ImperiousRex's Greddy Turbocharged BRZ

[unsurety]

Wish I saw this thread sooner. This car broke my neck at the big Oakland meet. Great build!

[ImperiousRex]

Just got back from a back to back track day weekend which included a twilight event. And you know what that means... BURNING ROTORS! Who wants some BBQ??



Also got the new oil cooler and radiator installed and I'll have some pictures up soon!

[Top-Secret]

just read the entire thread. only words for this is wow. i feel like you mentioned this in an erlier post but iv forgotten by now. why the greedy kit?
love the glowing rotor picture to.. drool @ImperiousRex

[ImperiousRex]

Originally Posted by Top-Secret

just read the entire thread. only words for this is wow. i feel like you mentioned this in an erlier post but iv forgotten by now. why the greedy kit?
love the glowing rotor picture to.. drool @ImperiousRex

Haha thanks. As for why I chose the Greddy kit, my goal with the car has never been to build something for the highest dyno numbers. I wanted to build for a balanced setup in all areas (power, suspension, aero, street driveability). I've also been focused on reliability while trying to maintain that balance.

So I chose what I thought to be the highest quality kit out there (I've used Greddy parts in the past and they've never failed me). I know it's a controversial statement for some and I'm not knocking on any other kit. But so far I've run 40+ track days with the car and over 20 with the kit on. It's seen days with over 105F ambient temps (much higher on track) and been on many podiums for time attack events. Outside of one ignition coil and one DI seal going bad (which I don't really blame the kit for) there have been no major engine issues. *knock on wood*

Outside of the heat issues (which I've discussed at length), the kit has been pretty solid overall. We're working on shoring up those issues and I'm looking forward to the cooler winter months to run our fastest laps again.

Thanks for checking everything out!

[ImperiousRex]

Update time! I mentioned a few weeks ago that we had installed a Koyorad radiator and a Greddy Circuit Oil Cooler to replace the Robispec radiator that had unfortunately cracked under track conditions.

The Koyo is fairly standard so no need for pictures. But here are a few shots from the install of the Greddy Oil Cooler:











The unit is pricey but after two track days in California summer heat, it's worked like a charm. Our first test day was at the Streets of Willow in over 105°F ambient heat and after 4 sessions, the oil temp reached a max of 235°F. Our 2nd day of testing was at Auto Club Speedway in the ROVAL configuration. Ambient temps there were around 95-100°F and in two hard sessions the oil temps never exceeded 225°F.

The shrouding around the oil cooler works very nicely but one thing to note is that the coolant temps are still a bit high (reaching 225-235°F after 3-4 sessions). I think between the oil cooler shrouding and having the IC in front of the radiator, the air flow is being blocked enough that the radiator isn't getting the full flow it needs. The Spal fans are keeping the temps in check however and 235 is the most I ever want to see on track. If I ever see it go past, I may need to explore other options. (The highest priority one being a possible water spray set up for the intercooler.)

But I'll keep you guys updated as we continue to develop the car! A big thanks to Bluemoon Performance, Inc for taking in the car on short notice and getting us up and running before our last Redline Time Attack event!

[gramicci101]

What are your thoughts on the Hancha Grp/FT-86SF front splitter and Driveway Labs rear diffuser?

[Stealth Gt86]

I had that oil cooler on order for 4 months, greddy kept pushing the delivery date back so I cancelled it and go the cusco water cooled oil cooler.


got any pictures with the bumper on?

[ImperiousRex]

Originally Posted by gramicci101

What are your thoughts on the Hancha Grp/FT-86SF front splitter and Driveway Labs rear diffuser?

I haven't used either so it's hard to say anything about them either positive or negative. Aesthetically they look nice but aero in general needs to be well balanced in my opinion. Buying just one piece is only going to upset the balance of your car and if you adjust for one piece, you're only asking to have to adjust again if you get another.

I recently bought an S2000 with the full Voltex aero kit and it was eye opening how apparent the downforce is with that kit and how good it feels. I'd like to achieve something similar with the BRZ eventually but I'd rather not piecemeal parts together in the meantime. Unless you're at the forefront of developing this platform, I'd suggest just waiting for race development of the car to mature a bit more and take advantage of that development when it's proven.

If you want to get pieces just for looks, then by all means, get the best looking parts

Originally Posted by Stealth Gt86

I had that oil cooler on order for 4 months, greddy kept pushing the delivery date back so I cancelled it and go the cusco water cooled oil cooler.

got any pictures with the bumper on?

I'll take some very soon

[gramicci101]

Originally Posted by ImperiousRex

I haven't used either so it's hard to say anything about them either positive or negative. Aesthetically they look nice but aero in general needs to be well balanced in my opinion. Buying just one piece is only going to upset the balance of your car and if you adjust for one piece, you're only asking to have to adjust again if you get another.

I recently bought an S2000 with the full Voltex aero kit and it was eye opening how apparent the downforce is with that kit and how good it feels. I'd like to achieve something similar with the BRZ eventually but I'd rather not piecemeal parts together in the meantime. Unless you're at the forefront of developing this platform, I'd suggest just waiting for race development of the car to mature a bit more and take advantage of that development when it's proven.

