BRZ/FR-S Track Worthiness
 

It's too early to speculate... but if I buy this car I will be entering into a couple of HPDE events a year. I've owned a few commuter Toyotas but never owned a Subie. I have no experience with Boxer engines apart from the occasional test drive so hence was curious to see what you guys thought.

In the current NA trim what do you guys expect will need some beefing up in the interest of safety and longevity?

I'm thinking of these upgrades:
1. Oil Cooler
2. Trans Cooler (i'd like to get an Auto because of a left ankle injury)
3. Oil Pan baffle? Is the FB a dry sump?
4. Gauges (oil temp, coolant temp, trans fluid temp?)

The last thing on my mind is how to try and squeeze out every last HP from the car but instead it's important to keep it reliable.

Also, for you WRZ/STi owners... how has the Subie warranty treated you for your track driven cars?

boxer engines in NA form are a tad harder to gain HP (from my friend who tunes/owns and has owned numerous Subaru vehicles)

First thing, change out the brake pads for something with a higher temperature rating. You may also want to run some brake cooling ducts similar to the ones on the Gazoo Racing car.

No factory Subaru engines are dry sumped, and the H4 configuration is prone to have oil pool in the heads during long high g corners. So oil starvation is a legitimate concern. Baffling the oil pan is a good investment, but whether or not the pan is baffled make sure the oil level is at 'full' before you go out on track.

Get the gauges and do a trackday before you go adding oil/trans coolers. See if you even need them first.

Subaru has an on-again/off-again relationship with customers who track their cars. When the WRX was first released in 2002 they gave buyers a membership to the SCCA, then (reportedly) would deny warranty services to those customers later on.

Working in the aftermarket, I can tell you that every dealership/service writer is different and you need to have conversations about your planned mods/activities before you commit to a specific service department (remember service departments are not always in agreement with the dealership--they are often run as separate businesses). Some writers will let you get away with anything, others are just plain old sticklers for the rules.

The bottom line: If you are worried about retaining your warranty do not modify your car. If you are not able/willing to completely write off the car do not take it to the track (even for an HPDE).

As for what mods for HPDE duty BRZ/FR-S: Brake pads, brake fluid, and good, synthetic motor oil filled to the appropriate level. If you are doing a lot of tracking (8+ a year) accessory gauges wouldn't hurt at all. Primarily, I'd be looking at oil temp and oil pressure. If you are getting the AT then a trans temp gauge might be a good idea too.

It's tough to predict how durable the internals of this new powerplant are going to be, but I would guess that unless you are really upping the power beyond normal NA realm, you will have no issues in flogging this on the track a few times a year.

Mitsu did the same w/ EVO owners at SCCA events they would photograph plates

Thanks for the wise words. I've had good luck with Hawk HP+ even given their mild squeakyness. You're right, brake pads would be a given. Sway bars might be something to think of down the line also. Trying to avoid any coilovers since i'd like to keep it stock height for DD duties.

Thanks for the note on the oiling issues. I did not know that!

Also, wise suggestion on the gauges. I hope the OBDII protocol for this car has provisions for these sensor readings already.

Thanks! Good advice

1. Track pads, at least in the front, but possible in the rear too (less agressive of a pad though). Good brake fluid such as ATE Super Blue as well.
2. Spare set of rotors for when the track pads eat the first set of rotors
3. Baffled oil pan never hurts. It won't be dry sump (at least I'd find that VERY hard to believe)
4. Check oil between sessions.

For gauges I'm a fan of oil pressure (can tell you a lot, including oil starvation issues) and oil temp. Water temp is fine too but less critical since the stock inaccurate guage will be good enough for most. Auto trans temp, maybe I have zero experience with automatics on track. Most likely the auto will already have a cooler built into the radiator.

With any luck, a good race shop will pick up on this car and do a full-suite datalogging of a stock car to find it's weaknesses and then build a catalog of offerings that fix the root-cause of the problems. Simply slapping gauges in the dash only helps if they have programmable warning points or if you have a passenger watching them like a hawk.

Like old greg said, there's no reason to "upgrade" things if you don't know it's a problem to begin with. The car may already have sufficient oil and trans cooling, we don't know yet. A baffled oil pan is a likely candidate; most cars need one for track work. The severity of it however usually lies with the tires you run and if the tracks you run at have any unusual circumstances [i.e. very long left-hand sweeper that may cause oil or fuel starve].

This will all play out after the car comes out and we get datalogged track time. We can only speculate for now.

The brakes on the car aren't big, about 11.6-11.7" front. That's likely on the edge of being big enough. Good track pads, adding brake ducts, braided hoses, and good fluid will help make the best of the situation [I'm partial to Motul 600 for feel, and Castrol SRF for tough heat issues]. Again, the tires you run and your skill level play a big role.

Then there's the issue of the passenger compartment [since I can't say c0ckpit]. Hopefully the seats hold us well, but who knows how well the seats will accommodate 6 points [not likely].

I notice the oil pressure gauge in the racecar when it drops mid turn (and it's a dumb gauge, the ITR has defis with warning lights)..

the rest I basically agree with..

except that you should never use harnesses with reclinable seats either.. reclinable seats collapse in serious accidents.. use harnesses with fixed back seats and a rollbar/cage.

Didn't I read somewhere about this car it will have a baffled oil pan? Of course I'm not 100% on this, but I recall something for some reason...

I don't recall that, though I'd be pleased to find out if it did!

True, i got photographed on my Evo MR by Mitsu track spies! I thought it was for magazine coverage, my buddy just told me they are not. I'm glad i did not have any warranty issues/repairs after that. :burnrubber: