BRZ stock +
 

So while going through the forums I've noticed a lot of guys going for the "sti" version. While this was my initial intention, I've decided to go another route.

I came from an 08 sti hatch that was putting down close to 400whp. While it was fast and fun, I never could enjoy it. Bugs seemed to keep popping up, and I was always more nervous about driving it than I ever enjoyed it. So I sold it (and lost my ass) and bought the brz w promises of a fun car that would be reliable and get decent gas mileage ( I was getting 16-18 mpg)

I took delivery of my dgm premium mt brz in July. It didn't take long for the parts list to get quite long. At that point I sat down w a friend and we went over my plans for the car. It was then that he asked me what I didn't like about the car. This really opened my eyes as I couldn't think of one thing I didn't like functionally. Sure we could all use more power but even then it wouldn't compare to my sti. So we came up w a new plan. Stock+

I decided to build my car as I think it should have came from subaru. While my mods are in no way extreme the overall effect is amazing. Here's what I did:

Eibach sport lines on stock strut: 1.4" drop

Took the stock wheels off and sanded and painted them a satin black

Added 20mm spacers f/r to get flush

Drop in k&n filter

Invidia q300 catback

Perrin 2" shorty antennea

Tinted windows

Debadged trunk

Twm Abrams shift knob

I think the overall result is amazing. I've had guys come check it out knowing something was different but they can figure out what. This is exactly what I was going for. Most want to know why mine looks better than their stock car and then I hear the sweet words "this is how it should of come"

For those not looking to sink 10k into their brand new car this is a great alternative. I have around 2k into mine and all i still want to do is the side markers, taillights, and the rest of the exhaust (up pipe, over pipe, header.)

I'll try to post some pics later since I can't from my iPhone.

Honesty there's not a lot I want to do either but side markers a must. And I refinished the front interior panels but not a lot needed at all

OEM+ is the way I'm going with mine as well. We have a couple of members here who went/are going that route, one of my favorite builds is @switchlanez :thumbsup:

Sounds a lot like what I've done to mine. Simple mods that just enhance the vehicle. Nothing extreme. Here's what I've done in comparison:

Tinted Windows
Perrin 4" Slash Exhaust Tips
VG Antenna
8" subwoofer
Eibach Sportline
20mm wheel spacers
Reverse Camera
WeatherTech Floor Mats
Debadged Trunk
and I have Plasti Dip Glossifier but am waiting for weather to clear up before I plasti dip my wheels gloss black.

Mine is oem+
I bet most non car people cant even tell what ive done but ive already spent over 3k. All cosmetic mods
Its the little things that counts for me

Ill be stock engine and handling till warranty is over or its time to change the tires

Pics? I'd like to see this "stock +" in all her BRZ Majestiness...

Perfect route, same thing I did. Now I just love crusing trying to get my mpg up. :)

That's "stock+" for "needs moar low and flush" crowd. Sounds like "Stock-" to me, I'd be worried about making handling worse.

stock+....i like it. guess i can say i went the same route. debadged trunk, tints, and replacing the horrible orange side markers i think are the easiest and biggest appearance improvements.
it didn't even cross my mind to make stock rims flush w/ spacers....i think i'm going to steal that idea haha!

I'm running Sportlines on stock struts and I hate the ride quality; the stock struts are too soft for the Eibachs. A set of Koni yellows would fix that, though!

I've got $10k+ into mine and it's still mostly stock... I'm a huge proponent of the OEM+ philosophy.

I'd like to see the pics with the spacers too... Sounds interesting; however, I must admit that I feel the car lacks an aggressive "stance" with the stock rims... They look VERY narrow when you view the car from the back; however, I'm also not wanting to fork out extra $$$ for offset tires for that "look" so it will probably be an upgrade to 8" all around from the 7" if I do anything with replacing rims.

Anyway, back to the issue... My mind thinks that spacing the existing rims further apart will make the tires look more narrow.

:happy0180:

Check the build thread in my sig for spacer pictures.

20mm front and 25mm rear.

yea the tires are really narrow...i had to fight urges to get new rims/tires. simply going to keep the stock rims and put winter tires on them. spring/summer i'll have a better looking stance, wanted to get through my first winter stock just to learn how my first RWD car behaves

edit: checked out the build thread, really like the way the flush stock rims look. thanks for the info

Better for resale and reliabilty.

That's basically what I have planned, I guess mine would be a little more than Stock+ though.

So far I've done side markers and drop in filter, and I still have planned:

Smoked Spyder tails
Works ABM Axleback
Hyper Black Wheels/tires + springs (buying a set of 18x8's from a fellow FT86 Clubber)
Tint
Shorty Antenna

And debating an ECUTEK flash just for my own personal enjoyment of a little more power.

I've decided that I very much want to go for the whole silver/black theme, hence the smoked sides/tails, and black wheels. I think the colors complement each other very well (I'm also an Oakland Raiders fan, so there's that aspect too. :P)

Couldn't see the "skinny" on the tires with the flaps... Over all car looks good though!

Nice! I also have an STi that has some more mods to it, and for my BRZ I decided that OEM+ was the route I wanted to go as well.

My mod list so far.

Apexi drop in air filter
Whiteline front camber bolts
Whiteline rear subframe bushing inserts
Kartboy trans bushing insert
STi clear corners
Tom's tailights
TRD steering wheel
Winmax W4 brake pads
Motul fluids in trans and diff

I do have plans for wheels, tires, and suspension but I won't be going crazy with it. Minimal and fun mods. The STi will be saved for the more crazy mods haha.

Thanks,
Rick

Right now my OEM+ list is this so far
Stitched OEM Gauge Cluster Hood

JPM Coachworks Alcantara Cluster Hood
armrest( for comfort )
Perrin shorty antennae 2"
Reverse Camera
JDM smoked side markers with yellow LED
swapped out fog and interior lights with white LED lights
got 6000K HID bulbs for head lights
Flat Black vinyl wrap on the dash pieces

I have a couple more idea's for the interior part but exterior nothing more planed yet.

I actually like the side markers on a white BRZ. I need the color contrast instead of everything just looking white. On any other color I like the white side markers. I do want to replace the stock fog lights with something that matches more to the stock HID's. Can anyone recommend which bulbs to buy for that?

I completely agree that the ride quality has gone down. I think it handles a little better but it's much harsher and less forgiving. I decided to just use the stock struts until they went out and then do the koni yellows.

By spacing the stock wheels out w a drop it actually makes the tires look better. U can't see the profile unless u were laying behind the car lol.

I'm glad other people have had this idea and like the results. I'll get pics up here tomorrow after I clean her up

I got these for the Fog list without going HID

http://www.diodedynamics.com/store/l...leds-pair.html

Their no brighter then the stock ones but you'll get the look you want with them.

This is more or less what I plan to do / have done already.

What I got right now: ~1k spent (I don't remember / can't find the receipt at the moment for the window tinting)

Perrin inlet hose $135.02 (that noise generator had to go asap)
Perrin drop in filter for stock airbox $60.80
Perrin shorty antennae 2" $36.34
Perrin fat black shift knob $60.33
GrimmSpeed license plate relocation kit $91.91
GrimmSpeed hood struts $142.21
Helix smoked side markers $69.99 (ebay)
Window tint - Carbon 35
WeatherTECH all weather mats (these things are worth 10x their weight in gold, particularly if using this car as a DD)

*All listed costs are included with price of items, such as shipping etc.

What I plan for the future as funds enter my wallet.

