A little over a week ago I installed the
Scropion catback exhaust and the [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Kartboy-Short-Throw-Shifter-Bushing/dp/B00BZ53HDG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1372297662&sr=8-1&keywords=kartboy+short+shifter+brz"]Katboy SS Kit w/ Rear Shifter Bushing[/ame]. I also put a voodoo shift knob on there while I was at it.
It was a nice couple of upgrades! Took a friend and I about three and a half hours to do both. The
DIY for the kartboy kit by @F1point4 was a great help
Lets talk about the ss kit first. I found it to be a great improvement. A lot of people think stock is good enough, but I disagree. Its certainly a good start, but I found that shifting required too much of a conscious effort to make a smooth, fast shift. I thought it was just me getting used to my first six speed, but after the first road trip that was ruled out.
The throws are noticeably shorter now and it definitely sits much lower with the counter sunk knob, but my favorite improvement is the engagement from gear to gear. It is more more deliberate and direct. It no longer takes such a conscious effort. I find this to be quite a valuable trait under performance driving situations.
I only see three small cons with this shifter setup:
1) Gear engagement is noticeably louder in low gears / low speeds. I don't really mind this, but others may..
2) The counter sunk knob puts your hand much closer to the reverse lockout lever during shifts, and at first I found it quite annoying. I've somewhat gotten over it but may go for a different style down the road.
3) I got the knob in pearl black. Looks sick, but gets very hot if left in direct sun since its solid aluminum.
Onto the exhaust! I'm very happy with the exhaust. She now has the complete look and sound of a proper sports car. The power gains were modest, but definitely noticeable. Driving at lower RPMs is much more enjoyable now. I would say it slightly exceeded my expectations on power, and my butt-dyno approves of
their dyno numbers. The sound is pretty quiet. It opens up at higher RPMs but is still pretty conservative. A nice low growl - classy. Can't wait to see what it sounds like with headers!
I still need to make final adjustments on the fitment, but it looks great!
Got a few more photos here. Including under body shots and a closeup of the logo on the tips.
Didn't take any photos during the install this time. I was working at a friends garage and forgot my camera. I'll take pics of the shifter once my new ebrake and shift boot arrive.