Non expierenced tuner, trying to upgrade my frs...

[FRSupra]

OP, you should sell your fr-s and buy a civic right away. You would fit right in, and can still continue your vision on your car!

[ftc~brz]

Learn is all you can do. We are all learning. This car is fairly new and there is still lots of room for growth on the aftermarket parts side so if you aren't dead set and hell bent on a particular thing, wait it out and read reviews until you find the item you truly want.
I used to be very into cars a long time ago and the 86 has brought me back to that place. And it is a very expensive love. So take your time really. I have already watched a few over zealous owners blow through 4 sets of wheels and tires, suspension set ups, and other upgrades because they weren't sure what they wanted.
Definitely watch build threads, they help visually.
As for 19's I wouldn't personally go that big. I have 18s and that was big enough to fill in gap and not take away from handling. I have springs and I rub sometimes going to fast on shitty highways I cringe at the thought of the sound 19's would make in those situations!

Congrats, good luck, and welcome.

[Jonoraven93]

Originally Posted by ftc~brz

Learn is all you can do. We are all learning. This car is fairly new and there is still lots of room for growth on the aftermarket parts side so if you aren't dead set and hell bent on a particular thing, wait it out and read reviews until you find the item you truly want.
I used to be very into cars a long time ago and the 86 has brought me back to that place. And it is a very expensive love. So take your time really. I have already watched a few over zealous owners blow through 4 sets of wheels and tires, suspension set ups, and other upgrades because they weren't sure what they wanted.
Definitely watch build threads, they help visually.
As for 19's I wouldn't personally go that big. I have 18s and that was big enough to fill in gap and not take away from handling. I have springs and I rub sometimes going to fast on shitty highways I cringe at the thought of the sound 19's would make in those situations!


Congrats, good luck, and welcome.

Thank you for the wheels advice and your other information

[frslee]

ehh...

I don't care if you spend 2-3k for full exhaust, intake, tune, header, fuel pump, whatever makes the car go faster. It will make a bit faster, but not by much.

One thing I'm worried is your feeling after all. If some other guy with V8 or supercharged V6 pulls up, the chance for you to push your car is highly likely. Or even 4 cylinder turbo cars like GTI, MS3, Evo, STI. Those cars get pretty good power with just a tune.

Once you start pulling because you put so much money and effort to make this car go faster, but you lose... that feeling will hurt you in some way.

So my point is....

Stop researching, you're wasting your time. Just save cash until you have 7-8k. That will get you proper turbo kit with tune and some supporting modifications.

From what I understand, that's the one of the few ways to make this car fast like you want to. Hope I made a good point without hurting your feeling.

[Rampage]

Originally Posted by Jonoraven93

Well title says it all, I don't really know to much about how a car works in depth. The fr-s is my first ever purchased vehicle and I'm looking to upgrade. Such as a faster 0-60 more torque and hp at reasonable price.. The more information the better. Also I'm lookin for new rims I'm Tryna go black on black. I'm thinkin 19's if they'll fit and wat would be the best fitting. Air intakes turbos, coil overs, whatever's the best an gets the most improvement, help me out I'm Tryna make this raven fly thanks

I have not read all the threads so someone or many someones have probably already addressed this but if you are worried about 0-60 then stay away from 19" wheels. The added weight and rolling resistance of bigger tires is going to slow you down. If you are only worried about aesthetics then go for it if that is the look you like.

[strat61caster]

Originally Posted by Jonoraven93

Well see I wasn't very aware of the testing still of most products. But I mean something as simple as a air intake or coil overs would that even do much? In wat kind of price range? Or even a full exhaust change are there actually good ones out or are they still bein explored. Like I said I'm new to the whole car world, but of course the fr-s is makin me want to learn more.

Bolt ons such as intakes and exhausts and air filters and such will provide a "bump" in power but will likely be next to unnoticeable. (Although an exhaust will be louder)

To get noticeable gains you will need to mess with the ECU tuning, and more serious engine mods such as head work and forced induction. This may lead to problems in reliability and engine life (people have had problems with the engine stalling with a simple bolt on intake).

Lowering the car may make it look nice but the bottom line is that since you're not on the track all you will notice is the car will be stiffer, harsher and more aggressive, odds are you won't "feel faster", it may be what you want, I don't know. Try to get a ride along with someone who has lowered their car, many find it to be absolutely miserable on their daily driver because it is so harsh. The car will feel different, you'll feel bumps and such in the road and when you corner the car will roll over even less which may add to excitement (not to mention you can change the handling characteristics, understeer vs. oversteer) but not necessarily "go faster" in your case.

Edit: all these questions can be answered by perusing the related topics on modifications on the appropriate sub-forum and wikipedia is a great source as well.
Try this too:
http://www.autozine.org/technical_sc...ech_index.html

[Jonoraven93]

Originally Posted by frslee

ehh...

I don't care if you spend 2-3k for full exhaust, intake, tune, header, fuel pump, whatever makes the car go faster. It will make a bit faster, but not by much.

One thing I'm worried is your feeling after all. If some other guy with V8 or supercharged V6 pulls up, the chance for you to push your car is highly likely. Or even 4 cylinder turbo cars like GTI, MS3, Evo, STI. Those cars get pretty good power with just a tune.

Once you start pulling because you put so much money and effort to make this car go faster, but you lose... that feeling will hurt you in some way.

So my point is....

Stop researching, you're wasting your time. Just save cash until you have 7-8k. That will get you proper turbo kit with tune and some supporting modifications.

