New here and know nothing!
 

Hi everyone!

I recently purchased a 2014 Raven FR-S on 10/31. So far, I'm loving the car but treating it like a baby for the break-in period (and probably for a while after since I am anal retentive)

This is the first car I have purchased on my own and thus, I want to keep this car for the rest of it's life (and maybe the rest of mine)

I'm 29, I live in Miami, FL, and I am NEW to the enthusiast car world.

Previous cars:
1999.5 Volkswagen 1.8T Wolfsburg 5MT
2006 Mazda 2.3 S 5MT

I don't know a ton about cars, just basics, but I am eager to learn. I've been perusing the forum for about a week know trying to learn about the car, the different mods available, and all sorts of other stuff.

My goals are to mod the car in a very CLEAN and functional manner that limits the risk of damaging anything.

Since the car IS under warranty, I'd like to be able to keep that warranty without voiding it.

I am interested in performance mods but have no idea where to begin, what to do, or how to do any of it.

I've read conflicting reviews on CAI vs. drop in filters, exhaust, etc.

I'm just looking to learn here and I'll probably get flamed at some point for not knowing anything, but go easy on me, I'm new :bow:

Well if you want to keep it clean and with the warranty I would suggest sticking with TRD parts, such as an intake and exhaust. Those two items combined will give you a light bump in power and will make the car a bit more fun as the stock exhaust is almost too quiet. Beyond that, Minor exterior touches go a long way when done correctly. A subtle lip, or spoiler can really make all the difference.

High five, fellow Raven driver :)

If you don't know anything, here's all you need to know: You bought an awesome car ;)

First off, welcome to the forum! This is a good place to find quality information on our cars.

I saw the TRD Parts but have heard mixed reviews on the performance of them. Also, I know a lot of people delete the sound tube, but I LIKE the sound tube. I listen to my car a lot when I am driving to know where my revs are at for shifting and such. I also like hearing the noise in the cabin lol.

Can you recommend some parts? I was thinking of doing the HPS intake tube, with a PERRIN drop in filter in the stock box. I heard that helps a bit. Also, when doing exhaust and Intake do I need to flash the cpu? I don't even know how to do that or what that does.

As for body stuff, I want the WORK CR-KAI in Bronze, I'm obsessed with those wheels. I don't know jack about offsets and all of that either. I was probably going to stick with 17" unless everyone thinks 18" is worth it.

Other question I had was about slightly lowering the vehicle. I don't want to do any serious suspension mods, so the Eibach pro-kit looked attractive to me......do I need to purchase the alignment kit with it too? See I don't know anything about any of this. What are the positives and negatives to lowering it....I do not want a huge drop. 1.0" max is all I would want, just to get rid of the gap a bit.

Haha, well I had a good feeling about that already :thumbup:

Yes, I am seeing that. Thanks for the warm welcome!

Hello Trmx2 ......again ..... :)

Congratulations on your new car!

It's one of the best "right out of the box" cars on the market .... for the price.

It really doesn't NEED any modding ..... just drive it.

However, just don't stare at certain parts too long ..... because:

* the exaust tips will start looking goofy
* the radio antennae will look too long
* the orange side markers will look out of place
* the trunk will look too plain without a wing
* the tires may start being not sticky enough
* the wheel gap will get larger
* the exhaust will become too quiet

It looks just fine ..... it has enough power ..... just drive it!

http://www.runemasterstudios.com/gra...mages/woot.gif

humfrz

A drop in produces gains similar enough to an intake for the price. Plus its reversable in 5 minutes if needed. If you want more sound do this and the TRD exhaust. Its sound super clean and is warrantied if dealer installed.

18s are for looks, 17s are for function (plus cheaper tires).

You do not need an alignment necessarily, but it really does help.

If you want no worry about any part of warranty dont do intake or lowering springs. Unless you will install yourseld and dont mind swapping back to stock. But since this is your first car like this, drive it stock for a while. Learn by reading on the forum, there are gonna be mixed reviews about everything because there are always pros and cons. See what works best for you based on your driving style and go from there. In the mean time get some LED lighting, tint, and clear sidemarkers if you want to clean up the look a bit.

Andv welcome to the forum!

Here's a quick list of the mods I'm considering or have done. You may find this a helpful starting point for your own research.

Stuff I've done:
- Perrin Lightweight Crankshaft Pulley - this is a reasonably simple install if you have the tools, theoretically it helps your car more smoothly generate power, but... it's probably not a significant change either way. Still, it looks cool, doesn't cost much and is a fun tinker. Part is around $85. There are numerous DIY for this mod.

- Subaru Trunk Lid cover - the Toyota car has bare metal under the trunk lid, I bought the subaru carpeted part and put it on. Super easy, very quick. In Theory, this may reduce road noise, but in practice it's a $90 clean-up to your trunk lid.

- Master Cylinder Brace - Very easy install. This part braces the master cylinder from moving in the event that the firewall flexes in heavy braking. For a daily driver, this is useful 0% of the time. That said, it's an easy install and looks cool :) I bought the grimmspeed for $80 or so.

- LED Interior/Trunk lights - the new cabin ight is much brighter, the trunk is not much brighter. Both lights are much more blue now. I got them on Amazon for $12. Super easy install.

- Sound Tube Delete - Really easy. Plugged the hole in the intake with a $2 metal pipe cap from home depot (1.25") and plugged the firewall hole on the inside with the cover of the glovebox 12v socket.

Mods purchased but not yet installed

- Transmission/Shifter Bushings - these will remove some of the flex in the transmission mount, in theory putting a tiny amount more power into the driveshaft and hopefully the wheels. In practice, for a DD, it's gonna add a bit more NVH (noise, vibration, harshness).

- OEM Armrest - This costs about $180, and involves drilling into your center console, but it will result in a leather armrest in the middle of the cabin.

Future Mods

- In cabin sound reduction - I want a bit less road noise in the cabin. I have dynamat and other stuff on the way.

- Headers/Exhaust System/Cold Air Intake/Tune
Gonna do this all at once. I plan to pick up a catted header next summer, do a cat back exhaust whilst I'm down there, install a CAI (like the fa20club) and get a tune to make it all work right.

- Enkei Wheels + Pilot Super A/S/3 - Lighter Wheels + UHP All Seasons

- Braille Battery - Weight savings

- OEM+ Audio. This is a maybe, and is lower on the priority list than the other planned mods.

My goal is to have a reasonably quiet cabin in a well-tired, naturally-aspirated car. It will probably take me about 2 years to get all of this done. Partly because two of the planned mods represent fairly large cash outlays instead of nominal ones.

Ravens are also 2hp faster than all the other colors

Quoting this scientific fact.

A purist I see lol

Well, I DO want to mod it, at least slightly. The wheel gap IS large, the exhaust IS too quiet, and my tires are NOT sticky enough lol. I do want a little bit more oomph in the car, JUST a little bit. I'm not going to start throwing a turbo or supercharge on this.

I want to do some chassis work too....make the car just slightly stiffer. Sway bars, tower brace, etc. Nothing insane. I want to keep the sound tube (why does everyone delete them?!)

I do want a little more aggressive style, but subtle...nothing too overdone. When things start not fitting properly or severely messing with the aesthetics of the car, then I don't want it.

Wheels, nice grippy tires (I live in Miami), a boost in HP/Torque/Performance and sound, and maybe an increase in handling. That's about all I want.

I have the 2014 and the stock upgrade spoiler on it is really nice I won't be changing that.

:lol:Yeah they definitely are.....black is smoother, it cuts through the air quicker. :D

Also! I'd definitely suggest just driving for about 1500 miles or so. My car keeps getting faster as the motor continues to break in. I've got 1800 miles or so now and it's a very different car than the one I brought home with 33 miles.

From what I've read, our motor should finally produce peak power at around 6k miles, so it's a while before it's all the way opened up. Just something to keep in mind.

Did you get a manual, or automatic?

What about this with the drop in filter? [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Scion-HPS-Silicone-Intake-Sound/dp/B00CQHD9R6"]Amazon.com: 13-14 Scion FRS HPS Red Reinforced Silicone Post MAF Air Intake Hose + Sound Tube 2pc Kit: Automotive[/ame]


Can you elaborate a little bit on the springs with the alignment kit that goes with it? I was going to do the Eibach Pro-kit. I don't see that as posing any warranty issues as even my crappy Mazda 3 never had any suspension problems and I drove that car to 128k on stock suspension and springs. I imagine the Eibach springs to be slightly better quality than stock FR-S springs.

