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Branka: Country Road Specialist
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Howdy,
I purchased myself a new 2017 Subaru BRZ Limited in Crystal White Pearl for a Christmas gift to myself. I have no prior track experience to speak of, but would like to learn. On the other hand, I worked nightshift for many years and have plenty of experience hooning around country back roads. Here in South Texas we have some fantastic roads that are well maintained, have 70mph speed limits on the straights, nobody but cows for miles, and low speed (25-35mph) rated corner after corner for hours of fun. My intention is to do judicious upgrades to the car over the next 4-5 years while keeping it looking as stock/clean as possible. As I gain more experience on track that will guide my modifications but I'd like to keep the car street legal and daily-drivable as I go. Attachment 162967 I pay in a huge chunk of change to Uncle Sam every year, and I'm using my tax refund as my yearly mod budget to help keep it under control. I just got my check and first up for 2018 is going to be brakes, wheels, and tires. I'm learning as I go, and I'm primarily focusing on increasing the already great handling capabilities as well as my "safety margin". My focus is not primarily adding power, as I think doing so will just get me in trouble. Parts Installed:
Parts Waiting to be Installed:
Parts on Order: Planned Upgrades in the future: Exhaust/NA Power:
Up to date photos: Attachment 168971 Attachment 168972 https://i.imgur.com/XgF8hXz.jpg https://www.pointmeby.com/php/rice.p...om/XgF8hXz.jpg https://i.imgur.com/BlwUKF1.jpg https://i.imgur.com/LNumPlj.jpg |
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Well a few things for today. I've gotten word that the wheels I originally ordered are not available even directly from Rays in Japan, however the 18x8.5ET44 are. It looks like the wheels should fit so I gave the go ahead for the half inch wider wheels instead. Meanwhile, I went ahead and took out the backseat today and all the junk in the trunk. I've ordered the Shrader Performance rear seat delete kit to make it look prettier than bare metal, and I'll probably modify it with some foam or similar to give it more rigidity per the comments in that thread.
I also received the used oil analysis from Blackstone Labs from the first oil change/service. Nothing is out of the ordinary, as expected. I'll be submitting a UOA for every oil change to maintain historic analysis records. Attachment 163198 Now I'm just stuck waiting on parts... First round of parts arrives on Tuesday, going to be 6-8 weeks for my wheels though and I have to wait on my wheels before installing the brakes in the front (unless I want to throw a spacer in temporarily). |
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First round of parts arrived today. I went ahead and got the K&N air filter and the Cusco front and rear strut bars installed. I was doing most of this after dark, so not only are the pictures below a bit lacking in lighting, but I didn't quite have the time/energy to do the Shrader rear seat delete kit install tonight too. I'll probably do that this weekend if I don't get a bee in my bonnet before then.
Packages arrived!: Attachment 163353 Rear strut bar installed (plus the spare fits under it fine): Attachment 163354 Front strut bar w/ master cylinder brace installed: Attachment 163355 You can see the master cylinder brace and how I removed the bracket holding the wire harness in place (this is an AT car, bracket and harness is only there on AT cars): Attachment 163356 I just got back from doing a couple of shakedown cruises. I did the first one and then came back and retorque everything. After that I did a more spirited/elongated shakedown cruise. I definitely feel like the brakes are firmer and more responsive, I don't know that the strut bar really did anything otherwise. It mostly feels the same handling. I also peeled off the blue plastic to expose the aluminum bar after I got done retorquing from my first shakedown cruise. For those who are wondering (or may need to know), I used the following torque specs: * 14mm nuts on rear strut tower: 14.2 lb/ft * 12mm nuts on front strut tower: 17 lb/ft * 12mm nuts on front strut tower brace: 17 lb/ft After I get the rear seat delete kit in, I plan to carefully reinstall much of the interior trim and then take out the bar on the rear so I can cleanly cut through the carpet just enough to fit the brackets and then reinstall the bar. Hopefully the end result will be a nice clean look. I don't want to leave the car stripped completely. |
Looks like a cool build. Hope you get to the track. It's a ton of fun in these cars and I'm still a novice.
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That is a lot of chassis/suspension bracing.
Do you find stock to be that sloppy? May I recommend some subframe bushing inserts. Be aware of all the added nvh from solid bracing. |
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I don't think it's super sloppy while stock, but it definitely doesn't feel as settled and connected as a friend's car I've driven on the twisties as well. The extensive bracing is in lieu of me having a full cage and seam welding (both of which would significantly stiffen the chassis beyond what any bracing can do), because I am keeping this car street legal and daily driveable. I may not do (or need) as extensive of bracing as I have listed here, I kind of went for everything which was available in my plan, but bracing is also pretty cheap compared to other things I could do. I'd just as soon do it all at once :) Overall I'd say the car handles really well stock. It's one of the main reasons I bought this over some of my other options. I was actually really surprised with how good it was. I will put up some pictures of the back a little later today. I finished up the rear seat delete install last night but it was too dark to take photos. |
Pretty solid mod list! What's the ETA on your wheels?
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Great Wheel, and if your roads are that well maintained it shouldnt be too harsh.
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A bit belated, but here's pictures taken in the daylight of the rear seat delete that's gone in. I tried to find #100 Instapak Quick RT to put underneath but it was impossible to find so I went with #80 (next size down) and I'll be doing foaming underneath to reinforce the pieces that cover the seat section tonight after the Instapak arrives. I'm also planning to put the trunk mat back in by taking the bar off the rear strut tower brace and then cutting slits in the trunk mat. Since I have a BRZ Limited I also have the rubber all-weather cargo mat that goes over top. I'm still not sure what I'm going to do with it, I may leave it out.
My goal would be to be able to fit all 4 of my new wheels in the pack (with some padding) to get them to the tire shop without requiring a second vehicle to carry them. When you install it, it basically looks like this when done. Pretty clean looking although everything is based on push-clips rather than bolts. Since it goes in as 4 sections (left and right bottom piece, back piece, and the brace/base) it's easy to install compared to one-piece solutions although it doesn't look as clean. Attachment 163487 As you can see the 10mm bolt holes on the bottom of the rear set gets covered by a little piece of plastic with a single push-clip. It tends to randomly rotate or loosen slightly, so I'm sure they'll fall out tomorrow when I go to the car wash and vacuum out the car. It looks a bit janky, but I guess it's better than exposed metal underneath. Attachment 163489 The rear piece leans against a lip created by the brace/base that mounts using two of the washered bolts from the child seat restraint bracket and the top two mounting holes from that bracket after it's removed. The bottom pieces use two push-clips to attach to this piece and the rear piece is attached at the top and just held in against the base by pressure. Attachment 163488 In the rear section you can see it looks very clean on the back of the trunk, but it does come forward into the trunk space a little farther than the rear seat which made reinstalling some of the trim difficult. Additionally, it means I may need to slightly trim the trunk carpeting other than what was necessary to fit the bar (this is still yet to be done, but probably will finish it tonight). Attachment 163490 Anyway, that's the Shrader Performance Rear Seat Delete Kit as installed. I'm overall pretty happy with it. I just got my Amazon package with 2x Instapak Quick RT #80 in it, so I'm going to be removing the bottom pieces, laying down some loose padding and then creating the foam blocks to fill in the empty cavity between the bare metal of the body and the underside of the two bottom pieces. I'm hoping this will increase it's ability to support weight while also adding additional sound dampening capability to reduce NVH further. Regarding NVH, the difference between bare stripped interior and trunk vs completed interior and trunk with the rear seat delete kit installed is night and day. Compared to the NVH level when the vehicle is stock I think it's only marginally louder. Mostly I need to figure out what's rattling around back in one of the walls covered by trim (I suspect I broke a pop clip reinstalling trim). Otherwise this is on point. Cuts 23 pounds of weight, provides a flatter surface for items to extend from the trunk area when the rear piece is removed, and it turns the car into a true 2-seater as it should have been from the factory :) Cheers |
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A really small update. I was hoping I could do a photo shoot of the car yesterday before I went to a car meet, but unfortunately it started raining as soon as I finished spending several hours detailing my car. I still went to the meet, which was great. I met a few other local ft86 owners there.
Just today though I went ahead and finished prettying up the trunk area by cutting the carpeting mat to get it back into place around the strut bar. Here's the pictures. I could have done cleaner lines, but I slipped a few times with the razor so this is what I have :) Left side Attachment 163573 Right side, this is where I really messed up :/ Attachment 163574 Trunk view Attachment 163575 A shoutout to @SakDiesel for the idea of ignoring the instructions and only cutting just around the bracket where it comes up to the bar. His work is much cleaner than mine though :) I've also received notification that my wheels are in production. I'm expecting a shipment notification either late next week or early the following week. I should have my new wheels by the end of April then I can put my brake upgrades on :) |
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I'm still waiting on wheels to arrive so I can install the AP Racing Sprint BBK and other brake upgrades. In the mean-time, I put a Perrin front license plate relocation kit on, and I am headed to the track next Saturday for my first ever on-track driver's class. Let's hope I don't wreck it before my wheels arrive, heh. :D
Attachment 164143 I need to wash her again, but she's not too terrible. Am about to hit 5k miles before I end up on the track. Sorry for the minimal update... I'm anxious to get my wheels and brakes installed, but I'm still playing the waiting game. |
I am considering a rear seat delete. I am wondering how much are the weight saving? How's the noise level difference? can you fold down the delete to access the trunk from the cabin? I feel like currently its nice to have the rear seats if I need them in a pinch unless there was a lot to be gained by deleting them. What's your overall thoughts on the mod since install?
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Installation is pretty simple. One component I added was to use an Instapak Quick RT #80 under each rear seat basin covering panel to give it more structural rigidity (which it needs) and to add additional NVH reduction. According to another thread on this kit the #100 is the proper size to fully fill it in, but the #80 seems to have worked okay as well. All in all, the noise level is roughly the same as it is with the car stock, but the cabin feels more cozy and it makes it easier to put more stuff in the vehicle with the trunk panel removed compared to folding down the rear seats. Also, yes, you can remove the trunk panel or lay it flat and use the extra space for storage just like with the rear seat backs folded down. Personally I did the mod about 80% because I thought the rear seats were pointless and I prefer sports cars to be 2-seaters, 10% for the weight savings, and 10% for looks. It's up to you whether it's something you're interested in, but ~30 pounds isn't a huge amount of weight savings for ~$300 and an afternoon of work. On the flip side, it's weight savings that doesn't mess up the appearance or comfort level of the car like stripping out the interior normally would. |
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Just a quick update, I ordered a set of Perrin Wing Risers and will be installing them as soon as they arrive. I've received an update that my wheels should be arriving on April 13th (or shortly thereafter), so that gives me a target date for wheels and brakes. I also have packed everything I need (I think) for my first track day in the morning. I'll report back tomorrow night on how it went.
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I would like to chime in that no amount of bracing will make up for driveline slop, AND the bushings that address it are even less expensive. Consider doing the rear subframe lockout, and transmission lockout bushings at least to start! :) Everything else in this car is tot enough, but those two items see a drastic change without too much NVH.
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Well, I'd call my first time ever driving on a track a resounding success. Not only did I survive and my car survived, but I even managed to learn a bunch of things. It was a huge amount of fun and the entire group at the track were great people. One gentleman in our group had the foresight to have his wife come along with her camera so she could take pictures of the cars around Turn 5 ("Monaco").
