Tatsu333's 2020 BRZ Sport Tech RS

[Tatsu333]

Again, no photos for this one, but next mod is done...sort of.

Since my business is currently closed due to another COVID shutdown, I decided to use my "free time" to move ahead with a couple of things I was going to leave until the summer.

First up, I installed the STI short-throw shifter...but I ran into some issues. I followed this DIY video, which was very helpful:

Everything was going really well. I even managed to get the accursed dust boot on pretty smoothly, and I had gotten to the stage of reinstalling the reverse lockout collar, but something was not right.

Turned out, when inserting the new shifter through the base, because I pushed down on the lever itself (instead of seating it with the white plastic collar), the "ball" had popped free of the plastic collar, so I had to undo everything again...and tore the damn dust boot in the process.

Then, when reassembling everything (sans dust boot - I have a new one on order from the local dealer), I somehow managed to push out the plastic bushing and O-ring from inside the bottom of the shift lever. FML...out it all came again, then back it all went.

Long story short, it's now all reinstalled, but without the dust boot. Again, I have a new one on order from the dealer, and I think I may try to install it from under the car instead of fighting with it all again. I know it will be a pain working around the driveshaft, but I'm fed up with trying it the other way.

SO - word to the wise: when installing the new shift lever, DO NOT push down on the lever itself to get it seated! Instead, seat it by pushing down on the white plastic collar.


The second thing I was going to install today was the auto dimming rearview mirror with compass...but the dealer didn't give me the mounting adapter on the order, so now I have to get THAT as well.

To be continued...

EDIT: 2021.04.04 - Here are my impressions on the STI Short Shifter:

IIRC from when I had them side-by-side, the length of the lever below the pivot point (the ball) is a *tiny* bit longer on the STI unit, and the length of the lever above the pivot point is a *tiny* bit shorter, so I wouldn't expect a massive difference in feel / throw length. Aside from that, the construction of the original and the STI shift levers looks basically identical. In fact, they looked so similar / the differences were so miniscule side-by-side that I didn't bother taking a photo.

So, the weird thing is...the shifts definitely feel smoother. Even cold 1-2 shifts feel smoother. Having not measured the shifter throw before and after, I can't give you exact numbers/percentages, but the throw feels a *little* shorter as well, but as expected, not hugely different.

Would I do it again? For $600+ CDN, it's an expensive upgrade, but after reading all the problems with rattling, etc. folks had with basically all the aftermarket shifters, I figured it was the way to go. For me, the improved shift smoothness is definitely worth something, but is it worth that much money? Probably not, but I'd likely do it again...because STI...LOL!

[Tatsu333]

My car just rolled through 1,000 kms yesterday, so I decided the break-in period was over.

I went for a very "spirited" drive on the local back roads and explored the limits a bit, which has given me a bit of direction for the next few mods (which will be a ways off, since I'll have to save up the funds).

First off, the Brembo's feel great, but they are SUPER dusty. I need to swap those pads out for something else ASAP. I used PowerStop Z23's on my last car with good results, so I'll probably just grab a set of those and throw them on.

Handling wise, the car definitely feels nimble, but it feels a bit too floaty over some of the more roller-coaster like roads I like to drive, with sharp elevation changes in combination with tight turns. It also has a tendency to push then snap into oversteer, though that could be more down to me needing a bit more practice to get the right driving style down. The ride over smaller road imperfections is pretty jiggly as well.

On my previous car, I had Koni Sport dampers and H&R Sport springs, and spent some time really dialing in the damping and alignment settings I liked, and it felt PLANTED and neutral.

I'm aiming for that same kind of feel with the BRZ, with a mild drop (1-1.25"), adjustable damping and no significant increase in NVH.

To that end, I'll be working on getting a streetable amount of negative camber (maybe around -1.75 degrees or so?) with zero toe in the front and then using adjustment to the rear camber with slight toe-in to help get the front/rear balance I'm looking for.

Rear LCA's will be a must (I'm thinking about Verus because I like the design better than the eccentric-bolt type, and they're available with a urethane inner mount), and for the front I'll see what I can do with camber bolts and either the Pedders camber/caster top mounts or the top mounts offered by the coilover options below.

To improve the damping and get a slight drop, I'm considering either a Koni/H&R combo again, or one of three coilover options - RS*R Sports-i, RCE SuperStreet-1's, or KW V3's.

The Koni/H&R combo (with Pedders camber/caster top hats, camber bolts and rear LCA's) should be the least expensive option and I don't really care about not having the height adjustment of the coilovers, but I worry a bit about whether I'll run into clearance issues with certain wheel/tire combos I'm considering (E.G. Konig Freeform 18x8.5" ET44 with 245/35-18's).

The KW V3's with Pedders camber/caster top mounts, camber bolts and rear LCA's would be my first choice, in part because of the lifetime warranty and the stainless-steel construction, but they're EXPENSIVE and I don't know that I really need to be able to adjust compression and rebound separately. If only there were a KW V2 available for our cars, I'd be on that in a heartbeat!

I don't know the RS*R brand well, but I like the concept of the Sports-i setup with the 2-position camber plate using urethane mounts to minimize any NVH increase. I also like that they can apparently go up to stock ride height, which I'm considering doing in the winter. The few reviews I've read have been good, but I feel that it's likely there's a bunch of unusable adjustment in the 36-way fronts / 24-way rears. Because I don't know the brand, I'm also a bit leery of durability with these.

I know RCE is really well-regarded in the community here, and the SS1's are essentially a KW V2 without the stainless sleeves, but my concern with the RCE SS1's is the likelihood of significantly increased NVH with the camber plates, even though they "say" they're not noticeable except on very rare occasions.

If anyone wants to chime in with their opinion on the coilover choices, I'd welcome any feedback / suggestions!

[Jdmjunkie]

To a certain extent you can't over camber this car, right now I run 3.5 degrees in the front and 2.5 in the rear as long as toe is set correctly you shouldn't have any abnormal wear. This can also vary from tire to tire. I would try for at least 2 or 2.5 in the front if you are on a sporty summer tire!

[PLX92]

If you’re goal is to only lower about an inch, you can likely get away with the stock arms.
For what it’s worth, going from oem suspension to coilovers + camber plates, I didn’t notice any significant impact to nvh as I have on other platforms. My vote would be the RCE ss’s and just reuse stock rear arms.

[Tatsu333]

Originally Posted by Jdmjunkie

To a certain extent you can't over camber this car, right now I run 3.5 degrees in the front and 2.5 in the rear as long as toe is set correctly you shouldn't have any abnormal wear. This can also vary from tire to tire. I would try for at least 2 or 2.5 in the front if you are on a sporty summer tire!

Originally Posted by PLX92

If you’re goal is to only lower about an inch, you can likely get away with the stock arms.
For what it’s worth, going from oem suspension to coilovers + camber plates, I didn’t notice any significant impact to nvh as I have on other platforms. My vote would be the RCE ss’s and just reuse stock rear arms.

Thanks for the feedback folks!

What I'll probably do is drop the car first and see where the rear camber ends up. I'll aim to get about the same negative camber in the front to begin with and then adjust from there based on tire wear and handling balance. If I can get away without doing the rear arms, that will definitely help with the budget!

[BrahmaBull1990]

Just installed the RCE Superstreets and they are amazing. ZERO body roll and the ride drop is perfect. They feel just as good, if not a bit softer, than the PP McPherson struts over bumps

[Tatsu333]

Originally Posted by BrahmaBull1990

Just installed the RCE Superstreets and they are amazing. ZERO body roll and the ride drop is perfect. They feel just as good, if not a bit softer, than the PP McPherson struts over bumps

Just curious - what do you have the dampers set at front and rear?

[BrahmaBull1990]

Originally Posted by Tatsu333

Just curious - what do you have the dampers set at front and rear?

There is 20 clicks of range so I just did 10

[saltywetman]

Originally Posted by Tatsu333

Again, no photos for this one, but next mod is done...sort of.

Since my business is currently closed due to another COVID shutdown, I decided to use my "free time" to move ahead with a couple of things I was going to leave until the summer.

First up, I installed the STI short-throw shifter...but I ran into some issues. I followed this DIY video, which was very helpful:

Everything was going really well. I even managed to get the accursed dust boot on pretty smoothly, and I had gotten to the stage of reinstalling the reverse lockout collar, but something was not right.

Turned out, when inserting the new shifter through the base, because I pushed down on the lever itself (instead of seating it with the white plastic collar), the "ball" had popped free of the plastic collar, so I had to undo everything again...and tore the damn dust boot in the process.

Then, when reassembling everything (sans dust boot - I have a new one on order from the local dealer), I somehow managed to push out the plastic bushing and O-ring from inside the bottom of the shift lever. FML...out it all came again, then back it all went.

Long story short, it's now all reinstalled, but without the dust boot. Again, I have a new one on order from the dealer, and I think I may try to install it from under the car instead of fighting with it all again. I know it will be a pain working around the driveshaft, but I'm fed up with trying it the other way.

SO - word to the wise: when installing the new shift lever, DO NOT push down on the lever itself to get it seated! Instead, seat it by pushing down on the white plastic collar.


