GrimmSpeed Engineering's Daily BRZ Journal

[GrimmSpeed]

So, by now, you probably recognize the GrimmSpeed name from our oil cap thread, our license plate relocation, or from the Subaru/Mitsu/Hyundai world. Well, I have the great privilege of working with the fine folks at GrimmSpeed day in and day out and I have the even greater privilege (sorry guys) of leading the engineering effort that'll help you guys take your BRZ/FR-S to the next level. As part of that, I assured Mr. Grimm that an engineer couldn't very well improve upon an already fantastic car without spending some time behind the wheel. It's just not fair to take an already well-engineered car and throw parts at it because they're available. That's like going to a nice restaurant and asking for salt and pepper before you even taste your food.

He went for it! So here I am on Friday morning, key in hand, ready to spend a couple weeks courting this beautiful lady. I think it's important to be on the same page as you guys as we all learn more about these cars and work together to come up with innovative solutions to the issues/shortcomings that we find. I'll be keeping a daily journal, with my experiences, thoughts, pictures, video, etc. You can expect that I'll keep the dry, technical talk to a minimum, but give an honest, open opinion of the car in a wide variety of environments. If you want more of one thing and less of another, let me know!

I suppose I can share a little bit about myself, so you know where these ramblings are coming from. Obviously, I'm an engineer at GrimmSpeed. I consider myself to be a true car guy. What I mean is that I don't have a burning allegiance to Toyota, Subaru, Honda, Nissan, etc (although the Subaru bug has certainly bitten hard recently). I love a great car, no matter it's origin and this car certainly falls under that heading. I typically substitute speeding for swinging through corners and around off-ramps, I won the MAC autocross series last summer in my BSP STI, I hate rush hour traffic like the rest of you and I enjoy long walks on the beach. Ok, enough of that. Here's my 'automotive resume'. Intentionally or not, I'll be drawing comparisons to all of these throughout the next two weeks.


1996 Toyota Camry
2000 VW Jetta VR6
2001 VW GTI 1.8T
2006 Subaru STI
1994 BMW 318is
1984 Porsche 911
2005 Subaru Legacy GT

Here are a few pictures that I snapped yesterday around the area. I created a flickr account just for this thread, so it should be a good way for folks wanting hi-res images to find them in one spot!

GrimmSpeed Engineering's Daily BRZ Journal Photoset

- Matt

[Draco-REX]

That last pic is great. Enough launches there to lay down rubber like a drag track.

Have fun with the car.

[Prava]

Great stuff, Matt! Looking forward to your journal!

[ZetaVI]

Amazing photos. Can't wait for more from your journal.

[Ranatsu]

Which option do we choose for your License plate bracket?


edit: Nevermind.. I see you added the BRZ as an option.


Do you think the AOS will work well with this motor or no?

[GrimmSpeed]

Originally Posted by Ranatsu

Which option do we choose for your License plate bracket?


edit: Nevermind.. I see you added the BRZ as an option.


Do you think the AOS will work well with this motor or no?

Thanks for all of the compliments guys!

As for the plate bracket, we're running a group buy right now.

As for the parts we'll be developing, we've gotta save a little bit of a surprise for later.

On another note, the BRZ saw the presidential motorcade today!

- Matt

[thill]

Matt,

Small world, I live in Maple Grove and work downtown near the warehouse district. I would love to stop in sometime and chat and take a closer look at the BRZ. I am currently driving a 2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe (2.0T/Man) and would like to see what you guys offer for that car in person. Aside from tinted windows it is stock

Very awesome post, and love the pics.

[GrimmSpeed]

Originally Posted by thill

Matt,

Small world, I live in Maple Grove and work downtown near the warehouse district. I would love to stop in sometime and chat and take a closer look at the BRZ. I am currently driving a 2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe (2.0T/Man) and would like to see what you guys offer for that car in person. Aside from tinted windows it is stock

Very awesome post, and love the pics.

Absolutely! Give me a call at the shop anytime and swing in!

Your coupe wouldn't happen to be black, would it? Saw one drive by the yesterday or today.

Meeting up with some of the local guys and heading out to Cars and Coffee in the morning!

