Tuners like "Mugen" or "Spoon" for Subaru?

[Seiryuu]

Pardon the title. I've been living in Honda world most of my life and this is my first Subaru so I am pretty new to the aftermarket scene here. So is there an aftermarket tuner/parts maker that specialize in Subaru (BRZ/86) in a similar fashion to Mugen and Spoon to Honda? What I'm kinda really looking for:

- JDM; premium brand
- Top notch fit and finish
- Might not exactly be best bang for your buck (usually is not) performance-wise
- Usually cost a shinier penny than other makers stuff (wish it wasn't)
- OEM quality
- long time reputation related to Subaru

From what I've researched, it seems like Fujitsubo is the most similar? Even then, they don't have that many parts for the twins.

My car is still stock but if I were to start modding, I want to prioritize fit and finish over straight up performance gains.

[NLSP]

Sounds like you're looking for OEM+/in-house tuner parts, in which case STI would be your best bet:


https://www.sti.jp/en/parts/subarubrz_zc/

[yurikaze]

You’re thinking more along these lines I think:
http://www.zerosports.co.jp/

http://www.zerosports.co.jp/Categories/1210

[sugoi]

http://www.prova.co.jp/index.html

[re-animator]

I think Tom's is the best. Though they are technically a Toyota tuning house/race team, they have a lot of specialized parts for the 86 platform. Really expensive though.

[AnotherSlowAE86]

I was a Honda guy back in the day. I think I know what you're getting at.

This car has a few OEM/in house/premium tuners, since the car was a joint Toyota and Subaru project. So you'll find some great parts from TRD, STi and TOM'S. But keep in mind this is a very popular platform, so all the other "heavy hitter" companies are out there making parts for the car. Cusco, Toda, HKS, Blitz, Tein and all the others have a line of products for the car.


Personally, being that I own the Subaru variant of the car, I'm especially interested in the STi accessories. The Japanese STi site, which was linked in a post above, shows the array of parts offered.

[re-animator]

Originally Posted by AnotherSlowAE86

I was a Honda guy back in the day. I think I know what you're getting at.

This car has a few OEM/in house/premium tuners, since the car was a joint Toyota and Subaru project. So you'll find some great parts from TRD, STi and TOM'S. But keep in mind this is a very popular platform, so all the other "heavy hitter" companies are out there making parts for the car. Cusco, Toda, HKS, Blitz, Tein and all the others have a line of products for the car.


Personally, being that I own the Subaru variant of the car, I'm especially interested in the STi accessories. The Japanese STi site, which was linked in a post above, shows the array of parts offered.

Shame about all the STI versions being so overpriced here in the US though and generally not being performance-focused. IIRC their springs are re-branded eibachs that cost $400 and the axle-back exhaust is like $1400

[8RZ]

If NISMO = Nissan Motorsports, then we should have a SUMO.


(Don't need to mention Honda since we've all heard that one lol).

[Seiryuu]

Thanks for some of the suggestions! I haven't heard of Prova or Zero Sports. Can't believe I forgot about TOM'S. Looking through their catalogs though, it seems like none of them are... comprehensive. Like TOM'S make an exhaust but not a header or intake. No "complete package". Same with Zero and Prova... plus their parts look even harder to find. There aren't even youtube videos of their parts.

I know about STi/TRD but since they are actually part of Subaru/Toyota (OEM), their stuff I feel is more on the aesthetic side with the exception of suspension. Like they don't have headers or exhausts that promotes HP gains. But yes, I would be looking at STi for bracing and sway bars. Many would be excused for thinking Mugen is officially Honda but they are their own entity just with really close ties with Honda. So I figured there must be some similar third party companies doing the same thing dedicated to Subies/Toyota.

It's not that I am specifically after that JDM bling factor but I've checked out all the popular/common brands like Tein, HKS, Invidia, Borla, Apexi, Nameless... and just like the parts they make for Honda, they don't quite make me go "This is it!" to drop hundreds of dollars on their parts.

[86MLR]

I wouldn't focus on how things look or some brand name, I would look at what you get for your money.

Once a exhaust is in all you are going to see are the tips, but, if you instead focus on materials used, engineering procedures, and the performance aspects your money will be better spent IMO.

Personally all the TRD and STI stuff is way overpriced bang for buck wise, usually minimal gains for maximum price, there's always the bragging rights, but that's not going to stop you from looking at other peoples tail lights, even though you may have paid more.

The hard bit is filtering though the lies and exaggerations of all the parts, both from the manufacturer as well as the customers.

Me, I look at what the local club racers use, the drivers in the pointy end of the field always have their parts sorted, and generally from multiple manufacturers for different components.

Anyway, enjoy your build and start a build thread, build threads are gold.

[why?]

Yea, for most makes there is not one anything, it is different part to part. Especially since Subaru hands its codes out like candy and you can tune the ecu for each individual part. It really means it depends on what you want to do with your car, and you can see dynos for pretty much anything you want to buy.

[Vital]

Originally Posted by re-animator

Shame about all the STI versions being so overpriced here in the US though and generally not being performance-focused. IIRC their springs are re-branded eibachs that cost $400 and the axle-back exhaust is like $1400

I think you're getting confused with the USDM TRD Spring being re-branded Eibach. STI Pink Springs are definitely not Eibachs...

[Xxyion]

Originally Posted by 86MLR

I wouldn't focus on how things look or some brand name, I would look at what you get for your money.

Once a exhaust is in all you are going to see are the tips, but, if you instead focus on materials used, engineering procedures, and the performance aspects your money will be better spent IMO.

Personally all the TRD and STI stuff is way overpriced bang for buck wise, usually minimal gains for maximum price, there's always the bragging rights, but that's not going to stop you from looking at other peoples tail lights, even though you may have paid more.

The hard bit is filtering though the lies and exaggerations of all the parts, both from the manufacturer as well as the customers.

Me, I look at what the local club racers use, the drivers in the pointy end of the field always have their parts sorted, and generally from multiple manufacturers for different components.

Anyway, enjoy your build and start a build thread, build threads are gold.

This right here. Especially since there are so many reputable names building parts for this car the best thing is to look for best value per dollar.

[GhostRai]

Not quite completely oriented to the 86 platform, but companies like Blitz and Cusco make high quality aftermarket pieces for these cars