My 2013 Subaru BRZ Turbo build

[Suparu]

Last updated: 10/23/2020

My previous cars were a heavily modded 1992 Saleen Mustang, stock 1999 Eclipse GS, stock 2004 RX-8 and a 2006 Eclipse that performance-wise was stock but had a body that looked great (custom paint, aftermarket body parts, wheels). I have pics of the previous cars on CarDomain: http://www.cardomain.com/member/needforspeed/

This OP has a timeline of pics and the following pages will have some other pics of it in progress.

Mod List:

Under The Hood & Power Upgrades:
-SBD Stage 1 Version 2 Turbo Kit (52.5mm Inducer w/ 10psi Boost)
-PTP Lava T25/T28 Turbo Blanket
-Invidia Q300 TI Catback Exhaust
-STI Blue Aluminum Oil Filler Cap (OEM cap says 0w20 but I'm running 5w40)

Wheels / Suspension / Chassis:
-Avid.1 AV-20 Wheels [Blue] (18x8.5 +33 front, 18x9.5 +38 rear)
-BF Goodrich g-Force Sport COMP-2 Tires (235/40 front, 255/35 rear)
-Gorilla Black Lugs+Locks
-HKS Hipermax IV GT Coilovers (1.5” drop, -2° front camber, 0° rear camber)
-SPC Adjustable Lower Control Arms (rear)
-Whiteline Adjustable Toe Arms (rear)
-Cusco Type OS Strut Tower Brace (front)
-Cusco Type ALC OS Strut Tower Brace (rear)

Exterior:
-MY17 BRZ OEM Headlights
-Valenti Smoked Black/Gold Edition Sequential Tail Lights
-Valenti Smoked Black/Gold Edition 4th Brake Light
-Gasket Ninjas for the Valenti Tail Lights
-JDM Clear Side Markers w/ Amber Bulbs
-License Plate 6000k 5 LEDs
-2015+ OEM Shark Fin Antenna
-Carbon Fiber Fuel Door (316-Composites)
-Tinted Windows
-STI License Plate Frame (this mod converts the BRZ from RWD to AWD)
-Shaved Rear "Subaru BRZ" Badges (increased aerodynamics when reversing)

Interior:
-Motorsports Authority A-Pillar Triple Gauge Pod
-Prosport Halo 52mm Boost, Oil Temp, Wideband AFR Gauges
-Noico sound deadening (everywhere except floor + roof)
-Diode Dynamics 6000k Cool White Interior LEDs
-FT Speed Steering Wheel carbon fiber w/ red stitching
-Baruta Paddle Shift Kit red carbon fiber
-TOM’S Carbon Fiber Shift Knob
-FT Speed Carbon Fiber E-brake Handle
-Carbon Fiber Seat Warmer Panel Cover
-2018 tS OEM Carbon Fiber Climate Control Panel
-2018 tS OEM Carbon Fiber Window Switches
-JDM Black Interior Trim, Door Handles + TC/VSC Buttons
-MY17 One-Piece Center Dash black leather w/ red stitching
-MY17 Knee Pads black leather w/ red stitching
-MY17 Speaker Pads black leather w/ red stitching, speaker grills + black rings
-MY17 Gauge Hood black leather w/ red stitching
-EU OEM GT86 Armrest black leather w/ red stitching
-Red Seat Belts (Safety Restore)

Upcoming:
-GReddy x Rocket Bunny v3 Ducktail
-Seibon TS Hood (carbon fiber)
-Full repaint
-2016 tS JDM Dayliner Covers
-2013-16 BRZ OEM Fog Light Covers
-DRL Strip w/o fogs
^ I’m removing my OEM fog lights and replacing it with the fog light cover blanks. I’ll dremel the backing of the passenger-side to make it an air duct for an upcoming oil cooler. Since I’m removing my fog lights, I need to replace my DRL strips for the “w/o fogs” version that come in 13-16 BRZ Premium models. Because the DRL strips on Limited models have wires that are daisy-chained to the fogs.


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Early Timeline Photos:

April 10, 2015:
A local used car dealership tracked down a used low-mileage BRZ. They found a black 2013 BRZ Limited with 15k miles and had it transported from Seattle to Atlanta. The only thing done to it was the windows were tinted. Tinting the windows is always the very first thing I do to a car. They were done properly and were the percentage I’d go for. Score!





July 25, 2015:
I'm running forced induction now and the BRZ is ready for pickup. I finally sold my previous car, a 2006 Mitsubishi Eclipse. So I took the money that I got from the Eclipse and went to see Doug @ DBW Motorsports to place an order for a SBD turbo kit. SBD had just started shipping their "version 2" kit, which has 10psi of boost. Once the SBD kit arrived, DBW installed it, dyno-tuned it, and installed the Prosport Halo gauges. On a Mustang dyno it made 275.6 whp and 237.8 lb-ft of torque.











