Newbie...
 

I just got my FR-S over the weekend and I am already starting to research for a forced induction application. I have never truly mod car prior, just small items like chipping and intake and exhaust.

I am trying to figure out the dependability of these forced induction system from real life users.

The FR-S is going to be my everyday car. I do not raced or anything, but would like the power.

The shop i called was being honest and stated that he would not do it for the FR-s is pretty good stock as is and and majority of the power i will get is going to be from 4000rpm and up which i would hardly ever use on daily driving unless i like paying $4 a gallon for gas.

Your feedback is truly appreciated!

Thx.

Hello and welcome.

My only suggestion is to get thru the break-in period and truly test the cars capabilities before you decide what changes you might or might not want to make. It's really a very enjoyable car right out of the box. There's a lot to be said about: "It's more fun to drive a slow car fast than it is to drive a fast car slow". You will also have the intervening time to study and learn more about what your options are if you want to make modifications. Also, you want to be aware of what you will or wont be doing to the dependability factor and your warranty.

Well, I know the right amount of power can be subjective, but from what I am gathering from you, I think 300whp if done correctly should be a plenty fun, but still fairly reliable set up for a non tracked daily driver. I mean, with just my bolt ons and E85, I actually think its plenty quick for the street. But on that note, I am boosting mine as we speak. I am the same as you. I just want to have fun driving to work and on the weekends. It wont see many drag strips or road courses, so I am shooting for 300whp with a quick spool. You will need to upgrade your clutch at that point, but should be able to run something that still feels pretty close to OEM without being too aggressive. I would also consider new tires as well. PM me if you have any other questions. There are a lot of force induction options for this car, and the list is still growing.

300whp on this car is ALOT! That's almost double what you get stock, and is probably more than the OP really may want/need to get his jollies out of the power boost.

Personally, I'd try and enjoy the car first, learn it and then start small. Suspension upgrades (so neglected yet so valuable to improving driving feel and even to improving acceleration response and such by reducing the amount of play and thus the amount of energy soaked up in too-soft bushings, etc), wheels and tires, etc. Not to mention, some of these are most likely necessary before you even think of bolting on a substantially bigger amount of power.

After you've gotten stuff like tweaking suspension, wheels and tires, and improved exhaust, then drive the car a while longer and get used to it and see if maybe that's where you want to be instead. If you're still wanting power, then consider boosted and a tune, and research the hell out of tuners who can tune for your local gas (example, I wouldn't go to FL to have those guys tune my car for turbo, as they have 93 octane gas, where I only have access to ACN91, and won't be hauling an extra tank's worth of the stuff with me for them to use).

Another benefit to holding off for a long while will be to let tuners get experience with these motors. They've only been out a year or two and unlike the EJ series of subie motors, there are not that many tuners who know their stuff as well around these motors. They just haven't had enough time yet, so going FI right now is a gamble even with the most experienced tuner. Also, we haven't seen the long-term impact on engine longevity from boosted motors yet. That won't be available for another few years yet at the minimum.

So, start off small, slow, and gradual from the suspension on up. It'll save you money and let you gain experience with the car first.

This is very similar to a very GOOD thread over at NASIOC which has been around since about 2006-2007 called "So you want 400 AWHP? Do you really?" And remember, for an STI or WRX, 400 AWHP is roughly double what those cars make stock (in WHP numbers, not bhp), so 300 RWHP would be the same for us, since stock the FA20 on the twins makes about 160 RWHP stock.

This is what i am hearing from everyone. Take it slow... I had a GTI and I upgraded the SW on that car right off the bat. Loved the turbo, but it was a little lagging on the low RPMs. I just know there is so much I can do to improve the drive. I don't need to be the fastest, but just quick if possible. The car does nice as of current.

I have already ordered a cheap intake already - Airraid. And am searching for an exhaust. i know both of these mods are more for sound than anything else. But it will prep me for the next stage. Maybe..

Truly appreciated !!!!

i did the exact opposite of what people are recommending, and it's been great. i had 700 miles on the car when it went in for it's turbo kit. it didn't take more than 5 of those miles to realize that the car was too damn slow stock.

if you want the car to be fast, buy a turbo kit and throw it on, get a good tune, run low boost and enjoy. there's no need to go throwing money at a bunch of suspension/wheels/exhaust/etc. ahead of time. adding an exhaust to an na car isn't going to buy you much, and the car handles pretty damn well as is. the problem isn't that it doesn't handle well enough. the problem is that it gets it's doors blown off by your mom's minivan.

solve the big problem first, let the car continue to do what it does well until then. you'll have more fun for longer that way. no one cares if their car has nice wheels and sticky tires when the engine can hardly turn them.

Where in SoCal are you?

Don't ever call that shop again would be my feedback. You should be putting Cali piss water 91 octane in your car anyways and even on that you can get a turbo kit that builds boost prior to 3000 RPM. If you only plan to drive your car up to 4000 RPM, then you should probably go back to the dealer and get an iQ.

Yah, odd shop to tell a customer they wouldn't do work on their car for a reason like that...

Get a nice bolt-on FI kit, get a tune (for turbo kits, a lot of SC kits come with tunes [optional]), and call it a day.

Keep the torque levels down (torque breaks things, not power), and you'll be just fine.

HAHAHa, Yes. Seriously OP, do not let this shop ever touch your BRZ/FRS. I couldn't believe the response you got from them.

Anyways, that being said. I would usually agree with the typical (take your time and then decide) route taken to modding a car. However, it is true the FRS/BRZ is already a balanced, well handling car. It is a perfect "blank canvas" platform to go in any direction you would like. I have done no suspension mods to mine ( I have upgraded rims/tires) and I now have an FBM(Full Blown Motorsports) turbo kit. I just got the car back and have ran two different maps on it(91 and E85). The car takes to the new speed very well. I was a little worried, but it really is a match made in heaven. I could go on, but there are some great build threads here. @KingTut (who responded to you above my post somewhere) has made a list of all known FBM turbo builds, mine included. Read through these, all of them to include FA20 Club, AVO etc etc. Then read them again and pay attention. Its not that you need more time with the car to realize it needs more power ( I only had mine 12 days before I dropped it off at FBM to get the work done), its that you need to review all the options thoroughly before you make a move. Measure twice and cut once, basically is what I am saying. I reviewed FI kits and wheel and tire choices for almost 6 months before I ever bought my BRZ. Mainly to make sure I was getting the correct platform, I was also considering an S2000 . The car is ready to be modded now in my opinion, just make sure you have checked all your options and have the funds to cover the path you choose. Good luck.

It's slower than a WRX, but if this is happening then the problem exists in the driver's seat, not the engine bay ;)

I'm in Irvine...

Look into companies such as FBM, AVO, P&L, and Ptuning for their turbo kits. Having your kit fabricated would be costly and you get people saying it doesn't need more power :bs: