Invest in paint protection ASAP. Opti-Coat will help prevent scratches and swirls. Clear bra will help protect against paint chips.

I actually like the stock tyres too! There's really nothing wrong with them, and in the dry they're actually a lot better than I thought they'd be, as far as telling you when they're going to lose traction, and being predictable. I'm sure they'd be OK in auto X too, unless you're semi pro or something, and just want to go straight to sticker tyres.

Drive it. Find out what it can do on the stock tires. Don't forget that the suspension is tuned for those tires. I plan to do a couple of autocross sessions on the stock tires once I'm past the break in point. I've always been a firm believer in sticky tires and light wheels, but I think it'll be fun to play with getting sideways in a car that's designed to do so in a predictable, controllable manner.

If 90% of your time is going to be daily driving, the OEM tires are actually pretty good. They get better mileage than a lot of the sportier tires and they're not that loud.

Plus, autoX will put more stress and wear on your tires. If you're looking to be competitive in your class, it might do you well to have a set of autoX tires that toe the minimum treadlife and maximum allowed tread width. But do at least a couple on the OEM tires first.

I wholeheartedly agree with this. I neglected to get it done, and now I have four good size paint chips in my hood as punishment. The paint on this car is more fragile than anything I've ever driven.

If you intend to upgrade the tires I'd say start with anti roll bars. I couldn't stand the roll the car exhibited after I upgraded the wheels and tires. It was almost scarier

The great thing about the stock tires is that it makes the car predictable. The tires begin to lose traction well before the chasis loses control. It's hard to explain, but once you're done with break in and do some spirited driving you'll see what I mean.

I agree that Primacy HP tires aren't that bad but they're so narrow on our cars. If only they were wider I wouldn't bother replacing them.

Change out the silent exhaust... My recommendation is to go here:

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showt...t=Perrin+Group

Love my Perrin; however, if you want a super loud exhaust the FR-S I've rode in with an Invidia made my BRZ's Perrin sound like a factory exhaust! :)

VERY happy with the Perrin though! Perfect for every day and gave the car what I felt it was missing in the sound/looks department.

Wider tires would just make the car slower. The 17 X 7s are perfect for the car in stock trim.

For people that have applied opti-coat/clear bra/etc, do you think it would be too late to apply it on a car that has about 2500 miles on it? I imagine I'd have to get it detailed thoroughly first.

It's not too late to protect your paint. It may just cost a bit more for paint correction before the OC is applied.

Good to know. As far as I'm aware, I don't think there should be any chips or anything of the sort. Maybe a stain or two from god knows what. Just curious, what is a fair price to expect from a good shop?

Shouldn't cost much more unless you have scratches, etc. They have to detail and polish it anyway. I had mine done less than a week after I got it. Two authorized installers closest to me in So Cal both charged the same, $600. May be better prices out there but not anyone close to me. Not sure what is being charged now cause that was Aug '13. Well worth it tho, no more waxing. Car looks good even when there's a light coat of dust on it, oh, and the dust seems to blow off after driving much better than a wax finish!