I was thinking of the TRD Exhaust and I really like the tips. If not that, I've been very interested in the HKS Hi-power exhaust. I just want everything to look nice, clean, and functional without hindering the car in any way.

What do you recommend for chassis stiffening? Sway? Tower brace? I noticed it has two black braces already connecting from the front shock mounts to the rear engine compartment, I say a car on here that had upgrade versions of those.

......actually, they are slower.

Why? Because, all the dirt they collect, is heavy and it slows them down .... http://www.runemasterstudios.com/gra.../smilielol.gif

humfrz

Congrats on your new car and taking a dive into the tuning scene!

The car hobby is very rewarding and there's nothing like sitting back and appreciating your build as it comes along. The best way to learn is to jump right into it and get your hands dirty. Determine goals for your car, based on what you want it to be able to do. Research a lot and try to do as much of the work as you feel confident doing. Be thorough and persistant, and always do the adequate research before doing or buying anything.

It's gonna be frustrating at times. When you tinker with cars, things always seem to go wrong even with the simplest tasks (i.e. Replacing my mudflap...turns out a bracket was bent and ruined the thread on the screw, ended up spending an hour trying to fix it) but don't be discouraged!

Don't do everything all at once.. take your time to thoroughly enjoy each mod that you do. It's much more satisfying that way. All in all, it's gonna be a fun ride =)

Oh really? My car had 6 miles when I brought it home. It now has 556, I haven't even gotten to the point where I can play with it. I've gunned it briefly a handful of times, just to show my friends/family the cars capability but I drive the car below speed limit everywhere and I am shifting well under 3k rpm and just easy cruising everywhere I go....honestly, I'm driving like a paranoid grandpa. I take speed bumps at like 1mph lol.

I will only ever drive manual, so I got the 6MT, I would've been depressed if this car only had an automatic.

Welcome and enjoy the car! My suggestion before modding would be to enjoy the car stock and learn how to drive it to its potential.

See I'm scared of doing things myself as I've never touched anything other than changing a tire. I KNOW a little about cars, but I've always been nervous to touch anything. I have this weird brain tick where I just don't want to move anything from where it was because then I will always be conscious if I put it back correctly, if it's tightened enough, etc.

I also don't trust a lot of mechanics down here either, I don't even know where any performance tuning centers in Miami are located. I've looked but they all seem to work on Euro's like Mercedes, BMW, etc.

It is frustrating, I just want to take my car to HKS in Japan then get it back a month later lol. Can I just do that?! :burnrubber:

:lol:

I didn't exactly rag on it, but I pretty much brought it home and drove it like I plan to drive it: pretty hard.

I definitely put it under load a few times in the first couple drives to seat the piston rings.

Trust me, by the time you get to 1200-1400 miles, it will feel like more car than you bought. That's partly comfort level with the car, but the other piece is the motor opening up.

Don't be scared. It is one of the most satisfying feeling after installing something on your car. All the frustration, cursing, throwing tools against the wall/ground during the install are quickly forgotten once it's done. :D

I'm really excited now! lol We have this small strip of road with some mildly banked winding turns right next to a canal (with a very large and strong guard-rail lol) and I've run down that a few times whilst giving it about 95% throttle (I'm kind of conservative) and man the car handles really well, it hugs the shit out of the banked turn too. I actually feel the car SINK into the turn which inspires a lot of confidence and provokes me to give it more gas into the turn.

I'm also new to RWD vehicles, so I need to learn how to handle it a bit...we don't have a lot of options down here for tracks and such, or at least none that I know of.

I want to get some good performance driving lessons under my belt. I'll be 30 next year, sounds like a good gift for me. lol

That's why there's torque specs! Get some tupperware to organize nuts and bolts as you take them off to remember where they go. Take progress pics with a digicam if you need to backtrack. Pro mechanics aren't superhuman or anything. They just have experience. Go out to local meets/cruises and make some friends in the scene! Us enthusiast guys are usually more than excited to talk about cars and share our knowledge. With some determination, you'll be a pro in no time.

