Killboy & Killgurl's Supercharged FRS and Turbo BRZ by Forged Performance
 

Starting with a stock 2013 and FRS, and lightly modded 2013 BRZ Limited, we're going to be working with Forged Performance to modify them extensively to be the ultimate Dragon slaying 86s over the next couple of seasons. I've began posting updates on a specific Facebook page I made for the builds, but had a few requests to start a thread here as well, so here we go...

The cars:

Cosworth supercharged FRS current form:
http://i.imgur.com/i3zSWOdh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/TS4adJWh.jpg

Engine:
Cosworth Stage 2.0 supercharger kit
Manley 10:1 forged pistons
Pauter forged connecting rods
Upgraded valve springs
ARP head studs
Custom oil cooler
Crawford air/oil separator
Battery relocated to trunk
Tomei UEL header
Invidia overpipe and resonated front pipe
Invidia N1 cat-back exhaust
ECUtek custom tune by Sharif Abdelbaset at Forged Performance in Marietta, GA USA

~260whp
Dynochart coming...

Drivetrain:
ACT 6-puck clutch with lightweight flywheel
Driveshaft Shop 600hp half shafts
Motul Gear 300 transmission and differential fluid
Carbotech RP2 brake pads front/rear
Stainless brake lines
Endless RF650 brake fluid

Suspension:
ISC race-valved coilovers with 6k springs
Whiteline bushings all around - everything they offer
Whiteline roll correction kit and caster kit

Interior:
JVC Arsenal head unit with reverse cam
Memphis Audio interior speakers
Custom sub box with four 8" Alpine subwoofers
Massive Audio 5-channel amp

Exterior:
RKsport fiberglass hood with scoop
Axis 18x9.5" +45 wheels
RallyArmor mud flaps
Buddy Club tail lights
Valenti lower brake/tail light
Blacked out stock headlights
OLM Bi-xenon HID fog lights with 3000k bulbs
Plasti-dipped roof

http://i.imgur.com/CcSESVDh.jpg

In stock form, picked it up with 13k miles...still had the original tires on it.

http://i.imgur.com/pFibnr5.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/5v7puTs.jpg

The AVO turbo BRZ in current form. We picked this car up with 7800 miles, already had the wheels and lowering springs but that was about it.
http://i.imgur.com/QFQrz13.jpg

(Older shot with the gold XXR wheels. Tail lights are actually blacked out now)
http://i.imgur.com/BWKjVCHh.jpg

Engine:
AVO Stage 3 turbo with billet wheel upgrade and a giant AMS intercooler from a WRX Sti kit
Manley 10:1 forged pistons
Manley forged connecting rods
ARP Headstuds
Injector Dynamics 850cc fuel injectors
Mishimoto Oil Cooler
Crawford air/oil separator
Greddy 3" cat-back exhaust
ECUtek custom tune by Sharif Abdelbaset at Forged Performance.com in Marietta, GA USA
Accusump 2qt oil accumulator
Tial BOV
Tial External Wastegate on custom modified AVO UEL header
Moto East Flex Fuel kit

+400whp
Dyno Dynamics Dynochart on pump gas.

https://i.imgur.com/uUQtNNK.jpg

Drivetrain:
ACT 6-puck clutch and lightweight flywheel
Driveshaft Shop 600hp half shafts
Motul Gear 300 transmission and differential fluid
Carbotech XP10 brake pads front/rear
Stainless brake lines
Endless RF650 brake fluid

Suspension:
ISC street-valved coilovers with 8k springs

Interior:
3x PLX Digital Touchscreen Gauges mounted in sun visor - Oil Temp, Oil Pressure, Boost
OEMAudio+ system upgrade with 8" sub and CF speakers
Custom painted marbleized blue/black dash plate

Exterior:
Seibon "Ts Style" hood painted to match except for the vent slats
Blacked out interior chrome parts of headlights and tail lights (stock)
Valenti lower brake/tail light
OLM Bi-xenon HID fog lights with 3000k bulbs
Black plastic lip kit and diffuser
Wheels are Gram Light 57Transcend 18x9.5 +39 with 265/35-18 tires all around
(Previously Gold XXR "527" 18x8.75 wheels)

http://i.imgur.com/X0Cim1Hh.jpg

First up for the FRS was the basic ECUtek tune to add the RaceROM features by Sharif from Forged Performance.

http://i.imgur.com/BBbjd25.jpg

Then the Invidia cat-back arrived. It's not much lighter than stock honestly, but a damn sight better looking, and should be freer-flowing of course. The flanges are reinforced and a work of beauty.

http://i.imgur.com/DpHbWrd.jpg

The optional burnished titanium tips go great with the white finish I think, and the sound is very reasonable for someone looking for a little tone without getting crazy. Very rich, mellow tone and not much louder than stock. We still have all of the stock exhaust ahead of this for now, including the stock catalytic converter which is fairly restrictive. We will be replacing all of that with upgraded pieces soon including a race-cat, so stay tuned for more updates and sample videos!
http://i.imgur.com/WZ2vo17.jpg

New Tomei UEL headers came in today
http://i.imgur.com/Q5ecVuQ.jpg

Shiney but they will be professionally wrapped to minimize heat transfer to the oil pan which they will practically wrap around.
http://i.imgur.com/fAViP3w.jpg

I went with Unequal Length design because we wanted to have that distinct boxer rumble. Not quite as efficient as Equal Length setup, but very close and these are very well-made and give a little more torque typically than EL.
http://i.imgur.com/LZK9jqa.jpg

Dem welds...like a stack of nickels.
http://i.imgur.com/Yiw4xio.jpg

This week we install the headers and get it dyno-tuned. Stay tuned... ;)

Performance Vids


ECUtek RaceROM feature demonstration
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONQSXDAr9A0"]Scion FRS / Subaru BRZ ECUtek RaceROM Feature Demonstration - YouTube[/ame]

Stock with factory tires
[ame]http://youtu.be/M7cRKiVdATg[/ame]

Subbed. I drove the dragon for the first time the last weekend in November and was disappointed you guys weren't out there. There's always next time though, good luck with the build!

Yeah we have had more people than usual ask if we were going to be out shooting during the off season this year. Maybe people are finally starting to catch on that this is a killer time to get some play time in on the hill. ;) Too cold and slow for us to be out there all day waiting for something to shoot though, so we take off from Thanksgiving to March.

I can't see the first two or the last four pictures.

Yeah the images shouldn't be hosted on Facebook, that causes them to fail. Host them on imgur or attach them.

Also isn't forged performance one of the shops to avoid? I remember reading about a few people being screwed big time by them. Unless this is a different "forged performance".

Yeah I was afraid of that with the images, I'll work on rehosting them when I get a minute. I don't know of any issues with the shop, if you have any links or sources to people having some issues with them, I would like to see what's been said. They've been nothing but enthusiastic and honest with me.

Looks like the same guy who tuned your car.


http://www.myg37.com/forums/vendor-c...xperience.html

http://jalopnik.com/nissan-gt-r-owne...-tun-504630131

I would REALLY think twice about forged. Good luck with the project though... One of the few things I miss about Georgia is the Dragon being in 90 minutes away :(

Always love visiting the Dragon. Looking forward to seeing yall's car out there!

I will be there with the MR2 Spyder group April 17th-19th and looking froward to buying a couple of your photos of my Spyder to help you pay for your mods! ;)

Lol that kitty in the engine

FYI, we've paid our sponsorship fees (but I don't think our vendor status has been updated yet), so I apologize an advance if I am overstepping with my comments.

Hi everyone. You've pointed out a couple of challenging issues we've had over the past 10 years of business and nearly 6000 happy current and past customers we have in our database. With respect to these two customers, I have personally and completely settled everything with them to their complete satisfaction and we've become a much better company as a result of what we've learned.

Our current operation is nothing like was even 2 years ago. We have almost zero employee turnover, and absolutely the best technicians and support staff in the industry. I still personally tune every single car that leaves Forged, and I physically put my hands on every aspect of our operation. From engine assembly, to transmission assembly, to tuning and simple bolts on's all done in house.

The reason I wanted to work with Darryl on his FR-S is two fold. First, I can't think of any driver that regularly pushes his cars harder than him. And those of you that have seen him drive know exactly what I am talking about: Fast, smooth, precise. He operates his FR-S in two modes: Idle....and redline. And he does this every single day...no joke. Second of all, he is a friend...first and foremost, and never once asked anything of me. He has an authentic passion for all things motorsports. He calls them like he sees them and that's all we ask.

Darryl knows all about our history...the 99% good stuff like the numerous track records we've broken in the road racing/time attack scene, the dozens of 1000whp+ GT-R's we've built, the students I've instructed in high performance driving, the countless Subaru's, Nissan's and Evo's that I've personally tuned over the years with a zero failure rate...the fact that we've been business for almost 10 years with the same ownership and same company name. And he also knows about the fraction of a percent of our customers were I personally fell short, or didn't as good a job as should have, or where me or my staff made a poor decision. I never blame anyone but myself when things go sideways since I am ultimately responsible for everything that leaves my shop. Everyday, I make certain that the high quality continues at Forged.

Darryl started this thread for the community at large. He speaks for himself, but I just wanted to set the record straight and hope you all enjoy the feedback he'll provide. Like i mentioned earlier, you'll be hard pressed to find someone that will cane the FR-S like he does. :) It will be very entertaining and fun to watch...I can assure you of that. :burnrubber: Headers will be installed tomorrow and I'll be tuning on the dyno Thurs/Friday. Stay tuned for before/after results.

This should be a fun journal to keep up with !
Looking forward to following your experiences as the car progresses.


The tuning business can be harsh and its easy to dump on someone based on what you read or heard without any firsthand perspective. While I've never been a Forged customer, I've spent many track weekends with Sharif and he is a class act period. Incredible driver who coaches without hesitation and I've seen him help repair complete stranger's cars in between sessions. I think we are lucky to have both him and Darryl join our ranks and we will all be the better for it.


Howard

Don't believe a word this liar says. I've also spent some time at 4000RPM playing with launch control. ;)

I felt it was best if Sharif came in and spoke for himself, thanks man. As someone who runs their own business, I know that the more customers you have, the more likely you are to get that occasional difficult one, that just happens to also line up with a sub-par job. You do your best to control the damage to your business, (or douche out and change the name/start over) and try to keep the customer at least from wanting to burn your house down. So I hope that clears up the drama, and we can move on.

I moved all of the images over to Imgur for hosting now, so let me know if any of those don't show up for you.

Over the next couple of days I plan to shoot some video interior and exterior of the cat-back exhaust, (nothing break through there I know, done to death, but I want to cover all aspects of the build) then we mount up the headers and throw in K&N drop-in filter for now, get it on the dyno and tuned. Plenty of pics/vids of that process as well as my driving impressions forthcoming.

Beyond that the ultimate goal is to upgrade a lot of the suspension bushings, then install coilovers, then wheels/tires, then forced induction. (leaning toward Cosworth S/C) Then probably go wide-body later in the season. Along the way there are lots of little upgrades that will be done optionally, like shifter upgrades, aesthetics/lighting/etc, minor functional stuff like hood props, and I'll be posting up little video reviews along the way of my impressions and us playing on the Dragon of course. It should be neat to compare the videos of the performance of the car as they progress from stock to beast. :D

So that's the plan, I hope it contributes positively to the community in some way. Stay tuned!

So we loaded up the FRS so I could head down to Forged Performance in GA to get the Tomei UEL header installed and get my first dyno tune. I also have a 4g63 Evo 8 motor that I'm going to have them refresh, so if any of you have ever wondered if you can fit a 4g63 in the trunk, the answer is yes....although you need to remove the spare tire. Wife for scale. ;)

http://i.imgur.com/tAotRi7.jpg

When I got there, shop tech Greg was finishing up a beautiful wrap job on my new manifold. I love the little safety wire curly q's where the ends are. :P

http://i.imgur.com/gb3awQB.jpg

The new header is about 10 pounds lighter, and I didn't realize we would be losing one of 2 cats, so much better breathing now.

http://i.imgur.com/dXvM2eS.jpg

Just to remove as many breathing restrictions as possible for now, I also had them install a K&N drop-in filter in place of the big restrictive stock filter.

http://i.imgur.com/MzQu2p7.jpg

Time for tune!

http://i.imgur.com/WEH5RPj.jpg

Sound Sample
[ame]http://youtu.be/wOUujdp0hWs[/ame]

