smbstyle's SWP BRZ
 

So I picked up my BRZ on April 20th, with the intention of having a fun car to drive around town and take to the track. I was looking for a good dual purpose car after having a full race prepped Miata that I raced at regional SCCA club races. I got tired of trailering a car, and wanted something that I could arrive and drive with. Before picking up the BRZ, I was looking at a few other cars; 2013 GT or Boss 302, and C5 Z06. After driving the Mustang on track, I just did not enjoy it; it was way too big and heavy, but had plenty of power. I liked the C5 Z06, but it was getting too old, and I was looking to get something newer with a warranty and that hasn't been beaten to death. On my first test drive with the BRZ, I was sold.

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Once I brought it home, (after a good detail) the first step was to get a Clear Bra, after hearing horror stories about Subaru paint and getting damaged by bugs/rock chips. I took the car to AutoPaintGuard of Tampa, who did a phenomenal job, and the price was great. I had the half hood, half fenders, full front bumper and mirrors.

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So I read up on the BRZ after I purchased it, mainly here on the forums, and it seemed that the consensus was stock brakes are horrible, so I decided to grab a set of Hawk DTC60's, titanium shims, Motul RBF600 fluid, and also decided to test out the @Touge Factory brake cooling kit (full review to follow). I also decided to wrap the rubberized joints close to the rotor with Summit Racing Cool Tape rated to 1500*, just for reliability/longevity purposes, as I know the rotors can reach in excess of 1200*f on track.

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Another thing that I kept seeing was complaints of oil temps and people stating the need for an oil cooler, although I could not find anything on what oil temps people were seeing on track without an oil cooler. I opted for German Castrol 0w30 oil, as I wanted something a little thicker for track conditions, and the GC has been getting great reviews. I changed the oil right before the event at 900 miles, and used an OEM filter.



I also purchased a ScanGauge II to keep an eye on oil temps at the track, and made a custom mount for the steering wheel with some ABS plastic sheet I had.

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As I was getting used to the car, I noticed that the gas pedal was a bit farther from the brake pedal than I was used to and comfortable with, so I opted for the Cusco gas pedal, which I purchased from @FT-86 SpeedFactory. The pedal was incredibly easy to install when removing the gas pedal from the vehicle, thanks to the write-up in the DIY section (2 10mm nuts and un-plug the sensor). Once installed, it made throttle blipping and heel-toe much easier. I was also surprised to find that the pedal wasn't slippery at all, as it looks like the smooth aluminum wouldn't have much grip, but it definitely does.

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Right now I'm going to see how the car does on track before I decide what is next, but I'm planning on XXR527 with some track tires, Fortune Auto coilovers (but might try the RCE yellows with stock shocks/struts for a bit), sway bars, and for cosmetics; the HT Autos lip kit and 5AD trunk lid spoiler.

I'll keep the mod list below updated as I add/remove/change parts.

Running Modifications List

Exterior:
Xpel Film ClearBra (installed by Ryan Burroughs of AutoPaintGuard in Tampa, FL)
5AD rear spoiler
OEM red-out tail lights
Lamin-X Yellow fog light cover film
Lamin-X Tinted reverse light film

Interior:
ScanGauge II OBDII gauge
Schroth Profi II ASM harness
Agency Power 4 point harness bar
20% window tinting
Cusco gas pedal

Brakes:
Cobalt Friction pads (XR1, XR2)
Touge Factory Brake Cooling Kit
Motul RBF600 fluid
Titanium pad shims

Suspension:
RaceComp Engineering Tarmac 2 coilovers w/ 400lb springs
OEM Crash Bolts
Rubberized joints wrapped in Summit Racing Cool Tape

Engine:
Berk track pipe w/ 4" tip (track only)
HKS drop in filter
Modified snorkel

Nice so far.

So just reporting back after my first track event with this car.

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Things I noticed are first, the stock tires are absolutely horrible. They have zero grip, to the point where initial brake bite would get them to lock up, so it definitely required some finessing of the brake pedal. After 2 or 3 laps they felt like I was driving on ice.