- "Engineering" Matt (612-379-0000)

[ichitaka05]

Hey, just wondering. I got info/rumor bout rear bake setup. Do you see any difference in how they setup the rear brakes (both regular & side brakes) than other RWD or Subie cars?

[OrbitalEllipses]

Wallpaper size photo links, NOW!

[GrimmSpeed]

387mi: General thoughts, interior gripes, awesome weekend

By now, I feel like I've spent enough time behind the wheel to really get a feel for the car. The interesting thing about that statement is that it almost feels unnecessary to 'get a feel for the car'. Almost everything about the way that it drives and responds just feels right. The responsiveness to my inputs is so sharp and immediate that it's as though the car already knows what I want before I ask it, like we're tag-teaming the trip to the grocery store. A lot of people (mostly those that haven't been behind the wheel yet, I've found) are complaining about the lack of big power. I get it, who doesn't love lots of horsepower and the sickeningly fast acceleration of an AWD Subaru? Well, once you're behind the wheel of the BRZ, you begin to understand that brute strength just isn't part of the game plan. It's the Jackie Chan of the roadways. We'll definitely get into it all of this more later, but I think about another 40-50whp would really hit the spot for a reliable, well rounded daily driver or weekend warrior.





I really like the interior. Just enough comfort, but nothing extraneous. The stereo is easy to operate once you've got the hang of the menus, but I've never had a touchscreen head unit before, so it's taken a bit of getting used to. I love the feel of the steering wheel in my hands and the way the car pops into gear is great. One of my only complaints so far is that the climate control knobs feel un-finished. The 'action' on them leaves much to be desired as far as feedback and smoothness. I'm no interior weenie though, and this isn't a Mercedes, so I'll let it slide. The only other thing that's bothered me so far is the carpet on either side of the center console. The area where your right leg might hit if you lean over from the throttle is loose instead of nicely formed and feels like an after-thought. It didn't bother me until I felt it and realized that both sides (driver and passenger) were like that. Again, not a deal breaker by any means, just a couple things I've noticed. Being an un-married guy with no kids, I couldn't care less about having more space in the back seat, which is good, because to have more space, you'd need to have some to begin with. Don't expect to have your buddy riding in the back while there's someone riding shotgun without some serious whining. The interior is definitely something I'll revisit if/when the thrill of driving it wears off enough that I really care at all about the inside of the car.

So this weekend was the monthly Cars and Cafe get together here in Minnesota. They get a crazy crowd that pours into a complex of high-end garages starting at around 6:30 and by noon, everyone is on their way home. With the weather so nice, this weekend was no exception. Hundreds and hundreds of cars showed up. Everything from old school buses to a new McLaren MP4-12C to a Lexus LFA. I'm even told that an Aventador swung in for a bit, but I must have missed it. It was great to see reactions to the BRZ and to cross paths with a couple of other new BRZ/FR-S owners (ayau, Starscream15 and neutron256, I think)! I think we had 5 BRZs and 1 FR-S there, which was very cool. It's been fun to see reactions to the car and hear peoples opinions on such a departure from Subaru's tradition of AWD cars.

Originally Posted by neutron256

Here's something that I didn't notice until I washed the car on Friday night. Has anybody else noticed the same scratch? It looks like something that might have been done to remove protective plastic or something with a razorblade. I noticed that a couple of the other BRZs I've seen locally have the same scratch. It's pretty deep.



That's it for today. I'll probably be taking some more photos, so I'll post those up asap. I want to shoot some video too, but I lent my GoPro to a friend for a track day, but I should have it back tomorrow.

- Matt

Originally Posted by OrbitalEllipses

Wallpaper size photo links, NOW!

Ask and you shall receive. I created a flickr account just for this thread, so it should be a good way for folks wanting hi-res images to find them in one spot!

GrimmSpeed Engineering's Daily BRZ Journal Photoset

[Draco-REX]

Mine has that scratch too!

[Juanito08]

I thought mine was a scratch as well but after cleaning it very well it turned out ti just be some sticky residue the protective fill left behind.

[Starscream15]

Mine does not have the scratch. Are you sure that's not a line left over from the plastic coverings?

Thanks for posting more C&C Pics! I didn't see a Scion out there. What color was it?