Update: Found out about one more option for polishing the intake manifold interior. Talking with my father-in-law, a retired engineer, I learned that some folks used abrasive balls with just plain old vibration to do the job.

Unfortunately, he doesn't know anyone with the balls to help with my project.

:shrug:

I am tempted by the Corsa exhaust as well. I think the high strung sound fits the car's personality better than the subie rumble I had with my UEL + FT86 V1 combo on my previous FR-S.

Just waiting on the black tips to go on sale... ;)

This weekend I installed a Pioneer AVH1440 head unit. Honestly this was a "safety" issue, because I can't put my phone down. Basically, using the factory head unit required me to mount my phone on a suction cup mount attached to the little triangle window to the left of the steering wheel. That meant using my left hand to interact with the phone (changing music, using Maps). Also, I like to wear driving gloves, and the combination of left hand touchscreen use and having to take gloves off was just plain dangerous. Third, I had to run the USB charging cable over the steering wheel, which was just sloppy, AND every now and then I would forget it was plugged in and open the door. Finally, suction cups just can't be trusted long term. It always eventually fell off, usually when the door was open.

Apple Carplay solves all this. I can stow the phone, keep my gloves on, use maps without contortionism, and no infotainment structural collapses like before. To top it all, the new head unit just works better than the old one. Two thumbs up!

Sometime back, I moved a JVC sub amplifier and an Alpine dual-voice coil subwoofer from another vehicle. I had a sealed box I had already built for the sub, but hadn't used because the other vehicle was a van and needed a ported box. It fits perfectly behind the rear seats and takes up very little space, and it's easily removed.

When I had the OEM head unit in, I used the high level inputs to drive it. All I had to do to swap was unplug the high level input at the amp and run RCA cable from the new head unit. Easy!

I'm still fighting with the OBDII functionality of the Maestro RR, but I'm probably just expecting too much from a function that was most likely an afterthought. [shrug] OBDII gauges are much better now. I learned from a forum member that my scrolling technique wasn't quite right. Gotta do more of a dragonfly dipping down to sip from a lake motion and not so much the osprey diving to grab a fish. Also, an update is available which should make TPMS data available where it is not currently.

Verus Rear Diffuser
 

Added a Verus-Engineering Non-aggressive Rear Diffuser. It was not aggressive at all. Generally, it just sat there until I picked it up to install. :iono:

The only issue I had was the axle-back portion of the Corsa Exhaust system had some minor interference with the corner of the vertical flange on the passenger side of the exhaust cutout. Easily remedied (per Verus suggestion) with a pair of tin snips and removing a one-inch triangle. That leaves about 1/4" of clearance, which appears to be more than sufficient. The exhaust is solidly mounted, as is the diffuser, so I don't anticipate them rubbing or otherwise getting into trouble while I'm not looking

Also, there was a minor difference between my diffuser and the ones described in the FT86Speedfactory install video and the Verus print instructions. The brackets to connect the forward end of my diffuser were separate pieces, while the same brackets in those were built into the diffuser:
https://youtu.be/54ynNLxkp-s?t=187

You can see the version I installed in the Verus Engineering installation video:
https://youtu.be/tCo7zgyId3c?t=254

https://i.imgur.com/91PChsk.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/HO7jnrU.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/3I9KcpZ.jpg

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

Today, I accidentally installed a set of RS-R Down lowering springs. Obviously this was my mistake, as I clearly stated I was leaving the suspension alone. Whoops. :shrug"

But...the ride is nice. I can tell I'll need an alignment. Steering feels a bit muted. Might be just me. We'll see when everything gets settled in. Pics when the sun moves from directly behind my car as it sits for the best shot.

Yeah, lowering springs will affect both the camber and the toe settings. Steering is probably not feeling as sharp due to wheels no longer pointing quite where you want them. Get the alignment asap. Nothing eats through a set of tire faster than mis-aligned wheels; especially if the toe is way out of whack.

Nice mods!

How close are the tips to touching the diffuser? Any plans to get the other rear covers Verus sells? The car is looking good!

Thanks!


The clearance looks okay to me. Maybe could use a spacer but I'm honestly not certain.
https://i.imgur.com/oSwlAKG.jpg

I do eventually want to add the full Ventus 1 package, mostly because long, high speed corners intimidate me, but also because I really like the way it looks.

ATM I've fallen down a rabbit hole by trying some modest lowering springs. Which led to alignment off. Which led to LCA's.... it just never seems to end.

That is the danger of straying from your mission statement. Moditis can be fatal...........


..................to your wallet!

I made use of Tire Discounters' "Free Alignment Check", and after considerable haggling, they let me have my car back without doing anything to it besides checking the alignment.

I've got SPC adjustable control arms ordered to correct the rear camber. Also ordered camber bolts for the front, just in case, and also because by adding the bolts, I got free shipping, which, when combined with a discount code, ended up costing less than the LCA's + free shipping. :happyanim:


Any recommendations on target values that I should request in the actual alignment, or should I just let the tech shoot for OEM specs?

https://i.imgur.com/58P9EH0.jpg

Thanks for the pics, looks to be plenty of space between the diffuser and tips.


I have RCE yellow springs, Verus camber plates and SPC rear LCAs. Had to get camber plates due to strut/tire interference with camber bolts.


I have -2.5 degrees camber in the front, -2.0 in the rear, and just a small amount of toe in the rear. No abnormal wear in 13k miles with this setup.



Seems to be the general consensus that the car benefits from some negative camber up front. Below are RCE's suggestions for their yellow springs. Not sure how the RS-R springs compare.



https://s3.amazonaws.com/racecompengineering/instructions/rceyellowsettings.pdf

No definitely do not run stock alignment specs. Shoot for max camber in the front with the bolts and whatever you want in the rear maybe -1.5 on both sides. Zero out the toe in the front and 1/16th toe-in rear.

Alignment is done. Specs ended up -1.5 camber all around, zero toe. This ain’t quite what I wanted, but was within the limits of the hardware and my budget for labor. I should have moved the lower strut bolts up to the top hole when I installed the camber bolts. Hindsight...

Anyway, cornering is a bit tail happy for my tastes, and low speed steering is still a bit labor intensive. I’m gonna drive it a while and see if I feel differently in a few weeks.

For a daily driven car those alignment specs are pretty decent. Previous above suggestions of slight toe-in in the rear would have helped with the tail-happy behavior you describe, but it won't increase wear and you'll probably get used to it.

Nice car. :thumbup: