Daily Driver + Autocross/Track Car build on a Budget
 

I figured it is time to start my build journal before my build gets carried away. Before I get into that let me start with my past.

I graduated from Mechanical Engineering last year. In my time at university, I was privileged enough to be a part of my schools FSAE team: Western Formula Racing. I learned a lot in my four years on the team as I spent two of them as Engine Manager and my final year as technical director.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-B...14327537_n.jpg

I was lucky to live in the same city as my school so during the summer when everyone left the city, myself and a group of 4 or 5 others typically drove the car every weekend. With all the experience I gained, I became a team driver in my third year, and one of the lead drivers in my last year. Driving a Formula SAE car is an experience I will never forget. It taught me a lot about car control and helped me understand what setup changes could be made to allow the car perform better.

In my last year, the team had their most successful year in 10 years. We placed 16th out of 120 teams at the worlds largest FSAE competition held at Michigan International Speedway. It is a part of my life that I will never forget and I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to do it.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-a...38208383_n.jpg

Now on to my car. I picked my up car - a 2013 BRZ Sport Tech in Black - in mid July of 2013. This is the first car I have ever owned and was very fortunate that the dealer had the exact car that I wanted on his lot. I signed for it one weekend and picked it up the next.

I drove it stock for most of last summer until about fall. My first additions were Red Rally Armor mudflaps, WeatherTech Floor Mats, and some smoked side markers. I added the mudflaps mostly because I would be driving it in the winter and wanted to protect my paint as best I could but I ended up getting a lot of compliments on them and have grown to really like how they look.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-u...-no/2013-12-12

This summer I have started adding more items. I decided to start with power mods first as I would like a full summer of track/autocross with the stock suspension so I can really understand what the car is like and what I want to do in the future.

In the last couple months I have added a K&N drop in filter, Nameless 2.5" Axleback with 5" mufflers, and the Nameless OP/DP combo (see second post for exhaust details).

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-b...-no/Life++-+12

As it sits right now, I am quite happy with it. There is definitely a lot more to do, but being fresh into the working world, this build will be somewhat slow but very methodical. I would like to do brakes at some point this summer but we shall see what happens. I have a tentative route I plan on taking as per @CSG David's advice based on my driving history (see mods list) but any more input on it would be appreciated.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-d...7-no/Life++-+2

MOD LIST

Engine/Drivetrain
K&N Drop in Filter
Nameless 2.5" axleback with 5" mufflers
Nameless 2.5" resonated OP/DP combo with high flow cat
Kartboy Rear Shifter Bushing
Motul Gear300 for tranny and diff

Suspension/Wheels and Tires
RCE Yellow Springs (future)
Front Camber Bolts (future)
Whiteline Rear Camber Bushings (future)

Brakes
Motul RBF600 Fluid
Stainless lines (future)
Project Mu HC800+ Pads Front and Rear (future)
Project Mu Club Racer Front Rotor (future)

Electronics
Elm 327 bluetooth OBDII reader
Nexus 7 tablet mounted over HVAC controls using @calispec's tablet mounts

Cosmetic/Interior/Lighting
30% Tint All Around
Rally Armor Mud Flaps
Helix Smoked Side Markers
Weather Tech Floor Mats
Wrapped Interior Silver Trim Matte Black
Raceseng Signature Shift Knob
Raceseng Reverse Lockout

Nameless Header Back Install and Review
 

After hearing the Nameless header back system and seeing the quality of work that they do, I knew that I wanted that system right away.

I picked up the 2.5" axleback with 5" mufflers earlier this summer. I knew I was planning to add more to the exhaust system in the future so I opted for the 5" as this is my daily driver and I don't want my car to be obnoxious. The build quality was excellent as I expected it to be.

http://www.orangesquiggle.com/public...Znameless1.jpg

Installation was a breeze. I think it took me all of an hour taking my time once I had the rear end in the air. I wasn't 100% sure what to expect for noise as I had only seen videos, but I was not disappointed. The noise level seemed to reach its peak at about 4500 RPM and then engine noise took over after that. But the sound was perfect - not too loud and no drone on the highway. Made me fall in love with the car all over again.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-b...-no/Life++-+12

After only have the axleback for a month, I picked up the Nameless 2.5" resonated OP/DP combo with the high flow cat. I bought it off @BatStig who had already put a ceramic coating on it and only used it for 400kms. Now I wouldn't say I'm a perfectionist, but when I do something I like to do it right the first time. So before I put the OP/DP in, I went out and bought a racing jack, four jack stands, an angle grinder, and some VHT high temp exhaust paint.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-O...9-no/Life++-+9

I removed the entire exhaust system from the header back. Since I drive in the winter, I wanted to protect the exhaust system as best I could. After one winter, the midpipe had a good amount of rust on it already. So I sanded it down to remove all of the rust.

Before:
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-6...9-no/Life++-+7

After:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-e...9-no/Life++-+6

With the mid pipe cleaned up, I put three coats of the VHT exhaust paint on both the midpipe and the Nameless Axleback.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-E...9-no/Life++-+4

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-0...9-no/Life++-+5

While that dried, I installed the OP/DP combo. Jacking up the engine was very easy. I removed the single engine mount nut from the passenger side subframe, placed my jack under the oil pan, and lifted it up about 1.5". With the engine raised, sliding in the OP/DP was very simple.

Reading through the forums, I noticed there were a few people who had fitment issued with the Nameless OP/DP. This was another reason why I took everything off. Doing that I was able to focus on the connection between the OP/DP and the header. I used a brand new gasket and tested for leaks before putting the rest of the exhaust on (LOUD!!). Unfortunately I had a very small leak coming from the middle of the flange (furthest point from the two bolts). I wasn't able to tighten the bolts any further so I took the connection apart and applied a very small (1/8") bead of Copper Gold RTV. This got the job done and I had no leaks.

Putting on the midpipe and the axle back I took my time. I installed them both loosely so that I could align the tips perfectly. When I initially installed just the axleback, the tips were off just slightly but it still bugged me every time I looked at it. With the midpipe and axleback connections loose, I was able to align everything perfectly and tightened everything up without any leaks.

When I first drove it, I didn't drive hard as I had to put the VHT through its curing process. However, today was a different story. With both VHT paint and the copper gold fully cured, I took it for a good drive. With the OP/DP the sound level definitely increased. I would say it is perfect now. Still no drone at all and a very sporty/mature sound. As for a power increase it is hard to say right now. I disconnected the negative battery terminal to reset my ECU so it is still learning a bit. I definitely notice some more power in the dip but again it is hard to tell higher up.

Overall, I am very happy with the Nameless parts I have put on. Build quality way above anything else I have seen, fitment perfect, and amazing sound.

Review of CaliSpec's Tablet Mount
 

A couple months ago, I picked up an ELM 327 OBDII reader, a Nexus 7 tablet, the Torque Pro App, and @calispec's (Kyle) tablet mount.

As an engineer, I love reviewing data, seeing where everything is, how things are working, what can be improved and so on. So this purchase was a no brainer.

I purchased the tablet mount from Kyle as it was the cleanest mount that I saw on the market and it was the right price. He's also a fellow FSAE alum so it is nice to support his business.


The mounts are 3D printed and have no finishing process applied to them. So the finish you get is a little rough and has all the lines in them from the layers of the 3D printer. For me, this did not matter but if you want a good finish a piece of sandpaper and half an hour and it will be nice and smooth.

Installation was very simple. Kyle provided step-by-step installation instructions with pictures that were very easy to follow. The install took all of 15 minutes.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-s...2.29.20+PM.png
Ignore Torque Setup - it wasn't done yet

If the installation instructions are followed, the tablet snaps in and out perfectly with a single hand and is not going anywhere. This makes it super easy if you want to change the HVAC settings at all and you know it's not going anywhere if you take it to the track.

If you have big hands and/or big knuckles I would suggest one modification to the installation instructions. In the instructions, it tells you to line up the mounts to the edge of the trim which you can see in the picture above. With my big knuckles, I was hitting the tablet screen every now and then when I shifted and have had to change the way I hold the shifter to avoid it. There is still about 5mm of space that you could move the mounts back and give you more room. Just 5mm would make it just about perfect.

Overall, I am very happy with the mounts (Thanks Kyle!) and the torque app. If you like seeing what your car/engine is doing, this is a must have.

Here's a little teaser of what I have started this past week. Covering up all silver trim with matte black vinyl.

Before and after:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-b...9-no/Life++-+8

Nice! I'm glad you got the pipe to fit right! My lesson learned: don't be an impatient twat!

Love it! Looks like you had a great college experience

First Autocross Event
 

This past weekend I completed my first autocross event with the Western Ontario Sports Car Association (WOSCA). I wan't too sure what to expect as it was my first time ever racing a road vehicle.

Like mentioned in my OP, I am still completely stock on my tires, suspension, and brakes. My plan is to understand the vehicle and how it handles and then upgrade as I see fit in order to obtain my desired results. My plan is to use the vehicle dynamic concepts that I learned through a vehicle dynamics course called Optimum G (if you have never heard of it check it out: http://www.optimumg.com/). If you are still in university and a part of Formula SAE, I highly recommend you attend this course! But it is open to anyone so if there is a seminar near you and vehicle dynamics is something you want to learn more about I suggest this course.

On to my track day. My goal from this track day was to get a good first impression of how the vehicle handles. I also wanted to understand what the driving aids do. I did my first few runs in Sport Mode. The VSC was immediately noticeable on my first run - the electronic brake distribution (EBD) kicked in rather quickly and I found myself fighting with it over my next few runs.

For my last couple runs, I decided to turn the TC and VSC off (holding the TC off button for 3 seconds). This felt much more natural to me as I was not fighting any electronic aids - what I am used to from driving an FSAE car. My lap times immediately improved by about half a second.

Here is a video of my fastest runs in either mode - the first in sport mode, the second with TC and VSC off.
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXRxNcKLIHI"]July 2014 WOSCA - YouTube[/ame]

For the experienced racers - any positive criticism on my driving is welcomed!

I was amazed at how well the car handled stock. Even the stock tires! They weren't amazing and I wasn't able to keep up to the guys running semi-slicks, but they did better than I expected. I did notice that the car has a tendency to understeer a bit (common for a brz). It wasn't a lot but it was there.

Brakes:
The stock brakes weren't terrible and I didn't notice any fade since my runs were only 50 seconds each. However, I will hopefully be upgrading brake pads and fluid this summer as I would like a little more initial bite.

Tires:
If I want to be competitive, I will need tires. I was about a second off the average time with the stock tires. My biggest problem will be budget. I want good tires but I don't want to have to replace them every summer. Looks like I will be doing some research.

One last thing - @calispec's tablet mount was absolutely perfect for this event. My tablet didn't budge, nor did it bother me when I had to shift. I don't think that there are any other tablet mounts currently on the market that could hold your tablet without moving. Thanks for the great product Kyle!

A couple pictures from last weekends autocross:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-5...h589-no/14+-+6

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/NS...E=w826-h464-no

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-B...s589-no/14+-+2

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-J...h589-no/14+-+3

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-V...h589-no/14+-+4

Just purchased a bunch of detailing products and was planning on using them today. I go to turn on the hose at my new place for the first time - no water. I go to the basement to turn on the valve from there - big leak and I get soaked.

Needless to say, no car washing today = no pictures of a shiny car. Instead here is a video from my last race in my karting league (good battles going on)

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNW0qimi1W0"]Goodwood Kartways CRKC July 16 2014 - YouTube[/ame]

That sucks but hopefully builder will fix asap. You can use mine! They had a reverse track?

Ya I am going to try and fix it myself tonight because we are having a company car show on Friday and I gotta have it all ready to go.

And yes, last week they ran in reverse. I think it will be like this for the next couple weeks at least. Track was a lot of fun reverse.

How did the vht exhaust paint hold up??

Thinking of coating my exhaust with a black paint for the winter time to prevent rust.

So far so good. It has only been about a month now but its held up in the rain/underbody washes and a very hot day at autocross.

I did everything according to the instructions on the bottle including the on car curing process.

For someone who wants to protect their exhaust (especially if you plan on keeping anything stock) I recommend it.

Went to an 8/6 day meet last night with BRZWorld.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-8...-no/14%2B-%2B1

Gave her a good wash this weekend

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-z...640/14%2B-%2B1

Attending my first track day this coming weekend at Toronto Motorsports Park. I ordered some Project Mu HC+800 pads which I was hoping would be in for the track day but apparently they are back ordered until late september.

Looks like I will be running stock pads for the rest of track/autocross season.

Plan is now to stock up on parts over the winter to be ready for fall.

First Track Day
 

I attended my first track day this past weekend at Toronto Motorsport Park (Cayuga). This was the perfect track for my first track day. It was basically wide open besides the pit wall at the last corner. This made me more comfortable to push the car.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-c...-no/14%2B-%2B1

Track/Driving Experience:
I got four 15 minute sessions. My car is still basically stock performance wise - with the exception of the 2.5" nameless header back. I drove with the car in VSC Sport Mode. I wasn't quite comfortable turning TC all the way off for my first track day. However, I did find like I was fighting the TC every now and again.

Likes:
The stock suspension performed great. With some more experience and with the TC turned off I know there is more available from the car. I did notice it did have a tendency to understeer. On the track, I am okay with this as I prefer slight understeer over oversteer.

Dislikes:
BRAKES - They faded within 10 minutes of each track session.
Tires - although the stock tires aren't terrible (I have driven on worse), I know the stock car can handle some tires with more grip.

Rotor after the track day:
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-o...-no/14%2B-%2B1

Here are a couple videos from the track day. I welcome all constructive criticism on my driving. I WANT TO LEARN AND BE BETTER!

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ts-9RNrdyv8"]BRZWorld Track Day August 2014 - Part 1 - YouTube[/ame]

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbTuZ5a9eA0"]BRZWorld Track Day August 2014 - Part 2 - YouTube[/ame]


To do:
Brakes - pads, rotors, fluid, stainless line
Tires - something with more grip

Damn, keep forgetting about the BRZWORLD lapping days. I'm jealous

There is another one already set up for October 4th/5th weekend. Unfortunately I won't be able to make but I also don't think my brakes can handle another track day... especially since I am doing an autocross this weekend.

Was at a racetrack yesterday helping my old FSAE team with some testing and a huge storm rolled in. I could only think of one thing to do:

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-9...-no/14%2B-%2B1

Edited a bit -
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-I...-no/14%2B-%2B1

Picked up some Motul Gear 300 for the trans and diff as well as a Kartboy rear shifter bushing. Hoping to do the fluid swap and bushing install this week.

Went to another autocross this weekend. Still the same setup. Really need to fix that understeer. I think some crash bolts to get a little more camber in the front will help a lot.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTNswxol8v0#"]WOSCA Sept 2014 - YouTube[/ame]

Motul Gear 300 for Trans and Diff plus Kartboy RSB
 

Today I finally had time to do a fluid swap on the trans and diff. After much research, I decided to go with Motul Gear 300 for both items. Most people find that there is no difference having a friction modifier in the diff such as what is used in the Gear 300 LS. When using the same fluid for both, it will also save you about $30 or so. 4L was plenty to do everything.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/q5...M=w616-h821-no

Obviously doing this job on a lift would have made it a lot easier, but on a set of jack stands it was still fairly easy. Motul adds the convenience of a spout to their bottles so you do not to buy a feeder to add fluid.