From what I understand, that's the one of the few ways to make this car fast like you want to. Hope I made a good point without hurting your feeling.

Haha I appreciate the advice and by no means are you or anyone else hurting my feelings. I posted this knowing I was car dumb. But as I can tell as well the best bet would be to wait for a turbo as your saying.... So with that being said... 18" black rims any ideas?? Yea I could research for myself but I like others inputs

[frslee]

Originally Posted by Jonoraven93

Haha I appreciate the advice and by no means are you or anyone else hurting my feelings. I posted this knowing I was car dumb. But as I can tell as well the best bet would be to wait for a turbo as your saying.... So with that being said... 18" black rims any ideas?? Yea I could research for myself but I like others inputs

Since you're only 20, you have faster processing brain.

Click the link below and study/calculate/pick the right 18" black wheels you want. You have to think about width of the wheel, offset and tire size.
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7535

[Jonoraven93]

Thanks once again

[wheelhaus]

Wow this thread went downhill fast but managed to mature pretty quickly...

Some good advice posted so far and I agree with most of it. The 86 is still a new platform (and a brand new engine that's different than previous Subaru engines in almost every way). So yeah, there's little data on REAL longevity of engines with forced induction, or how long the rest of the drivetrain will last after dealing with 50%, 100%, or even 300% power over stock. There is no easy answer to satisfy everyone who wants "more power" because it's a very vague definition.

Secondly, bigger wheels will most likely make the car slower. It's small and lightweight, and adding rotation weight like bigger wheels makes a noticable difference. Stick with 17's for performance, or go with 18's for looks. I personally think 19's on this car is a terrible idea, heavy, and they look just too big.

The car wasn't built for straight line speed, it was built to be a driver's car. If you've never been to a real race course, it's something you should DEFINITELY sign up for this summer. Find a track event that includes driving instruction and go with a humble head, ready to learn. You'll have so much fun that it might make you look at the car in a completely different light. There's something to be said for really knowing how to properly drive fast in a slow car.

I'd recommend in the mean time, to look for little upgrades here and there that you can try to do yourself that will improve the driving experience overall, such as better brake pads, stainless brake lines, brake master cylinder brace, maybe some exhaust for a different sound, wheels, tires, springs, coilovers, bushings, swaybars, etc can all make the car feel different and more responsive and communicative, allowing you to simply have more fun. How about learning new techniques? such as rev matching your downshifts, or double clutching? (I know DC'ing isn't necessary, but it's fun).

As someone advised, check other people's build threads and see what they've done. This will help give you a better idea of exactly what suits your specific needs because many owners explain why they made certain choices and what difficulties they ran into. Keep in mind, if you're having a shop do the work for you, this is good for technical reasons, but labor could get expensive, quickly.

[Coaster]

This helped me a lot. Good luck with your build.
http://www.howstuffworks.com/turbo.htm

http://www.howstuffworks.com/supercharger.htm

[Jonoraven93]

Originally Posted by wheelhaus

Wow this thread went downhill fast but managed to mature pretty quickly...

Some good advice posted so far and I agree with most of it. The 86 is still a new platform (and a brand new engine that's different than previous Subaru engines in almost every way). So yeah, there's little data on REAL longevity of engines with forced induction, or how long the rest of the drivetrain will last after dealing with 50%, 100%, or even 300% power over stock. There is no easy answer to satisfy everyone who wants "more power" because it's a very vague definition.

Secondly, bigger wheels will most likely make the car slower. It's small and lightweight, and adding rotation weight like bigger wheels makes a noticable difference. Stick with 17's for performance, or go with 18's for looks. I personally think 19's on this car is a terrible idea, heavy, and they look just too big.

The car wasn't built for straight line speed, it was built to be a driver's car. If you've never been to a real race course, it's something you should DEFINITELY sign up for this summer. Find a track event that includes driving instruction and go with a humble head, ready to learn. You'll have so much fun that it might make you look at the car in a completely different light. There's something to be said for really knowing how to properly drive fast in a slow car.

I'd recommend in the mean time, to look for little upgrades here and there that you can try to do yourself that will improve the driving experience overall, such as better brake pads, stainless brake lines, brake master cylinder brace, maybe some exhaust for a different sound, wheels, tires, springs, coilovers, bushings, swaybars, etc can all make the car feel different and more responsive and communicative, allowing you to simply have more fun. How about learning new techniques? such as rev matching your downshifts, or double clutching? (I know DC'ing isn't necessary, but it's fun).

As someone advised, check other people's build threads and see what they've done. This will help give you a better idea of exactly what suits your specific needs because many owners explain why they made certain choices and what difficulties they ran into. Keep in mind, if you're having a shop do the work for you, this is good for technical reasons, but labor could get expensive, quickly.

Thanks for this large amount of I formation, the kind of thing I was looking for, and for double clutching and downshifting I have a paddle shifter auto/manual with no clutch.

[enjoi23]

19"tires are more than 20"tires because its am odd number and harder to sell because everyone skips it for some reason. there is higher demand for 18 and 20. you might as well get 20" if you want 19, but i personally would stay at 18 Max

[Snoopyalien24]

Originally Posted by naikaidriver

Every time you type "tryna" on the internet, God kills a kitten. If you install one of those eBay "Intake Turbos" then God will send his team of highly-trained, ninja hamsters to your house to tattoo, "I'm a complete IDIOT!" on your forehead.

And there is not such thing as "hp at a reasonable price" regardless of what you may have heard.

Scott

Exhaust, lighter wheels, air intake and some stickers will add all reasonable HP all maybe under $1500 maybe even under $1000