My new WRB BRZ

[chadstyle]

Originally Posted by Khazzy

I love those Klutch SL14's!

They're great wheels that aren't too heavy and they're super cheap!!

[Khazzy]

I know, contemplating on getting a set to run in the summer and run my current wheels in the winter.

[chadstyle]

Ok, so it's been a minute since I've updated my build thread but only because its summer and we've been traveling and it's far too hot to drive the BRZ. The daily rain doesn't help either when it comes to keeping it clean.

Summer is coming to an end and its time to continue modding the car. After hours upon hours of reading others results and checking out dyno chart after chart, I don't think a Supercharger is going to get me where I want to be in the HP/TQ department. The Innovate numbers have been pretty depressing and although the Vortech camp has made improvements, it's still lacking. I've decided to go with the @FA20Club.com turbo kit. Why? First, I'm local and I have the benefit of having Tony personally tune my car on his dyno. E-tuning works but is far more time consuming. Second, his kit puts down the most power dollar for dollar with any other kit out there. 300HP+/215TQ+ on 93 octane and relatively low boost is great for daily driving. The ability to ramp up to 400+/300+ with added boost and/or E85 is another win in my book. Lastly, reliability. Brandon ( @lexusb3 ) has put some serious miles on his kit already with virtually no problems at all. He beats the crap outta his car and it begs for more. I know that I won't be pushing as hard as he is but it's nice to know that there are others trying to break these motors and they hold up well..so far at least.

So, where does that leave me? I want to do this the right way. I'm a very patient person and want to beef up the areas of the car that will incur more abuse due to the added power. First is the oil temp issue. Running NA I am already close to 220 F during daily driving and I've seen 235+ F after pushing it for a few minutes. 235F is hot especially since I wasn't on the track and only redlined a few gears and continued to hold the throttle until 138 mph. I saw 239 for a brief moment and then it dropped back to 236. That worries me a lot!!

I was originally going to install the Perrin Oil Cooler. Great guys making high quality parts so it was an easy decision...until I heard about the leaking fittings and they pushed back all shipments to get the issue resolved. Normally I wouldn't mind waiting but my car is hot now and summer is relentless in South Florida. During my last dyno session with Tony he showed me the Mishimoto oil cooler that was ready for release. He listed the parts on his site last week cheaper than any other vendor so I scooped one up. It'll be here middle of this week and my wife and I will do the install. (Yes, I said my wife and I. Lol she's stoked to get more parts in so she can get dirty installing them. Awesome chick!!)

Next parts on my list before Turbo install include a clutch and some motor mounts. Leaning towards the Perrin mounts as they make removing the motor far easier for future installs. I also hear the Cusco mounts are REALLY stiff and Perrin has a little bit softer material which I'm sure will be perfect for me. If it was a track-only build then Cusco would be an option. I'm undecided on the clutch currently but I've narrowed it down.

Lastly, I'm undecided on whether or not I'll need to beef up rear end, rear axles, drive shaft, and trans gears. I've seen a few axle failures and I know that our trans aren't supposed to handle that much TQ but so far people have been doing ok with moderate amounts of power. I don't want to do a full trans swap and I hear stronger hear sets are in production so maybe that's the answer. Other than the gears, the axles and driveshaft are easy to replace so I may just beat them up until I find the weak link.

I know it's a long post but its my thread so I can do that.. I'll keep the thread updated with pics along the way and I'll post some of my hot mechanic wife wrenching away too.

[chadstyle]

Some pics from a photoshoot this morning...enjoy!

[sw20kosh]

Real nice results with the header and E85!

[chadstyle]

Here are the updated charts I posted in another thread. As I stated before, I just connected the lines where the tach sensor fell off momentarily on this one.



On this chart I took it one step further and traced over the lines with a thicker brush stroke as it was pretty busy with 3 runs on the same graph. No numbers have been changed but I was trying to improve the visibility and make it less confusing.



Hopefully this helps anyone looking for a solution to the torque dip. The best, most cost effective option, is a Borla UEL and a tune from @FA20Club.com. You can always spend a few bucks more and get the FA20Club header which also can be used with the FA20Club Turbo kit.

[chadstyle]

Originally Posted by sw20kosh

Real nice results with the header and E85!

Thanks man!! Totally transformed the car. So much easier to drive and keep it in the sweet spot without that annoying dip right in the middle of the band. I had gotten used to either shifting above or below it but my wife, who is new to manual trans, had a much harder time. Now anyone can jump in and enjoy the power delivery without consciously thinking about the dip.

[Opposed]

Originally Posted by chadstyle

Thanks man!! Totally transformed the car. So much easier to drive and keep it in the sweet spot without that annoying dip right in the middle of the band. I had gotten used to either shifting above or below it but my wife, who is new to manual trans, had a much harder time. Now anyone can jump in and enjoy the power delivery without consciously thinking about the dip.

Couldn't agree more. Since my header install and tune, I have found myself relearning the car all over again. Its sooo much nicer to have a smoother linear torque curve again! BTW, your car is absolutely beautiful. I love this color more and more I look at it. Oh, and a shot out to us car audio installers. I did it for about 6 years back in the day. I miss it very much!

[chadstyle]

Originally Posted by Opposed

Couldn't agree more. Since my header install and tune, I have found myself relearning the car all over again. Its sooo much nicer to have a smoother linear torque curve again! BTW, your car is absolutely beautiful. I love this color more and more I look at it. Oh, and a shot out to us car audio installers. I did it for about 6 years back in the day. I miss it very much!

Thanks for the kind words, I appreciate the compliments!

I do miss car audio but I still do some projects for demo vehicles and some friends. I was very fortunate in my career to be able to work and learn from some of the best in the world and experience some really cool places while working in the industry. I just had an offer the other day to get back into the industry full time with a nice 6 figure salary but I'm not sure I'm ready to jump back in head first just yet. Maybe, just maybe, some day.

I still do design work and build prototypes and have my own cars to build so I keep my creative side busy. I enjoy it the most this way. Building cars for clients was one thing but adding TV deadlines on top of client builds got hectic.

[JPxM0Dz]

Looking good! One of my favorites

[sw20kosh]

Slap a supercharger on that thing and bam

P.S. How heavy are those rims? I have always like those rims!

[chadstyle]

Originally Posted by sw20kosh

Slap a supercharger on that thing and bam

P.S. How heavy are those rims? I have always like those rims!

I originally wanted to supercharge but after reading many threads and checking out some turbo kits first hand, I'm sold on the FA20Club turbo kit. I'm installing my oil cooler this week and getting a clutch and motor mounts in preparation for the kit.

I really like these wheels too..the fronts with tires are identical to OEM with tires and the rears are each +2 pounds per corner. Not a bad trade off for 18" wheels and 255s in the rear. I have a slight stretch now in the rear so I know I can fit 265s without any issues at all. I figure with the turbo installed the benefits of the wider rear tires will offset the added weight. I do plan on buying a set of 17" wheels for the track that are much lighter but I haven't decided yet. For street wheels the Klutch's are awesome and super cheap too!!

[Ndgreely]

Can you post a link for the lip kit you have and will it fit the frs ?

[chadstyle]

Originally Posted by Ndgreely

Can you post a link for the lip kit you have and will it fit the frs ?

It's the HT Autos front lip. I ordered it from Koruworks. The BRZ and FRS front lips are different but HT Autos makes one for each. I also have their side skirts and rear spats. All are priced great and very durable.