I still found that I was unable to get all the fluid out of each bottle when filling as there just isn't quite enough room to tilt the bottle high enough. I had about 0.25L left in each bottle without struggling to get a little bit more out. This was not a problem as I just put all the remaining fluid into one bottle to finish off the job and I still had about a half litre left.

After reading through a lot of articles, many people noticed A LOT of metal shaving on their drain plugs for both the trans and diff. For me, I wouldn't say that there was an excessive amount. In the trans there was barely anything and in the diff there was certainly a lot less than what I had seen.

Trans:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-V...-no/14%2B-%2B2

Diff:
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-S...-no/14%2B-%2B1

I was also able to get my Kartboy rear shifter bushing installed. In all my years working on cars, this had to be the easiest install I had ever done. With the car already in the air, it was all of 15 minutes to do the install while lying on my back. Probably would have been closer to 10 if I had a lift.

Thoughts:
With the rear shifter bushing and fluid done, it was immediately noticeable in the shifting. Shifting was a lot smoother - especially into second. I now have no hesitation when it comes to downshifting into second.

Of course though, I want more. Improving shifter feel and removing slop is so easy and cost effective with this car why wouldn't I. Further down the road I will be getting the positive shift bushing from Whiteline as well as Mtec springs.

All-in-all, money well spent!

This past weekend I was able to go to Grand Bend Raceway for a full day of tracking. The track layout was fantastic!

Unfortunately, on my 5th session of the day, my front left pads were gone. Lost braking heading into a corner followed by the sound of metal on metal.

I will be replacing all pads and rotors this week for the winter and be upgrading in the spring.

Pics to follow later this week!

Great build thread, keep it up.

So after a full inspection of the car with my main focus on the brake system, I needed to do a full brake system job. My front pads were down to the metal and front rotors destroyed. The rears weren't terrible but very low on life so I decided to replace them all at the same time. The brake fluid had turned black in the reservoir so I did a full system flush.

Since winter is on the way, I bought OEM pads and rotors. This will now become my winter setup and I will be buying performance pads and rotors in the spring along with stainless lines.

As for the fluid, I went straight for the high temp fluid so I do not need to do a full flush in the spring as well. I was hoping to get Project Mu but I needed to get this work done soon so I opted for Motul RBF600 as I was able to get the fluid that day.

I love working on this car - it is super easy. I was able to do all four corners and fluid in less than 3 hours including time to raise the car take the wheels off and do the reverse at the end. I was in no rush and I ensured every bolt was torqued to spec.

Some pictures of the abuse I applied to the front brakes:

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-9...-no/14%2B-%2B2

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-3...-no/14%2B-%2B1

We are getting our first snow of the season right now and the winter tires are on. Now time to stock up on parts over the winter to be ready for spring.

The big question: RPF1s in 17x8+45 or 17x9+35

Other parts I am expecting to have by spring:
RCE yellow springs
Front camber bolts
Whiteline rear camber bushings
Steel braided brake lines
Performance pads and rotors (TBD)

If you have an opinion on my wheel size I want to hear it!

I did a little black friday shopping and picked up the @Raceseng Signature shift knob plus reverse lockout. The quality of these parts is phenomenal. Everything fit together perfectly.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-y...-no/14%2B-%2B1

The installation process was very easy. The extra weight of the knob has significantly improved shifting feel.

I had been eyeing up some of the Raceseng knobs for a while now but I was always worried about the knob getting too hot or too cold being stainless steel. These new knobs with the delrin cover are perfect.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-5...-no/14%2B-%2B2

Finalized list for the spring:

Enkei RPF1 17x9+35
Hankook Ventus RS3 V2 245/40R17
Racecomp Engineering Lite Package (springs, camber bolts, camber bushings)
Project Mu HC+800 brake pads
DBA Slotted Rotors
Stainless Lines

Looks great man. Really shows you that the stock brake components were not made for abuse lol.

absolutely. I am surprised they lasted that long - 40,000km of DDing, 2 autoX, and 2 track days