"No Brainer" upgrades
 

I'm pretty selective on what upgrades I do to my car but I recently upgraded my headlights to HID's for this dark season. The HID kit was done professionally with all due care taken to avoid blinding others. It made a huge difference for around $200. I'd love to hear about other "no brainer" upgrades for the FRS. Thanks :)

Pretty much personal preference when it comes to this question really..

I wanted a louder car but not "OMFG" loud, so got an aftermarket catback while leaving everything else stock.

Didn't like how naked the trunk looked so bought the spoiler off a BRZ.

Wanted a kick in the butt regarding bass so added a sub + amp.

HID lights which has saved me on the highway a few times.

Other than that, very small cosmetic stuff to make the car feel like it's mine.

Tires were a no brainer for me.

Let’s see ....... a trunk lid liner; OEM splash guards; head unit with nav screen; shark fin antennae; little plate for console; K&N air filter; nameless muffler .......pretty exciting ....huh ......:happyanim:


humfrz

Sticky tires and brake pads. Biggest no brainer, track days to fix the nut behind the wheel.

If I could go back in time, I'd have bought naught for the car and just drove it stock. The more I drive it, the more I realize the only thing I should have done was either buy a release series/10 series/monogram or a different car. All it needs in my opinion are some extra creature comforts.

But, I have it on springs right now with a header and cat back and I'm happy with it, but it is a touch loud. Once the snow is gone, it'll have 17x9 wheels and sticky tires, then it'll be perfect

@Cole what creature comforts do you have in mind? What accessories does your car have/not have. I honestly don't know what trim my FRS is. Has touch screen, cloth seats and rear spoiler.

I mean things like the heated seats, nav, factory hids and auto/dual climate control. By no means am I unhappy, but it was a slightly uneducated buy. I rushed into it and didn't shop around much. What it lacks doesn't take away from me enjoying the car, but it has helped me figure out what I want out of my next vehicle.

I get what you mean. In many ways I did the same as you, but can't complain because I got a great deal. Plus, I didn't know any better about the trims, and basically got the things I wanted. In hindsight, TRD lip kit would have been nice.

Yep, just minor stuff that I can easily live without. I realize now that I just want something with more room and that is comfier.

Dead give a ways:


If you have AC + HID and the car is a '13 then you have a 10 Series (bluish silver paint job), if you have dual AC + HID and the car is a '14 then you have a Monogram (almost every color paint job depending on market). If you have dual AC + HID and the car is a '15 then you have a RS 1.0 (bright yellow paint job).

Cold air intake other than the factory one
Plugging cabin sound tube and deleting
$200 lip
$50 diffuser
Front seat covers for $300ish
Wing oem
center caps to TRD or toyota on wheels

Cosmetic but improve look and they nice

I'll agree with you. There are times some creature comforts would be nice to feel a slight bit more modern. Keyless entry, push start, standard HID, ect. Power and stuff you can do yourself. But some of those others are a bit hard/ expensive to replicate.

$200 for a HID kit and install sounds expensive to me....

I have been told myself for my whole life that i will change all the light first if i get a new car..
so far,i changed HID FOG,,LED side marker, LED license plate, LED dome light,
The lights stuff are no brainer to me. I even purchase it before i get the car.
Basically my route is LIGHT>BODY KITS>PERFORMANCE
cus performance is the most expensive one

Seriously.

I think the amber side markers to clear JDM side markers are about the biggest no-brainer. Followed closely by a shorter antenna-I went with a Perrin 2" stubby. OE mudguards are kinda up there also.

Everything else I've done SEEMED like a no-brainer to me. I had a vision for my car before I bought it, and I sort of viewed that vision as a package. It's possible I wouldn't have even bought the car if I had to leave it stock. I wanted 16" wheels, fatty tires and brown leather upholstery. A silver BRZ dash facade is just icing on the cake. This car is MINE now. :)

3D MAXpider floor mats, roughly $80. Look so good and are very functional.
Toyota Corolla cargo net, $30. No more groceries all over the trunk when drifting on the turns.
Esky EC170-06 back up camera, $20. No more guessing when backing up.

Lower the car, don't do exhaust upgrades unless you do the header+tune first: Header+tune will be the easiest upgrade to drivability, tint windows, audio upgrades: head unit/subs

just depends on what you want

mtech shiftier spring.

I have a black '13 so...:iono: base?
Coming from Honda world I'm accustomed to CX, DX, EX, CR etc.

I'm assuming it's not just an HID kit, it sounds a full retrofit to me. Otherwise if it's just an HID kit + install OP got ripped off.

This! (and the shifter spring, hah!)

Makes shifting intuitive like it should've been from the get go.

Why clear? Jw i like amber much more. I think they nicer.

It's just a color scheme preference. Our cars already have several colors going on, and that amber is sort of the odd-one out. Nothing else is amber. A motorbike for instance will usually have three colors going on-the frame will be one color, the tank and fairings will be another, and then they will usually choose an accent color (like maybe the wheels and forks will be gold, or the brake calipers, engine hardware and clutch will be red). Get too many colors going on and everything starts to look busy...

...also I might be a little bit OCD...

Lol i want red calipers or yellow. Too expensive though. I get your point though. Lol

I really like my supercharger, some type of coilover, wheels, and tires. The car become very competitive without becoming non usable

The amber only works on Hot Lavas ;)

HPDE, AutoX, track brake pads and fluid.

Sounds base. Funny, your coming from Honda reminds me of the only thing I hated about my Civic Si: that people lumped it in with the rest of the Civic line (although it came in handy for insurance rates).

Tires and lights. I do a lot of driving, and it's mostly at night. So yeah.......that was kind of a no-brainer.

Hi-Definition brights, yellow fog, and an all weather specific tire. (four actually)

I know what you mean. I've typically purchased cars in their own line (S2000). Coming from a MY00 S2000, it feels like I'm driving a luxury car. Touch screen HU, adjustable steering wheel, a clock :bellyroll:

Well the clock was either found in a bunch of 1984 Corolla parts or they got a huge bulk buy at Dollar Tree but yes there is a clock.

I'm gonna go out and say that it's out of an '86 Corolla:D
...or something Mitsubishi :cry:

Well it's more advanced (i.e. has one button more) than my 2007 Corolla clock. The cruise control stalk seems to be identical as in the Corolla.

I first saw that stalk and thought "ah shit that is backwards tech" but after using it (a shitload) I greatly prefer it over the buttons on the wheel. It is just that much more intuitive and the placement for my driving technique is spot on.

A minor but still important thing that attracts me to the twins is that there are no buttons on the steering wheel whatsoever. Clean and tidy. There was an annoying Ford commercial every 2 minutes during x-files yesterday, and that thing seemed to have 20 buttons on the wheel.

I had a Focus rental a while back and kept hitting the phone button every time I turned left. There were so many things crammed on the spokes they came right out to the wheel and you couldn't help but hit them.


On a related note I never did figure out how to change the radio station and spent two days of hell listening to country music.

Same exact controls on the 2004 RAV4 my mom bought a few years back, maybe they updated the molds for the plastics a bit but everything is functionally identical.

Cruise, blinker, wipers, they're spot on. Simple knobs and buttons for everything else. Whatever car I buy next, unless it's another 86 for unforeseen circumstances, will probably be a huge letdown in that area among others.

Well obviously you weren't driving in Ga!
heh

Well strangely enough it was supposed to be Ga but got moved to Tn.

And sweet lord the guage clusters on some cars now!
The cluster from the Fiat rental last week.
Quick tell me how much gas there is!
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