RCE regular guy "street" build
 

I've been driving BRZs since...well...before they came out here in the USA. We (RCE) got one back in 2012 and built a very nice shop BRZ that was a streetable track car and suspension R&D vehicle. I've driven a lot of customer cars. I've driven friend's cars. I know this car pretty well. It has its faults. It's different. It's a lot of fun. And looking back to when it first came out, it was THE car I wanted Subaru/Toyota to build.

But I've never had one of my own. And yet...I was planning on getting a new 2018 WRX this summer and not a BRZ. The BRZ has been around for over 5 years now and while the 2017 update is nice, I thought it was time I got a 4 door car with a bunch of power and more space than my previous car.

Naturally, I threw all that nonsense out the window and got the BRZ I've always wanted. I found an almost new 2016 BRZ Limited in white in Connecticut about a month ago. A day off work and a 4 AM train ride later, I was headed home in the car I talk to other people about every day. The BRZ guy at RCE finally got himself a BRZ.

(The 2017s are nice, but I got a very good deal and don't regret skipping the latest model).

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Stopped over in NYC to visit a friend and eat some banging pastrami sandwiches in Brooklyn.

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And then onwards to Baltimore through Manhattan.

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Our previous "Clubsport" build BRZ was an excellent test platform for a lot of suspension and brake parts . That car had a decent NA engine build, final drive change, Recaros, BBK, all the suspension bushings and arms, and a selection of different coilovers. Still clean and streetable, but a bit more on the track side of things. That one has long since been sold. Details on that car here:
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21194

This car will be a little different...think Cayman S instead of Cayman GT4. A very fun, simple, and composed daily driver. This isn't going to be a car that I have to apologize for or explain to a non-car person. Project Regular Guy BRZ. BRZ GT. BRZ Spec B. Something like that. Our own BRZ "tuned by RCE" Performance Package.

It will also serve as a test platform for a few very special parts that I've been thinking of building, but that will not be the primary focus.

Parts are coming soon but in the meantime I've been having an absolute blast driving this car stock. It's easy to forget how much fun these cars right off the showroom floor with the crap tires. Lots of people modify these cars, only some of them actually make them better.

Stay tuned.

- Andrew

Parts list:

Pastrami sandwich

(So very stock. For now. lol.)

Congrats on the car. B6 & RCE Yellows?

Thanks!

And yes, as soon as I decide which wheels I want. :)

- Andrew

Leaning towards Apex Arc 8 17 X 9 42 wheels. Clears the PP Brembos.

Those are in the running.

One thing neat about the BRZ/FRS spec Apex Arc-8 17x9 wheels they have the correct hub OEM bore.

I'm excited to see where this build goes. RCE has always been one of my favorite vendors.

#1 upgrade A++ where did you get the sandwiches from?

nice, looking forward to the build

Best first mod ever. Looking forward to this build. In.

Sorry for the lack of updates. Haven't done ANYTHING yet which is driving me crazy. Been busy with work and family life.

I'll be doing a light "stage 1" soon. Wheels, RCE Yellows, etc. I will eventually have a nice complete BRZ type RCE package that we'll put up on the website (still working on the name).

Then we'll be doing some big things with my car as a test bed. And unfortunately it has to stay extra top secret at first. I hate to tease (jk I def enjoy it quite a bit) but this car will be a test bed for some really neat stuff that will mean a lot to the future of RCE. Nothing to hold your breath for just yet, but this winter will be very busy. It's going to be good.

- Andrew

Okay, slowly collecting parts. Will probably make some progress in early December. The shop is a little crowded right now and I still have to sell my old MINI.

In the meantime, I think I need some winter wheels. The easy way to go is some 16x7 +35mm Enkei RPF1s. They're 13.7 lbs, and they're relatively inexpensive.

Still thinking about Braid for summer wheels but I'll hold off until the spring for that. I should talk to them though.

Will probably go with General Altimax Artic winter tires, and if I do, it will definitely not snow here this winter. :lol:

- Andrew

Also, I've had a crazy urge to build a Leh Keen 911 style Safari BRZ...am I the only one?

https://d39a3h63xew422.cloudfront.ne...0-1000x667.jpg
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- Andrew

I have to admit, the parts in a pile waiting for a car is almost fun - would be if I'd had a choice about it. I like the build process. And yours should be a lot of fun to watch from afar! Whenever it happens...

I'll put in a plug for Nokian WRG3 if you're not expecting to be trudging through lots of fresh deep snow. They drive amazingly well even in warm weather, and aren't nearly so floppy and numb as most winter tires. Also, those Sparco Terra wheels seem to clear a lot, and would get the car looking a bit more Safari / go anywhere...

The Sparco Terras are "sold out for the season" in the color and offset I would want. :(

Definitely interested in the Nokians...I had a set way back on my old Forester. I wish Tirereack carried them.

- Andrew

Winter wheels on, just in time for an expected 4 inches of snow tomorrow.

16x7 +35 Enkei RPF1 (13.7 lbs!)
Bridgestone Blizzak WS80 205/55/16

Overall about 5 lbs lighter than stock per corner.

Stock suspension on at the moment.

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Went back and forth on tires quite a bit, but I think the Blizzaks will be a good fit.

- Andrew

Plain silver center caps and different lugs are coming.

- Andrew

Cool. Why different lugs?

Just want black lugs. And wheel locks.

- Andrew

The Blizzaks should be fun on these. I've run them in the past on AWD Subaru's and a Honda Pilot and found that they balance digging snow, and ice traction pretty well, but they suffered in the $/performance and longevity category for me.

Just got a fresh set of the new Arctic 12's to try. I'll bring them out for their debut tomorrow when we're supposed to get 6" of powder! :)

Almost went with the Artics, but TR had a $70 rebate on the Blizzaks. :) Also our winters are short and not that snowy, so these won't be getting a lot of miles. A good mix of ice, snow, and dry performance was the goal.

Initial impressions: the 5 lb reduction per corner is noticeable. Some nice improvement there is easily felt through the steering wheel...the car reacts much quicker but it's a little odd with the new tires. The tread squirm is also noticeable. :lol: But it's not bad. Less than 100 miles on them so they may need to scrub off a little more.

- Andrew

Yeah, brand new winters are always super sloppy!!

I didn't see the Blizzak rebate, I've seen everyone going for the XIce 3 recently, which if you haven't had a chance to try yet, they are nice. Better on ice than the blizzaks, but not quite as balanced.

I did get a little shit from the others in the shop for going down on wheel size on my car, but I know only true players run 16s.

- Andrew

Totally agreed. It's going to look great I think.

I run 15" RCG4's on the FXT in winter, 17" 04 STi BBS in the summer. Just inform people that your spine is still properly located after hitting a pothole.

Center caps came in. These are Dorman replacement caps intended for a honda or something. They fit 16 inch to 18 inch Enkeis perfectly, and don't cost $texas like the Enkei caps. Nice and plain.

Maybe I'll make a sticker or something.

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- Andrew

Any future plan for suspension?

So many plans. Doing some testing soon, so OEM for the next few winter weeks.

Eventually it will probably just be on RCE Yellows and Bilstein B6.

Need to just get some of our Yellows on the stock shocks for now though...looking at the wheel gap in the picture I just posted is hurting my soul.

- Andrew

Blizzaks did good this weekend. I was impressed.

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- Andrew

Take the advice you gave to me a year ago - go B6's and Tarmac Springs! FANTASTIC setup. Handles that little bit better with less roll, and hardly any different on the street, comfort-wise.

Anything new? I love me an old school rally getup, would be thrilled to see that applied here!

Also, my car's the same color with a small wing, so anything you do that looks good will also look good on mine. ;)

Long time no bump. Finally got my wheels and tires in.

Wheels are 17x8 +40 Braid Fullrace A wheels. More details posted in the wheel/tire section, but they're flowformed, strong, a little beefy, and have a few really neat details to them. Simple and subtle. When I do Targa Newfoundland in 2025 I'll use these wheels. :lol:.

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1752/...78ef117b_b.jpg

Tires are 225/45/17 Michelin Pilot Sport 4S. Only 75 miles on them so far, but very good. The grip is impressive, and wet grip is astounding (it's been raining for weeks in the mid-atlantic). Great for DD...no excessive noise or harshness.

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On the car currently at stock ride height:
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RCE T2 with 6 kg/mm rates front and rear will be on next few weeks and I can share more pics when that happens. A few other goodies as well. Earlier plans for Bilstein B6 + RCE Yellows was scrapped because the Bilsteins have been out of stock for ages and there's no ETA. I'll also still be testing a few things over the summer and into the winter.

- Andrew

Good looking wheels. Simple design, but they look surprisingly good once installed. Nice choice.

Hey Drew! I'm a local and a friend of RCE.

You planning on hitting Summit at all this year? I'd love to see how those hold up there, or if they get greasy like the PSS did. I'm maybe doing a FATT in September but still planning.

One of these days, you should drive my '15 frs around so you can compare those with the 615k+ that i have. For what I consider cheap tires, they have been fairly grippy and good and would be interested to hear if the 4s offer the same level of grip or similar. The 615k+ have impressed me for what i assume would be subpar grip in the rain as well as being adequate to stop me in poor conditions (it has been ridiculous lately!).

I need to stop by the shop one day when you're around to chat about sway bars to pair with the Yellows+Top hats i'll be installing soon.

Hey! I'll be at Summit at some point...no specific dates planned yet. But we are actually tossing around the idea of an RCE track day. Still early stages on that though.

I'd be glad to drive your FRS and try the Falkens. I've heard a lot about them from the SSC auto-x people. Hard to argue with the price.

Send a PM if you're stopping by the shop...I'm not in every day but I'm never too far away lol.

- Andrew

What suspension are u running this winter?

Racecomp Superstreet-1 coilovers from now until fall.

Possibly OEM shocks and Racecomp Rally-x springs in the winter. Maybe.

Updates coming to this post soon. :)

- Andrew

Any expected height increase with these new springs?

Planning on 15mm increase for the rally-x springs.