MINOCIN's FR-S Build, not because racecar, not because street car... just, because.
 

Well, I've had my FRS for over a year and a half now. Pretty much picked her up a week after they were first released in June. Anyway, now that I've had her in basically stock form for so long I felt it was time to finally start making some mods.

This is her now.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Q...267_ZOE001.jpg
She's pretty much looked this way since July of 2012.

Now, I want to make it clear that I really like my FR-S (duh, I guess that goes without saying). If I didn't like her then I wouldn't take the time to mod her (again, duh).

So my reasons for waiting so long to start modding were basically,
1) I wanted to get to know the vehicle
2) I didn't want to screw it up
3) I want to do the majority of the modding myself, but I'm a bit lazy and I don't really know anything about working on cars :iono:

I think my biggest hurdle was reason 3. It kept taking me back to reason 2, but hey you gotta live and learn right?

Also, Let me just say that before attempting any of these mods the length of my wrench turning experience on cars didn't go beyond changing my own oil and swapping out wheels. I didn't have any vehicles before that I liked enough to even bother trying to mod. So I really want to thank everyone on this forum for providing a wealth of helpful information. Without this forum and everyone in it I wouldn't even know where to begin. So again, thanks everyone.


Here we go...

CURRENT SETUP

Wheels & Tires:
- Wheel Studs: ARP 3", Part #: 100-7716 (front wheels only)
- Lug Nuts: EVS Tuning Spline Drive - Gunmetal, size 12x125, T7075 Cold-forged Aluminum, 0.7 oz each, Part # EVS-SPL-GM
- Front Spacers: H&R 5.0mm DRS Type TRAK+ Wheel Spacers, BP: 5/100 x CB: 56 x T: 12x1.25, Part # HR1025560
- Rear Spacers: H&R 15.0mm DRS Type TRAK+ Wheel Spacers, BP: 5/100 x CB: 56 x T: 12x1.25, Part # HR3025560 (not yet installed)
- Daily Wheels: Rays Engineering Volk Racing TE37 18x7.5, +48 offset, 5x100 bolt pattern, ~17 lbs (requires a minimum of 3mm spacers up front to clear the brake kit)
- Daily Tires: Hankook RS3, 225/40/18, weight approx. 23 lbs, OD 25.1", Overall Width 8.4"
- Track Wheels: Enkei RPF1 17x8, +45, 5x100 bolt pattern, 15.6 lbs (clears brake kit w/o spacers)
- Track Tires: Nitto NT01, 235/40/17 (not shaved), weight approx. 25 lbs, OD 24.4", Overall Width 9.5"

Suspension:
- Coilovers: RS-R Moto Spec Sports-i, Spring rates: 6 kg/mm front, 7 kg/mm rear, 1" drop
- Camber Bolts (Front): oem replacement bolts, -1 degrees max
- Rear Lower Control Arms (LCA): SPC (new)
- Whiteline Rear Sway Bar 16mm Adjustable w/ Braces & adjustable endlinks, model: BSR54Z
+ Alignment: (completed w/ daily wheels & tires)
* Camber: -2.2 front, -1.5 rear
* Toe: 0
* Caster: 5.9 FL, 6.1 FR

Brakes:
- Front Brakes: AP Racing Competition Brake Kit (Sprint) w/ AP S100 pads, Part # 13.01.10005-BUN
- Rear Brakes: Stock system with original stock pads (I do have the S100 rear pads, but didn't put them on)
- Brake fluid: Motul RBF 600
- Track Brakes: Carbotech XP12 front and rear
- Brake fluid: Torque RT 700

Cooling:
- Radiator: KOYORAD VH Series w/ 36mm Core, Model: KOYO-VH012663
+ DIY Oil Cooler:
* Series 6 Setrab 16 row oil cooler w/ -10 fittings
* Mocal thermostatic sandwich plate w/ -10 fittings
* 10.5ft of -10 AEROQUIP Socketless hose

Exhaust:
- PPE Engineering 2.5" Equal Length Race Headers (4-1), polished 1300F ceramic coating
- Nameless 2.5" Street Axleback and High Flow Cat Package (Replaces Overpipe),
(Mufflers: 5" Mufflers, Tip Options: 4" Double Wall Slash Cut, Finish: Brushed Stainless, Helmholtz Resonator, 200 Cell High Flow Cat, Exhaust Bushings: Five Bushings)
UPDATE: 4-27-2014 - Removed Nameless axleback and switched back to stock muffler
UPDATE: 5-22-2014 - Headers & front pipe have quieted down, so I put the Nameless axleback mufflers back on.
UPDATE: 11-02-2014 - Put the OE downpipe back on and removed the Nameless due to a rattle that developed in the high flow cat.

Drivetrain:
- Motul Gear Oil 300 SAE 75W90 (1L/1.05Quart) - Replaced factory transmission & differential oil
- TRD Quick shift kit (not yet installed)
+ Perrin and Whiteline Bushing Combo by FT-86 SpeedFactory, model: KDT926-PSP-INR-006 (not yet installed)
* Perrin Rear Shifter Bushing
* Whiteline Gearbox Positive shift kit

Engine:
- Oil Catch Can (OCC): Saiko Michi dual 2.5" OD x 6" tall tanks w/ mounting assembly & hoses, part #: S1-FRS/BRZ-D
- Forced Induction (FI): Innovate (Sprintex) twin screw supercharger kit w/ intercooler, Model: 6012
- Tune: Custom dyno tune by Delicious Tuning

Other:
- Mishimoto MMOP-TPS Oil Sandwich Plate Adapter with Three 1/8" NPT Port
- Innovate Motorsports 3852 MTX Digital Series Dual Function Oil Pressure and Temperature Gauge Kit
- BAFX Products - Bluetooth OBD2 scan tool
- Torque android app

Next Mods of Interest:
- Gauges or Display Panel to Monitor: Oil temp, Oil Pressure, Air/Fuel Mixture and Boost
- Clutch and light weight flywheel: I really want a light weight flywheel to help the engine rev up faster
- Quick release fastners and/or latches: To quickly and easily remove the hood and bumper while working on the vehicle
- Track Day Hood: Vented hood that would be put on for track days (I'm thinking an oem hood that I would cut open)
- Track Day Bumper: A bumper with more/direct ventilation to the the intake snorkel, oil cooler and radiator; also, mounted with a lip and/or canards for additional down force (again, thinking of modding an oem bumper)
- Track Day Trunk Lid: A trunk lid with a functional wing attached that would be put on for track days to provide additional down force.

RESERVED FOR SUSPENSION (RS*R SPORTSi COILOVERS & WHITELINE SWAY BARS)

02-21-2014 at 12:59 AM:
Okay these parts are already installed and I have some pics, but I plan to the rotate the front coilovers 180 degrees to get more negative camber. Then I'll get an alignment. From what I've read, about -2 up front and -1.5 in the rear with zero toe is supposed to be decent compromise for street and track use.

02-27-2014 at 10:06 PM:
Finally got my alignment and I'm really impressed on how well the shop was able to dial it in. I requested -2.2 camber in the front with -1.5 in the rear and as close to zero toe all around as possible and that is exactly what they gave me. The camber was spot on and the furthest the toe got was 0.01. The new alignment is a far cry better than the one that I had done before.

Here's a pic of my previous alignment from one year ago with another shop.
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/...2019.52.18.jpg

I know the streets and freeway in my area suck, but I was really surprised to see how bad my alignment was to begin with. To get the driver-side wheel back to spec they had to use a camber/crash bolt. I feel like they should have used two bolts to get both wheels back to zero camber, but they didn't because the other wheel was within spec range. Just "good enough" I guess. Although, I'm kind of glad now that they didn't use another bolt because they charged me $40 for the one camber bolt. Just one bolt! Maybe they pocketed the other one? Even still, I was able to purchase a brand new camber bolt kit from a local shop for $23.67 after tax. Half the price of the one bolt. I had been going to this shop for years. They always treat you right and when it comes to tires they really know their stuff and will usually give you a deal, but when it comes to alignments I guess they don't make that extra painstaking effort to get things as close too perfect as possible.

Anyway, here's the new alignment,
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/...23.20.58-1.jpg

The shop that did this new alignment was,

Superior Brake & Alignment.
822 N Milpas St
Santa Barbara, CA 93103

They're a small shop and are usually pretty busy (a testament to how good their work is), but in no way do they keep you waiting too long. If you live in the Santa Barbara or Goleta area then I highly recommend them. They even got rid of a lot of clunks & rattles that I was getting with my coil-overs (more on that later) without me even asking.

Ok, now onto the suspension parts. Perhaps I should have started with this?

RS*R Sports-i Coilover Kit Install Overview - In no particular order

Installing the coilovers wasn't as difficult as I feared, but it also wasn't as easy as I had hoped. Now that I've done it once I know I can do it again pretty easily, but the biggest pain the first time around was trying to do it all by myself and thinking I had all the necessary tools when I really didn't.

The RSR documentation that came out of the box was more like a spec sheet than instructions. It had good info on the coilovers themselves and how to configure them, but nothing on how to install the parts on your vehicle. Perhaps an indicator that you shouldn't be attempting to install these parts unless you know what you're doing?

Thankfully I was able to find some DIY guides on this forum. I made use of the DIY installation guide by GrimmSpeed, and after the install I later found another helpful guide by DarrenDriven. These two guides are very helpful, I recommend reading them both and the comments before proceeding with an install if you have never done this before.

Here's a bit of warning, yes you can do the complete install by yourself (afterall I did), but I would definitely not recommend it. Replacing the front coilovers by yourself can be done easily enough by following any of the DIY guides, but the rear coilovers should really be done with two people. Otherwise you're gonna be cursing a storm while you're struggling to get the coilover studs through the rear trunk holes (see step #46 on DarrenDrivens guide).

To install the rear coilovers by myself I had to disconnect both my sway bar and lower control arm (LCA) in order for the oem strut to come out. I tried my darnedest at first to get the strut out without removing any other suspension pieces but the damn thing just wouldn't come out. It just kept wedging itself further into the LCA. The problem was that the LCA just wouldn't move down low enough for the strut to have enough room to get out. So I removed the sway bar from the end-link that is attached the LCA, which helped a bit, but it wasn't enough. I even stood on top of the rear brake disk and used my weight to try and push the LCA down low enough for the strut to come out, but it was all in vain.

Finally, I unbolted one side of the LCA and as soon as it dropped so did the oem strut. Why did I just not do this to begin with?

Here are some pics of the unbolted LCA and sway bar with the strut already out.
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/...2017.29.38.jpg
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/...2017.29.09.jpg
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/...2017.29.14.jpg


Since the RS*Rs already come pre-configured I just double checked the measurements for the spring height and ride height to make sure they were set to what the instructions recommended.

In order to install the coilover by myself I first connected it to the LCA and then used a jack to raise the LCA high enough for me to get the studs thru the trunk holes. This was so painfully frustrating. This is where you would want a buddy around to help you.

And my stupid street lost power, so I lost all that I wrote. Screw this I'm going to bed.

RESERVED FOR AP RACING BRAKE KIT (SPRINT)

- Installing this weekend

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_SqsTu1kXgN...o_see_here.jpg

RESERVED FOR NAMELESS PERFORMANCE EXHAUST

- Installed. Well, mostly. Pics will be added this weekend.

RESERVED FOR SAIKOU MICHI DUAL CATCH CAN KIT

- Purchased. Kit is being built and it should arrive in about 3-4 weeks.

UPDATE: 3-31-2014
- OCC Kit arrived. Will install once the SC is on.

RESERVED FOR SETRAB 16 ROW OIL COOLER

- Purchased. Parts are on backorder :(

UPDATE 3-6-2014:
Oil cooler parts arrived yesterday
Hopefully I will have enough time this weekend to install. I'm already pretty busy but we'll see.

UPDATE: 4-12-2014
Finally got around to installing the kit, but suffered a major oil leak (lost 5 qts) while test driving.

RESERVED FOR INNOVATE SUPERCHARGER KIT (INTERCOOLED)

- Kit purchased. Install and tune scheduled for the first week of March.
- Kit will be installed by HG MOTORSPORTS
- Kit will be dyno tuned by Delicious Tuning

UPDATE 3-6-2014:
Received word that my headers were out of stock and now I need wait for the next batch :(
Once the headers are ready I will be able to reschedule the install and tune.

UPDATE 4-21-2014:
So my headers finally came in last week and since HGMS was dropping a car off at Oakland they said they wouldn't mind swinging by my place to pick up my car for me on their way back to San Diego. HGMS just saved me a 200 mile drive :)
They stopped by on Friday with their company truck and a trailer and loaded the car. Hopefully later today i will have some base dyno runs of the car in semi-stock form (I currently have the catted Nameless front pipe w/ resonator and axleback).

- Received word that the car made 150-155 whp on 3 base dyno runs
- KOYO radiator has been installed

Pic of Dyno run and Dyno Graph:
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showp...postcount=4430

Delicious Tuning - Tune version 8.59
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showp...postcount=5191
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showp...postcount=5191

Currently running Tune version 8.65

RESERVED FOR DRIVING EVENTS (HPDE & AUTO-X)

- I did 4 driving events last year and I prepaid for 6 HPDE events this year with eXtreme SPEED track events. So I'll be adding driving and track impressions here.

I guess I can start off with saying that I do believe that there are cars that teach you to become a better driver, and I wholeheartedly believe that this (FRS/BRZ) is one of those cars. However, I suck at driving fast and I've grown impatient. So now that I know how slow I am in a stock car, I'm ready to see how slow I will be in a boosted car.

RESERVED FOR
http://buffaloeats.files.wordpress.c...ervations1.jpg

Ok, ok. This is the last one. No more reservations. I just wanted to make sure I covered all my bases (well, most of them anyway).

http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/73...b057a416a4.jpg

Because I purchased many of my parts (coilovers, brake kit, sc kit and others) at the same time, my friends and I often refer to that day as the time that I went full retard. And as everybody knows, you never go full retard.

Even though I purchased just about all my parts at once, as opposed to spreading out the financial burden over a long period of time, I don't really see myself stopping any time soon. In fact, I feel now like I'm just beginning. I'm sure many of you on this forum can share that sentiment.