So without further ado here's some pictures: Attachment 164533 Attachment 164534 Attachment 164535 Attachment 164536 Attachment 164537 Attachment 164538 For those wondering, here's the track map for L1 - Short Course which the class I took "Foundations of Road Racing" takes place on. The track is modeled after Fiorano, the Ferrari test track. |
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* Mishimoto Oil Cooler Kit * Mishimoto Performance Radiator * Mishimoto Radiator Twin-Fan * Mishimoto Radiator Hose Kit * Mishimoto Coolant Overflow Tank * Mishimoto Liquid Chill Premix coolant * Koyorad 1.3 Bar High-Pressure Radiator Cap * Stark Performance Automatic Transmission Cooler * Red Line D6 ATF * Motul 300V 75W90 Gear Oil (for the diff) * Magnetic Drain Plugs for AT and Diff Getting the above at FT86 Speed Factory comes in around $2500, so I think I might be able to budget it in this year if I ditch on getting a second set of lightweight wheels and tires before the summer is out. |
You're overthinking it; just get an oil cooler (preferably 19 rows) and be done with it.
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Both my coolant temperature and my oil temperature were very high when I stopped in the pit after my last session on track. Given that it only hit mid-80s outside at the track and we expect this summer to be exceptionally hot I'm very concerned about what will happen during track sessions over the summer. The built-in gauge isn't granular enough to be exact, but unless I was misreading it my coolant temperature was around 240F. My math may be a bit off, but I gather that the stock cooling system in a BRZ has a boil-off point around 257F, which means I could potentially expect to have serious trouble at the track if the outside temp is 103F or higher, unfortunately that's a commonplace temp in South Texas during the summer. I can solve for this by increasing system pressure (getting me a boil-off point closer to 265F) and using better coolant, but I also want to get the heat out of the system, which is why I think an upgraded radiator might be worthwhile. I agree that the oil cooler is far higher priority though and maybe if I get it in place it might help take load off the cooling system and bring everything else back in check too. I figure since I have to take the bumper off for the install, I might as well get it all out of the way in one go though. Looks like I could get the oil cooler and the radiator upgrade out of the way in one go. The Jackson Racing Dual Radiator and Oil Cooler kit seems to do both and has fitment to replace the OEM radiator. Does anyone have any experience with this vs running a separated oil cooler and radiator upgrade? |
The coolant and oil temp gauges are on a different scale. Press and hold the middle button on the right of the steering wheel to change the coolant temp display from a dummy gauge to actual temp and you will see that the 270 oil temp mark corresponds to a 230 coolant temp mark. You were probably around 200 F max on the coolant temps.
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Mishimoto products are generally made to minimum acceptable standards in my experience. The radiator in my forester XT has been replaced due to pin hole leaks, after three radiator caps I tried an OEM one and the issues went away for 1 year, before developing another pin hole leak. Combine that with a poorly aligned overflow fitting on all three, (the line rubbed on the radiator mount no matter what I did.) * Mishimoto Oil Cooler Kit - Not my preference solely based on brand experience, though most have had reasonable experience with this product. This is one part that Mishimoto seems to have down pat. * Mishimoto Performance Radiator - Not needed, unless your coolant temps are going wild...if you do get high coolant temps after your oil cooler, invest in a koyorad! * Mishimoto Radiator Twin-Fan - Not needed, OEM fans flow similar air volume. This is purely an aesthetic move. If you get fans, I recommend SPAL fans, the Mishimoto radiator shroud is fine though. * Mishimoto Radiator Hose Kit - Not needed, once your OEM ones get tired moving to silicone is fine, but there is no major benefit of silicone while your OEM ones are in good shape. * Mishimoto Coolant Overflow Tank - Not needed, OEM is fine. * Mishimoto Liquid Chill Premix coolant - Again, use OEM. * Koyorad 1.3 Bar High-Pressure Radiator Cap - Good part, but it comes free if you need it and get the Koyorad radiator! * Stark Performance Automatic Transmission Cooler - Important, definitely a good call. * Red Line D6 ATF - Motul ATF is another good option, but the Red Line product is great as well. * Motul 300V 75W90 Gear Oil (for the diff) - You're looking for Motul Gear 300, 75W90. NOT 300v, (that's engine oil,) and NOT 300V 75W90LS, that's for clutch type LSD's, though it should work fine in the Torsen style as well. * Magnetic Drain Plugs for AT and Diff - Diff already has one, AT is not really necessary. My opinion is a lot of the components you're asking about aren't an upgrade. Consider the R&D budget of a value oriented performance parts company that focus on customer service as their key differentiation as opposed to a lifetime part. (It's a lifetime warranty, NOT a lifetime component.) versus the budget of Subaru, Toyota, or a high-end cooling company that's been doing it for decades with nearly no marketing. Just my opinion and experience, regardless of what you choose to get I hope the components serves you well and is a great experience for you and your 86! The red/yellow/green coloring should make sense, I've interjected with my experience and opinions. :) |
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Glad you checked your data! :w00t: |
I'm considering the JR dual Rad/Oil cooler myself.. lots of great things about it in this thread: http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=104943
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Nice build.
