Yup, like I say, I am getting an alcohol addiction.

C U @ the Napa Station!

Love your thread. Your car is so clean! Keep up the good work

I got some parts for the holidays and for my birthday. Nothing crazy exciting for you guys to see.

--Weathertech floor mats. I modified the OEM footrest to work with the driver's mat. I didn't really care for how it covers the foot rest. Pics and a more thorough tutorial will follow.

-Blitz Strut tower bar. Mostly for some engine bling. It is backordered, so I don't have it yet.

-Toguard rear view mirror camera. In order to mount this better I ordered the JDM bezel-less mirror (I'm not really utilizing my Homelink mirror...I may sell it).

I'll get some pictures up. I'm in school and working full time, so unfortunately I don't have the time to do updates as often.

For the install of the driver's mat, I removed the panel covering the fuse box and engine hood release, and then I removed a body plug, so I could pull up the carpet. The foot rest is glued to the carpet, and there are two press plugs holding it to the bracket. I just had to work it back and forth until the plugs popped free then I used a chisel/knife to separate and pry the pedal from the carpet. After it was free I installed the carpet, fuse panel, body plug, etc., and then I installed the mat. I lined up the hole and drilled a hole through the mat for the lower plug. So the pedal would lay flat, I attached some hard, thin foam I had in the garage, which had adhesive on one side; this was applied to the top of the pedal and matched the thickness of the Weathertech mat. Then I pressed on the pedal with the plugs. Worked perfect and is solid. Looks better too. I don't plan to removed the mats, so this was a good option for me.

https://i.imgur.com/JDoch82.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/j6rOIAk.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/f2C4jQa.jpg

I replaced my Homelink mirror (that I don't use) with the smaller edgeless mirror, which works better with the dash mirror.

https://i.imgur.com/ucFL9b0.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/v3JqGT4.jpg

I installed the Toguard Rear View Mirror Cam. I still need to install the back up camera, but here are some pics. It looks good and works perfect. It auto records in 1080p, and does pictures in 4k. It has a touch screen with an integrated rear/backup camera option.

https://i.imgur.com/ALDd4g6.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/2PEXYX3.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/nEWYiE0.jpg

I bought six 5-gallon gas cans to store E85. They all fit very snuggly in the trunk like they were made for it. In May I will no longer be commuting to Vacaville twice a week, so the closest E85 will be in Napa, 35 miles away. This should give me enough gas to last three months.


I also bought some bushings, the Whiteline Support Outrigger Inserts and the Positive Traction Kit. These have great reviews and seem to be a great bang for the buck. When I get them installed I'll post some pics and a review. I'm hoping to improve some feel in the rear end under transitions.

No pics, as there really wasn't much bling to show.

I installed the Whiteline parts today and took the car out for a ride. Immediately when backing the car out of my garage I could tell a difference; it just felt solid. The whole rear end felt tight, but not stiff like a suspension thing; more like there was no more slop in the system.

Before, as I would engage the gas the whole drivetrain seemed to flex to absorb the slop then move. This seemed to be compounded by the supercharger, which added sensitivity to the throttle and torque to twist the system. When the car was NA this was less of a problem because I could mash the gas often with no real recourse that I was going to lose traction or go too fast, but with the power of the supercharger the car would sometimes jerk back and forth under light throttle inputs. I believe this to be the subframe and differential twisting causing an undulation sensation, but now it just feels solid and smooth. I really had to alter my driving style for around town driving, but this made a solid difference.

I'm hoping I'll see improvements in traction, but it is too soon to tell. My initial feeling is that there was better traction and power transfer to the tires/ground. I'll need more time to truly tell, but I would say that this was a great $100 spent, and I wish I had done it sooner.

I've been considering some upgrades:

--They are on backorder, but I was interested in swapping my wrapped steering wheel with the FT86Speedfactory leather wrapped wheel. My wrap isn't bad, but the material just isn't up to par, and I want a different shape/look.

--I am considering a front bumper swap for the MY17+ bumper. I want to get the OLM vertical DRLs, VLand headlights, and some smoked fog lights. I am debating on smoking out the ones I have or upgrading to OLM fog lights. Ideally, I would like something that blends into the black bumper, but that lights up yellow when the time comes for needing fog lights. I'm still sorting out what I will need for parts for the full swap and where to get the bumper painted.

I bought the VLand headlights.


I am now considering just forgoing having fog lights. I really don't need them, and they are just creating clutter. My car was the primary car for trips, but the wife has a Q5 3.0T now, so that replaces mine. I only used the fog lights twice in four years, and it wasn't because using them was necessary, but just helpful.


I'll either get the mesh look or the stock look. I don't know which one I like more. The stock look has the lines of the grill continuing to the fog light area. See pictures below:


http://www.ft86club.com/forums/attac...1&d=1519439997


https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EWUpjEaQC...baru-BRZ-4.jpg

I was also thinking of replacing the side skirts and rear spats from the STI replicas to these, along with the STI MY17+ front lip.


https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/00...g?v=1539988323


https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/00...g?v=1540500474

For continuity of the grill to the fog bezels, I think I have decided to get the standard ones and not the mesh JDM style.


I also purchased the FT86Speedfactory leather steering wheel. It is backordered, so I will have to wait. I also purchased the OLM vertical DRLs.

Heh, that's my car above. Fun to see it reappear on the internet from time to time.

I agree with your decision. The tS mesh works best with the JDM DRLs, if you won't have those, I'd stick with the oem grills.

It's a good pic. That car was clean. I'm sure the Porsche is just as clean.


BTW, I will be going with the vertical DRL's. I bought them. It should look like this guy's car, but without the hole and without the fog light--just black, but with horizontal lines that integrate with the horizontal lines below the bumper mustache.


https://i.imgur.com/06KcouM.jpg

Great shot of the vertical DRLs with smoked wide makers. Wonder who's car that is? :D

I purchased a new STI OEM style MY17+ front splitter, and I have set up the new bumper to be painted. I need to work on repainted/powder coating my emblems, but things are progressing. I had some time, so I made an update video with a cheesy intro. I had some requests from the few subscribers to make another update.

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E52LGWuS00U[/ame]