BRZ STi?
 

I know this is totally clickbait, and I don't think there's a snowball's chance in hell that Subaru will actually build and put into a production a real BRZ STi. As has been discussed extensively in other threads, I don't think Toyota would allow it because it would encroach on Supra sales. I'm just posting this as a FYI and purely for amusement and entertainment:

https://www.thedrive.com/news/38237/...y-be-happening

Could this be some kind of 'WTF' project from a handful of insider engineers? Just for the fun of it, to see what it would be like? Since the car isn't for sale yet, it's hard to imagine this being done independently. Whatever it is, it has to have Subaru backing. Maybe the senior bosses don't even know about it (unlikely in the Japanese system).

What do you think?

I think click-bait sites like to stir things up. However, this comment is far closer to the truth.


Altogether more likely is that the car we see here is either the new tS or STi, either of which is likely to feature performance enhancements similar to the last-gen tS, notably Brembo brakes and Sachs shocks.

Could be just "testing" aero add-ons to make sure they don't go flyin off at speed...

Build your own BRZ STI, people have been doing it since 2013! Mine was an FRS, but I converted it to the turbo model. It was the FRS STI. Right now it's the NM edition though ( no motor) like most STIs

I think you're absolutely right. IF there ever is a tS or STi version of the BRZ, it will almost certainly only be cosmetic appearance changes (or maybe a 'tune' for a few extra hp).

I know a real STi or turbo version will never happen (at least not from the factory), but somewhere inside me, a tiny little part of me couldn't help but have a spark of futile excitement...

Yea, obviously clickbait.


STI parts have always been available for the BRZ ever since the 1st-gen. But "STI" does not automatically mean "turbo". Probably more of the same as before: springs, chassis stiffening parts, muffler, hardened suspension & driveline bushings, lip kit & spoiler, brake parts & kits, dress-up items, etc.

Honestly, it just looks like the are testing an eventual tS body kit and rims, that’s all. And maybe different suspension and brakes. Same as the gen 1 tS. We can guess that they will have PP/tS type appearance and handling upgrade packs sometime after launch, just like gen 1.

I don’t see any reason to think it has any skunkworks like power train upgrades at all, sadly. Love to be proven wrong, and discover this is the harbinger of a full on turbo STi model, but it seems unlikely.

Brakes on this car look to be the same small-rotor sliding-caliper brakes we've seen. Hoping for a big-brake Brembo package for short money sooner rather than later!

My vote is this is some STI aero parts like on the first gen, which could or could not be apart of a BRZ Ts. I don’t think STI will evolve into a performance platform across multiple models like BMW’s M line. The WRX STI represents Subaru’s history and AWD platform potential. The BRZ is just a side thing that is suppose to be a high revving NA, and must not impede on the STI or the Supra for Toyota, while filling a different market.

Excuse my ignorance, but wouldn't they then camo the bumpers and skirts then and not vice versa? The sheetmetal never gets changed for those "special edition" only the snapped on parts?

I'm thinking maybe they're just doing some fine tuning/tweaking to the sheetmetal before the begin production, because really the camo parts of the car minus the trunk really hasn't change much in terms of styling other than molding to meet the new parts, so maybe some last minute slight design tweaks?

I dunno, just threw me for a loop as to why they camoed that part of the car and not the other. Additionally, doesn't make me a think a turbo is coming, the wheels and brakes largely look the same, I don't see anything that would suggest more cooling (I guess it wouldn't need it), so I dunno.

!
 

The first gen performance package had to be, for the price, one of the best and frankly most unbelievable deals in performance car history. Brembos, Sachs dampers, and wider wheels for a little over a grand!? I had liked the BRZ since introduction, but it was that deal that made me pull the trigger without hesitation in 2017. Still can’t believe it was so inexpensive.

Me too!

Honestly, I think it will look much better with the STI lip kit.

I reckon it looks a little lower too. STI pink springs? The gap between the factory side skirt and the “STI” piece near the rear wheel arch looks a little odd though. You’d think it would be flush with the side skirt. Agree, the front lip looks cool.

It is not bad for $1200, but not anything amazing. If the wheels were forged then the upgrade would be something to right home about, and I might wonder how they made a profit off of the package. As is, the cost to Subaru is negligible for the wheels—maybe $50 more expensive for 4 wheels. Same with the Brembos and dampers. Not $50, but the difference between rotors with a few more millimeters in diameter and fixed calipers and the upgraded dampers is not much difference than the stock stuff. It is a good package for anyone wanting a little extra from the factory who doesn’t plan on modifying their car much.

Uh, have you priced just the parts to upgrade to the Brembo brake package? It’s multiples of $1200. And that’s just the brake package. If you look at comparable packages other manufacturers offer, this was the deal of the century. Who cares what it cost Subaru to do it? I’m only interested in the fact that they offered it at a fraction of what it would have cost me to do such upgrades myself, and it all came with a manufacturer’s warranty.

