Difference in aftermarket support for FRS and the BRZ.

[TOYSTRY]

Originally Posted by Smudgeous

It's funny, because TRD stands for Toyota Racing Development (their in-house tuning shop). While there have been plenty of vehicles released over the years that shared platforms and various components, it is not commonplace to use parts that are branded by a different car manufacturer.

Thanks for answering this for me during my absence. The reason I find this "funny" is because there are "many", not all, of BRZ owners who are already hating on the FR-S calling it cheap and ricey but I feel pretty confident that there will be many BRZ owners who will install TRD components on their BRZ.

Do I care if they do, NOT AT ALL, but it's still funny. For me, I'll likely buy the Whiteout FR-S and swap some of the BRZ parts like headlights and push button start since those are the only items the BRZ has that I prefer (unless I can't live w/o the rally blue color).

[TOYSTRY]

Originally Posted by Laika

Seems perfectly sound to put TRD parts on my BRZ to me

Not to cause controversy, more just gauging my own curiousity, but how would you feel if someone bought a rally blue BRZ and swapped out the Subaru emblems with Scion or Toyota emblems?

[Rampage]

Originally Posted by TOYSTRY

Thanks for answering this for me during my absence. The reason I find this "funny" is because there are "many", not all, of BRZ owners who are already hating on the FR-S calling it cheap and ricey but I feel pretty confident that there will be many BRZ owners who will install TRD components on their BRZ.

Do I care if they do, NOT AT ALL, but it's still funny. For me, I'll likely buy the Whiteout FR-S and swap some of the BRZ parts like headlights and push button start since those are the only items the BRZ has that I prefer (unless I can't live w/o the rally blue color).

Look under the hood of your Subaru BRZ. Right on top the plemun it says Toyota!!! It also says Subaru on top the FR-S motor!

People hating on the sister version of this car. Now that is FUNNY!

[TOYSTRY]

Originally Posted by Rampage

Look under the hood of your Subaru BRZ. Right on top the prlemun it says Toyota!!! It also says Subaru on top the FR-S motor!

People hating on the sister version of this car. Now that is FUNNY!

I agree and couldn't care less but you have to admit the bashing will be even funnier when people start swapping TRD parts on a Subaru.

[Matador]

Guys... this is the same car. As already mentioned, the only difference in fit is gonna be front bumper lips. Jeez.

Originally Posted by Laika

TRD = A company that contracts other aftermarket companies to build their parts so they can put their branding on it. For example, if I remember correctly, the TRD springs for the 7th gen Celica were made by Eibach.

Seems perfectly sound to put TRD parts on my BRZ to me *



*Assuming I want to pay the markup for TRD parts

TRD Technocraft Japan != TRD USA

Originally Posted by Rampage

Look under the hood of your Subaru BRZ. Right on top the prlemun it says Toyota!!! It also says Subaru on top the FR-S motor!

People hating on the sister version of this car. Now that is FUNNY!

Hilarious.

[Laika]

Originally Posted by TOYSTRY

Not to cause controversy, more just gauging my own curiousity, but how would you feel if someone bought a rally blue BRZ and swapped out the Subaru emblems with Scion or Toyota emblems?

Hey no controversy from me, this here is the internets!

I think I'd be kind of confused by it. The color is iconic because of Subaru's history of using WRB (although I realize the BRZ is WRBII) and I would figure they would probably already be Subaru fans and would just keep the badges.



But in the end I don't think I'd care at all, I'd just be really confused. Like another user stated, pop the hood and you'll see Subaru and Toyota's brand names stamped right there in plain site.

[Smudgeous]

I'd like to point out that I have no disdain for any variant of the car (to be honest, it reminds me quite a bit of the old DSM trio of the Eagle Talon [my previous car], Plymouth Laser, and Mitsubishi Eclipse). I had actually been planning on picking up the FRS until I saw the world rally blue (and then figured I may as well splurge on the Limited's comfort features if I was going Subaru).

What I was doing was answering the question as to why I believed TOYSTRY found TRD parts on a Subaru as funny (which is also my own opinion as well).

I had assumed everyone was aware of all of the collaborated parts of these vehicles. Much like the trio of cars I mentioned above, several parts can be outfitted to one another, but at the same time, each variant is branded as its own unique make and model.

Regardless of how many parts are actually fabricated, designed, built, or whatever by company X, if the car is sold under the company Y brand name, it strikes me as funny to promote company X.

I'd even go so far as saying the same holds true for the subsidiary luxury companies that the big import manufacturers created to sell cars in America in the 80's (Lexus, Accura, Infiniti, etc.). If I owned a Lexus LFA, for example, I'd feel mighty odd displaying any components for it that are branded as Toyota, regardless of whether they're elven-built in Santa's workshop.

[MONTEMEX3]

I just visited the Subaru website that allows you to build the BRZ. My question is do all BRZ/FRS come with a rear diffuser or is the one offered for the BRZ exclusive?

[WhiteGDB]

Originally Posted by Laika

Hey no controversy from me, this here is the internets!

I think I'd be kind of confused by it. The color is iconic because of Subaru's history of using WRB (although I realize the BRZ is WRBII) and I would figure they would probably already be Subaru fans and would just keep the badges.



