STI stigma vs. Mugen, NISMO, TRD etc.
 

I've been part of the Forester community and Nasioc for quite a while and I find two different approaches to the STI brand. In the Forester community the more STI bits you could fit on your car the better. It was great stuff because you knew it would fit perfectly and used pieces could be had for a good price. Contrary to that I found that in the WRX world where an STI was possible to buy as a model option adding STI bits to your car was viewed with a bit of a "You didn't have enough money to buy the real thing" attitude. Granted that's gone a way now that the stock WRX is almost as fast as the STI, but you get the point.

Ideally my mod path with the BRZ is to add STI parts later on when they become available. Oem replacement suspension parts will likely be lower and stronger, STI areo bits usually look great and are a perfect fitment, etc.

My question to the community. If/when there is an STI BRZ released, do you think there will be a stigma associated with STI bits on a standard BRZ?

I mention the other "OEM" tuners because they usually don't have specific models that are large jumps in performance over their counterparts and thus there is no stigma in adding Mugen parts to a standard civic, the same going for the other "OEM" tuning houses. It seems to only exist in the STI/WRX community.

Hmm I think I get what you're saying, kind of like driving an Integra LS and putting Type R parts and badges on it but it's not a Type R? I'm new to Subaru so I'm not familiar with the stigmas but it's all personal preference I guess? For now I don't see it a big deal seeing as a BRZ STI doesn't exist yet.

I agree with your mod path of adding STi parts, mainly because they 'should' be covered under warranty. Don't forget Subaru also sells performance add-ons under SPT.

As far as the stigma: one would think the BRZ audience is more mature than the "oh you couldn't afford the real thing" mentality of some of the WRX STi people you mentioned.

But that's just hopeful thinking on my part. I hate when people ask me, "Is that an STi or 'JUST' a WRX??" :(

You would think that... but it seems like a few BRZ owners are already looking down on FR-S owners. :iono:

Meh just ignore those. There are assholes in every car community.

lol, tell those BRZ owners the FRS is better because it weighs less, has less drag, and is cheaper. ^_^

I come from the Forester community and the WRX community before that as well. The main difference is that there was never an STI forester available in the USA, whilst there is a WRX STI. Also, parts are rarer for the Forester, and we had to mod parts to work.

I plan on going the STI route on my soon to be BRZ. Since there is no BRZ STI, and I think STI parts are awesome too.

Here is my 2 cents, on the STi parts... I doesn't really matter because the STi began it's life as a WRX and just tweaked. So tweak away make it fit like a baseball glove.

I'm going to try to go TRD on the FRS... it's not the same thing but, had I gotten the BRZ (was shopping for both) I would go STi/SPT regardless of what an STi BRZ brings and regardless of what others think.

I know what you mean by this though. I was guilty in the reverse with my evo. I hated when people called it a lancer. And I HAD a lancer. Lol

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

I don't think that as anything to do with the car.

And as long as the brz owner doesn't act like its a brz sti and try o claim it as such then I see no problem using sti parts.

Is the cd lower? Jdm cars are never saw the frs number.

It is lighter by a couple of lbs :)

Isnt that the point of adding the STI parts? Unless its more of an aesthetic tuner..

How is the TRD on the FRS not the same? :iono:

I was playing with the idea of adding STI parts to my zenith and I see where your coming from on your post. IF the STI zenith does come available I do face the assumption of he "he couldnt afford the real thing", but then again its my car. I can do without outside judgement. If I go WRB I would definately add the yellow fog. Other than that I would go brakes, STI sticker blush:wub: and a S/C somewhere down the line when that happens etc etc. It just seems only natural to do such things with it being a subaru.

If they think that, tough cookies! Many WRX owners have gotten better performance than the STi offers with less money, and I'm sure the BRZ will be no different. Besides, there's no BRZ STi yet, anyway.

If you want to add STi parts to your BRZ, just do it! If they really plan to offer the BRZ STi with 250 n/a horsepower, I don't want it anyway. I'd rather purchase the STi parts I want a la carte and skip the ones I don't, and add power my own way. I really only want the wheels and the front splitter anyway.

Make a plan and go with it. Look at it this way, if you buy the FRS you are driving Toyota's "cheap" brand and if you buy the BRZ it's on the cheap side of Subaru's models. Just buy parts you want and don't be too self conscious