Dave-ROR's BRZ thread
 

This likely won't be much of a Build thread so much as an ownership "log".

Current fuel economy stats:
http://mefi.us/images/fuelly/sig-us/131140.png

Original post below the following update links:
My hockey bag will fit afterall: http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showp...6&postcount=12
Things that annoy me with the car, new wheels/tires, random shots: http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showp...0&postcount=57
Some autocross videos and my horrible driving: http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showp...&postcount=120
Installed impreza rear bumper protector and tested more storage limitations: http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showp...&postcount=135
Lots of crap loaded in the car: http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15789
Pics from my trip to Ohio/Mid Ohio raceway: http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showp...&postcount=151
Front wheel studs replaced: http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21563
Brakes after 10,250 miles, plus replacement of the front brakes with the Essex Sprint kit: http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showp...&postcount=156
6 Laps of Sebring International Raceway full course: http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showp...&postcount=163

History/Pics during the first week of ownership: (future pics/info will be in later posts and linked to this post)
Car arrived at the dealership with 6 miles on her, after PDI/gas fill up she had 10 miles. Picked up the car on Tuesday May 29th.

http://www.itrexpo.com/users/dave/brz1rs.jpg
http://www.itrexpo.com/users/dave/brz2rs.jpg
http://www.itrexpo.com/users/dave/brz/IMG_0978.jpg
http://www.itrexpo.com/users/dave/brz/IMG_0979.jpg
http://www.itrexpo.com/users/dave/brz/IMG_0980.jpg
http://www.itrexpo.com/users/dave/brz/IMG_0981.jpg
http://www.itrexpo.com/users/dave/brz/IMG_0982.jpg
http://www.itrexpo.com/users/dave/brz/IMG_0984.jpg
http://www.itrexpo.com/users/dave/brz/IMG_0986.jpg
http://www.itrexpo.com/users/dave/brz/IMG_0987.jpg

The following day, hit 100 miles :P
http://www.itrexpo.com/users/dave/brz/IMG_1074.jpg

Got the car tinted saturday:
http://www.itrexpo.com/users/dave/brz/IMG_1081.jpg
http://www.itrexpo.com/users/dave/brz/IMG_1082.jpg

Some interior pics from Sunday:
http://www.itrexpo.com/users/dave/brz/IMG_1000.jpg
http://www.itrexpo.com/users/dave/brz/IMG_1001.jpg
http://www.itrexpo.com/users/dave/brz/IMG_1003.jpg
http://www.itrexpo.com/users/dave/brz/IMG_1004.jpg
http://www.itrexpo.com/users/dave/brz/IMG_1006.jpg
http://www.itrexpo.com/users/dave/brz/IMG_1007.jpg
http://www.itrexpo.com/users/dave/brz/IMG_1008.jpg

And this is how you stuff two cars in my less than spacious two car garage:
http://www.itrexpo.com/users/dave/brz/IMG_0988.jpg
http://www.itrexpo.com/users/dave/brz/IMG_0989.jpg
http://www.itrexpo.com/users/dave/brz/IMG_0991.jpg
http://www.itrexpo.com/users/dave/brz/IMG_0992.jpg
http://www.itrexpo.com/users/dave/brz/IMG_0993.jpg

I kinda like this shot, not sure why.
http://www.itrexpo.com/users/dave/brz/IMG_1022.jpg

Looking good Dave!


Justin

Congrats Dave! Can't wait to follow along throughout the upcoming years of ownership. :thumbup:

So when the tint was being done I think they scratched the passenger side metal piece between the normal window and the little triangle window where the side mirror is. It's being resolved though I believe.

Wheels/Tires now show as shipped on tirerack's site although I don't really expect to see them until Friday. Ordered Enkei RPF1s in silver 17x8 +42 and 235/40/17 Advan AD08s.

Driving to Miami tomorrow night with the car to get an exhaust made by BRM.

Car will be autocrossed saturday and I will post videos then :P

Sweet! What part of Miami you going to get this done?

Also, AWESOME COLOR Dave, for real... How much mpg does that lawnmower get in between your babies?

South Miami... staying tomorrow night at the Mayfair in Coral Gables but probably wont arrive until 11P-12A or so. Shoot me your number if you want to meet up wednesday if time allows.

Exhaust is going to be a development/prototype piece for BRM who is most known for Nissan exhausts :thumbup: They make some nice stuff!

Lawnmower.. .002? :) It'll be gone soon had to borrow it in between lawn services :P

And Thanks all! :)

No break in period? or believer of a hard break in?

Looks good with the tint

Car has ~470 miles on it at the moment, Miami tomorrow night/wednesday will add ~600 round trip, plus driving it thursday/friday = should have 1150-1200 miles before Saturday morning.. plus the 40 mile drive to the autocross site...

So far the car has broken 4k once (cruising on interstate in traffic didn't feel like shifting so it's hit about 4,400RPM at low load.

Nice Dave! Lovin' it! Keep up the log!!!

I'm glad this BRZ found a good home :respekt:

Looks awesome! Congrats and enjoy!

Hey Dave I was wondering, how does the BRZ compare to the Integra's feeling of never-ending acceleration? Does one feel "peppy-er" then the other?

I know super subjective; but as a fan of both cars I'd love to hear your input.

Looking forward to your ownership. Also have a couple of friends where all the males of the family had Type R's. Champion white, Yellow, & black, so I always pay a little extra attention to your posts lol.

Well since I haven't been REALLY driving it.. :P

The low end torque of the BRZ is clearly better than the Integra, however since I haven't been able to (well decided not to) do the "hard break-in" on the BRZ I have no idea how it'll feel in the upper RPM range yet.

Handling wise, the BRZ turns in better. Overall handling (I'll get killed for this) so far the ITR is better but I haven't beat on the BRZ at all so I'll reconsider that opinion after saturday :P To be fair I have a TON of time with the ITR, it's setup with an agressive alignment, good dampers and a 26mm rear sway bar :P Oh and good tires. This weekend I'll get some time in the BRZ and it'll have the same tire as the ITR, just much bigger :P

The cars feel about the same weight, both feel light although the ITR is ~200lbs lighter.

The ITR feels so much more focused and raw than the BRZ though, that's pretty obvious between the two. Brake feel is similar between them, both communicate quite clearly. Steering feel goes to the BRZ for sure. Both communicate very well through the chassis.

Interior, the BRZ feels a lot smaller, more snug seats, the large tunnel/high center console, etc are make the BRZ feel much smaller. Not to mention the lack of usable back seats in the BRZ :)

The hatch of the ITR is also far more usable than the BRZ's small trunk.

None of that detracts from what the BRZ is though. I bought it as a daily driver more than anything else and it's been great in that role so far.

The BRZ actually feels a lot like my old S2000, just with a lot more steering feel, less urgency (but again I haven't pushed it), more luxury, less noise, more trunk and "back seats". I'd say the car feels like a mix of the S2000 and Miata.

I'll post more after spending more time in the car.

ITRs FTW :P

Looking forward to the post break-in impressions!

Thanks for the pics... WRB is the best color option IMO... Thanks again for posting!!!

BTW nice teg ;)

Loving it Dave! Can't wait to see what you think after some tracking!

ITR: The only FF car I'd consider owning ;)

Congrats on getting your car!

Mmmm.... Yuengling....

I always tell people I feel like I mated my Integra to a G37s and they had a baby: BRZ. That sound accurate Dave?

Love it Dave!!! Congrats again! How many miles do you currently have on her? Also, if you mentioned this, I apologize, but what tint is that on the windows? It looks great!

Hmm not sure I'd say that lol The G35/37 are cars I've never really enjoyed. :)

The car feels more like a mix of the Miata and S2000 but does have extra (although limited) practicality. I'm not sure there's any previous cars that I'd really be able to draw a family tree from for this car.. most likely would be some of the great JDM cars of the 90s but even then it's quite different from those.

By the numbers it seems like a RWD ITR, but in terms of practicality, rawness and the focused nature of the ITR it doesn't compare. On the flip side compared to a G35/G37 it's much more raw and focused, but still with less practicality. Compared to the S2000, it feels similar but is more practical.

Damn Dave, you are racking up the miles...I haven't even broken 400 yet!

The tint looks great! Mines in the Shop getting done right now. Can't wait!

~490 or so.

Tint is 3M Color Stable 35% on the front side windows (and the little triangle windows next to the mirrors) and 20% on the qtr windows and rear window.

Cost of tinting was $240 plus tax. Went with a color stable tint so it would be warrantied against the color changing to purple like cheaper dyed tints will do and to get a non-metallic tint so the keyless, etc wouldn't be impacted (in theory, who knows if that's just marketing bs or not).

Yeah I had over 100 on it in less than 24 hours. If I didn't screw up my back again on saturday it would have had 600-700 on it by now :P

It'll have over 1,000 by tomorrow night. Gotta get past break in for an autocross this weekend :)

:wub:I really hope your DC2 continues to photo-bomb future shoots.:wub:

I've always wanted one, but didn't want to get one unless I could have it as a second car so as not to rack up miles. Easily my all-time favorite car.

Great photos!

nice to see ppl with teggies, i have one too :)

:w00t: I never had the chance to drive the S2000, but I guess my mind compares the fun I had driving my Integra with all the creature comforts that the G37 has. I agree too with mixing some Miata in there as well... The BRZ does have its own quirks that I love that do not compare to the others though! All around just an amazing vehicle with its own "Soul and Passion" that Top Gear only uses to describe Italian cars. :wub:

Looks good. :)

I'll be very interested to see your feelings after you flog it on an AutoX course with those tires and can play with th engine above 4K.

Results and videos will be posted :)

Congrats on the car. Still waiting on mine to arrive to take it for a test drive before I decide.

Hey bud that tint looks awesome! Is that the max darkness we can go in Florida, or could I go darker? Any reason you did not go same % all the way around ?

That's the darkest legal tint in Florida. You can go down to 5% or 20% all around but you could potentially get a ticket. It's unlikely but I've known a few people to get tickets for it before.

Personally I think 5% is way too dark (Limo tint) but 20% all around is fine and probably isn't all that likely to get you a ticket.

Congrats Dave. For some odd reason, I can't see any pics (using firefox)?!!

https://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/browser/

:thumbsup:

Odd.. works in firefox here. The pics are hosted on itrexpo.com maybe your work blocks it for some reason?

Thanks.... I did a quick search and it states the max in FL is

Windshield: Non-reflective tint is allowed along the top of the windshield above the manufacturer's AS-1 line.
Front Side Windows: Must allow more than 28% of light in.
Back Side Windows: Must allow more than 15% of light in.
Rear Window: Must allow more than 15% of light in.

http://www.floridatinting.com/Tintin...ting-laws.html

Am I missing something?

I like the current tint you have now. I may do the same or go darker once I get mine.