PP is a great deal for brakes alone. Was a compelling deal for me, I was gonna buy a used ~'15 in 2017, but PP hooked me. Also +5hp and red aluminum intake...

A little research shows that the MSRP of the PARTS for the FRONT Brembo brake package is $3308.89. MSRP for parts to reproduce the rears is $2443.37. That’s a total of $5752.36 to reproduce the factory Brembo package from the Subaru parts catalog, and that doesn’t include the LABOR involved to install them (and yes there are ALWAYS installation labor costs, even if you do it all yourself, your time should be as valuable to you as anyone else’s, more so even). And then after all that, you have no manufacturer’s warranty on the brakes. Is that insanely expensive? Yes. Could you get a comparable aftermarket package for less? Yes. Could you get a comparable package for less, or in fact anywhere close to the $1195 cost of the factory Performance Package when included as a factory option on the car at time of purchase? NO WAY. I’ll stand by my assertion that the BRZ Performance Package was the deal of the century. And that’s not even to mention the rest that came with the package, or the intangible of the aesthetics of those brakes and wheels. Transformed the car IMO, and convinced me to part with the $26,417 that I paid for my brand new $30,493 MSRP 2017 BRZ back in June of 2017. So, with good negotiation skills, that Performance Package option was also free about 4x over. Win, win, win, win. ;)

Yeah haha, seems like such a silly little thing, but man that red intake prettied up the engine compartment didn’t it?

All I am saying is that it isn't the deal of the century any more than any other package any manufacture offers is the deal of the century. We can do this with other manufactures with other trim levels too or even other models. Have you priced the difference in parts between a WRX and WRX STI?

Did you price what it would cost to reproduce the stock brakes? OEM parts receive a huge markup, as well as, all accessories and dealer installed items. This is why it seems like the deal of the century, but it is the status quo for something that comes from the factory. Yes, it saves you money compared to if you were to buy it after the fact, but that is true across the board. You can take a POS $15k car, as an example, buy all the parts from the parts counter to build a car, have someone assemble the car for you and parts alone would cost you $100k.

All I am saying is that Subaru wasn't hooking you up with the deal of the century with these factory add-ons in some rare moment of generosity.

You could add the 1LE package to a Camaro 1LT with the 3.6L V6 for $4,500, and it comes with all this stuff! Remarkable! You should price this out:

It's a screaming deal at $1200 because it isn't accompanied with a bunch of other stuff I don't want or need in a package that costs $4500...
No, they're not losing money but they also aren't marking it up as much as they could have. And it does save the buyer thousands of $$$$ vs. upgrading to bigger fixed-caliper brakes if the PP didn't exist.
For me, it was a *compelling* bargain.

They wouldn't have marked it up any higher unless it was a dealer add-on. The could have marked it higher, but it wouldn't have been worth the price. That's my point. For what they are offering, $1,200 is a fair price as a factory option because the kit is a basic Brembo kit, which wasn't a huge premium for them, the wheels are negligibly different in price, and the dampers are also a small premium over the stock dampers. While this saves the consumer time and money trying to buy a similar setup and selling the stock setup, the value is subjective. For many people, they would rather invest the $1,200 in a good BBK than the slight upgrade this BBK offers.

For $4,500, that is also a fair price for forged wheels, summer tires, BBK, exhaust, upgrades to suspension, cooling upgrades, the aero and accents. It is a larger chunk of money, but there is equal value in getting this factory add-on then trying to purchase the parts later. I could offer other examples if this one is too expensive as an example.

Just FYI, the BBK in the PP does not equal the BBK sold here or on other sites. It is a larger-cast, axial-mounted caliper that has symmetrical pistons with a narrow clearance for pads. The Brembo GT caliper is a lighter, smaller, yet wider, radial-mounted caliper that has asymmetric pistons for better pad clamping and a larger capacity for rotor/pad thickness. See video below.

I'm not trying to burst anyone's bubble about the value of factory add-ons because there is legitimate value there, but I am bursting the bubble on the concept that this is the deal of the century. It just isn't that special.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-Lpf_7-hJM

Yeah I’m not saying Subaru was being generous, although I do think they could have easily charged more and folks would have bought it, me included. I was stunned at the time however at how inexpensive the upgrade was. Still am. I’ve owned a number of performance cars in my time, including a number of Camaros, though none of these recent generations. I never had the option of such a brake package at such a price. And yes, as I noted above, you can no doubt get an aftermarket package for less, but even at that, a Brembo kit for the fronts is $1915 and the rear kit is $1723 (FTSpeed.com). So that total is still $3638 and again that’s without labor and with no manufacturer’s warranty. So man there’s no way I can come up with anything other than that being a screaming deal. Eye of the beholder I reckon...

Haha no worries, ain’t nobody bursting my bubble kid. To me, as a guy who has bought a number of performance cars in his life, and still own a few of them, this was indeed a no-brainer that the factory practically gave away for that price, and with factory backing. Great value to anyone who bought it, and will pay dividends in resale down the road when finding nice examples of these cars is like finding hen’s teeth. Watch and see.

Don`t think that having opposed pistons can clamp better than the sliding calipers. If they had the same size pistons they would be equal.

I don’t mean to beat a dead horse here, but how is it that the price of the stock brakes is at all relevant? The car HAS to come with brakes, so they are included in the price of admission of the base car. It’s not like they are an option I could decline. The Brembos however were an optional upgrade. Buy them as part of the package and they were $1195. If one wanted to reproduce the exact factory package from the manufacturer, MSRP is nearly 6 grand to ME, the CONSUMER, for the parts without labor and a warranty. There ain’t no debating that.
The price of the Brembos compared to the price of the stock brakes for the MANUFACTURER means nothing to me as the consumer. Who cares? I don’t care if Subaru made a dollar, or $1194 on each performance package sold. All I care about is that I was able to get Brembo brakes and a few other goodies on my car for relative chicken feed.

P.S. Irace86.2.0:

Your car is dope.

And I do at least understand your perspective a little better. You’re a mad frickin scientist builder of this car haha. Nice job. I’ve done some wrenching myself in my day, but not anywhere close to the level of mods you’ve done to yours. I’m old now though, and just want the highest performance I can get from the factory, for ease of parts when needed, and the factory warranty for as long as it lasts. So that’s my perspective. Anyway, to each his own, and again, congrats on a gorgeous car.

I'm not entirely sure what you are saying.

The point is that the calipers on the PP BBK are identical in size. Typically the front or leading piston will be smaller than the trailing piston. The idea is that as the pistons bite down, the leading edge will dig into the rotor first. This causes the pad to twist and dive into the rotor, which can result in a harmonic where the pad vibrates, and/or there isn't even pressure on the pad. By having a smaller piston on the front, the pad bites down less in the front, so the pad sits flatter on the rotor.

My Wilwood BBK uses six piston calipers with a smaller lead piston like the Brembo kit and is radially mounted instead of axial mounted (axial is still better than floating).

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/11...g?v=1491464562
https://37reahu0b5d3purww33d2ri1-wpe...r-image003.jpg

Reframe the conversation. Say they offered a set of wheels for an extra $100 that were 7.5'' instead of 7.0'' and that was it. You could say, "wow, that is the deal of the century. It would cost me $650 to buy a set of 7.5'' rims, and it would cost me another $150+ to get them balance and mounted on the factory tires. What a value! I maybe could get $300-400 if I had sold my old rims, but that takes time and look, I am still saving money. True, these aren't exactly my first choice in wheels, and in fact, I was kind of interested in those 8'' wheels, but these are still a great value."

I think the point is the Brembos they used were a minor, incremental upgrade over the existing calipers, and the price was fair--not a bargain. Like I said, this is definitely cheaper than the aftermarket products are like almost all factory options are, and part of that reason is that instead of installing the factory part on the car, they installed the upgraded part. Said differently, you sold your stock braking system back to Subaru, and Subaru installed these instead. You didn't buy a BBK for $1,200. You bought the stock brake kit for X then paid $1,200 on top of that to upgrade.

We can do the same thing with the trims too. My limited was only several thousand more than the base premium, but I got the following, and that seems like a real value when it would have cost many times that value to get those things afterwords. In fact, do you know how expensive those seats are? To upgrade both seats would have been thousands alone. Deal of the century ;):

- Alcantara seat inserts with leather bolsters All-Weather Package (dual-mode heated front seats, heated exterior mirrors)
- Dual illuminated visor vanity mirrors
- Dual-zone automatic climate control system
- Fog lights
- Front door courtesy lights
- Keyless Access and Start with illuminated engine start/stop button
- Rear trunk spoiler (body color)
- Security system

Brakes are a significant upgrade, PP is a bargain :P

Hahaha! Yes!

How are they an upgrade? Red paint?

They weren’t! They were actually re-worked drum units off of a ‘69 Impala. And that red “paint”? It was just crayon. Why that sh*t came off the first time I got em heated up a little. Trash, trash brakes. Sticking my left foot out the door stops the car quicker. There. That better? :)

Wrong again. They were caliper covers.


https://www.focusst.org/attachments/...er-jpg.121468/
https://s1.cdn.autoevolution.com/ima...ar-video_1.jpg

And only $50 more

Hahaha! Can’t believe these actually are a thing.

Also, if I knew you personally, I swear you’d get these for Christmas at this point.

For the heck of it couldn’t resist checking the price of these. My God. No. No, you wouldn’t get these for Christmas Irace86.

Much bigger rotors, much bigger pads, less heat for a given level of brake usage and much greater ability to reject that heat quickly.
Much stiffer fixed caliper, combines favorably with less clamping force required for given level of braking, => much better pedal feel and reduced pedal travel.
Much easier pad swaps!
Also looks badasss....

Yes better for tracking, but DD stock is fine. There was no PP in 16, but I would have gotten it if I waited a year. It’s a no brainer, just like the limited.