xxBrun0xx's long term DD
 

Alright, so I'll be putting about 30k/year on my BRZ, plan on keeping the car pretty close to stock, and plan on driving it until the wheels fall off. As an engineer, I tend to do a LOT of research on things before making any big changes, so don't expect to see things like turbos, coilovers, or big heavy wheels on this car. I am anal about detailing. Car gets ONR washes every week and is garage kept. For anyone looking for good detail info, start here and here. If you prefer videos, The Junkman is great.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-x..._071154287.jpg

History:
Feb 2, 2014 - Car purchased
500 miles - Opticoat Pro + Optiglass
3,500 - OFT Stage 1, Clutch height adjustment
5,000 - TRD Quickshifter, Clutch spring delete
7,320 - Oil change 1 (OEM Idemitsu 0w20 oil, OEM black filter)
8,000 - Removed cotton ball from sound tube
9,300 - OFT Stage 1 v2.0
13,000 - TRD Springs
13,700 - Alignment
14,950 - Oil change 2 (OEM Idemitsu 0w20 oil, OEM black filter), swap snow tires, inspect air filter
22,500 - Oil change 3 (OEM Idemitsu 0w20 oil, OEM black filter), swap summer tires, inspect air filter
25,000 - Replace air filter w/ K&N Drop-in

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-a..._112339358.jpg
If you have any questions about anything I've done, feel free to ask! :)

This past weekend I debadged the rear. Did it primarily because the area around the letters was tough to wash. Still on the fence about if the looks are better or not.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-f...-no/2014-07-21

Other random thoughts:
Crickets - No fix currently, but don't bother me too much. Have any 86's NOT gotten these?
Stage 1 - Power feels very smooth on v1.5. From 4500 to redline, pulls like a train. Will be interesting to see what Shiv comes up with for 1.6 (or 2.x, as there's been talk about jumping directly to that)
Sound Tube Mod - Stage 1 gave the car a new growl from 3500-5k rpm. Recently removed the cotton ball in the sound tube and growl now continues all the way to redline and no longer sounds raspy. Sounds great!

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-6...219620_HDR.jpg

Flashed the 2.0 update for Shiv's Stage 1 tune. Initially, throttle felt limp, but after about 10 minutes, everything was back to normal. Not a huge difference, but power delivery does feel smoother from 4000-5000 rpms. Definitely don't get the surge in power you got on v1.5x. Drivetrain noise seems to be about the same, but tough to tell due to modified sound tube. Noise is still very good!

Also, been noticing difficult to remove bug guts on hood and front bumper. Don't want to scratch up paint by scraping them. Will try some bug+tar remover from home depot a friend recommended and report back.

Also have noticed windshield has what looks like thousands of little rock chips. Became really obvious after detailing both interior and exterior this weekend. Not a huge deal, but makes windshield always look dirty. Still repels water very well, so do not want to replace/patch at this point.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-T..._195003595.jpg

The rear does look better debadged! Much cleaner and easier to clean...

We have similar tastes in cars. :) Mine just has one rock chip in the windshield but I have a ton on the bumper, including a bad one near the Subaru badge. I just touch them up as they happen.

I've had good luck keeping bugs off just by hitting it with a quick detailer every morning (I use ONR at QD dilution). Keeps them from building up. I have a sealant on the car and I cover it with a spray wax after washes.

My current BRZ is at 5K miles and it idles nicely. My last one had crickets.

I'll have to give that a shot! So what, you just dilute the onr at qd level into a spray bottle, spray on, then wipe off? The guts have been really bugging me :P

Yup. I always keep the spray bottle and microfibers in the trunk (along with way too much other detail stuff, lol) and every morning when I get ready to leave for work I spray it down, let it rest for a few minutes, and wipe everything off.

I love that. OEM black filter. Congrats on the car!

Look forward to your results!

Just passed 10k. Have noticed the past few days that the car shakes a bit after cold start if I let it sit with the ac on. If I turn the ac off, the shakes are reduced, but still there. Not too concerned, no codes or anything and doesn't sound like any knock to me, but I'll use the Tactrix to log it when this happens soon.

Crickets are back and am louder than ever. Luckily, I have a stereo. That's what I get for not filing up with shell last tank.

Other than that, car still running great. Haven't rotated tires yet, since I swap between seasons. Starting to think I should do a mid season swap due to how many miles I put on the tires. Rears have more wear than fronts because wheelspin in way too much fun :) Still undecided on what I'll replace the stock tires with once they're shot. Probably another set of primacies, but we'll see.

Hit 11k today. Been looking into a set of springs, still undecided on it. Less wheel gap would be okay, but really would prefer stiffer springs to rid the car of bounciness over rough roads. Been looking at TRD and RCE's. I'm hesitant for fear they would be bouncier than stock, bottom out more often, lower clearance during winter, cost, void warranty on springs/struts, reduced tail-happiness, tougher to get in/out of car, and the fact that I would not be able to compete in stock class autocross (would love to get started next spring).

Anyone with aftermarket springs have any thoughts? Been reading as much as I can on the subject, but seems opinions vary quite a bit.

At about 13.5k at this point. Swapped out TRD springs last weekend and absolutely love them. Way less body roll, barely any harsher than stock over rough roads, and feel very confidence inspiring in the corners. Know I need an alignment, but putting it off until I get a chance to do a bit more research to figure out exactly what I can and can't do to qualify for stock AutoX class. Will have to get more pics once springs have settled.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-x..._071154287.jpg

Also, got married two weeks ago! :D

Edit: Also tried on a friend's WRX wheels before lowering. Not bad!
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-8...2014-09-01.jpg

The WRX wheels look really good actually!

Renato
Team TWM Performance

Got my alignment done today. Didn't bother with camber bolts, since I'm not entirely sure what stock class autocross allows. Did it at my local Lexus dealership and damn was that place nice.

After the alignment, car handles noticeably better, breaking loose much less easily, but still easily compared to most cars. Ride also feels less darty on the highway, I'd say steering feel and overall comfort are pretty damn close to stock, which is a good thing. Loving these springs! :D