Considering buying and have many questions
 

I'm impressed with the car after driving a 2014.

Are there any practical bolt-on power additions? I think it would benefit from about a 30 or so horsepower boost. A turbo would be more power and expense than I need.

Are the 2013 and 2014 models basically the same? If so I can find several 2013s priced lower than 14s.

I know about the suspension changes in 2015s. Does anyone know if the earlier cars can be retrofitted with these changes? Is it worth doing if so?

What should I look for in general? I'll be getting a manual tranny for sure.

Thanks everyone. Any help would be much appreciated.

Other than the minor suspension change for 2015, all of the model years are essentially the same other than some cosmetic stuff (radio, sharkfin antenna, etc). IMHO it's not worth trying to replicate the 2015 suspension change.

If you are looking at an early 2013 build then there are some TSBs that will need to be applied, most importantly the one that addressed the DI seal failure.

As far as power, the best bang for your buck without going supercharger or turbo is a header and tune. It will give a boost in top end power but more importantly it will flatten out the mid-range torque dip. A popular options is the OFT/OFH for the tune and header but there are many other options.

Its almost like that thread is perfect for a new member with questions.... hmm... never would have guessed that :iono:

Weird how that worked out isn't it.

Thanks for the great, fast response. Can anyone give a ball-park cost figure for tune and headers?

Cost can run anywhere from about $600 to "HOW MUCH? I AM NOT PAYING THAT" depending on what you want. Remember this can be a classic case of "You get what you pay for" though.
Can save some cash buying used though. http://www.ft86club.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=60

If you really want to though, you could wait for the 2017 facelift and "buttlift."

As for 30+ horsepower increase, that does not appear to be possible with basic N/A mods. Best bet would be to look up a supercharger, but I'm not sure if it's as much expense as a turbo.

Since you are on the FR-S forum, the only significant things about 2014 is the limited edition Monogram, which are essentially the higher trim options around the rest of the world (HIDs, push-start, etc.) If neither of that applies to you, there aren't really any differences aside from head unit.

I don't think that the 2015's minor suspension changes warrant a retrofit on older cars. If that matters to you, it may be possible, but you might as well look at getting aftermarket suspension if you want the car to handle better.

Just my 2 cents. You'll definitely get more answers if you search and research.

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=73739

Purchasing an aftermarket header, switching to E85, and a tune would be the most practical (and probably only) way to get you the ~30hp boost you seek while staying NA.

There are very minor differences between all MY twins at this point. I'd just look them up and compare side by side. My only warning would be that the older MY you look to purchase the more attentive you have to be for the vehicle having been modded in the past.

Good luck and hope to see you post about your twin in the future.

Keep in mind that E85 can be brutally hard to find in some areas.

Very interesting. Still, I imagine that getting a used 2013-2014 and buying some coilovers and all the other suspension goodies would end up cheaper than getting a new FR-S with the suspension changes. Otherwise, a used 2015 may be the best route if it really mattered to OP.

I don't post much around here anymore, but whenever I used to visit here daily I'd often see curious buyers with similar questions as yours..and I'd always see the same response from current owners;
If you're looking for power then you're looking at the wrong car. Your money is better put into another vehicle where you'll get much more power for your money.
I hope that helps and good luck to you.

I don't buy new cars so waiting for model upgrades now isn't for me. I'm now looking at 13-15 model ads, now that I know they are essentially the same car. There are plenty of cars around and some with fewer than 10,000 miles. It looks like headers, exhaust, intake and flashing will accomplish close to what I'm looking for, and yes, a suspension upgrade on an earlier car is probably better than what's in the 15s now. I can handle all the swaps in my garage except (probably) the headers so I may have to send that to my wrench to get done. That all gives me a reasonable answer to the cost question.

I notice a lot of the used parts ads mention the seller is going back to stock. I'm a little curious about that.