[switchlanez]

Originally Posted by Beyer Subaru

MOAR!! NAO!!! Or !!

I'm just not sold on the Tom's yet. I am prolly gonna have to see them in person to see if I can stomach em. GI really wanna see some different angle night pics when you get the chance @switchlanez.

Haven't had a chance for night shots yet but this might help a little if you (also tagging @OrbitalEllipses) haven't already seen it: [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYjuGWeb4XE"]TOM'S Led Tail Lights (BRZ/FR-S/GT86) on our Albino Rhino! - YouTube[/ame]

Originally Posted by ayau

What a complete 180 from your previous setup.

Sure you don't want my CE28N?

Haha, I've been on the lookout for (discontinued?) gold 18x8.5 +44 CE28N and a few gold Prodrive models. These XXRs are my temp place holders but I like how they look (not necessarily function) better than any of those "legit" wheels, brand snobbery aside.

Originally Posted by OmarGC

If you ever sale the tails, I want to be the 1st on the list.

Ok

Originally Posted by MightyMeeple

Have always loved your build...surprised to see the change in wheels/tires! It looks great.

How would you describe the change in feel/responsiveness of the steering with larger and wider wheels/tires?

Feels similar to my prior Yokohama/STI wheel setup (which weighed more per corner than my current setup). 235 width demands just a little more steering effort but also adds a little more confidence in corners. The 3.18% larger overall diameter might have a small impact on acceleration but I don't notice it compared to my prior setup. And the extra 10mm of sidewall helps offset my drop and soften the ride.

Originally Posted by shiumai

i like the new wheels, but not as much as the STi ones on your car. i think it's the black side skirts. the gold wheels would look better with the side skirts, and just the lip and rear spats - just MHO.

My justification is Subaru uses 3 colors (blue, black, silver) on their demo car:


To replace silver, I used an online color scheme generator to calculate WRB's complementary color: Gold. Also my black wheels would sometimes go "invisible" and looked too "racecar" parked next to our executive director's Maserati. At least now we can see my gold wheels plus they add a touch of class. As for the black side skirts, they still match the black plastic on the side mirrors and the tires!

Subaru's PBMS BRZ was my final tipping point to go for 18" gold:


Also as an homage to the pop culture that contributed to the genesis of our current cars. AE86 up front, 86 driver's dad behind:

Originally Posted by ZC6BRZ

Love the tom's, the XXR not so much. :\

Originally Posted by JDMenrique

Tom's looks nice, not a particularly big fan of the XXRs

Originally Posted by Juvenile

It was perfect the way it was

Originally Posted by Basti

Too low for me as well. But still good. Just a word of advice: overdoing it is very common for most people who mod their cars

Toyota and Subaru have been pushing the envelope with their "overdone" show cars. All my mods still draw inspiration from the OEM.

About my choice for XXR. They weigh about the same as 18" STI wheels by Enkei and less than some of Rays' 18" non-forged wheels. But cost a fraction! XXRs are certified for ISO 9002, QS 9000, and Japanese VIA Standard... don't know what all that means but sounds good enough for me! Thousands have been running with them for a few years with no widespread issues. They caught my eye last fall when @Koru Works posted pics but the only things stopping me were brand snobbery (which is BS), and I was afraid of fitment. Cambering the front improves handling and RWD sports cars especially need rear camber to mitigate snap oversteer. Factory alignment specs show a generous camber range in which mine setup currently falls with its new camber. I've logged <3k miles in 13 months of ownership plus I have a square setup so tire wear is hardly an issue. Camber settings on the TRD Griffon and TRD Retro 86 gave me more confidence. If the OEM is doing it, so can I!





Eibach's partnership with Toyota Team Europe and their springs being a Toyota option in Germany are enough to grant my approval for Eibach's entire lineup. I believe Eibach engineered my Sportlines for the stock struts with a conservative drop compared to Sportlines for other cars. They also took time developing them being delayed after the Pro-Kit became available. My drop is about 35mm but my tire profile raises it 10mm so I am effectively at 25mm (falling within the ideal 20mm +/-5mm range confirmed to me by Tada-san via PM). No fear of scraping because my front rubber skirt flap is phenomenal at deflecting all scrape damage. I wanted a drop similar to the FT-86 II Concept and BRZ Premium Sport Package Concept:




The factory put thought and resources to avail rolled front fenders; I wanted to capitalize on that. Using ride height data from Darren's wheel thread and camber angle geometry, I calculated theoretical fitment before buying anything . Pulled the trigger, fitted everything, and actual fitment closely matched what I calculated. Exploitation of factory rolled fenders achieved.

Choice for Tom's tails came from the LA Auto Show BRZ STI Concept:


They also maintain the aero fin found on the side of the stock housings for lateral stability:


So I didn't do a random hodepodge of mods. Everything is OEM-inspired and and was thought out before I ordered anything... more mindfully than when I ordered my STI springs/wheels. The Sportline springs/XXR wheels are temp placeholders but plenty sufficient for a robust street setup. And, just like this car, the bang for buck made these purchases even sweeter.