TJ's Whiteout FR-S

[MCTeeJ]

Originally Posted by KR-S 86

I'm actually pissed they discontinued these. Long shot, but would you happen to know of any other place that somehow still has the carbon fins on sale?

I tried to find the set that was on eBay last week, but it seems to have sold (and for way higher than initially priced). Sorry man. If you want a set of fins though, I’d recommend getting a pre painted FRP set from BlackHawk while those are still available. If you’re dead-set on carbon, you’ll probably have to comb the classifieds.

[KR-S]

Yep, looks like they're my only option.

If you ever want to sell them in the future, let me know.

[MCTeeJ]

So the plastic inside my key fob decided to give and snapped in the ignition as I turned it. First I called up Toyota and got a quote for $300 for a new key+programming. I then went to eBay, bought a blank key molded into a shell for $8, had Home Depot cut it for free, and dug my electronics/chip out of my broken key.

I am happy with the result.

[MCTeeJ]

Got a new to me steering wheel on the car! My 2014 wheel had started to peel, and it was getting ugly. Luckily a friend from Tampa was upgrading to a TRD wheel out of an RS1 and gave his warranty replacement wheel to me (2016 car with a wheel replaced by the dealership due to peeling about 1.5 years ago).

Only catch is the splines don't match up perfectly. I'm about 2-4 degrees to the right on the steering wheel when I'm at true center on the splines. I tried moving one notch to the left and it was way worse lol. Should be able to be corrected with an alignment.

[Submarinesonce]

fine looking wheel there

[MCTeeJ]

Originally Posted by Submarinesonce

fine looking wheel there

I wouldn't have known it was you until the mod list....then the submarines clicked.

[MCTeeJ]

Funny how the last few things I've posted are all random little refurbishments, but hey let's keep it going. My stock mirror delaminated around the edges. Got a $9 Broadway 270mm flat version clip on mirror. So far I love the extra visibility. It seems pretty stable mounting to the stock mirror. We'll see how it lasts.

[WC-BRZ]

I notice your dash area right above the center vents has also deformed - this seems like a common problem with our cars.

Mine is a 2018 and its already started happening a bit...can't help but wonder what the fix is for something like this.

Since you're doing so many maintenance upgrades/upkeep, couldn't help but wonder if the dash is also on the list?

[MCTeeJ]

Originally Posted by WC-BRZ

I notice your dash area right above the center vents has also deformed - this seems like a common problem with our cars.

Mine is a 2018 and its already started happening a bit...can't help but wonder what the fix is for something like this.

Since you're doing so many maintenance upgrades/upkeep, couldn't help but wonder if the dash is also on the list?

Personally I think I'm just gonna live with it. It's been like that for years, and I've even heard that warranty work doesn't fix it forever. It would be nice, but truth be told I'm so used to it I don't notice it anymore lol.

Next on my list is buying a lifetime alignment package from Tires Plus (a buddy works there) and having the steering wheel straightened out. I'd like to throw some LCA on there as well, but I still haven't made a decision.

[MCTeeJ]

Couple updates since last time:

I bought a lifetime alignment agreement through a chain shop near me. I told them the car was lowered, and potentially could have changes done to it in the future yet they still didn't turn me down, lol.

I removed my SPC camber bolts from the front struts as I no longer need them. Just using top hats now.

Had the car aligned and steering wheel straightened out. I now sit at F -3.2 camber w/ 0 toe and R -3 camber w/ .06 toe in. Feels pretty good.

Pictured below are my SPC rear LCA that showed up this evening. I plan to use these to correct back to about -2.5 in the rear if possible. I might wait to install for another week or two in order to seem less suspicious going right back in for an alignment, lol.

[MCTeeJ]

Hit 90k miles last weekend.

Just did a tire rotation and oil change today with Schaeffer's 0w-20.

I also found a really good deal on a 4.3 differential so I jumped on it. I'll post some impressions once I find time to put it in. I'm not expecting a night and day difference; I'm just after a good budget friendly upgrade for an NA car.

[Terran]

Originally Posted by MCTeeJ

Wing is back from the body shop!

I took the car out to the local park for a few pictures in between the constant rain we've been having.

Have a look below.

Lookin real clean

[MCTeeJ]

Originally Posted by Terran

Lookin real clean

Thank you for the kind words. I followed your build thread a while back. Looks good.

[MCTeeJ]

Put the 4.3 diff in yesterday. Parking lot wrenching is always fun, but you gotta do what you gotta do. The swap went pretty well, only snag was getting the axles in and out. Didn't touch the suspension at all so that's probably why. I had axle click from both sides on the test drive, but after about 3 miles it went away so I'm assuming everything just had to get situated again.

Impressions:
The extra torque is felt for sure. I actually like the revs being a bit higher during cruising because I don't necessarily have to downshift as much to get around traffic and whatnot. All in all I'm happy with it. Only weird thing is on the digital gear indicator 5th no longer registers for whatever reason. Sometimes it's blank, sometimes it'll say 4th again. Not really worried about it if that's the only drawback.

Do I think this is a worthwhile swap? Yes. I sourced this 29k mile diff for $400 and was (with the help of a friend) able to install it in a parking lot with hand tools, a pry bar, and a rubber mallet. It changed the driving experience for less money than most mods cost on newer cars.