Performance: This comes out to roughly 5.5k if I factor in 10% for shipping costs
Eibach Sportline lowering springs $223
Camber bolts $36 (rear)
Crash bolts (front)
Enkei RPF1 17x8" black $1064
Michelin PSS 235/40zr17 $812
Whiteline adjustable rear sway bar 16mm $333
Whiteline adjustable front sway bar 20mm $270
Cusco rear strut tower brace $190
Cusco front strut tower brace w/ master cylinder brace $267
Cusco engine room adjustable powerbrace $432
TRD airbox (deletes Perrin inlet hose) $365 (ebay)
Perrin 2.5" resonated/catted catback exhaust + polyurethane hanger kit $955

Cosmetic: Looking at ~1.3k after shipping estimate of 10% plus whatever costs I incur for the DRL and headlight mods.
Valenti smoked tails $369 (ebay)
Valenti black 3rd brake light $235 (ebay)
DIYish smoking out of the DRLs to match my Helix smoked side markers (unknown cost atm)
Black out chrome pieces of the headlights (I'll link the thread about this when I find it) (unknown cost atm)
JPM Coachworks Knee pads & speaker covers $272
LED bulbs all around $303

Looks like I will have sunk around 8k into my BRZ when all is said and done. :eyebulge:

I plan on leaving headers, front pipe, and over pipe stock at this point in time. Also plan on keeping the oem ecu at least until I am 100% all issues are gone and done. I have already had mine to the dealer for CEL issues and it is 2/3 of the way for qualifying under the Texas Lemon Law.

Edit: Added a couple things I forgot and prices.

THIS. I knew I was leaving something else off my list :bellyroll:

My list is short:

Perrin inlet hose
JDM Exhaust Tips
Reverse Camera
Window Tint
WeatherTech Digifit

That's it!

Just looked up those Helix Smoked Side Markers...those look awesome!! I definitely need to get those now.

Wasn't the point of this car was to make it your own? Everybody will be doing their own OEM+ one way or another. I know what I'm already planning...

I like this insight. After two heavily modified WRXs, I was finding myself more worried about what was going wrong with the car and never wanted to drive it. With the BRZ, it will be so simple that the fear is gone. Simple mods may not make the short term improvements that you get the rush from but I have found simple mods is the key for enjoying your car all of the time.

I just got the Sportlines put on my car about a week ago and I can definitely feel a difference in the ride quality. In fact, it's so bad that I hit a bump on the highway and it scared my gf. lol. I'm a little worried that my struts may have been damaged during the install. How would I be able to tell?

Whenever I go over bumps I can hear something loose on the back wheels. Sounds like it could be something loose in the trunk, but I've checked everything. I'm afraid I may need to get some Koni Yellows. :(

UPDATE: Took it to the shop and the found that the rear sway bar was loose. Took less than 2 minutes for them to tighten it up and now my ride is just as quiet as it was when it was stock. Thankfully it was nothing serious!

This is around the number I came to. My sister who is a major gear head and I were talking about this last nite, is it worth it. Is it worth putting 10k into a car and make it mine style wise and get minimal performance gains. I had a Boxster in 2010 and I would say it is the same driving experience "fun" wise. I am amazed the way I can throw the BRZ around and the way it reacts to my input. The power is a different story but I knew that there would be a big difference between 200 hp (est) and 300 hp. I'm torn, I want to love the BRZ but to do so would end up costing me what I can get into a more performance oriented car like a low miles Lotus, a newer Boxster or 08-10 Cayman. Only thing I think I decided to do was pay off the BRZ in 18-24 months while making some mild changes to the car for now and see how I feel about it when its paid off.

Thanks for the link. I ordered Monday morning and the bulbs came in today. I went with the stage 2 bulbs after reading reviews of people who had said they wished they had went for the stage 2 instead of the stage 1. I think they look 1000x's better than stock!! Check them out!

Also dipped my stock wheels yesterday. The car is on Eibach Sportlines with wheel spacers. 20mm front, 25mm rear.

looks good

Looks good:w00t: I too went with the stage two it was well worth it. I also got the interior lights which look awesome:party0030:

Does Diode Dynamics sell the interior lights as well? They sent me a 10% discount code with my fog light order. I'm thinking of using it exactly for the interior lights.

O yes
http://www.diodedynamics.com/store/l...aru-1/brz.html

I'm planing on getting the back-up lights and the vanity lights to complet the
interior.