WHAT DID YOU DO TO YOUR BRZ TODAY?

[BirdTRD]

Since it was 90 in the shade today, I decided it was a good time to tackle the Full Blown Walbro 485 fuel pump install I've been putting off for a couple months now........frickin' moron. All I can say is, it's in, no leaks and thank God for this forum... 'cause there were no cockadoodie instructions!

[dhuang]

Originally Posted by J1Avs

Where did you get your tail light tint from? It looks a bit darker than mine

eBay!

[Ricepuddin]

Headers and danger to the manifold

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

[Ganthrithor]

Originally Posted by dhuang

Keeping the Series.Yellow theme intact by tinting the center of the taillights and reverse bar.

Love the plate.

[rvoll]

So normally, I wouldn't even slightly mod my new 2018 BRZ, but so many of you have added spacers to get a flush look, I thought the very slight increase in understeer wouldn't be a problem. So today, I received a set of 20mm spacers from ft86speedfactory -- their own brand -- and put them on the rear wheels. So many have said that 20 in front and 25 in back would be perfect. Their spacers are really well built, hub centric, and just good looking. The only other functional mod I made on the car was replacing the OEM Primacies with 225 PS4S.

After taking the car on a test drive today, the handling was an absolute disaster. Severe understeer and more difficult cornering. As for looks, to my eyes the poke was about 5mm too much on the rears, which really surprised me. I know the 225's are slightly wider than the stock 215's, so perhaps that is one of the issues. I think the understeer was multiplied by the extra sticky tires I had. I know that also putting spacers on the front will reduce some of the understeer, but I hate the look of poke in the front and if 20's were too big in the rear, then I'm not sure there is a good solution. If I'm only going 10-15's, it just isn't worth the effort in my book. I did have the advantage of taking a test drive just before and then one right after and perhaps that amplified the difference. I owned Porsches for 27 years so I am very sensitive to handling and suspension.

I guess I don't understand why this isn't more of an issue here. But I've learned a lesson that the Subaru/Toyota engineers knew what they were doing when "balancing" this car. No more mods for me except for accessories and perhaps an audio upgrade.

So I'll take them off tomorrow and put them up for sale at half price or so plus shipping. They are the nicest spacers I've ever purchased. Years ago, I did use some spacers on a couple of cars but I guess they were not as sensitive as this one....

[dhuang]

Originally Posted by rvoll

I guess I don't understand why this isn't more of an issue here. But I've learned a lesson that the Subaru/Toyota engineers knew what they were doing when "balancing" this car. No more mods for me except for accessories and perhaps an audio upgrade.

I know what you mean, the PP BRZ is just that good from the factory. This past Monday I put on some RCE Yellow springs on my Series.Yellow, and while the jury is still out until it settles and I get it properly aligned, I felt like it took away from the spirit of the car. I'm still on the fence about spacers to round out the appearance, but not if it compromises the drivability.

[monkeybike]

Besides a drop in air filter, I haven’t been tempted into many mechanical mods yet.
I’d like a drop in ride height but I’m happy with the handling on the PP out of the box.

[rvoll]

Originally Posted by dhuang

I know what you mean, the PP BRZ is just that good from the factory. This past Monday I put on some RCE Yellow springs on my Series.Yellow, and while the jury is still out until it settles and I get it properly aligned, I felt like it took away from the spirit of the car. I'm still on the fence about spacers to round out the appearance, but not if it compromises the drivability.

I know exactly what you mean by "the spirit of the car". A lot of what people are willing to accept is psychological. If the car is slammed (lowered) and big wheels/tires are put on, they tell themselves they are really riding in a supercar. In reality, driving the car is far less "fun" and certainly less balanced. By the way, I've also tracked cars and there you are looking for the best lap times and not a "balanced" fun drive. Taking a properly setup track car on the streets is also a disaster if you really enjoy driving. I guess after so many years, I just don't think you can really have both. Even the "supercars" I've owned in the past were balanced for the streets.

[spike021]

Originally Posted by rvoll

I know exactly what you mean by "the spirit of the car". A lot of what people are willing to accept is psychological. If the car is slammed (lowered) and big wheels/tires are put on, they tell themselves they are really riding in a supercar. In reality, driving the car is far less "fun" and certainly less balanced. By the way, I've also tracked cars and there you are looking for the best lap times and not a "balanced" fun drive. Taking a properly setup track car on the streets is also a disaster if you really enjoy driving. I guess after so many years, I just don't think you can really have both. Even the "supercars" I've owned in the past were balanced for the streets.

Sorry you feel that way but I don’t think it’s right for you to speak for others in the same or similar position (RCE Yellows on a PP setup). I know myself, and probably plenty of others, are having a great, fun time driving these on twisty roads and adding springs like the Yellows increase the feeling even more. The car still feels plenty balanced.

Most likely you just feel a certain way about driving and that’s fine but it’s probably wrong to start generalizing as you are like it’s ruining the fun for everybody.

At least that’s what I got out of your last couple of posts.

[rvoll]

Originally Posted by spike021

Sorry you feel that way but I don’t think it’s right for you to speak for others in the same or similar position (RCE Yellows on a PP setup). I know myself, and probably plenty of others, are having a great, fun time driving these on twisty roads and adding springs like the Yellows increase the feeling even more. The car still feels plenty balanced.

Most likely you just feel a certain way about driving and that’s fine but it’s probably wrong to start generalizing as you are like it’s ruining the fun for everybody.

At least that’s what I got out of your last couple of posts.

We all do things on our cars that make us "feel" better. If you like a stiffer, less comfortable ride, then there is nothing wrong with your choices. My point is that FROM A PERFORMANCE PERSPECTIVE, you really haven't gained much, if anything on this particular car. There is virtually nothing you gain from extra wide wheels/tires or a car that is lowered significantly other than looks. So I apologize for seeming to put you down, that was not my intent. My point was that you will get little or no performance benefit from doing so. I tried putting on spacers and found there was no benefit to doing so, in fact it made the car worse IMO. Could an expert dial those spacers in to make the car handle as well? Perhaps but not better. So the only reason to do it is to make your wheels look more flush. For me, I prefer better performance even if the flush wheels looked a little better.

[HeresMyMind]

Installed Bayson rear spats, and OEM replica rear diffuser.

I also ordered OEM STi side skirts for 313$ off amazon!

-B

[dhuang]

Originally Posted by spike021

Sorry you feel that way but I don’t think it’s right for you to speak for others in the same or similar position (RCE Yellows on a PP setup). I know myself, and probably plenty of others, are having a great, fun time driving these on twisty roads and adding springs like the Yellows increase the feeling even more. The car still feels plenty balanced.

Perhaps this comment was partially aimed at me.

Again, I know that RCE is highly praised on this board, and the Yellows make a great pairing with the Sachs dampers. I've spoke with RCE extensively before deciding to go with the Yellows, and I think once my setup is dialed in, it will be very capable.

I think what rvoll is trying to get at, is Subaru has spent millions in R&D to engineer a particular feel to the BRZ/86 that suits the majority of the population and embodies the ethos of their vision of what a fun RWD practical car ought to be like. But... this platform is made to be modified, yet half of the mods I see done to this car hardly qualifies as "engineering." Such mods may end up ruining the "spirit of the car" and thus turning something that was good into something else. I know, because I happen to be guilty of this.

My previous car was a '13 FR-S on adjustable coilovers with wheels that had nice fitment wrapped in Michelin PSS'. When I got my '17 BRZ, during the long drive back after taking delivery, I began thinking about all the mods I "needed" to do to make the BRZ like my FR-S...

I didn't modify the BRZ for 8 months.
(aside from some smoked side markers and license LEDs)

Instead, I took the BRZ (while on paper plates) to my first track day a month into ownership -- it was then when I realized how dialed the PP BRZ is from the factory. While people complain about the tires and their supposedly "lack of grip," instead I found the tires the engineers chose, to be super talkative, letting me know when I'm overdriving them. Unlike the PSS which would grip, grip, grip, and then let go without very much warning. Plus, the car wanted to rotate -- almost all the time in stock form, a result of having those skinny hard tires. Man was the stock car fun, while teaching me all about the friction circle. If anything, perhaps the engineers designed this car to teach you to be a better driver. Oh, and for those 8 months, the BRZ was incredibly comfortable as a DD, which my FR-S was not.

Now that I've spent enough time with the car in stock form, I'm giving my modding career a second chance, hoping to do it right in small and slow increments. I was a bit worried when I hit my first road imperfection with the RCE Yellows and told myself, wow this is too stiff. But then I realized, this too shall pass.

[HeresMyMind]

A big thing is building the car for how you use it. I knew I was getting this car for fun daily driving and autocross. I also knew I wanted specifically to run in a stock classing. So I made a list of mods around that. I knew a front sway bar. Wheels. Tires. Brake pads. Koni shocks. And a air filter were all in my list. A catback for some noise. Tint for privacy. And a few exterior mods for eye candy to finish it up. (Oem STi body kit and stubby antenna)

Then I bought the car and made it down the list. Today I bought the very last thing in it. (Side skirts).

To each his own!

-B

[lc300]

Is anyone using the Skene license plate bracket on their BRZ? If so, what size did you guys go with?