MikeM5's SWP BRZ

[TouchMyHonda]

I parked next to you at auto mass. Your car looks so low next to mine.

[lp87]

Originally Posted by MikeM5

No fender mods! I'm quite rapidly eating through my fender liners and they are naturally taking their own shape to accommodate. I'm sure that if I went down to a 215 in front, I'd rid myself of all the rubbing, but I think I'll wait until next season. Rears still have a bunch of room, so I may widen those wheels when it's time to take them off.

Gotchca. Do you rub much (on the fenders)?

[MikeM5]

Originally Posted by TouchMyHonda

I parked next to you at auto mass. Your car looks so low next to mine.

I was wondering if that was you...didn't see you at the event.

Originally Posted by lp87

Gotchca. Do you rub much (on the fenders)?

On the fender liners most definitely, but I assume that will be short-lived by virtue of them finally wearing out or me going to a 215 front.

[TouchMyHonda]

Originally Posted by MikeM5

I was wondering if that was you...didn't see you at the event.

I was floating around the pits smoking cigs and catching rides lol.

[MikeM5]

A quick IG shot of the car in street and track mode.

Street: CCW Classics 18x9.5+30, Falken 452 225/40/18
Track: Rays 57Xtreme 17x9+40, Dunlop 245/40/17

[MikeM5]

And here are a couple snaps of me shaking down the car at Blackhawk Farms Raceway. Car felt great! Made a couple adjustments the following day at Touge Factory and ordered up a Willwood BBK since I ate up my OEM pads thoroughly in 5 sessions

[JonMotoring]

Really like your style!
Car looks good at the same time it's also functional!
Exactly how I like my cars

[mfbmike]

Car looks great.

[MikeM5]

Originally Posted by JonMotoring

Really like your style!
Car looks good at the same time it's also functional!
Exactly how I like my cars

Thanks Jon! Function & form are definitely equal in my book. Your additions definitely help round out the car

Originally Posted by mfbmike

Car looks great.

Much appreciated!

[humanshield]

Mike the BRZ looks good on the track. Diggin the new Vimeo film too. you're a busy guy.

[MikeM5]

Keep forgetting to update this thread...

Anyway, after my first stint in the car, it was apparent that one area still needed some addressing - the brakes. Went over to Touge Factory and after talking about a couple options, they hooked it up with a Wilwood BBK 6/4pot.

Just recently took the car to the track again and WOW...huge difference. Between the added confidence and massive braking power, I was going much deeper into the braking zones than before. Can definitely recommend this kit to anyone who is on the fence about it. Big improvement!

[MikeM5]

A quick snap of me making my way around Blackhawk Farms with the new brake setup thanks to Touge Factory

[SP86]

Really nice. I've been looking for this car awhile. Seen it on the the ccw page but without wheel dimensions. I got lm20s on order, should be getting them in this week. Hope all fits with the stock perches and what not.

[MikeM5]

Totally forgot about updating this thread. Here's a quick 4-month update on the car's progress, haha.

After driving the car through a brutal Chicago winter, I decided it was time for a few changes to make the daily driver carry a bit more track car persona while still being very liveable:

First and foremost I wanted to bring out a bit more exhaust noise and picked up a Motiv Overpipe and HKS resonated front pipe which left my exhaust very daily drivable, but with more sound oomph in all the right places.

With the track season upcoming, I thought it best to pick up a pair of Recaro SPG seats (my absolute favorite) with Buddy Club seat rails, but while I was at Touge Factory, I went for a ride in Mike's FR-S and ended up buying a Jackson Racing supercharger at the same time. I found it to be the perfect balance between extra power and reliability and I wanted to keep the power delivery very stock-feeling. While the car was at the shop, I took it as a good opportunity to finally install my APR carbon canards, Whiteline diff bushing, Whiteline trans bushing and Whiteline 20mm front sway as well.

After tackling a couple more track days, I brought the car back to Touge Factory for some tweaks and an alignment. I found out in order to get my toe where I wanted, I needed a set of toe arms, so I picked up a pair from SPL.

During my latest track excursion, I ended up frying my front Wilwood (PP20) pads, but I think I got a good amount of use from them. Luckily, Mike from Touge Factory went to the event with me as we ran into a few difficulties swapping a fresh set of pads on so I could go for a couple more sessions. After a couple more, the rotors were next to call it quits as they were no longer slotted.

I brought it back to TF to have them inspect my brakes to make sure I didn't warp a piston, swap on fresh rotors and opted for a set of upgraded pads as well. While I was there, I had some time to consider a steering wheel. I was noticing that with my SPGs and stock wheel, I would get really close to hitting my knees when turning close to or slightly over 90 degrees. At first, I was just contemplating lowering my seat a few notches, but after speaking with Dave, a new setup would all together bring the wheel closer to me (which I honestly needed). I also wanted to reduce the amount of turning I had to do on track, so I opted for a Works Bell quick release and a Personal 330mm Neo Grinta suede wheel.

Attached are a few photos from the journey - I'll be updating the thread with some SLR snaps soon!