trem's '16 BRZ ~~ "Erika" ~~
 

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

I've had the car for a while and figured it's time to start one of these journals. Erika's my DD so I try to keep the mods practical and functional for the most part, and I'm a college student on a budget so rims and tires are still on the backburner. I still have my 7 year/100,000 mile warranty too so I'm waiting to do anything to the engine that the dealer's going to bitch to me about.

Aero/Exterior:
HIC Black Side Window Visors
HIC Black Rear Window Visor
Wired up the turn signals to the sidemarkers
TOM's clear USDM taillights
Phasetek 4th brakelight
LED plate light
86Speed Gas Hood Struts
Llumar Ceramic film window tint - 80% on the windshield, 20% on front, 15% on the rear.
Hella Sharptone Horn Kit (red)
Rexspeed Wide-Angle heated side mirrors
Helix Clear JDM Sidemarkers w/ Amber DiodeDymaics HP3 LEDs
RallyArmor Mud Flaps
Manzo USA Racing Diffuser
Looking for a modest wing to replace the stock BRZ limited one - need something that will cover the holes (or even fit them).

Engine/Misc:
Corsa Catback Exhaust (Stainless tips)
Swapped the clutch slave cylinder, cheers to @Ultramaroon
HKS Super-Hybrid Air Filter
Lowered the height of the clutch pedal

Interior:
Cusco Sports Accelerator Pedal
Pioneer x8500BHS head unit, wired to the stock backup camera
'15 WRB dashboard facia to fit the Metra adapter
Custom built sub box in the trunk I made which fits against the angle of the rear seat
- Kenwood KAC-8406 900W 4-Channel Amplifier
- Kicker CVT10 10" 400W Subwoofer
DiodeDynamics LED Dome Light + Door Courtesy Lights 6000k HP3
Those stupid red footwell lights from Subaru that only turn on with the parking lights... really need to get around to rewiring those myself.
Perrin Reverse Lockout
Stock shift knob - I've tried a handful and hated them all, the stock one is just right for me.
Motion-activated glovebox light

Wheels and Tires:
Stock wheels, painted gunmetal gray with Duplicolor
- RPF1's are nice but I see way too many twins with these, I gotta stand out a bit lol. My ultimate goal is Volk CE28's but those are definitely just a dream right now.
Stock tires
F 20mm R 25MM Eibach Wheel Spacers

Suspension:
RCE Yellow Springs
Stock Struts, waiting for them to need replacement before I make any investments.

Brakes:
Stock

February 2016 - brand spanking new and waiting to go sideways
http://i.imgur.com/DMwz96f.jpg

February 2016, got the windows tinted 2 weeks after buying her
http://i.imgur.com/tQjA0Ro.jpg

March 2016, first road trip with Erika - 400 miles round trip
http://i.imgur.com/6AwtQ8O.jpg

June 2016, dropped my custom sub box in the trunk and wired it up
http://i.imgur.com/bx5UUb6.jpg

September 2016, installed the hella sharptones
http://i.imgur.com/t0DflwH.jpg

November 2016, after installing the new springs and painting the wheels
http://i.imgur.com/ufN74ni.jpg

December 2016, finally got my vanity plates
http://i.imgur.com/AgFRqeV.jpg

December 2016, mud flaps installed. Spacers soon.
https://i.imgur.com/R57lUTu.jpg

December 2016, 20mm front 25mm rear Eibach spacers:
http://i.imgur.com/EYc6D5a.jpg

January 2017 after a wash:
http://i.imgur.com/vApyXza.jpg

July 2017, installed a Corsa exhaust alone in the garage
http://i.imgur.com/A3d0FAV.jpg

Today, waiting for enough time off work to install all the shit laying around in my garage
http://i.imgur.com/2J4KD2p.jpg

Isn't is a great little turismo! My wife and I love it. Looks great, man.

But you need to lose a little weight.

Nonsense, I'm just the right amount of round and plumpy. Makes it easy to do lateral rolls around the garage to grab tools.

Got the clutch slave cylinder replaced today, the clutch height adjusted, and the clear Helix sidemarkers installed. I see why everyone complains that they don't fit flush - they certainly don't. The housing also isnt made to perfect spec, the clips are cheaper and the twist hole for the light bulb is too tight, which marrs the original bulb housing. I'm glad I only paid $38 for them. Overall I'm happy with the look and the flushness won't bother me. I use them as turn signals so it's nice to have amber LEDs now, it's much brighter in the daytime.

I test drove the car with just a lowered clutch pedal first to see what that was like - I immediately felt like I was driving a BMW... which I wouldn't say is a compliment. The travel was super short and mushy, you couldn't feel what was happening but things were at least happening faster than before.

Next I swapped the slave cylinder and again re-adjusted the clutch height since the new slave raises it a bit automatically. Immediately I noticed the clutch travel is much stiffer... but in a good way. Not too stiff but stiff enough to feel sporty. Next I noticed that the travel felt longer as a result - keep in mind I left my assist spring installed.

Once I took it for a drive I got the full impression - the feel is MUCH BETTER. I can feel where the clutch is engaging, and best of all the engagement point is lower now so gear changes are way faster - less RPM lost. It's like meeting the car all over again, it's beautiful. So glad I did it - thanks again to @Ultramaroon for the DIY guide and all the preparation help.

I think having the clear sidemarkers really pulls together the ascetic of the car - the sidemarkers were the only orange thing on the whole car and it was really distracting. Now I just need to do something about the chrome fender pieces.
http://i.imgur.com/zO1o3fu.jpg

Awesome, trem! I'm thrilled that you like it. :thumbsup:

Just put in an order with @Diode Dynamics for some LED replacement lights:

- Door Courtesy Lights HP3 6000K
- Dome Light HP3 6000K
- Trunk Light HP3 6000K
- Amber turn signals HP3

I'm sick of looking at the ugly yellow lights all over the interior... I strongly considered red door lights but I ultimately decided they would probably just as useless as the dim OEM incandescents...

I also already have amber LED turn signal lights that came with my JDM sidemarkers but they are dim as fuck, I want people to really see when I'm changing lanes in broad daylight, hopefully the HP3's are noticeably brighter...

Got the LEDs installed, not sure how much I like the cool white 6000k, I probably should have gone slightly warmer - but I'll get used to it.

I installed the new LEDs in the clear turn signals and it's a slight improvement for daytime and a major improvement during nighttime.

Old free LEDs (left) vs New DD HP3's (Right):

http://i.imgur.com/V7TVSkA.jpg

Finally got my personalized plates after waiting 13 weeks and then 3 hours at the DMV

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

It's nice that you guys still get real embossed plates. Washington charges extra for cheap silkscreen (or whatever) prints. I can't bring myself to do it because they look so tacky.

Wow, that doesn't sound worth it at all. They charge us $50/year for this over here.

Looks really nice. :thumbsup:

Thanks! I spent a few weeks trying to find ones that weren't already taken and finally settled with this. I quite like it, gives the car a recognizable look in my area.

Now I need to find a leak-proof oil container with a spout to store my TCW3 oil in... I'm tired of these shitty Valvoline plastic bottles leaking everywhere.

Finally had time to install my mud flaps today. Gonna install the spacers today too, forgot my torque wrench at home.

https://i.imgur.com/R57lUTu.jpg

My clutch squeak came back today... must not have applied enough grease.

Just realized I never posted a pic of the spacers installed:

http://i.imgur.com/EYc6D5a.jpg

Installed a Manzo Racing Diffuser diffuser today and re-lubricated the clutch fork again. Pictures of the diffuser will come once it stops raining like crazy outside lol. Huge storm in the Bay Area this week...

Let me know when you're ready to drop the transmission. :/

I think the first time I did it this I was a little light on the greasing, so I used a little more this time. Still probably didn't hit it perfectly, its a shitty angle to work with and you can't see exactly where it's going.

I know dropping the trans is inevitable but I wanna put it off as long as I can without it becoming a bigger problem. Right now it's just a nuisance that takes 10 minutes to fix.

It'll be time when, even after you've lubed the fork pivot, you can feel the TOB binding on the snout. Be super careful because that's the real reason the forks are letting go.

Shouldn't that be covered by my dealer warranty? If it's something they can feel and recognize is wrong with the pedal feel, they should fix it.

They blew me off the first time because according to them it was just a noise.

Oh, definitely. My bad. I keep forgetting about warranties. Not kidding.

So to clarify, you're saying that binding/grinding feeling at the bottom of the pedal travel is just going to keep getting worse? And the solution they should arrive at is to replace the TOB and refresh the lubricant?

Yes. They should also replace the snout (front cover.) The old one will be chafed and will just accelerate the wear of the new TOB.

Any way to guess how much longer the current TOB will last?

There's nothing actually wrong with the "bearing" part of the TOB. It's just that the lubricant on that sliding joint has failed. What's left is a sticky mess mixed with clutch dust.

If it starts to really hang up you risk breaking the clutch fork.

Care to share how you installed the hella horns? Did you drill holes into the metal bar and mount the horns that way? I'm planning to add mine in the spring and am trying to find the best way to do it.

I followed a short and sweet imgur DIY that someone with a white BRZ posted a long time ago... lets see if I can find it again.

Basically yes I drilled mount holes into the front metal crash bar and used a combination of bolts and nuts to secure and space the horn brackets properly.

Yep this is it http://imgur.com/a/may4m

Since we're finally having a week-long break in the storms here in CA I figured I would take the opportunity to get the multiple layers of dirt off.

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

Washed again today, worst thing about hand washes is noticing all the new rock chips and parking dents. What's the best way to clean the grime off of exhaust tips?

http://i.imgur.com/sn1WCF2.jpg

I use a stainless steel polish. Let it soak for 5-10 mins and then wipe the grime away. Just make sure you don't get it on the plastic parts as it'll stain them

Just ordered a Corsa exhaust :burnrubber: can't wait to get that installed

also waiting for some LED fog lights from diodedynamics...

I really want this but it seems like it's been out of stock for a while now https://www.86speed.com/products/v3-...-no-flash.html

Loving this exhaust, sounds better than my Boxster S ever did. Really amazed honestly, never knew the car could sound this good.

http://i.imgur.com/A3d0FAV.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/N5Z6d6P.jpg

nice man! do you have any side profile/close up pics without the wheels turned its either rce yellows or trd springs with stock rims and wanna get a good idea of what it looks like from stock. thanks

It's RCE Yellows in most of my pics, with stock BRZ wheels. The fitment is pretty good, sometimes depending on the angle and the ground you're parked on it looks like the back is lower than the front which has always bothered me. Rolling down the road it looks perfect though. The camber in the rear is a little much, sometimes I slip a little coming out of corners accelerating. Eventually I just want to get some wider wheels and better tires.

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

http://i.imgur.com/mSDCcp8.jpg

perfecft thanks. yeah i see what you mean in the second picture about the lower back aha but i think the spacers help as well with the illustion of being lower and a nicer fitment

yeah both those pics were pre-spacer install. I put 20mm in the front and 25mm in the rear and it massively improved the wheel fitment. it might also be the reason I'm getting slipping under high torque turns, I haven't had time to do any testing and the spacers are stuck on my hubs anyway.

yeah i see what you mean, to me i think the slightly under 1 inch drop with spacers is great fitment, thanks for helping my desicion aha :cheers: