Here is an update on the setup and driving experience of my FR-S.
Setup:
Enkei RPF1, 17x7, +42
Bridgestone RE-71R 225/45-17
Koni full replacements
TRD Lowering Springs
TRD Sway Bars
Crash bolts in top hole in front
Tire pressure: 32-33 psi front, and 30-31 rear.
Koni's: half turn from full firm front, half turn from full soft rear. I might try a hair more firm in the front for the next event to help with transitions and slaloms.
Not installed:
-Hawk HP+ pads and new rotor blanks (stock brakes did fairly well)
-Nameless muffled track pipe has been ordered
I probably shouldn't even post this due to all of the controversy, but here are my full alignment specs. A few notes:
-my alignment "guru" loosened both front strut bolts and used a bottle jack on the lug studs (with a wrench on top of the bottle jack to disperse the load) to help shove the top of the hub in as far as possible.
-spare tire, tools, etc where removed and I believe I had 3/4 tank of gas
-there was no driver ballast, however after the alignment was complete, I hopped in the driver's seat. The camber on the driver's side went to -2.1 and the passenger side went to -2.3.
-I compared notes with a local member, and he achieved the same negative camber up front on his BRZ, with just Koni full replacements only. He had his car aligned by the same person.
-My koni full replacements are about 2.5 turns from full soft to full firm. The same local member confirmed the same number of turns on his full koni replacements.
Here are the full specs (please ignore the 2012 impreza...that was just the vehicle that was set in the alignment computer):
Why could our cars be at the more negative camber range? I could attribute it to the use of the bottle jack to ensure the hub is in as far as possible at the top. Perhaps that's what others did to get to that number?
On the Koni # of turns....do people realize there is a fair amount of "play" with the adjuster knob?
Driving experience:
-I had a test n tune on Saturday and an event on Sunday.
-Wow! What a difference compared to my SM STI. The FRS is so much more precise and it really exposes by bad habits. For example, when I thought I was needing to make minor adjustments with my steering angle, the whole car would wiggle. Taught me to be smooth!
-Throttle modulation? Very minimal compared to my STI. In the FRS, it is all about how long you can keep it pinned and how soon you can get back on the gas. On my last couple runs on Sunday, I started experimenting with partial throttle lifts instead of full throttle lifts and/or braking. The FRS really can hold grip.
-Now I need to figure out when oversteer is a good thing, and how to best initiate the oversteer/rotation.
Results:
-I came in 1st in C Street, by a margin of 1.7 seconds, with 4 total drivers is CS.
-I came in 16th overall on Pax times out of 134 drivers.
There is still so much more in this car. I have a Solo Comp school on this coming Saturday and another event on this coming Sunday...can't wait to learn more in this thing!