My buddies may make fun of me and call me retarded, but they too have their moments. Although one friend prefers to call it "feeding the addiction" while another argues that sometimes you just gotta go "balls deep".

Whatever you want to call it, I don't see it ending. Perhaps I should rename this thread to Going Full Retard?

Subscribing. For the humour. And car bits.

Got a call today from HG Motorsports saying that my car was good to go (too bad I don't have time to pick it up right away), but they wanted to make me aware of a clicking noise that they heard coming from the rear passenger side of the car (uh oh). They think the sound might be coming from the rear axle but they aren't sure. They just barely noticed it while test driving the car.

Apparently the new header and exhaust are pretty loud so they didn't notice it right away. They said they would try and pinpoint the source of the noise for me.

Now back to the exhaust. I have mixed feelings on this one. The car was already sort of loud before the header (Nameless axleback & downpipe). So I'm not sure if I'll love the new sound or end up driving in constant fear of attracting too much unwanted attention. Should I risk driving loud and proud or will I have to revert back to the stock muffler?

My buddy suggests that if it's too loud then I should first try inserting some exhaust baffles. I guess I'll find out this weekend. Afterall, I'll have a good 200+ mile drive back from the HGMS shop to decide.

If I like it then I'll be sure to post a vid on The Boosted Exhaust Thread.

As for my SC kit, I posted my initials thoughts and some dyno pics on the Innovate thread. Here's a link to my post, #4462

HGMS will give me the full low down when I pick the car up. So I'll update the thread with more info then.

So I just learned that if you buy race headers and put them on your car that you will make the car loud, and angry. Really angry.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZF0-5cPGv44"]Loud and raspy FRS exhaust - rev & driveby - YouTube[/ame]

"I'm sorry I can't hear you over the sound of my giant throbbing erection"

Is what I wish I could say, but it is seriously way to loud for the street. Even the cold start idles over 90 db.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_SMBYAOEtg"]FRS - full exhaust cold start over 90 decibels - YouTube[/ame]

So I pussied out and went back to the stock muffler.
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-z4nWPuWBjU"]YouTube[/ame]

It's not too bad with the stock exhaust (kind of sounds like a little tin fart can now when putting around town). It actually sounds pretty decent when you rev it up and give it the beans. I'll be sure to make another video with the stock exhaust (rev & drive-by).

My main problem at the moment is that the header tubes are actually hitting each other. You can here them rattling around in the last vid w/ the stock exhaust. I'll need to contact the manufacturer about this issue. Hopefully they can help me out.

last one is private mate :(

Sounds burly! Should've kept it :P

Thanks!

I did keep it... and I put it back on :cheers:

After the full exhaust had some time to break in the loudness went down a bit, but mainly I missed having the Nameless axeback on. They're so purty :wub:

Also, I put them on to show off the car at a memorial day car event. You were right, they do sound burly. I got a plenty of compliments on my car and the exhaust note. I just made sure to either keep the revs really low to tame the rasp or to floor it to redline so that all anyone heard was a snarl. Anything in-between and the exhaust gets all farty :lol:

Speaking of memorial day events. The one that I went to was called Fastivus and it is primarily sponsored by Volks Wagon. Now, I personally am not a fan of VWs. I know they have a huge following and devoted fan base, but I personally do not like the look of any of them. When I think Volks Wagon I instantly think of hippies, beetles, and hippie-buses.

http://images.celebrateexpress.com/m...iser/85715.jpg

I'm sure someone can prove me wrong and change my mind, but I can't currently think of a single factory VW vehicle that actually looks attractive. The only VW I could ever see myself owning would have to have either a Porsche, Audi or Lamborghini badge. Maybe a Ducati badge. Oh what the hell, while I'm at it I might as well throw in the Bugatti badge too. Sure, why not? ...But not Bentley.

Anyway, back to my point (if I ever had one). I'm even more convinced of my FRS purchase after going to the Fastivus event. Especially since the majority of all the cars there were GTIs, and most of those guys want a BRZ/FRS. Apparently the only reason why they won't get one is because they like their "power" (city driving torque) advantage. I found that some of these guys don't know that there is an rpm world beyond 5,000 revs. To some it is a far off mystical land that promises exotic treasures and new sensations, but is fraught with perilous warranty voiding dangers and loud noises.

So guess what Toyota, you want to sell more 86s? Then listen up. Give us more power. This platform has the looks and it has the chassis. All that's left wanting on this platform really is an extra 50 or so horse power. Oh, and proper auxiliary gauges. Get rid of the analog speedo and give us better gauges. Give the people what they want and they will love you for it.

Uh, I think I'm getting off point again.

