Should I go FI?
 

I'm mainly seeking advice on whether or not I should even consider FI. Here's all the info, and hopefully that is enough to get some suggestions on whether or not I should start investigating further.


My BRZ is a DD, it is at 10k mi and at this rate I'm going to be putting about 16k mi / year on it. I really wish it had that bit more power, but I'm not looking to go crazy, which is why I'm fairly tempted by the supercharger options.

I don't plan on tracking my car, however I do take long drives down windy backroads with my pedal mashed to the floor.

I want something that is still super reliable as a DD. I would prefer that I could get everything installed & tuned and only really need to deal with basic maintenance. I don't prefer having to regularly be working on my car and I don't plan on playing with tuning myself.

• Should I even consider FI based on my needs?
• If I do supercharge, which is best for mainly DD, and sometimes some fun?
• What added components do I need other than the kit and a tune? Oil cooler? Catch can?
• Do I need to watch my oil temp or other parameters all the time?

I apologize for my noobness but this is all very new to me. Appreciate your responses in advanced.

I can say with absolute confidence: don't boost your DD. Some may have had success, and I got away with it for almost 2 years (on a different vehicle). If the car comes from the factory N/A, any kind of FI will completely alter your car's reliability, maintenance, and driveability characteristics.

I actually use my frs as my DD, and track a boosted 2rz toyota. I do have to work on the aftermarket FI system regularly, and the rest of the components even more.

If you do boost the brz, I guarantee you'll at some point wish you had a second car to daily when your ride is down and out.

Couldn't have said it better myself, especially putting 16K/year.

Do not do FI. If I were you id focus more so on n/a performance mods.

If you boost your daily driver.... You're gonna have a bad time...

Full exhaust, with a good tune, and E85, you'll have plenty and still be reliable. Unless you're me and boosted it anyway.... :p





BTW, since I've boosted my car, I've had it in the shop randomly a hand full of times, but it's still incredibly inconvenient despite being minor. Just Saiyan .

surely with a reputable kit and not excessive boost / power levels then you're going to be fine?

I'd say go with a supercharger of some sort to keep the heat down and consider fitting an oil cooler although unless youre tracking it this isn't a requirement

with a good tune and the right kit then I don't see why the car will be compromised in reliability ?
Just for example I know that Cosworth did a 50K mile endurance test on thier dyno with their SC kit with no issues

Stay NA, acquire project car

I'd say if you have the money, and you've considered the risks associated with boosting, and you're willing to devote more time for maintenance, then go for it.

It's your money, remember.

Op doesn't sound like it...

That right there cries pump those brakes... if you're not excited to roll up those sleeves and put in time, don't waste your time, money, and energy. You'll get frustrated quickly... even if it isn't issues with the standalone FI system itself.

Some of those CARB approved supercharger systems with a locked ots tune may be a possible contender, but still people are having to concern themselves with combating the heat, changing oil more frequently, whether their clutch will hold and last, or even just find yourself upgrading other components that are needing to compensate for the added power which themselves will require additional service.

I'm not saying don't boost this car. I'm saying don't boost this car if you absolutely need it to get to work in the morning and have no other mode of transportation... But you're right, his $

Appreciate all the input thus far.

I already do have somewhat of a project car. It's a classic Range Rover. It has 244k miles and it's British so it breaks down as a feature.

My BRZ is my DD and reliable car I need to depend on.

I think I'm quite swayed into keeping my BRZ stock. It is also making me question whether or not a used Cayman might have been a better way to go to get to that next level of performance. :sigh:

I currently have the Jackson Racing supercharger kit on my DD BRZ, and there hasn't been any issues or extra that I've had to do for the car. I currently just past the 40k mile mark and it's been just as reliable as the day I bought it. That's just my experience, thought you would like to hear from both sides.

I'm really surprised at how many of these threads don't discuss costs as if it wasn't a factor at all.

If you have about $6,000 of disposable income and you want to spend it on making your car go faster, then go FI.

If you don't, don't go FI.

There are MANY FI options out there, and they will almost all be at the mercy of the tune in terms of reliability. With the exception of a supercharger snapping a belt, there really isn't much to go wrong on them aside from install error.

Take this for what its worth:

Been 30k on my sprintex kit. No problems, other than those I HAVE CAUSED. That being said, I have a spare couple of cars so having my car in the shop for even weeks at a time isnt a big deal. OP: if you're going to do this, understand things will happen that you will need to have your car in the shop for periods of time. I use my brz as a daily, but I have a spare daily in the event of emergency. Consider this as both a warning and encouragement to FI applications.

I daily drive my turbo BRZ. My suggestion is if you enjoy working on your car and have the ability to find other transportation to work every once and a rare while then do it. I've been FI 8 months and had a couple issues and only one day I couldn't drive my car to work. About what I expected when I went FI. If you want bullet proof don't go FI

Honestly, this is the wrong car to be adding much power to. There's just no grip at the back. I can't stand how the tires squeal every time I take a mild turn on stock power.

Ask yourself how badly you need the back seats. If you don't think you need them, get a Cayman or do an engine swap on an MR2. Or an S2000? Just something with more weight over the back. If you think you do need them, get an M3 or something like that.

I'd say give it a try. I have 70,000 miles on my vortech kit and 94,000 miles total on my car. It's my only car and DD. I drive like 33,000 miles per years and beat on it daily on E85. Still runs like new.

Though after all that, I would say that I have a really tiny oil leak to the right side of the engine near the cam shaft cover plate. But it probably only leaks way less than 4oz of oil every 7,500 miles. You may have better luck than me.

That's good to hear. Most JRS guys have similar experiences?

Wait, did you just say frs is too squirley, so get an s2k instead? Lol

Is this the cam block off? I know there are several aftermarket sources selling a better plate with a gasket to seal. Takes 10 min to change

At high speed the S2000 is squirrely because its aero sucks, but at low speed it hooks up better doesn't it?

Simple tire change to a better compound and a tiny bit wider cures that problem. Its a well known fact the Prius tires are crap unless your looking to drift everywhere. But its an easy fix, no need to swap to a different chassis. And if somebody is going FI I would hope they upgrade tires.


This car is the perfect car to add power to, you just need to go about it the right way by adding things to keep traction and handling on par.

I guess I'm coming from an MR2 where even with tires that have much less grip than the stock Michelin on the FRS the rear feels way more planted.

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Not the cam block off. It's at some odd ball position at the side of the engine. The shop I took it to said it required full engine removal. They would have to take off the cam shaft cover and a few smaller assemblies at the side where its not accessible in the engine bay. :bonk:

Definitely crappy, but a great opportunity for an engine build