But in the end I don't think I'd care at all, I'd just be really confused. Like another user stated, pop the hood and you'll see Subaru and Toyota's brand names stamped right there in plain site.

WRBII was the color of the BRZ STI Concept. Production BRZ has the same WRB(02C) as the WRX and WRX STI.

[WhiteGDB]

I'm not seeing the humor in people wanting to put TRD parts on the BRZ as there will also be those that put STI parts on their FRS. I'll find it perfectly normal since they're basically the same car build by both companies.

[switchlanez]

Originally Posted by Smudgeous

I'd even go so far as saying the same holds true for the subsidiary luxury companies that the big import manufacturers created to sell cars in America in the 80's (Lexus, Accura, Infiniti, etc.). If I owned a Lexus LFA, for example, I'd feel mighty odd displaying any components for it that are branded as Toyota, regardless of whether they're elven-built in Santa's workshop.

Guess it depends on what you're accustomed to seeing; I've seen off-branded parts all my life come from the same OEM as the cars: NISMO (Nissan Motorsports) offers parts/packages for Infiniti. TRD offers parts for Lexus.

I'd rather have TRD Japan parts on a BRZ or STI parts on an FR-S than TRD USA parts on an FR-S (because TRD USA contracts out to 3rd parties). Past the branding, they are direct fit OEM quality parts (Toyota/Subaru share OEM status yet some people still refuse to acknowledge this truth). I don't care which label the OEMs stamp on parts; it's just an identifier (like a part number, all transparent to me). I'm only concerned with where the design came from and its integrity. Now mismatching hood/trunk emblems or decals - that's different.

Originally Posted by Smudgeous

Regardless of how many parts are actually fabricated, designed, built, or whatever by company X, if the car is sold under the company Y brand name, it strikes me as funny to promote company X.

I see what you're saying but, to me, it's not about promoting a brand. Perhaps HKS or Eibach are more traditional brands to "promote" but I'd rather have off-brand OEM-approved parts. What matters at the end of the day is a quality upgrade that enhances your driving experience. I once bought bright green Bilstein shocks for my MR2 which were the same model/part number as a discontinued dual-branded TRD Japan/Bilstein shock. The color bothered me more than the lack of TRD branding but all that didn't matter; the suspension upgrade did.

[Spaceywilly]

Originally Posted by Smudgeous

What I was doing was answering the question as to why I believed TOYSTRY found TRD parts on a Subaru as funny (which is also my own opinion as well).

I had assumed everyone was aware of all of the collaborated parts of these vehicles. Much like the trio of cars I mentioned above, several parts can be outfitted to one another, but at the same time, each variant is branded as its own unique make and model.

Regardless of how many parts are actually fabricated, designed, built, or whatever by company X, if the car is sold under the company Y brand name, it strikes me as funny to promote company X.

I'd even go so far as saying the same holds true for the subsidiary luxury companies that the big import manufacturers created to sell cars in America in the 80's (Lexus, Accura, Infiniti, etc.). If I owned a Lexus LFA, for example, I'd feel mighty odd displaying any components for it that are branded as Toyota, regardless of whether they're elven-built in Santa's workshop.

So do you think it's funny that people put TRD (Toyota) branded parts on a Scion (a subsidiary of Toyota)? Who cares what brand logo is stamped on something, especially if the brands are owned by the same company. Many of the interior parts on my WRX have Lexus logos stamped on the back. It's all coming from same parts bin, the only difference is what sticker they put on it before it rolls out the door.

[Smudgeous]

Originally Posted by switchlanez

Now mismatching hood/trunk emblems or decals - that's different.

This is mainly what I was referring to when I was thinking of visual components. A small NISMO or TRD stamp on a performance part that you have to open the hood or lay on the ground to show off is understandable. However, having a large vinyl "Toyota Racing" or the Toyota logo on easily viewable areas gets a knee-jerk negative reaction.

Originally Posted by switchlanez

What matters at the end of the day is a quality upgrade that enhances your driving experience.

This, quite frankly, is exactly my sentiment. The fact that something strikes me as funny is purely the first reaction I have to something. If the explanation that TRD is making a supercharger while STI is making a turbocharger and the BRZ owner explains that he hates turbos with a passion, I'd undertand. For parts that are going to be nearly identical and produced by both TRD and STI (sway bars, etc), it just seems odd to cross-shop. Kind of like when my buddy found low tread Hyundai wheels in a junk yard that wound up becoming his 240SX wheels of choice. There was a reason for it, but eyebrows still were raised when eyes were laid upon it.

Personally, I love the fact that so many aftermarket tuning shops were able to get advanced measurement data for the vehicles. I rarely upgrade my new vehicles early, as I prefer to review different manufacturer' products, and make my decision fairly unbiased (I still generally prefer unaffiliated companies over the big in-house tuning shops, unless there's a clear performance difference. If TRD makes the BEST damned cold-air intake of the ~15 tuning shops I look at for intakes, then it'll be in my BRZ within a year. I just won't be slapping and TRD stickers anywhere visible if that happens.

[TOYSTRY]

This post is going no where......, but it's entertaining