rlpaul's CBS BRZ journal

[Acree]

Looks good.

[rlpaul]

Installed the Always-On Module from @Diode Dynamics last night. Easy peasy install, but need to fix the routing at some point. Was too cold and I couldn't get the headlight harness behind some of the items, so its currently routed over the airbox, etc. Will probably have to wait until warmer weather arrives.

A few days ago somebody apparently backed into my car while it was parked at home. Management is going through the parking garage video, but not expecting much.

Thankfully the GrimmSpeed license relocation kit took the brunt of it:



Excuse all the salt and ice on the car; there's not any actual damage to the bumper. I'm going to contact @GrimmSpeed later to see if they can sell me just the two damaged parts. Luckily, I have a large stash of ti bolts from bike builds if any of those are bad now.

[rlpaul]

Finally had time to take a couple decent photos. Here's a shot of how the interior looks right now:



The black cover for the steering wheel is in. I have a few other ideas brewing, but just moved, so budget is a bit thin right now.

Weather should be better this weekend, so hopefully I can give her a wash and take some proper photos!

[rlpaul]

Had the car detailed today. Not as nice a day as Monday, so lighting wasn't great for photos, but oh well.

Turns out there is some paint damage to the front bumper. Will require something a little more intensive than the basic detail to correct.

TWS TF-66F wheels are on the boat to @CounterSpace Garage so until they show up, will just keep the winter wheels on.

Without further ado, photos!

A better shot of the @Acree sidemarker:


A few exterior angles:




Interior:



A keen eye will notice my dome light fell again. Think I need a fresh piece of double-sided tape.

[rlpaul]

Put in my first tank of E85 Tuesday night. Noticed STFT and LTFT rising this morning, so flashed the E85 tune this morning. Looking forward to the changes as the 93 tune was noticeably smoother, if not particularly harder pulling. The 33% reduction in gas price is nice as well. Despite the reduction in mileage E85 brings, should still be cheaper per mile, plus more POWAH.

@Diode Dynamics sent me the RMA for my Always On module, but I unfortunately forgot to change to my new address with them. I checked the status this morning, and USPS has been "forwarding" the package for the past week. Looks like I'll have to drop by the post office and pick it up.

Picked up some more LEDs from DD as well. Front turn signals installed. Y adapter and second SMD-12 board installed in cabin. And LED strip installed in trunk. Haven't had a chance to install the turn signal relay. With how annoying the location is, I may just buy a TapTurn and wait for that to arrive before going through the trouble.

I painted the XP80 turn signal base black with a paint pen I had lying around. Can't see any yellow in the headlight unless the signal is on. Mission accomplished.

Pulled out the passenger side panel for the seat delete and started trimming it to accommodate the armrest. Its taking a lot more trimming than expected. I'll post some photos once I have it trimmed properly.

[rlpaul]

Sneak peek on my current project:



Mmmm... Alcantara...

[rlpaul]

What's this???

[Scottemad123]

Originally Posted by rlpaul

What's this???

[rlpaul]

[CounterSpace Garage]

Originally Posted by rlpaul

We worked quite a bit with the TWS motorsport engineer and the strongest possible design with the least amount of weight was the ultimate goal for this wheel. You'll find that these small spec changes amount to very large changes in performance.

[rlpaul]

Originally Posted by CounterSpace Garage

We worked quite a bit with the TWS motorsport engineer and the strongest possible design with the least amount of weight was the ultimate goal for this wheel. You'll find that these small spec changes amount to very large changes in performance.

I only have a few miles on them so far, so can't quite comment too much other than aesthetics. Dropped about 5 lbs per corner over stock. Granted, gained some of that back with the larger, performance oriented rubber on.

I noticed more road feel in my two short drives, but I attribute that to the difference in winter vs summer performance compounds.

I have some experience with Japanese forged parts, so I'm not too worried about the strength. I'm totally digging the attention to detail, such as the shaved spokes.

Quick mounted photo:


Unfortunately, they got a little carried away with the wax lube they use when they mount the tire (sigh). Hopefully won't take too much effort to clean that up...

[CSG David]

Originally Posted by rlpaul

I only have a few miles on them so far, so can't quite comment too much other than aesthetics. Dropped about 5 lbs per corner over stock. Granted, gained some of that back with the larger, performance oriented rubber on.

I noticed more road feel in my two short drives, but I attribute that to the difference in winter vs summer performance compounds.

I have some experience with Japanese forged parts, so I'm not too worried about the strength. I'm totally digging the attention to detail, such as the shaved spokes.

Quick mounted photo:


Unfortunately, they got a little carried away with the wax lube they use when they mount the tire (sigh). Hopefully won't take too much effort to clean that up...

Thoughts on cutting that gap?

[rlpaul]

Originally Posted by CSG David

Thoughts on cutting that gap?

I have indeed been thinking about it!

Just started budgeting for coil-overs. I'm not sure how much track time I'm going to dedicate each year, so that's the biggest question mark right now. That, and I need some new furniture, which is cutting into my car funds. /grumble

That being said, if my choice in wheels isn't an indicator, I'm a fan of doing it right the first time... go big or go home! I'll probably need to have a few discussions to see which direction I should go. And therefore just how much I need to budget.

[rlpaul]

Keep in mind this is completely stock suspension, and without a performance oriented alignment. I'm missing at least 1.5 degrees of camber up front, and some in the back as well.