If you want to get pieces just for looks, then by all means, get the best looking parts

Hancha is a CFD aero company; they're putting a lot of design work and processing time into their splitter. And they've done a lot of testing with @Wonderbar on his diffuser; they work very well together to produce a balanced chassis with much reduced lift. @ATL BRZ is using the type 1 diffuser on his track and could speak more towards its effectiveness.

[ImperiousRex]

Originally Posted by gramicci101

Hancha is a CFD aero company; they're putting a lot of design work and processing time into their splitter. And they've done a lot of testing with @Wonderbar on his diffuser; they work very well together to produce a balanced chassis with much reduced lift. @ATL BRZ is using the type 1 diffuser on his track and could speak more towards its effectiveness.

Nothing but respect for those guys. I follow both ATL_BRZ and Driveway Labs with their builds and I'd love to see their real world results!

Again, for me, I'm just looking for a well designed system of parts that are made to work together. If the Hancha splitter and Driveway Labs diffuser work super well together, I'd be ecstatic. But there are a number of shops that have aero systems in development for this platform - some I've seen on track and others that I can't talk about yet. At the end of the day I just think it's an exciting time for the FT86 and at the moment, I'm ok with waiting on more development

All I can speak for is my own experience and some things you'd think are no brainers (bigger wing for more downforce! fatter, stickier tires for more grip!) don't always give the results that you want in actual testing.

For example, I've been testing 255/35/17 Maxxis RC1 R-compound tires for most of this year and what we found out was that even with FI, that level of tire width and stickiness actually works against the car in many situations. I've run them at 5 different tracks and they've proven to be 1-3 seconds slower than 245/40/17 Hankook RS3's. While they are undeniably grippier through the corners, the trade off in higher rolling resistance and lowered ability to properly rotate the car mid corner has proven that the adage "bigger is better" is not the case with this car at my power level (and anyone at NA power). We are now testing with 235/40/17 RC1's and already I've seen a near 1 sec gain over the RS3's at one track.

It's small things like this that don't really reveal themselves until you push the car pretty hard and in various conditions. Between myself and @CSG_Mike we have a pretty good spread in skill and testing our skills with the same car on the same track days has resulted in some interesting findings. Most of which I've been sharing with you all. Proper aero is one of the harder things to balance well I think and that's why I've been taking my time in this regard.

But I want to wish the guys that are developing that aspect of this platform all the best! For better or worse, their work is a benefit for everyone in my opinion.

[Wonderbar]

Originally Posted by ImperiousRex

Nothing but respect for those guys. I follow both ATL_BRZ and Driveway Labs with their builds and I'd love to see their real world results!

Again, for me, I'm just looking for a well designed system of parts that are made to work together. If the Hancha splitter and Driveway Labs diffuser work super well together, I'd be ecstatic. But there are a number of shops that have aero systems in development for this platform - some I've seen on track and others that I can't talk about yet. At the end of the day I just think it's an exciting time for the FT86 and at the moment, I'm ok with waiting on more development

All I can speak for is my own experience and some things you'd think are no brainers (bigger wing for more downforce! fatter, stickier tires for more grip!) don't always give the results that you want in actual testing.

For example, I've been testing 255/35/17 Maxxis RC1 R-compound tires for most of this year and what we found out was that even with FI, that level of tire width and stickiness actually works against the car in many situations. I've run them at 5 different tracks and they've proven to be 1-3 seconds slower than 245/40/17 Hankook RS3's. While they are undeniably grippier through the corners, the trade off in higher rolling resistance and lowered ability to properly rotate the car mid corner has proven that the adage "bigger is better" is not the case with this car at my power level (and anyone at NA power). We are now testing with 235/40/17 RC1's and already I've seen a near 1 sec gain over the RS3's at one track.

It's small things like this that don't really reveal themselves until you push the car pretty hard and in various conditions. Between myself and @CSG_Mike we have a pretty good spread in skill and testing our skills with the same car on the same track days has resulted in some interesting findings. Most of which I've been sharing with you all. Proper aero is one of the harder things to balance well I think and that's why I've been taking my time in this regard.

But I want to wish the guys that are developing that aspect of this platform all the best! For better or worse, their work is a benefit for everyone in my opinion.

I think I've got all 4 sides balanced out quite nicely now. Once I finish up the rest of the underbody tray I should have pulled off almost a perfect 50/50 aero balance without a wing, while generating a considerable amount of downforce. There should be a % or so front bias to make putting a wing on a valid argument.

Thanks for the shout out Rex, I still want parts on your car. I absolutely love the build.

[ImperiousRex]

So I'm almost done with another year of track events and I'm glad to report the car has held up for another 25+ track events this year and finished in 2nd place for Redline Time Attack's Street RWD class this season! Now that we've got the cooling pretty much handled and suspension dialed in, I may be looking into a little more power next year. I'll keep you updated! In the meantime here's one of my favorite shots of the car from the 2nd half of the season:



And here's my time attack session in the final round of RTA last weekend at the Auto Club Speedway ROVAL! Enjoy!

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZILuUyzbK8"]ImperiousRex's Greddy Turbocharged BRZ - Auto Club Speedway - Redline Time Attack Round 8 (112314) - YouTube[/ame]

[R2RO]

Loving this build more and more!

[enivid]

What's your Aero plans for next year?