Ok, so assuming I'm not buying any actual engine mods now. What are some things I can do in terms of chassis stiffening, and such? I've seen the sway, strut, and tower options and I've heavily considered some, also they are relatively inexpensive and since I'm now making car payments, I can't be throwing too much money into the car all at once.

Any one have any experience with the HPS Silicone Tubing mixed with a drop in filter like the Perrin Filter?

Also, what are other things I can do.......better performance oil? Gasoline? There is a station here that sells 95 octane. It's unleaded and meant for auto's so I was considering even trying that too.

I see you've owned some of my favorite cars too. Miami is a different animal at times, some of the "enthusiasts" here are elite assholes. When I had my 1.8T I was in a VW club, many of the members were pretentious bastards that would mock you for not knowing anything. I DON'T know anything and I'm not ashamed to admit it, but I want to learn and I would like someone to just be like "hey man, let me help you..." lol

I suggest you jump on your local sub-forum for some leads on good shops.

Also, a local FR-S/BRZ club may be helpful.... :thumbsup:

humfrz

My theory on getting a brand new car on modding:

Drive the damn car. Drive it hard. Then you will begin to realize where YOU want to make improvements. Intakes and such are going to, in my opinion, for the most part, leave you disappointed.

The single biggest improvement anyone can make to their cars is tires. Get some sticky rubber and you'll far improve your car's performance more than an intake.

I'm in Miami. Previously owned a VW R32.

:cheers:

Hey Mike, where in Miami are you? I plan on driving the car plenty as it's going to be my daily driver. I definitely want some good wheels/tires for the grip, and I'm aware that it really increases the driving performance of the car. Motor Trend actually did a really nice video review where they drove the car with stock setup, then with some performance tires and wheels and shaved off 1.8 seconds from their track time.

There is really no need for a silicone inlet yet, and better brands then what you are looking at anyway. All they do is keep temps down which wont really benefit you right now. As far as oil, OEM is never wrong. You will get 100 different opinions on oil from 99 people, so YMMV. Gas, nothing higher than 93 will really benefit you as the car is not tuned for it.

DO NOT mess with the suspension. There is no need. Every suspension mod will change the cars handling charactoristics. If it does not suit your driving style you will hate it and it could be dangerous. Some people like understeer, some oversteer. It all depends. Drive it stock and learn what you want from the car. Read part reviews and figure it out from there or ask specific feedback in tech sections to get appropriate respsonses.

I put on the Subaru underbody panels that (as I understand it) are standard everywhere except US & Canada. In addition to reducing drag a little, my impression is they significantly reduced cabin noise.

[ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnuson%E2%80%93Moss_Warranty_Act"]Magnuson–Moss Warranty Act - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame]


They can not, by law, void your warranty for aftermarket parts without proof. They have to prove that the part caused the damage.


Now that doesn't mean you can get a turbo kit and get the boost all turnt up and expect them to warranty the drivetrain. But it also means that they can't void the warrant for the engine because you installed coilovers, or the transmission because you have a K&N intake.


But Just like you I'll be picking one up for my birthday as well coming Feb.

Welcome, sir. I hope you are able to figure out what direction you want to go with applying additional upgrades to the car. Do you know what you want to start with? Do you have a budget in mind off the bat or are you thinking of incrementally building the car up?

Just drive the car stock for a few months. Id recommend eventually doing some suspension and bushing upgrades. Those will be the most fun. The stock shocks are surprisingly phenomenal. I have swift springs that actually did tighten the car up a bit and gave it the much needed drop. For now... the best of the best go fast upgrades have not been produced in my opinion. The platform is far too new.

@Trmx2 welcome! Some folks worry too much about modifying their car from day one. Consider spending 6-12 months with it, getting to know the car, then you will feel what needs to be changed to suit your personal preferences. Sometimes all it takes is a different rear-view mirror (look up "frameless mirror" it looks way cool!) or interior color (look up "black interior panels").

That's cool and all, but for a street car maybe lap times are not the most important factor.

Food for thought. :cheers:

Palm Beach, Homestead, Sebring, Daytona.

Skip Barber.

Hello names Statz got an Frs 2013 firestrom red new to the car world. how do u go ab making posts thanks looking for new car friends from WASHINGTON PA AREA

That sounds awesome. Can you share a link or part number?