I also noticed oil temps got pretty high; ambient temps were about 90*f outside, and oil temps spiked to 300* on Saturday and 293* on Sunday, and hovered around the 280s. An oil cooler is definitely a safe bet for these cars.

I will be posting a full write-up of the Touge Factory brake cooling kit soon, but my initial review is positive; it definitely helped against brake fade, as I tested with the ducts open and the ducts closed off. With them closed off, I noticed a little fade after 3 laps or so.

There was noticeable heat checking on the stock rotors, which is normal. Driver's side had some gouging in the rotor; not exactly sure what that is from yet. Also, these pads dust a TON. But overall I'm very happy with them.

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The suspension however is great; a little bit of body roll, but the car is very planted, steering response and feedback is phenomenal.

After my first time on track with the car, I'd say next on the list is definitely some sticky tires, and I am looking at the RS3s, Rivals or possibly the Pilot Super Sport. I am interested to see what oil temps will be in cooler weather, and wonder how much of a difference ambient temps make, but oil temps will definitely have to be dealt with. Water temp however was not an issue whatsoever.

Here are some videos:

Best lap of 2:48

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiOCbmZ3u2E"]Stock BRZ at Sebring - 2:48 Lap - YouTube[/ame]



Tires falling off pretty bad after 4 laps:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lq5_lOPlNBc"]BRZ at Sebring sliding around - YouTube[/ame]

A common theme seems to be emerging from everyone who tracks: brakes, tires, cooling

***I'm interested to see how you develop your car :thumbup:

It's been a while, but here are some more updates:

Got rid of the horrible OEM tires in exchange for some Michelin Pilot Super Sports in 215/45R17

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Added the Lamin-X yellow foglight covers:

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Added the FiveAD spoiler:

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Painted tail lights red:

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Swapped out the track pads from Hawk DTC-60's to Cobalt XR2/XR4:

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Added the Agency Power bolt-in harness bar, Schroth Profi II ASM 4 Point harness, Berk track pipe and Motul Gear 300 fluid for the diff and trans:


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Also, I have a total of 7 track days on the car now; stock brakes (except for pads and fluids) are holding up good - OEM rotors are lasting me about 6-7 days, but with the TF Brake Cooling kit, it is a great setup with the Hawk or Cobalt pads and Motul fluid. The Michelin Pilot Super Sports are incredible tires.

Here are 2 videos; the first from Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama back in September (first visit there, beautiful track), and then the second video is Sebring again, but setting my fastest lap time yet with this car there; 2:43.2, which is 5 seconds faster than my first time at the track with the stock tires.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oz8MUOAU0Fs"]Barber Motorsports Park - Blue Group Laps - 2013 BRZ - YouTube[/ame]

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBxrl_-wZkk"]Sebring 2:43 Lap - 2013 BRZ - YouTube[/ame]


Also had the chance to play with a Grand Am FR-S car from Rebel Rock Racing at Sebring; here I am chasing it down:

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3d5IJkFjSQ"]Chasing Grand Am FRS at Sebring - YouTube[/ame]


Here are two videos of Ramon (fldoc) and I at Sebring going back and forth; he is on the same tires but has KW V3 coilovers.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAJUj130tac"]Chasing Ramon's FRS at Sebring - Session 2 - YouTube[/ame]

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtBca-lpfnk"]Chasing Ramon's FRS at Sebring - Session 3 - YouTube[/ame]

Can't wait to get out to Barber myself in December. Looks awesome!

It is a blast! Not too fast of a track, goes by quickly, but absolutely gorgeous track and facilities; it feels like a golf course.

It is VERY hard on the left side front tire though; or the entire left side for that matter. I'd recommend rotating the tires after the first day.

Cool shot from Barber:

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Nice ducting, that pedal is now on my to do list.

Something we do on the pro stock car for the brake ducts, put a fan in line for each side. Brakes went from being cherry, i mean REALLY bright, to no glow at all in the turns.

Yeah our local race shop sells them for pretty cheap, might have to test it out sometime, but first I have to figure out a place to mount them.

Pictures from Sebring:



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Awesome action shots! Thanks for sharing.

The 5th picture down from Sebring really shows off the body roll lol