G37 gives way to FRS!
 

Hello all! This past weekend I made the decision to purchase an FRS! I had been debating what to get if I traded in my G37 IPL coupe for quite some time. Thought about M3's S5's etc etc, but then I said the hell with it, the FRS car has something appealing about it. I wanted something lighter and something I could tinker around with without breaking the bank. So I made an 800mi road trip to pick up this lightly used (5000mi) whiteout 6speed FRS!

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Bye Bye G37 IPL!
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After I got home I immediately noticed a problem...

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Halogens? Uhh no, those have got to go. Let there be light! Popped in a proper HID system with high performance ballasts and relay harness. 6000k crystal white! Easily completed in under 45min

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Cant forget about the interior and license plate bulbs! Lets get some LED's in there.

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I'll be changing every bulb in the car to LED's within the next week or so. After that its time to attend to the 2nd biggest problem this car has.... POWER. Or lack of I should say. Coming from a 360hp G37 I was not prepared such a massive decrease in power. The first time I got on the gas in the FRS I thought something was wrong because it made a lot of noise but didnt go anywhere. And then I remembered the 150ft/lb of Tq... ahh yes that explains it.

Being in Minnesota, I am not too far away from Full Blown Motorsports. LJ and the team has been building awesome cars for quite some time. It won't be long before I purchase one of their turbo kits for this thing. Probably run some E85 and shoot for 350whp.

Just a quick background on my automotive past: my last project car was a 91 240sx. Build it as a drift car and did 100% of the work myself. Engine, body, cage etc etc. HTA 35R on an RB25 engine, about 450hp. It was a blast, but too hardcore to drive everyday.

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Check out the build thread here:
http://www.d-town.us/forum/viewtopic...hlight=curious

Some Vids:
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5juA1WI_n1I"]The Pink Beast - Anti Lag / 2 Step Launch Control - YouTube[/ame]
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoH1xQ-qbhs"]1991 Nissan 240SX 400HP+ MN (HD) - YouTube[/ame]


Im excited to join the FRS/BRZ community! Let the fun begin.

-Max

haha your 240 looks like the car i used to drift in Need for Speed Underground, one of my favorite games

Welcome, I'm looking forward to what you do with the FRS...

Great choice bro! I think you will have a lot of fun with the 86. Looking forward to watching your build progress!

Welcome to the cult!

how does it drive compared to the G37?? Do you miss the power of nissans 3.7 L VQ???

You lost a bunch of tq.. And also 1100 lbs of mass in the process.. A fair trade off if you ask me..
So you just used an HID kit in then stock housing? No glare or worry about too much heat? Which kit did you use?
Congrats on the new car..

Where are you in Minnesota? Check out the local thread, there are a number of us and a number of get togethers. Very nice work on the HID's.

Let me know if you start a build thread and I will subscribe.

Welcome!

Im 15min from Minneapolis. I'll have to get familar with the local BRZ/FRS community as well. Once I dive into a turbo system I'll start a build thread.

Wow IPL. I saw one hooked up with great parts and wheels, the interior must feel like junk compared to your old car. I get the efficiency of the swap though. It's a fun car.

It's a boxer/flat-4. :thumbsup:

Congrats on the new purchase!

Interested in following your build, welcome to the club!

Dude, love love love your 240! So beast, omg. Gratz on the FR-S. a little underpowered for sure, but very fun to drive. Enjoy!

Congrats. You can still pass cars. You just need to shift down a couple gears and drive the car like you hate it to access the power. :)

Welcome to the intervention group

So guys, call me crazy... but is it bad that I want a BRZ limited now? Considering selling this one and getting a white BRZ.



What an embarrassing typo... obviously my mind has not shifted to the horizontal nature of this vehicle.

Thanks! The car has a new owner now and he put a built 2JZ in it. Something stupid like 600hp now.

Congrats on the purchase!! Your gonna love the FRS!! I had a 370z before and the weight reduction is definitely welcomed. I feel more "free" in the car now :)
The power was also the 2nd problem for me, but after putting some bolt ons and a tune, it has really liven up the car and its more than a capable daily driver on the road. If your gonna put a full blown turbo kit, it will devastate even the 370z in a straight line whilst outhandling its arrse to the plate :D

Indeed! I used to have a 370z as well, it too just felt under powered for its weight and although it did handle pretty well, I ended up getting a G37 IPL because the performance drop was minimal, but the comfort was very very much improved for the 75+ miles I drive everyday. I HATED the seats in the 370z. Im not a huge guy but the shoulder bolsters in the 370z were designed for somebody who fits a boy's medium sized shirt.

That's why there's so many upholstery shops around. This can be fixed.
If anyone is unhappy with the 86 seats, there's another mod for you.

The only things you'll be gaining are a few luxury amenities. Heated seats, standard nav, automatic dual zone AC, factory HIDs and LEDs and leather and alcantara seats. It's up to you to decide if going through the hassle is worth it.

I also just found out that insurance for this car is MORE than my G37 IPL coupe. Not too happy about that. I do kind of like the added goodies of the Limited Version, maybe I am just being too picky. I posted the car up for sale last night and already have somebody who wants to buy it! We'll see how things go. If I get the BRZ I'll plan on keeping that car much longer than I planned to keep the FRS.

:laughabove:

Sad, but true...these cars wreck too often, considered high risk !!

Correction: people who drive like fools wreck too often, thus making sensible drivers pay more for our cars... A car cant crash itself without a driver!

Also very True :thanks:

Congrats fellow whiteout'r !!

Funny thing, I had a G37 want to run against me from a red light the other night, so we did. He didn't pass me until I hit 68mph! When I say pass, I mean crawl.

I'm not sure what the deal was as I figured he would stomp me....but no.

Anyway, after seeing your headlights I think I need to change mine out! Did you buy your HID kit online? Link?

Welcome to the Slow86Club :bellyroll:

Definitely something wrong with his engine if your car is stock. Even if our cars had I/H/E/Tune on grippy tires, the G37 would still beat us.

Maybe it's your exhaust. Plus, aren't G37s like mid 15 second cars?

On a serious note, they trap 13mph higher in the 1/4 then the FR-S, even if he missed a gear, or two, he would still fly past you, especially after 70. Maybe he wasn't racing? Or maybe it was a G25 if it was a sedan. They are basically indistinguishable from a G37 except for slightly smaller brakes and the badge on the rear. That would make more sense.

Obviously the G37 was casually driving (shifting at 4k) while he was redlining. :lol:

A G25 sounds like a reasonable explanation. But all comparisons aside. the FRS is a surprisingly nice vehicle. Even though I just got it, I found someone who wants to buy it. Now I am in search of a white BRZ!

He wanted to "race"; his passenger rolled down his window and made the suggestion while the driver rev'd the engine. It was a 2-door. I even let him go at green, then I decided to get on it after I got rolling. I passed him, then he passed me...that's all I know. It all happened so quick...

He's the one that wanted to "race" so I'm not sure why he would drive casually.

Also, I wasn't redlining, my Rev light is set to 7k. lol

It's possible that I misread "37" on the back of that car, but it did start with a "G", this much I'm sure of. :sigh:

They only made the G25 in a 4 door so it definitely wasn't the 200hp version.

A poor launch in any manual car can easily cost you a second in the 1/4. People like to look at magazine times. Realistically most guys running their cars on the street won't even come close to magazine times. Also some are harder than others to drag.

So the FRS is gone now! I sold it and ended up picking up something with a couple more cylinders... 2 more to be exact...Oh, and they are all inline! And mmmmhmmmm is it smooth!

And Now.... The 335is w/ DCT!!!

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First thing that must be done on all my cars is the lights! Got a full LED interior kit ready to rock. Cant stand halogen bulbs. I'll also be figuring out a way to do away with the halogen driving lights that come on only when the car is moving. Those have got to be changed to LED as well. With factory LED rings and Xenon headlights, how could BMW leave those stupid driving lights to be halogen?!

And here is a preview of the full LED conversion!

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Aside from implementing lighting bliss, on the agenda for this summer is:
19" wheels/tires
Coilovers
JB4 (or Cobb)
Intake

I really dont think this car needs anything else! BMW did a great job with this car, I am quite impressed and have no complaints thus far. Scoots pretty good for being stock, haven't ripped around any corners yet but we'll see how she does on the factory RFTs.

335is vs FR-S?
Obviously these cars are NOT in the same class. The FRS being a 25k car and this one being a 60k msrp car. But we'll ignore everything but the driving experience.

The FR-S was actually quite a fun car to drive despite its lack of power. I do miss the 6 speed manual a little bit. Its much easier to be a hooligan with a manual than it is with a Dual Clutch Transmission. Also, the weight. WOW if I miss anything the most, its how light and nimble the FRS was. And how you could just throw it into corners and it did not care one bit. You feel very connected to the car and to the road.
The 335is is a very pleasant place to be. Its MUCH more comfortable, the seats are amazingly supportive, the ride is more bearable given our pot-hole infested Minnesota Roads. The engine...oh yes. It has something called TORQUE!!! and I do enjoy it. The Twin turbo I6 is suuupper smooth and it sounds quite nice as well. When pared with the DCT full throttle or on boost shifts give a nasty growl, the rev counter almost instantly drops into the next gear. I'd call it mildly addicting. The straight line fun and the noise is by far much more of an exciting experience than the FRS. But corning is a different story. Not being a full on M3 it doesn't deal with its weight nearly as well as I'd hoped. Its much more of an event taking corners in the 335is than the FRS. It says "hey your going to take 3600lbs of metal and go around that corner? I'll do it but your going to have to work for it!"

Overall i must say I'd rather be driving the 335is everyday as I do than the FRS. The roads here are so bad now its hard to find a place that you can have some fun in the corners anyways. That said, maybe some day I'll build a proper 350whp street monster FRS.

I knew you would not keep the FR-S. :laughabove: I am just a little surprised it lasted as long as it did.

Hey, the FRS with a set of Blizzak tires is a blast in the winter. Spent more time sideways than I did straight.

i know someone that traded in a new GS350 F sport for a FRS. he said it made him feel younger when he is behind the wheel.

There is something about the personality of the cars that makes the driver feel different. Well aside from all the technical differences. Thus far I have got way more complements on the FRS than I have with the bimmer. People just look at it like, eh its just another 3 series. Any maybe its just me but I feel as if I get judged instantly when driving this bmw vs the FRS. The FRS has a more playful attitude and thus gets more playful reactions from other people. The BMW is like... too serious. I'm going find a way to take off the business suite and throw on some sportswear... some how. Maybe some M3 bits, a mean set of wheels paired with a proper stance. Settle somewhere in the middle. Kung fu fighter or something.

Always liked BMW 3-series Coupes, but the FRS (or in my case GT86) just looks much more fun (like you said a more playful attitude) & in my opinion is more fun :)
But hey, too each his own and i do like your 335is, like you say, with the right amount of "stance" & a nice fat pair of wheels it'll throw the "business" right out the door ;)
I'm curious on how it's going to look in the end!

Grtz