
1999.5 Volkswagen 1.8T Wolfsburg 5MT
2006 Mazda 2.3 S 5MT

I don't know a ton about cars, just basics, but I am eager to learn. I've been perusing the forum for about a week know trying to learn about the car, the different mods available, and all sorts of other stuff.

My goals are to mod the car in a very CLEAN and functional manner that limits the risk of damaging anything.

Since the car IS under warranty, I'd like to be able to keep that warranty without voiding it.

I am interested in performance mods but have no idea where to begin, what to do, or how to do any of it.

I've read conflicting reviews on CAI vs. drop in filters, exhaust, etc.

I'm just looking to learn here and I'll probably get flamed at some point for not knowing anything, but go easy on me, I'm new

[SkitterSkotter]

Well if you want to keep it clean and with the warranty I would suggest sticking with TRD parts, such as an intake and exhaust. Those two items combined will give you a light bump in power and will make the car a bit more fun as the stock exhaust is almost too quiet. Beyond that, Minor exterior touches go a long way when done correctly. A subtle lip, or spoiler can really make all the difference.

[fazm]

High five, fellow Raven driver

If you don't know anything, here's all you need to know: You bought an awesome car

[Brndn704]

First off, welcome to the forum! This is a good place to find quality information on our cars.

[Trmx2]

Originally Posted by SkitterSkotter

Well if you want to keep it clean and with the warranty I would suggest sticking with TRD parts, such as an intake and exhaust. Those two items combined will give you a light bump in power and will make the car a bit more fun as the stock exhaust is almost too quiet. Beyond that, Minor exterior touches go a long way when done correctly. A subtle lip, or spoiler can really make all the difference.

I saw the TRD Parts but have heard mixed reviews on the performance of them. Also, I know a lot of people delete the sound tube, but I LIKE the sound tube. I listen to my car a lot when I am driving to know where my revs are at for shifting and such. I also like hearing the noise in the cabin lol.

Can you recommend some parts? I was thinking of doing the HPS intake tube, with a PERRIN drop in filter in the stock box. I heard that helps a bit. Also, when doing exhaust and Intake do I need to flash the cpu? I don't even know how to do that or what that does.

As for body stuff, I want the WORK CR-KAI in Bronze, I'm obsessed with those wheels. I don't know jack about offsets and all of that either. I was probably going to stick with 17" unless everyone thinks 18" is worth it.

Other question I had was about slightly lowering the vehicle. I don't want to do any serious suspension mods, so the Eibach pro-kit looked attractive to me......do I need to purchase the alignment kit with it too? See I don't know anything about any of this. What are the positives and negatives to lowering it....I do not want a huge drop. 1.0" max is all I would want, just to get rid of the gap a bit.

Originally Posted by fazm

High five, fellow Raven driver

If you don't know anything, here's all you need to know: You bought an awesome car

Haha, well I had a good feeling about that already

Originally Posted by Logical

First off, welcome to the forum! This is a good place to find quality information on our cars.

Yes, I am seeing that. Thanks for the warm welcome!

[humfrz]

Hello Trmx2 ......again .....

Congratulations on your new car!

It's one of the best "right out of the box" cars on the market .... for the price.

It really doesn't NEED any modding ..... just drive it.

However, just don't stare at certain parts too long ..... because:

* the exaust tips will start looking goofy
* the radio antennae will look too long
* the orange side markers will look out of place
* the trunk will look too plain without a wing
* the tires may start being not sticky enough
* the wheel gap will get larger
* the exhaust will become too quiet

It looks just fine ..... it has enough power ..... just drive it!



humfrz

[finch1750]

A drop in produces gains similar enough to an intake for the price. Plus its reversable in 5 minutes if needed. If you want more sound do this and the TRD exhaust. Its sound super clean and is warrantied if dealer installed.

18s are for looks, 17s are for function (plus cheaper tires).

You do not need an alignment necessarily, but it really does help.

If you want no worry about any part of warranty dont do intake or lowering springs. Unless you will install yourseld and dont mind swapping back to stock. But since this is your first car like this, drive it stock for a while. Learn by reading on the forum, there are gonna be mixed reviews about everything because there are always pros and cons. See what works best for you based on your driving style and go from there. In the mean time get some LED lighting, tint, and clear sidemarkers if you want to clean up the look a bit.

Andv welcome to the forum!

[fazm]

Here's a quick list of the mods I'm considering or have done. You may find this a helpful starting point for your own research.

Stuff I've done:
- Perrin Lightweight Crankshaft Pulley - this is a reasonably simple install if you have the tools, theoretically it helps your car more smoothly generate power, but... it's probably not a significant change either way. Still, it looks cool, doesn't cost much and is a fun tinker. Part is around $85. There are numerous DIY for this mod.

- Subaru Trunk Lid cover - the Toyota car has bare metal under the trunk lid, I bought the subaru carpeted part and put it on. Super easy, very quick. In Theory, this may reduce road noise, but in practice it's a $90 clean-up to your trunk lid.

- Master Cylinder Brace - Very easy install. This part braces the master cylinder from moving in the event that the firewall flexes in heavy braking. For a daily driver, this is useful 0% of the time. That said, it's an easy install and looks cool I bought the grimmspeed for $80 or so.

- LED Interior/Trunk lights - the new cabin ight is much brighter, the trunk is not much brighter. Both lights are much more blue now. I got them on Amazon for $12. Super easy install.

- Sound Tube Delete - Really easy. Plugged the hole in the intake with a $2 metal pipe cap from home depot (1.25") and plugged the firewall hole on the inside with the cover of the glovebox 12v socket.

Mods purchased but not yet installed

- Transmission/Shifter Bushings - these will remove some of the flex in the transmission mount, in theory putting a tiny amount more power into the driveshaft and hopefully the wheels. In practice, for a DD, it's gonna add a bit more NVH (noise, vibration, harshness).

- OEM Armrest - This costs about $180, and involves drilling into your center console, but it will result in a leather armrest in the middle of the cabin.

Future Mods

- In cabin sound reduction - I want a bit less road noise in the cabin. I have dynamat and other stuff on the way.

- Headers/Exhaust System/Cold Air Intake/Tune
Gonna do this all at once. I plan to pick up a catted header next summer, do a cat back exhaust whilst I'm down there, install a CAI (like the fa20club) and get a tune to make it all work right.

- Enkei Wheels + Pilot Super A/S/3 - Lighter Wheels + UHP All Seasons

- Braille Battery - Weight savings

- OEM+ Audio. This is a maybe, and is lower on the priority list than the other planned mods.

My goal is to have a reasonably quiet cabin in a well-tired, naturally-aspirated car. It will probably take me about 2 years to get all of this done. Partly because two of the planned mods represent fairly large cash outlays instead of nominal ones.

[Boom]

Ravens are also 2hp faster than all the other colors

[fazm]

Originally Posted by Boom

Ravens are also 2hp faster than all the other colors

Quoting this scientific fact.

[Trmx2]

Originally Posted by humfrz

Hello Trmx2 ......again .....

Congratulations on your new car!

It's one of the best "right out of the box" cars on the market .... for the price.

It really doesn't NEED any modding ..... just drive it.

However, just don't stare at certain parts too long ..... because:

* the exaust tips will start looking goofy
* the radio antennae will look too long
* the orange side markers will look out of place
* the trunk will look too plain without a wing
* the tires may start being not sticky enough
* the wheel gap will get larger
* the exhaust will become too quiet

It looks just fine ..... it has enough power ..... just drive it!



humfrz

A purist I see lol

Well, I DO want to mod it, at least slightly. The wheel gap IS large, the exhaust IS too quiet, and my tires are NOT sticky enough lol. I do want a little bit more oomph in the car, JUST a little bit. I'm not going to start throwing a turbo or supercharge on this.

I want to do some chassis work too....make the car just slightly stiffer. Sway bars, tower brace, etc. Nothing insane. I want to keep the sound tube (why does everyone delete them?!)

I do want a little more aggressive style, but subtle...nothing too overdone. When things start not fitting properly or severely messing with the aesthetics of the car, then I don't want it.

Wheels, nice grippy tires (I live in Miami), a boost in HP/Torque/Performance and sound, and maybe an increase in handling. That's about all I want.

I have the 2014 and the stock upgrade spoiler on it is really nice I won't be changing that.

[Trmx2]

Originally Posted by Boom

Ravens are also 2hp faster than all the other colors

Originally Posted by fazm

Quoting this scientific fact.

Yeah they definitely are.....black is smoother, it cuts through the air quicker.

[fazm]

Also! I'd definitely suggest just driving for about 1500 miles or so. My car keeps getting faster as the motor continues to break in. I've got 1800 miles or so now and it's a very different car than the one I brought home with 33 miles.

From what I've read, our motor should finally produce peak power at around 6k miles, so it's a while before it's all the way opened up. Just something to keep in mind.

Did you get a manual, or automatic?

[Trmx2]

Originally Posted by finch1750

A drop in produces gains similar enough to an intake for the price. Plus its reversable in 5 minutes if needed. If you want more sound do this and the TRD exhaust. Its sound super clean and is warrantied if dealer installed.

18s are for looks, 17s are for function (plus cheaper tires).

You do not need an alignment necessarily, but it really does help.

If you want no worry about any part of warranty dont do intake or lowering springs. Unless you will install yourseld and dont mind swapping back to stock. But since this is your first car like this, drive it stock for a while. Learn by reading on the forum, there are gonna be mixed reviews about everything because there are always pros and cons. See what works best for you based on your driving style and go from there. In the mean time get some LED lighting, tint, and clear sidemarkers if you want to clean up the look a bit.

Andv welcome to the forum!

What about this with the drop in filter? [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Scion-HPS-Silicone-Intake-Sound/dp/B00CQHD9R6"]Amazon.com: 13-14 Scion FRS HPS Red Reinforced Silicone Post MAF Air Intake Hose + Sound Tube 2pc Kit: Automotive[/ame]


Can you elaborate a little bit on the springs with the alignment kit that goes with it? I was going to do the Eibach Pro-kit. I don't see that as posing any warranty issues as even my crappy Mazda 3 never had any suspension problems and I drove that car to 128k on stock suspension and springs. I imagine the Eibach springs to be slightly better quality than stock FR-S springs.

I was thinking of the TRD Exhaust and I really like the tips. If not that, I've been very interested in the HKS Hi-power exhaust. I just want everything to look nice, clean, and functional without hindering the car in any way.

What do you recommend for chassis stiffening? Sway? Tower brace? I noticed it has two black braces already connecting from the front shock mounts to the rear engine compartment, I say a car on here that had upgrade versions of those.