What I have really been trying to say this whole time actually is that those VW guys are pretty damn cool and they really know how to throw a fun awesome event. Sure I don't really care for the look of their cars; but hey, that's cool because it's just my stubborn opinion. All in all though they're a good group of car enthusiasts who just like to have fun and enjoy car culture.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrRkWqstpM0"]APR Presents Fastivus 2013 - YouTube[/ame]

As I understand it, VW rents out Big Willow for 2 nights and 2 days. This means that an all day track session on Big Willow (managed by Speed Ventures) only costs VW owners $32.

That's just 32 bucks! :eyebulge:

If you don't want to race then that's fine too, because the event is free for all to enjoy. My buddies and I drove up on Friday evening, pitched our tents, set up the BBQ and projector and then watched the movie Rush while eating some dogs and drinking beer.

Good times were had by all :cheers:

The next morning the event got under way and the VW owners started prepping their cars for either the track or for best in show. The VW organizers announced some winners, they had a huge raffle and then they converted the straight on Big Willow into a 1,000 ft drag strip. Drag racing went from 6pm til 10pm. Open to all cars, not just VWs. Yup, I got to finally drag race my FRS.

The supercharger wine was glorious!
My reaction time and throttle technique were not :bonk:

Let's just say that even at 2,000 rpm launches I could never get my worn RS3s to properly hook up :iono:
My buddy's dad's 2006 wrx annihilated me off the line (4WD FTW), but once I gained traction I quickly started to catch up. It wasn't enough though. By the end of the 1,000 ft he still beat me by a good half car length. Perhaps I would have won if it was a full 1/4 mile race? But yeah, I got pwned by a quingenerian baby boomer who wouldn't even give me a re-match :(

Turns out I was more evenly matched with the 2013 Golf R. We were pretty much neck and neck the whole way down. Overall, I did 6 runs down the drag strip and averaged between 13 to 13.2 seconds. Not good I know, but drag racing isn't really my thing. I'm pleased though that the car held up well. The only thing I noticed worth mentioning was that as the transmission got hot sitting in line after a drag run my 1st gear started to get a bit sticky.

Since all of my buddies and I were participating in the drag races none of us actually took any video or pictures. Sorry. But here's a vid I found from last years Fastivus event that more or less shows what I'm talking about.

Jump to 7:51 or 9:35. The time embed isn't working apparently.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3M9YGt3WsLo&t=7m51s"]My First Drag Race @ FASTIVUS 2013 - YouTube[/ame]


All in all it was a really fun and impressive event. It really opened my eyes to what can be expected from a giant car meet, especially when the actual manufactures get involved. I must say that in that respect at least, I am very envious of those VW guys. Volks Wagon really does appear to be listening to what those guys have to say.

I got carried away talking about the Fastivus event that I forgot to mention that I finally took my car to the race track after all these updates.

The last time I took my car to the track it was in Feb of this year at Streets of Willow (ccw). At the time the car was completely stock except for a set of rpf1 17x8 track set of wheels with nitto nt01 tires. My average lap times were in the low 1:37s, I told ya I was slow. More to the point, I went back to Streets (ccw) with new suspension, alignment, brakes, oil cooler, radiator and... well, you've seen the parts list. The main addition to the car though was the super charger :party0030:

Yes, the super charger is awesome at the track, especially at SoW.

In stock form, with my sucky driving, the car didn't feel well suited for Streets. While definitely a fun track I found that the lack of power and short gearing made the car more difficult at Streets than at Big Willow or even Button Willow. Most likely because I don't know how to take a corner. While stock I found myself wishing that I had a taller 2nd or more torque/power in third. In stock form the car was bit of a handful in that one little mistake carried a lot of weight in the overall lap time. The car was never scary or unpredictable and it was still a blast to race around. Even if I wasn't the fastest in my run group. I don't mind giving point-bys, in fact I'm well used to that now :)

With all the changes and the extra bump in power I wasn't sure what to expect coming back to SoW. In fact, my rear-end axles have been clicking for a couple of months now so I was actually just afraid of anything breaking. I can tell that the engine runs a lot hotter now compared to before with the SC on, so I was also fearful of overheating the car or busting a oil line from my oil cooler again. The last time I was at SoW my braking and downshift rev matching weren't too clean and I would often over rev and bounce off the limiter.

Off topic, I find it interesting that the car will let you bounce off the limiter when downshifting, but when accelerating if you hit the redline you get the fuel cut off. I really don't like the fuel cut off. It feels more violent then bouncing off the limiter.

Anyway, I found that I would often hit the rev limiter before so I was concerned that if I continued to do the same while FI that I would perhaps blow my motor. Luckily, that didn't happen. In fact nothing bad happened at all. The car ran like a champ all day, even in the 98 degree weather :D

So instead of me giving the point bys it was everyone else in the run group who was giving them to me :thumbup:
Mind you that based off of my previous 1:37 avg times I was put in the low intermediate run group.

So what did all these costly upgrades give me in respect to track times? Well, about 2 seconds a lap. My lap times dropped from around 1:37 to 1:35. If I payed closer attention to my lap times, meaning that if I took the time to walk down and check lap time print outs, I would have noticed that I was was actually bumped up to the next run group- intermediate high.

Not right away though. My first session out I was avg 1:37 seconds again as I was getting a feel for the car. For anyone who isn't supercharged, yes it's a lot of fun but the power isn't anything insane. The car still has less torque and power than a Z, Mustang, Speed 3, V6 Camry or Altima even. Heck, the only thing it has a power advantage over is an NA Miata, but those guys are still faster than me. Anyway, the point I was trying to get at was that the power was a great help and the delivery was never surprising or overwhelming. On a track like SoW I didn't feel like the car wanted to lose control or get away from me. On any track with a long sweeper, such as turn 8-9 at Big Willow or Riverside at Buttonwillow I think I wouldn't be as confident, but that is because of my suspension settings that I'm still tweaking.

In my first session out I found that I was causing the car to go into small 4 wheel drifts that would pull me out towards the edge of the track. It was almost like under-steer, but unlike under-steer where you just get this sensation and feeling of disappointment as the front tires shudder as they plow forward, the 4 wheel drift was actually a lot of fun. With under-steer I would normally straighten the tires out and begin breaking to try and recover. Now I just needed to add a little more throttle and adjust my steering angle a bit and I would continue on my merry way. A lot of fun, but not very fast.

My second session out I adjusted my driving style to better suit the car and that's when I noticed it. I was quickly catching the cars in front of me and one by one they would all point me by. With this car I was used to being faster on the corners, but I was never used to catching anyone on the straights.

You see, in the lower run groups if you are faster than someone in the corners it doesn't help you that much. The reason being that the person who you have been tailing the whole time either doesn't notice you because they are so focused on what's directly in front of them, or they don't care and they figure that if they are faster than you on the straights then your car is "slower" and so you deserve to be behind them :sigh:

However, if you are faster in the straights and they see that they cannot out run you then they will give up and let you pass. Well, mostly. There always seem to be at least one or two a-holes out there who won't give you a point-by no matter what. Then there are also the guys who don't know how to give a proper point-by :mad0259:

The coilovers are not track dedicated so they are still a bit squishy on turn in for the track, but the dampening really absorbs the rough stuff. So the car is only slightly sharper compared to stock, which is fine for me now because if it were too twitchy I don't think I would be able to recover from my many mistakes as easily. The alignment is a huge help, especially with the nt01 tires. Although, I may still need more negative camber up front. The edge of my front tires were really worn compared to the rest of the tire. The tread wear on the rears seemed fine.

The headers still rattled a lot but the overall exhaust was so loud that I don't think anyone else but me noticed. The extra noise helped get me some of those point-bys too I'm sure ;)

I haven't checked my catch-cans yet, but I was checking my oil before and after every session and my levels were good. I didn't have to add any oil at least.

The radiator must have been doing its job because after every session the coolant temp would read between 195-200 degrees F. Those are the same temps that I get when cruising on the freeway at night with 67 degree ambient temps. So the track sessions don't seem to phase it at all I guess.

Unfortunately I didn't have my oil temp & pressure gauge connected yet, so I can't say if the oil cooler was a big help or not. I still want to build a shroud around to focus more air thru it.

So after all the updates I have made to the car I have found that it is much easier to drive at the track. The extra power and stability made the car less of a handful at SoW. The extra power meant that I didn't have to keep the car above 6,000 rpms all the time. My 3rd gear was better matched for SoW. I would rev it out, break, turn and then repeat. If anything it felt like I was putting less of strain on the engine than before, and because I didn't have to down shift to 2nd I didn't over rev my engine either.

I'll continue to tweak the car of course, but with lap times that are still slower than a completely stock FRS I guess I'll just have to try and improve my own driving skills :bonk:

I have already registered for 3 more events next month. Two at Buttonwillow and one more at SoW. Hopefully the car continues to perform well and maybe my lap times will start to get better. Yes I know the extra power is a crutch but I'm ok with that.

Unfortunately I didn't have my GoPro available to take any vids on track. So instead I took some pics and vids with my phone. It automatically edits them into short music videos, so I figured I would post some of my favorites. The vids are a bit repetitive though.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0G62OszJ-MA"]Streets of Willow 6-13-2014 1 - YouTube[/ame]


[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dwfsAiFN4U"]Streets of Willow 6-13-2014 2 - YouTube[/ame]


[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNFVHq9it9A"]Streets of Willow 6-13-2014 3 - YouTube[/ame]


[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYMPevHw1hw"]Streets of Willow 6-13-2014 4 - YouTube[/ame]


[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8mi8v2jFk8"]Streets of Willow 6-13-2014 5 - YouTube[/ame]


[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YC-K2_I1gpk"]Streets of Willow 6-13-2014 6 - YouTube[/ame]


[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJitZuW4d1U"]Streets of Willow 6-13-2014 7 - YouTube[/ame]


[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwOSlkGm2Os"]Streets of Willow 6-13-2014 8 - YouTube[/ame]


[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nE9qtCcYSwQ"]Streets of Willow 6-13-2014 9 - YouTube[/ame]

Great build thread man! You and I have very similar tastes

Thanks, I really appreciate it!

:cheers:

I finally got my oil pressure / temp gauge wired up and installed, but now I'm seeing seeing something unusual in regard to my oil pressure readings. Basically the oil pressure will drop to zero at around 3,000 rpm when the engine oil is cold.

Here's a vid of the anomaly
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwYgi7c9Pmw"]Oil pressure drops to zero on cold start - YouTube[/ame]

I posted more details on the Engine, Oil and Transmission thread.
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=68988

Right away I got some useful feedback.

Went to Willow Springs, 7-26-2014.

I invited my brother along to share my car too. This was his 2nd HPDE track event. His first event was around 5 years ago in my dads 350 Z. He was in the beginner group. Here they are going out for their 2nd session.

A few twins were out racing that day. Most of them in the beginner with my brother. My car shows up at 25 seconds. It's the one with the blue tape over the headlights. Out of all the cars in that vid my favorite exhaust note is from the M3. It sounded really sweet. I stopped recording though when I saw the prius getting ready to go.

EDIT: Looks like the link isn't working. I'll upload to youtube and then replace the link.
UPDATE: Youtube vid has been posted beolow, post #26.

A forum member recently asked me about my RS-R Moto Spec Sports-i coilvers. Since I never got around to writing a review like I intended to, I took this opportunity to talk about some notable impressions that the coilovers have made on me now that I have had them on for almost 7 months.

Here's the original pm that I got and my overkill of a reply.



I always meant to write a review on my build thread but I only got half way thru the install and never made it to the actual review. If I like this pm then I'll just copy & paste it over to my build thread :)

I really enjoy my RSR coilovers. My goal when purchasing them was to make the car a little bit sportier but not sacrifice dd ride quality. I take my car to the track, but I'm not chasing lap times and I'm not concerned with building a track focused vehicle. I go to the track about 4-6 times a year for fun, and the car is fun- even in stock form.

When compared to the stock suspension two things are easily noticed, they are quieter, a bit firmer and the car is one inch lower. Whoops that's three things.

Quieter - The stock suspension actually transfers a lot of road noise and vibrations into the cabin, especially on the freeway when cruising. If you look at the RSR product page you'll see that they have a couple of pictures that show several layers of rubber washers (I believe they're called Thrust Washers/Spring Seat Gaskets) between the springs, top hat and upper strut mount.

RSR Sports-i:
http://rs-r.myshopify.com/collection...r-s-subaru-brz

I believe that it's this extra padding that helps dampen out a lot of unwanted road noise. Does it make the car feel any less responsive or connected to the road? No, it doesn't. Not one bit. In fact the car feels more connected to the road than before (I'll get to that soon).

If you don't have a loud exhaust then this is one benefit that you'll be able to enjoy. Actually, these coilovers with the Nameless downpie w/ high-flow cat & resonator and the stock muffler are noticeably quieter than full stock.

The one thing to address though is that like most people who have swapped out springs or coilovers, I have noticed that they do occasionally make other types of noises. Sometimes when driving really slow (like pulling in/out of a driveway) you can hear what is commonly referred to as coil-bind, but it's not loud or pingy like typical coil-bind. I believe that it would be loud like normal coil-bind if it wasn't for the rubber washers. I've read that the best way to avoid coil-bind is to purchase coilovers that are designed with a type of bearing mount attached to the top of the spring.

I should probably try re tightening the spring lock to see if that is the cause of the noise. I did install them myself afterall, so it's possible that I didn't tighten them enough.

Firmer - These coilovers make the stock ones feel floaty, boat-like and slow when set to soft/medium stiffness. I don't recommend leaving them on full stiff or even near full stiff. I tried it, the car bounced all over the place, it hurt and it sucked. I drove on the recommend settings for about 2 months before I softened the settings by a few clicks. I have really bumpy roads where I live, with a lot of construction so I figured that it would be best to soften the car up a bit.

I really liked the stock suspension and I was afraid of ruining the car because it felt great in stock form. However, when you put really sticky rubber on the stock suspension (and no alignment) you notice that the car will roll a lot and that it takes quite a while for it to transition and recover/settle. This is more noticeable at the track or when driving at high freeway speeds. I was ok putting up with the slower transitions and recovery times, but the body roll was disconcerting. As a result, I didn't trust the stock car as much as I should have.

The stock car with stock suspension is a car that begs to be driven. The semi-stock car with the RSR coilovers and a good alignment is a car that begs to be driven hard. It's a lot of fun and it never gets tiring.

Driving Impressions - In my opinion, the handling on a stock FRS/BRZ makes any typical commuter car feel like a battle cruiser, and most big sports cars like a Mustang GT, Z or Genesis Coupe feel like a truck (I refuse to drive a current gen Camaro based on my driving impressions of the 5.0 Stang. Also, the Camaro is a fat bitch and I don't care for the design). The RSRs make you aware of how wallowy a stock FRS/BRZ is.

There is less body roll and less time spent on transitioning; so turn-in is quicker and the rebound recovery is much quicker than before. You don't have to wait as long for the car to settle, you can just keep driving the car hard and fast on the streets. Remember that this is not a track dedicated/focused coilover system. So on the track, with R comp tires, you will still notice a bit of roll and some lag in transitioning, but the car will still inspire trust and confidence.

Lower - My car is lowered by an inch, but I think they come preset to 1.2 inches lower than stock. I have rear lower control arms and camber bolts so I wasn't too worried about getting my alignment set right, but I was worried about going to low for 3 reasons. The following are concerns for any set of lowering colivers and springs, not just the RSRs

1) Daily Driving - I didn't want to ruin my DD experience. I love driving my car every day. I have friends who have lowered their cars too much and I didn't want to make the same mistakes as them. I didn't want to deal with the anxiety and regret of having a car that was to low to drive faster than 5 mph around town. What's nice about the RSRs is that even though you are lower you are also stiffer, so you don't have drive any slower over typical speed bumps or dips. You still need to watch out for parking curbs, steep drive-ways and large dips though.

Also, the low profile jack from Harbor Freight just barely fits underneath the front and rear of the car.
http://www.harborfreight.com/2-Ton-A...ump-68051.html

2) Stock Tie Rods - At 1 inch lower than stock height the tie-rods are almost completely maxed out. When I jack up the car the front and rear wheels barely droop. As a result, the tires will roll over themselves a bit when at full compression and generate some positive camber. This leads to premature and atypical wear on the outer corners of the tires when driving aggressively.

3) Stock Axles - When the car is lowered the rear wheels get pushed out a bit and as a result the rear axles will separate from the diff some. There's enough slop to rattle the axles back and forth with your hand (I have a video of this that I should post). Multiple forum members have posted cases where the stock axles started clicking on the before they broke entirely. Mine have been clicking for a few months now and I should probably start looking for a cheap replacement set or upgrading.

Final Thoughts
I was fortunate enough to get a ride-along at last years 86Fest in a couple of 86s and these coilovers are the only ones that made a big enough impression on me to even bother asking what brand they were. If you can, I would recommend that you try and get a couple of ride a longs with anyone who already has one of the coilovers that you are interested in.

So I hope this helps. If you have any particular questions about the coilovers that you think I can help you with then please feel free to ask. :cheers:

I've decided to post this on my build thread too, so thanks for asking. I finally got around to writing a basic review :w00t:

I want (no, I need) to get an external mic for my GoPro

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGKRFln299Y&edit=vd"]2013 FRS Exhaust - PPE Headers and Nameless 2.5" Axleback - YouTube[/ame]

Unfortunately the FRS/BRZ aren't the best sounding cars leaving the pit, but were they the loudest?

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvUr4kZkpeU&list=UU1e7IXoBYddp_0Ghugo40Hg"]SoW 6-13-2014 - Beginner Group - YouTube[/ame]

Of the group, I think the M3 sounded the best.

Installed the SpeedFactory Rear Diffuser by Velox last Saturday. Unfortunately it wasn't a perfect fit due to my Nameless exhaust. The main reason why I got the diffuser was because the Nameless exhaust was creating a turbulent wind pocket in the rear of the car where the stock exhaust used to be, but I was foiled again. The diffuser scrapes on all driveways unfortunately.

The diffuser looks really slick and you can actually feel it helping the car aerodynamically. The car feels much smoother at freeway speeds and I no longer feel all that drag from before. The metal is pretty thin though and the fins are a little flimsy so I'm worried about how long it will last.

I wrote more on the FT86Speedfactory Rear Diffuser thread. Post number 279.

So far I've taken the car to Buttonwillow and Big Willow since installing the rear diffuser and I must say that it makes a noticeable difference. The car feels much more planted on Riverside (turn 8) at Buttonwillow, and the only thing holding me back on turns 8-9 at Big Willow was my own sense of self preservation. Overall, I definitely happy with the SpeedFactory rear diffuser at the track. My one complaint though would be that I can no longer fit my harbor frieght low profile jack under the rear of the car without first driving onto some blocks of wood. One extra thing to do when changing wheels and brakes.