We ended up gaining 20 peak hp, with big gains of course in the dreaded 4k dip.

http://i.imgur.com/IdHdrpt.jpg

Even bigger gains on torque thanks to the unequal length header design. 30ft/lb gain in the 4k dip!

http://i.imgur.com/tVTc6L9.jpg

And here's a summary:
Pink is Invidia cat-back, stock tune.
Green is Tomei UEL Header + Invidia cat-back, stock tune
Orange is above + Final tune by Sharif
http://i.imgur.com/pvZyXJH.jpg

We still have the restrictive stock overpipe with cat in place, and he's pretty certain that replacing it with a better overpipe+race cat should boost that high RPM drop off near the end and get us very close to 200whp, which is very respectable on a dyno that does not give up numbers very easily.

He also sharpened up the fuel pedal response so it is very snappy right off tip-in from idle now. I'm having to adjust to the aggressiveness, but the car really leaps out of turns.

I reset the Avg. MPG tracker and on my 2hr drive back up to NC from GA, I averaged 29.6 MPG and that included a healthy dose of enjoying my new-found power and sexy, swingin' sounds while pulling away from redlights etc. He also included an "Eco" tune that I can switch over to and get even better fuel mileage at the cost of total power, but I was having too much fun to try that mode out just yet. Maybe later. ;)

Ok next will probably be a BUNCH of suspension/bushing upgrades like Whiteline everything, some Perrin pieces like the steering response kit, etc., then we'll be ready for coilovers. Stay Tuned!

Damn that sounds nice! And great gains to match it!

I look forward to seeing this progress!

:sign0012:

Awesome that you're building a FRS now! Seen your s2k's and I hope the FRS turns out just as badass! I know you been wanting one ever since you captured mine haha :party0030:
http://i.imgur.com/3PFLeM8.jpg

That is most definitely inspirational noogin. ;)

Quick video update!

[ame]http://youtu.be/cYT1g3LMFss[/ame]

Looks like you might be shifting a tad early. Maybe it's just me though.

On a scale of 1-10 how loud is the car at cruising speed now? Do people in the car complain or mention it?

You're probably right, I get a little antsy in the moment. I'll work on it.

If stock is 1 and straight pipe is 10, it's maybe a 3-4 right now. We still have one of the stock cats in, so at 60-70mph in 6th you can barely hear it lumping along. Very easy to have a normal conversation, and the only person to really ride in it and give me feedback is my wife, and we both agree it could stand to be more aggressive sounding, but that will come later when the appearance of the car is a little more in line with a rowdier sound. She drives one of the best sounding S2000s we have ever heard, and we live where there are 2 annual national S2000 rallies, so we're both big proponents of good sound playing a key part of the driving experience.

Im going for the opposite, as quiet as possible but eliminate the heavy oem muffler.

Like I said, maybe just me. Usually when I shift into third, the momentum pulls the car to 60-62 before I can let the clutch out in third.

killboy!

I've been up to the dragon for the past 4 years now with the R32 group for wookies in the woods. Originally in my R32, last year in the FR-S and this year will be in a 911 turbo. lol.

I was so stoked when I saw you guys picked up a FR-S! I found the FR-S in stock (power) form to be somewhat tedious on the dragon. 2nd gear was too short in some cases and then shifting to 3rd only kept you in 3rd for a second or two and then you had no torque coming out of a curve if you didn't downshift back into second. Interested in hearing your thoughts and more importantly, a before and after comparison before and after exhaust work and tune.

With that being said, I thought the car was AMAZING on hellbender. Buddy of mine said the hellbender run we did with me leading in the fr-s was the fastest run he'd done through there. It's amazing being able to carry so much speed into turns.

Can't wait to go back again in April. Sure we'll see you up there.

Well then don't get a UEL header and just do something like cat-back. We put the Invidia cat-back on alone at first, and it was just barely louder than stock...although honestly, the stock exhaust from the cat back is not that heavy. There wasn't much difference in weight between the Invidia N1, which is respectably light for a SS exhaust, and the stock exhaust. The biggest weight savings was actually the header, with the stock unit having a pre-cat built-in and all that shielding, it was quite heavy. Aftermarket header typically loses that pre-cat, so you'll get more sound but a major weight savings. If you do go with aftermarket header, stick with equal-length since they are quieter.

But POWAAAAA

I'm kind of used to it with the S2000s being the same way...worse really with their narrower torque/power band. The real savior for me was the RaceROM feature additions with the ECUtek tune. Now that I can flat-foot upshift and it auto-revs downshifts, it's not a big deal to flip up a gear for a second and right back down if needed, where as before I might ride the redline for a second or two just to keep from upshift/downshifting, or I might avoid dropping out of 3rd in a faster bend to avoid shifting and just come out a little bogged down when I really should have been in 2nd on the exit but it would have been a short shift. Now I do whatever shifting needs to be done to be gentler on the motor and have more power coming out.

See you in April! :burnrubber:

Sweet. Looks like those features definitely make it better.

See you then! :party0030:

[ame]http://youtu.be/wSA92B1-mDc[/ame]

Took up the mountain for a drive yesterday. ;)

[ame]http://youtu.be/FtMnySbWQj8[/ame]

This is cool to see. I just took a job that will have me based in Knoxville, so I will be trying to get out to the dragon as much as possible.

P.S. I love your work. Here's one you got of me about 6 years ago

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/d...psanlu3ja6.jpg

(Sorry this was jacked from the weekly highlights)

Last week we did another round of upgrades in preparation for increases in suspension stiffness, tire grip, and eventually power adders by upgrading the rear subframe bushings, diff mounts, steering rack mounts, brake pads, and adding a Crawford air/oil separator. Here are some photos of the progress....

Greg at Forged Performance started to work on dropping the rear subframe...
http://i.imgur.com/4Kmpqwc.jpg

It's not terribly difficult with a lift and the right tools/stands, but not something I would consider easy in your driveway.
http://i.imgur.com/CUkWi8r.jpg

Preparing for the drop...
http://i.imgur.com/Jebmasw.jpg

Separation begins...
http://i.imgur.com/kt3EBxr.jpg

Ta Dah!
http://i.imgur.com/ix7BHT8.jpg

Here you can see the bushings we plan to replace with their upgrade parts beside them.
http://i.imgur.com/0PI7Y38.jpg


http://i.imgur.com/SOniizQ.jpg

The included instructions from Whiteline make it sound like this piece should just fall right out. It does not. He had to deform it and beat on it pretty hard to get it loose. Next time, (and if you have access to one) use press.
http://i.imgur.com/QMpiR7u.jpg

The terrible offender finally out.
http://i.imgur.com/aUCqXo8.jpg

Whiteline included collar went in fairly easy...
http://i.imgur.com/8Df1T00.jpg

Couple of taps just to be sure it was "in there".
http://i.imgur.com/qkyd96O.jpg

Second diff mount was almost as tough...had to take a air saw to it.
http://i.imgur.com/lJ4FFhi.jpg

Both mounts replaced now.
http://i.imgur.com/C4ELkMS.jpg

The stock subframe bushings were really tough to remove, no photos as I was helping hold the assembly steady. Next time, press. ;)
http://i.imgur.com/I8xCtoO.jpg

Next he moved around front to stretch and install the Crawford air/oil separator...
http://i.imgur.com/ogO4Oko.jpg

This unit is really cool, especially for boosted engines but even Normally Aspirated engines benefit. It directs the excess "blow by" vapors from the crankcase into this canister, which is heated using a coolant line from the engine, then swirls the gases very rapidly inside the can, forcing the oil out onto the sidewalls, where it drains down into a collector at the bottom to be returned back into the block. The remaining air and moisture are sucked out the top and back into the intake. Unlike a catch can, it's zero maintainance, doesn't hold oil outside of the block where it's not doing any good, and doesn't produce any odors.
http://i.imgur.com/UpBHC8U.jpg

Here you can see some of the hose routings.
http://i.imgur.com/92d985M.jpg

We also upgraded the pads to Hawk HPS for now. We'll get more aggressive as the power and grip levels go up.
http://i.imgur.com/6OENxDP.jpg

Back under the car, steering rack bushing driver side...
http://i.imgur.com/HKMLTJ4.jpg

And steering rack bushing passenger side. They don't look much different, but the material is poly instead of rubber, and there is a metal insert in the center.
http://i.imgur.com/jNYJ2sS.jpg

Here is a shot of the rear subframe bushing upgrades mounted up.
http://i.imgur.com/zVckpA9.jpg

And a shot of the wimpy anti-sway bar still in there...for now. ;)
http://i.imgur.com/Z4560Aa.jpg

These bushing mods did not make a huge difference in the current setup, and made absolutely no increase in noise/vibration while driving, but they will pay off as we move forward and start to put more cornering and power forces on the chassis with increased grip and stiffer suspension.
http://i.imgur.com/UrFn0cD.jpg

Couple other shots from around the shop...here's a shot of Cary fabricating a cage for a customer's GTR. Fun Fact: Forged Performance prepped and tuned the 4 GTRs they used in the upcoming Fast and Furious 7 movie for stunts and crashes.
http://i.imgur.com/E9QhqXZ.jpg

And finally here's shop dog Brutus using my leg as a bone holder. Hope you enjoyed!
http://i.imgur.com/7v94CVd.jpg

Took the wife up to Cherohala Skyway for a pretty sunset. Not really a build update, I hope you'll forgive me. ;) (Sunset photos in our online store at http://dragonscenery.com)

http://i.imgur.com/is3aUPU.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/aJ3jrmq.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/2J9aOUN.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/1VsDUVi.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/uE2F75I.jpg

April 2015 Upgrades
 

Fresh round of upgrades! ISC Coilovers, Axis Wheels, Cooper 275/18 Tires, and Whiteline Bushings came in.

http://i.imgur.com/zXUvamy.jpg

Quality is really impressive. We went with the "Race" valving vs. "Street" valving, and they sent 10k front/8k rear springs, which are too stiff for me. We ordered some 6k all around since the rear arm has a moment ratio and the rear of the car is slightly lighter. Right now with these 8k springs, it's hard to get the power down exiting corners without spinning the tires. Makes for some nice drifts though! ;)

http://i.imgur.com/0iCjHno.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/dnGoRrx.jpg

They also came with shortened swaybar end-links for the front, since the car will be lowered.

http://i.imgur.com/3kYjJ7M.jpg

Stock front strut weight:

http://i.imgur.com/eCVKEfb.jpg

Saved 4 pounds per side

http://i.imgur.com/SySUY8g.jpg

Rear struts weighed the same before/after.

http://i.imgur.com/zUWB0Mx.jpg

Also installed the last of the Whiteline bushing upgrades...rear control arm bushings (shown) and Roll Center/Bump-Steer correction kit up front.

http://i.imgur.com/wZ8jAGE.jpg

Next comes the bigger rubber...275/18s all around.

http://i.imgur.com/qdg2vRo.jpg

Stock wheel+tire weight...

http://i.imgur.com/WtVZoAj.jpg

After wheel+tire weight. Naturally they're heavier, but the increase in grip makes up for it dramatically. The car is night/day quicker through the turns now.

http://i.imgur.com/ygG1MzQ.jpg

Next Sharif got it up on the scales and made sure each tire was supporting an equal amount of cross-weight.

http://i.imgur.com/OdHYY1G.jpg

Then he broke out the strings and went to work on my alignment...

http://i.imgur.com/z7kYVvC.jpg

Setup is time-consuming and crucial

http://i.imgur.com/zVPx6ux.jpg

It's a fascinating but tedious process of checking, adjusting, checking...

http://i.imgur.com/8crhjOP.jpg

The finished product!

http://i.imgur.com/imbmMso.jpg

The wheels/tires fit almost perfect, much better than I expected. No rubbing up front except at full lock, and just a touch of rubbing in the rear at the plastic tab/seam on the outside fender that "self-clearanced" after a couple of days. Offset is right where I like it...no poke but flush with the fender edge. These are 18x9.5 +45, no spacers.

http://i.imgur.com/gHpKP4L.jpg

My wife decided she liked the car too, so we picked up a BRZ Limited for her that already had wheels, springs, lip kit, and diffuser. Thinking about doing it up in Blue/white and mine in White/blue. Stay tuned! ;)

http://i.imgur.com/5sfrd9F.jpg

Awesome. Had fun reading the whole thing. Keep it going! :)