You're right about some great roads around there. The Twisted Sisters are a blast. Is that track up around San Marcos? |
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That track is in Austin, it's Driveway Austin, near the airport. The one in San Marcos is Harris Hill, which is also a great track I've heard. After further reading/research/internal debate I've decided to do the JR Dual Rad + the Stark AT Cooler this year at some point + swapping fluids out in the process. |
That's cool. I didn't know there was another track in Austin besides COA.
I lived in San Antonio for three years and got some good driving in down there with the Celica All Trac I had at the time. Keep up the good work. |
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I had just posted when my Perrin Wing Risers (for MY 2017-2018 BRZ Limited factory wings) came in the mail, so I didn't post immediately since I didn't want to be too spammy. Well, today I went to Twisted Sisters and when I got back I cleaned my girl and took some pictures so you can see what the wing risers look like. I'm a fan since I think it's very subtle, but still present.
Attachment 165025 Attachment 165026 Attachment 165027 Attachment 165028 I didn't see any other imports running Twisted Sisters today, just a lot of motorcycles and a miles long convoy of beautiful restored classic American cars, as well as what looked like a group drive by a bunch of Ford Focus enthusiasts (there were around 14-15 in a row together). I usually see at least a few Miatas and a few other 86s out there, but none today. I'm hoping to get out on the track again on the 14th before I install the new wheels/tires, we'll see how it goes. |
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Blackstone Labs got back to me with the reports from the oil samples I submitted after my track day last month. I changed my oil and sent two samples, a used oil sample and a sample of virgin Subaru 0W-20 oil just for comparison purposes.
Virgin Subaru 0W-20 full synthetic (PN# SOA427V1315 ): Attachment 165110 Used oil after my track day on March 24th (changed oil and submitted samples on March 27th): Attachment 165111 There you have it. |
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Hello All,
I'm trying to space my updates out a little bit, so I hope 8 days is enough. I had a good car week last week, attending 3 shows and culminating in another Twisted Sisters run on Sunday during amazing weather. And today, blessed day, my wheels finally arrived and a day earlier than predicted. I just finished up the unboxing and am going to be taking them to a local recommended auto detailing salon to have them cleaned and ceramic coated before I get tires mounted up. On my Twisted Sisters run, I think I took out half of the West Texas Air Force on the hood of my car, but my baby had a bath as soon as I got back and she's looking fine again: Attachment 165419 Here's the photos from my delivery: Attachment 165420 If you see peeking out from the back are my AP Racing Sprint BBK that's waiting to be installed after the wheels get on. Attachment 165421 They're legit, took forever. 18x8.5 ET44 ZE40 Time Attack Editions :) Attachment 165422 Opening it up Attachment 165423 Their sexy faces :) Now I just need to wait for the delivery today of some H&R Trak+ 5mm hubcentric spacers for the rear. Then I'll be able to get ceramic coating done, tires on these, and get everything on the car with me doing +44 in the front and +39 offset in the rear. Not quite perfect flush on a stock suspension, but very close. I'm hoping after I get back from some work travel I can get a few rollers made for me by a friend. We had 5 FT86s meet up and do photos the other night at one of the meets: Attachment 165431 Attachment 165432 These are just the ones I took from my phone while the real photographer was working. I'm still waiting on the final proofs to get sent over to the group. Anyway, happy driving all. :burnrubber: |
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Howdy All,
