Problem on making a decision (Poll Begin)
 

Hi guys i am having a problem to choose my first upgrade.It will be great if you can give me some opinion regarding on that.
what i got in my mind now are


1. perrin cat back 2.5 exhaust
2. navigation headunit + reverse camera
3. sway bars front and rear.


Just wondering which one you think is the most priority on this car if the prices are equal. Thanks a lot.

Poll Updated

#1 I've heard it in real person the sound is meh!
#2 This is what I would pick because it is useful in everyday driving.
#3 Is the BRZ handling so bad out of the box to even consider this? Get some tires first.

Just my opinion.

I say first mod should be a turbo kit

3: Sway bars aren't really needed unless you're running stickier tires (at which point you'd be better off getting coilovers before sways).

2: This car is pretty small and I haven't really found the need for a reverse camera.

1: That leaves the exhaust. I'd start here. I've got a Perrin 2.5" NR and it sounds much better than stock and adds a little bit of excitement/drama to the driving experience. Also replaces the awful stock tips and fills in the bumper cutout better. This would be my choice from your list.

Certainly skip the sway bars. Decide between the nav and the exhaust.

I have the Perrin Catback 3in resonated I think it sounds great. I really despise loud obnoxious exhausts. The sound of the Perrin is great, nice and deep and it's not overly loud. As far as performance... I really didn't notice any difference. The dyno shows there is an improvement here and there on the powerband but really, under normal driving, it doesn't offer anything substantial. It looks and sounds great, but thats it.

Another upgrade to consider is an intake. I have the TRD intake on mine. It offers reasonable power gains (for an intake) at lower engine speeds. Others claim to make 6-7 hp over stock, but thats only at 6500RPM, and everywhere else (normal driving speeds) you actually lose power. So pay attention to those torque curves when making a decision. If you decide to go that route of course.

I have the stock NAV in mine and I never use it. If I need directions I'll use my phone. As others have said this car is small and you shouldn't need a reverse backup camera. Convex mirrors are a better option to improve visibility in my opinion.

True so the perrin exhaust doesnt sounds good to you? did you have a chance to change the cat back system yet??

I would like to retain him as an N/A at the moment.

true i am thinking about exhaust as well or you have any recommend for first mod??

Don't BRZs come standard with Navigation? Reverse camera is nice cuz it's tough to see behind this car while backing up. There's a kit you can get that works with the existing nav unit just need to wire the camera.

no, not in Australia...

Honestly it depends what your plans are for the car. If you're planning to go to the track, I'd start with camber bolts, tires, brake pads, and brake fluid, as those will make a huge difference on a road course.

If just for the street, I'd start with OFT + OFH. A bit more sound and much more power (~19 whp) for about $1k.

well, i am thinking about track maybe once in every 3 months. will i see a big difference when i have change the brake pads and stainless steel brake line?

Do you mind to tell me whats OFT + OFH? so exhaust don't really give any improvement on performance by looking at cost/ value??

This is the simplest way of explaining IMO:

The brake pedal feel on this car is already really good stock (no dead pedal travel), just change the brake pads and brake fluid to something that won't cook the brakes on the track and you are good to go. Stainless steel lines are actually not as reliable as rubber / kevlar and you will have to check up on them from time to time.

The camber bolts (aka. crash bolts) from Toyota are cheap and will give you a little more camber in the front. You should upgrade the tires before you upgrade sway bars because if you do it the other way around, your car would break traction at a faster rate while cornering. Handling is subjective.

Changing the exhaust to something more efficient should give you a little better throttle response and a few extra ponies (I only changed the muffler and my throttle response has improved over stock), but yes it's not the best bang for the buck. Sound is a subjective.

I have the STI Sports Muffler which is a dual silencer axleback, sounds very good everywhere except a little loud at 1000rpm cold start idle, but the price is ridiculous to most people since the muffler alone is more expensive than some header or catback systems. It's actually a bargain if you consider it to be a poor man's tubi style exhaust and I bought it mainly for the stainless steel. :D