2017 Driven first impressions

[justinco]

Originally Posted by ayau

Thanks for the video.

If you could put a dollar value for the extra 5HP and gearing, how much would that be worth to you? In other words, if someone had a gen 1 BRZ, how much is it worth to you to trade the gen 1 for the gen2?

That is a hard question, not really sure...the extra power and gearing might be worth a 2 or 3 thousand in equivalent upgrade dollars?

For me, going from FRS to BRZ was a decent upgrade. Not sure if it would be the same going from BRZ to BRZ.

[Xxyion]

Originally Posted by justinco

That is a hard question, not really sure...the extra power and gearing might be worth a 2 or 3 thousand in equivalent upgrade dollars?



For me, going from FRS to BRZ was a decent upgrade. Not sure if it would be the same going from BRZ to BRZ.

Going FRS to Brz makes sense it would be an upgrade. Especially if you picked up a limited. So many more interior options. I personally don't think going from a 16' to a 17' Brz is worth it. I went with a 16' because I liked the front bumper better and I've already more than made up for the hp difference in bolt on mods and tuning


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[justinco]

Originally Posted by Xxyion

Going FRS to Brz makes sense it would be an upgrade. Especially if you picked up a limited. So many more interior options. I personally don't think going from a 16' to a 17' Brz is worth it. I went with a 16' because I liked the front bumper better and I've already more than made up for the hp difference in bolt on mods and tuning


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Pretty much my thoughts.

Although, the largest difference in the power train is in the gearing, not the engine power. You can't really compensate for the gearing on pre-MY17 models.

If I was buying brand new and did not previously own a twin, I see no reason to buy a pre-MY17, unless you are trying to save a few bucks (or just prefer the looks/styling). Although, I got my '17 Limited for the same price as the '16 BRZ that was on the lot.

[Packofcrows]

2nd gen able to fit old Valenti tail lights and old winjet headlights?

[funwheeldrive]

Originally Posted by justinco

You can't really compensate for the gearing on pre-MY17 models.

Plenty of people changed their gearing before the refresh, wouldn't this be a relatively straightforward modification for people who owned a 13-16 model?

[justinco]

Originally Posted by funwheeldrive

Plenty of people changed their gearing before the refresh, wouldn't this be a relatively straightforward modification for people who owned a 13-16 model?

I thought it was kind of an uncommon upgrade, but yea I suppose it would not be terribly difficult.

[ToySub1946]

Waiting to see this on the Network News....

For as yet unknown reasons, thieves have been stealing differentials from MY 2017 Toyota 86 and Subaru BRZ cars from Dealership lots.

[C4RBON]

For me the biggest draw of the '17 is the added ribbing on the block, the valve stem surface finish improvement, cam changes, the lighter rocker arm pivots, the aluminum valve cover, and the strengthened strut bar mount and rear upper suspension mounting points. All things I can't easily do myself. I'll take the hardened 6th gear as well.

The revised pre-manifold intake and exhaust are easily addressed by the aftermarket. The 5hp bump can be easily achieved with a tune. Final drive ratios were already available for people that track their cars. For a DD, I think I prefer the older ratio because it keeps revs down on the highway.

Most of the aesthetic changes (bumper, lights, interior trim, etc) can be installed on a zenki. If I ever decide to replace my front bumper, I may go with a kouki bumper. I think it looks sharp, but I haven't seen it in person.

I prefer the simpler dash and steering wheel of the zenki (which I believe is the same as the premium '17).

I'm curious to see how the BRZ performance package helps with street class autox. The wider wheels and potentially lighter brakes may provide a competitive advantage. The extra overall weight may nullify it.

If I were choosing today between a 16 and 17, I'd take the 17 for the improvements. But as someone who intends to mod and eventually turn my BRZ into a dedicated track/autox/fun car, I don't think there are enough upgrades on the '17 to justify changing.

[justinco]

Originally Posted by ToySub1946

Waiting to see this on the Network News....

For as yet unknown reasons, thieves have been stealing differentials from MY 2017 Toyota 86 and Subaru BRZ cars from Dealership lots.

[nikitopo]

Originally Posted by justinco

Although, the largest difference in the power train is in the gearing, not the engine power. You can't really compensate for the gearing on pre-MY17 models.

Don't praise too much the gearing. It adds for sure to the feeling, but in many cases you'll end up using a gear higher.

Originally Posted by C4RBON

For me the biggest draw of the '17 is the added ribbing on the block, the valve stem surface finish improvement, cam changes, the lighter rocker arm pivots, the aluminum valve cover, and the strengthened strut bar mount and rear upper suspension mounting points. All things I can't easily do myself. I'll take the hardened 6th gear as well.

Strangely, there were many "experts" over here mentioning that the '12-'15 didn't need a strut bar.

[goldenfri]

Originally Posted by funwheeldrive

Plenty of people changed their gearing before the refresh, wouldn't this be a relatively straightforward modification for people who owned a 13-16 model?

It's not cheap, you need to have someone that really knows what they are doing to tear apart the diff, then put everything back to exactly the right tolerances. If they don't, your diff won't last long. You also need to fix your speedo.

[deejaylew]

Originally Posted by nikitopo

Don't praise too much the gearing. It adds for sure to the feeling, but in many cases you'll end up using a gear higher.


Strangely, there were many "experts" over here mentioning that the '12-'15 didn't need a strut bar.

I don't think it was the strut location that was reinforced but rather the area on the fire wall where the factory braces connect. Correct me if I'm wrong.

[BRZoomTX]

Originally Posted by justinco

Although, the largest difference in the power train is in the gearing, not the engine power. You can't really compensate for the gearing on pre-MY17 models.

Not true at all. Rear end gear ratios can be swapped out no problem. This swap can be done on the "zenki" models with no issues. People have been swapping in shorter rear ratios long before the 4.30 in the '17 was announced. Plenty of people running 4.56 and beyond.

Originally Posted by goldenfri

It's not cheap, you need to have someone that really knows what they are doing to tear apart the diff, then put everything back to exactly the right tolerances. If they don't, your diff won't last long. You also need to fix your speedo.

No, you don't need to fix your speedo. The speedo doesn't take its speed calculation from the diff. I swapped in a m85 diff off an is300 and my speedometer is 100% correct.

The only thing that affects speedo calculation on these cars that the average owner will change is tire height. You're safe running whatever rear end ratio you want without affecting the speedometer.

[goldenfri]

Originally Posted by BRZoomTX

No, you don't need to fix your speedo. The speedo doesn't take its speed calculation from the diff. I swapped in a m85 diff off an is300 and my speedometer is 100% correct.

The only thing that affects speedo calculation on these cars that the average owner will change is tire height. You're safe running whatever rear end ratio you want without affecting the speedometer.

Good to know. I had to fix my speedo on my S2000 when I changed the final drive so I assumed the BRZ was the same, but it looks like it gets the speed from the wheels instead of the trans. Thanks for the correction.