So I should apologize in advance for posting again so soon, but I do have a good update :) My wheels and tires are on the car and it looks great. I was originally planning to mount 225/40R18 Bridgestone Potenza S-04 Pole Positions, but these are now discontinued according to my tire guy. In the end I got a great price and went forward with putting 225/40R18 Michelin Pilot Sport 4S on it :) I'm glad that I did. I can't wait to give it a serious shake-down cruise, and then my next item on the agenda is getting brakes on. I won't be able to work on my the brakes until next Friday, but hopefully within a couple of weeks I'll be able to do another weekend track day or another Twisted Sisters run, one of the two. Then I'm going to start looking at some minimal suspension modifications I can do this year while I wait on an influx of spare cash I can get away with spending on car parts instead of home renovations :) Here's a closeup of the wheels mounted with the tires (photo taken before the car wash). I had to use the collar for the valve-stem from the TPMS sensor, rather than the one that came with the wheels so the colors don't match perfectly, but I could at least use the washer and valve stem cap that are red to match. Attachment 165518 I just got back from visiting the car wash to clean out the inside of my car and the outside after having my stock wheels/tires being transported and all the other mess that went with it. She's a beauty, just need to get my suspension mods done sometime soon to both improve handling and to close that massive fender gap. Attachment 165519 Pretty girl :) :burnrubber: |
Looks good!
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Looks great, i love ZE40's for the twins...!
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Howdy again y'all!
Last weekend I was unable to do any other significant work, because I had to travel for my job. This weekend I was lucky enough to get some good garage time in, including having my housemate move their vehicle so I'd have the whole garage to myself. Attachment 165794 Anyhow, I went ahead and installed my AP Racing Sprint big brake kit + Ferodo DS2500 pads. I also put Spiegler SS lines in the rear (no photo) with Ferodo DS2500 pads to match. Left (Driver) Side Brakes Attachment 165790 Right (Passenger) Side Brakes Attachment 165791 After bedding in, I took this shot. As you can see (barely in the bright light) there's a color change with bluing on the rotor. Attachment 165792 Unfortunately, while bedding in my TPMS light kicked on... I'm still not sure what the cause is. Attachment 165793 All in all though, these new brakes are performing spectacularly in my quick test cruise. Unfortunately even after bedding in the Ferodo DS2500 are VERY noisy. I am hoping to find some non-noisy pads that I can swap in on all four wheels so that my neighbors don't hate me. I'm looking at maybe Carbotech 1521. I'm probably going to email CSG and Essex to see what they recommend. Cheers and safe driving y'all. :burnrubber: |
Just a quick update on both items I mentioned in my last post above:
1) TPMS light The TPMS light has turned off now. I still have no idea why it came on, or what precipitated it. I've verified my tire pressures again are correct and even across all 4 tires. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 2) Noisy brakes with Ferodo DS2500 pads Noise has reduced somewhat, but is still present when coming to a stop at stoplights. Effectively noise doesn't occur until I'm inching forward at this point. When I'm hard on the brakes, it is quiet. There was an additional noise when traveling at speed which sounded like high frequency bells that I determined was vibrations of the brake pads in the calipers. I applied some Permatex Silicon Ceramic Extreme Brake Parts Lube to the backing plate of the pads and this eliminated the vibration noise at speed, but did not seem to affect the squealing during stops at all. The harder I stop, the quieter they are, but this unfortunately isn't very friendly to trying to park in my garage so my neighbors have been giving me the death glare. I sent an email to CSG to ask about their thoughts on the Carbotech 1521 since they'd recommended it to solve this issue in a past thread I found searching the forums. |
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