August 16, 2015:
I took the BRZ to the Tail Of The Dragon with 86 Atlanta.










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Photos of the Build:


Under The Hood & Power Upgrades:










Wheels & Suspension:
















Exterior:










Interior:

[DustinS]

Good to see another SBD kit on a car!! In for updates!

[Crazypinoy9]

Nice man! Make sure to pick up a Kate Oil Cooler through Chris Riggs. I love my SBD kit.

[MisterSheep]

The chrome from your intercooler thats peeping out behind your bumper reminds me of viper fangs

But in all seriousness I really dig the car and I'm subbed for updates

[Suparu]

Thanks everyone!

My oil temp stays between 200-220F even on hot days with spirited driving. I've never taken it to the track and am unsure if I ever will or not because it's a daily driver and I don't want to put too much strain on the car. Having said that, I shelled out the money for a turbo so I definitely enjoy myself with it. However it wasn't until this past Sunday's mountain run that I saw the oil temp go past 220F. I ran it hard and the turbo got a workout for sure, I started to slow it down and take it easy after the oil temp got to 235F. I let it cool down then it stayed around 220F. I think I'll definitely need to look into a Kate Oil Cooler sometime before next year's mountain run. This is still a fairly new car to me so I'm still learning the platform, when it comes to oil temp - how hot is too hot? I wasn't sure when I should've started to take it easy on the car so I just decided to take it easy when it hit 235F.

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FYI for anyone who is considering certain Prosport gauges:
I really like them so far, they seem accurate as far as I can tell and look nice. But my wideband AFR analog gauge has peak detection, so it blinks and beeps annoyingly everytime I let off the throttle and the AFR goes to 20. I have to disable the notification for peak detection everytime I start up the car which is an easy process but is a nuisance. So my advice is to get an AFR gauge that doesn't have peak detection. You can wire it so that it receives a constant from the battery but I don't know how much this gauge would pull and don't want it to drain my battery prematurely. So I just deal with it by disabling the peak notification for the AFR gauge everytime.

[Suparu]

I just received my new wheels, updated my original post above.

[IBill4You]

looks good! with you running heavier weight oil, you're probably not in a terrible position with your oil temps. The problem is high temps with 0w-20 create a low pressure situation. If you daily drive year round it would be best to find an oil cooler kit with a thermostatic sandwich plate.

[Suparu]

I just received the RCE Yellows today so those are going on this weekend, then the wheels will go on next week because my tires are on order. Updated my original post above.

[Suparu]

Originally Posted by IBill4You

looks good! with you running heavier weight oil, you're probably not in a terrible position with your oil temps. The problem is high temps with 0w-20 create a low pressure situation. If you daily drive year round it would be best to find an oil cooler kit with a thermostatic sandwich plate.

Thanks! That oil cooler w/ thermostatic sandwich plate sounds like a good idea for the winter since it's a heavy weight oil, that I want to get warm so it thins out the viscosity somewhat and it gets cold enough in the winter to where warm-up might take awhile during a couple months of the year. I'd never heard of a thermostatic sandwich plate before so I had to Google it, I'm still new to turbos. Sounds like a good winter solution since the oil cooler wouldn't be very helpful during colder months, thanks for the advice.

[djdnz]

Originally Posted by Suparu

I just received my new wheels, I went with blue AV-20's to hopefully somewhat match my anodized TI exhaust. 18x8.5" for the front and 18x9.5" for the rear. I ordered some RCE Yellows too but am still waiting on those to arrive. I'll post some pics once I receive the springs and have everything installed.

Is there any difference in the concavity between the 8.5 and the 9.5? Any chance you could post a side by side? I'm considering going to the avid1 because it comes in bronze.

[Suparu]

Originally Posted by djdnz

Is there any difference in the concavity between the 8.5 and the 9.5? Any chance you could post a side by side? I'm considering going to the avid1 because it comes in bronze.

In the pic below - the 8.5" wide wheel is the one on the left, I didn't put the center cap in yet. The 9.5" wide wheel is on the right and has the center cap. The 9.5" doesn't look any more concaved than the 8.5" but this is for the AV-20's so I'm not sure how their other wheels are, whether they offer them concaved as an option or not. The AV-20 has a somewhat concaved look as its design but I know what you mean. I was originally looking at staggered Enkei Kojin's and was going to get the rear wheel concaved, these AV-20's definitely aren't like that.

[DustinS]

LOVE the choice of wheels as well. I just so happen to have the same wheels haha. Though I am running 17x9. Can't wait to see them on the car!

[TWMPerformance]

Very sexy wheel choice

- Renato

[Jaden]

Originally Posted by MisterSheep

The chrome from your intercooler thats peeping out behind your bumper reminds me of viper fangs

But in all seriousness I really dig the car and I'm subbed for updates

Yeah his car reminds me of toothless from how to train your dragon...

Jaden