The second thing I was going to install today was the auto dimming rearview mirror with compass...but the dealer didn't give me the mounting adapter on the order, so now I have to get THAT as well.

To be continued...

EDIT: 2021.04.04 - Here are my impressions on the STI Short Shifter:

IIRC from when I had them side-by-side, the length of the lever below the pivot point (the ball) is a *tiny* bit longer on the STI unit, and the length of the lever above the pivot point is a *tiny* bit shorter, so I wouldn't expect a massive difference in feel / throw length. Aside from that, the construction of the original and the STI shift levers looks basically identical. In fact, they looked so similar / the differences were so miniscule side-by-side that I didn't bother taking a photo.

So, the weird thing is...the shifts definitely feel smoother. Even cold 1-2 shifts feel smoother. Having not measured the shifter throw before and after, I can't give you exact numbers/percentages, but the throw feels a *little* shorter as well, but as expected, not hugely different.

Would I do it again? For $600+ CDN, it's an expensive upgrade, but after reading all the problems with rattling, etc. folks had with basically all the aftermarket shifters, I figured it was the way to go. For me, the improved shift smoothness is definitely worth something, but is it worth that much money? Probably not, but I'd likely do it again...because STI...LOL!

Oh I feel your pain, luckily i didn't tear the boot after having to remove and replace it (i guess that's why toyota lists the boot as a single use item since they expect y it to tear when you attempt to remove it. Most likely the pin cut into the rubber allowing it to tear easily.

The boot was a complete bitch to get on though but def a lot more durable/stretchy than i gave credit for. Second time i put it back on i just stretched it a lot more over everything and was done with it in a minute. First time i swear it took me 45 mins cursing to get it on. Only to find a washer from one end of the pin rod on my drive way after i bolted everything back up so had to tear everything down to put it back in lol. ALWAYS TRIPLE CHECK YOU HAVE ALL THE WASHERS IN PLACE BEFORE PINNING THE ROD AND PUTTING THE DUST BOOT ON! lol

The FTSpeed install videos never showed the pain in the ass dust boot since the aftermarket short shifter they showed in the videos did not include them.

[Tatsu333]

Originally Posted by saltywetman

Most likely the pin cut into the rubber allowing it to tear easily.

Yup - that's exactly what happened. I got so pissed off, I trimmed the end of the pin so that it doesn't stick out as far. Makes it a bitch to put on because I've left *just* enough on the pointy end to feed it through the hole, but I will hopefully never have to do it again once I replace the dust boot.

[Tatsu333]

One other small mod I did a while back but forgot to journal was plugging the sound tube hole in the firewall. I bought a cheap PVC pipe plug from the local Home Depot (I *think* it was a 3/4" plug) for less than $2.

It definitely takes the edge off the harshness of the engine note in the 3500 rpm range and makes a small difference in overall volume, so I'd recommend it for sure!

I'm still kind of on the fence whether or not I'll stay NA with the car long-term, or go with the Edelbrock supercharger. If I stay NA, I'll most likely grab the Perrin intake tube to more cleanly replace the "sound generator" apparatus completely.

[Tatsu333]

Latest mod - installed the auto-dimming mirror. This only took so long to get done because the dealer forgot to include the mounting adapter when the accessory was added to my original purchase, and then once I figured out that I had to order that, I wasn't able to pick it up from the dealer for 2-1/2 months due to COVID restrictions...LOL!

Installation was SUPER easy...




I also picked up some SPC camber bolts, and will try to have the alignment done next week or the week after, aiming for zero toe front, slight toe in (within factory specs) rear, and matching front negative camber to whatever the rear is sitting at.

[Tatsu333]

So my wife surprised me with some new wheels for the BRZ for my upcoming birthday! 17x8" ET35 Fast Wheels FC04 in Titanium, with black McGard Spline Drive wheel nuts. The new wheels are fitted with the same Pirelli P Zero All Season Plus 225/45R-17 tires I was running on the stock Performance Pack wheels.

These are the same wheels I had on my Tiburon (but different bolt pattern, obviously), and I liked them so much, I (we) bought them twice! Nice and light at a touch over 17 lbs. per wheel due to their flow-formed casting, and I never had any issues with my old set in 4-5 years of owning them.

LOTS of clearance to the Sport Tech RS / Performance Pack Brembo's, with 7mm of space at the closest point where the spokes curve in and over 15mm mid-spoke. Also plenty of clearance to the barrel.

On stock alignment, this wheel/tire combo is EXACTLY flush in the front, and a few mm tucked at the top in the rear. I'll be (finally) doing an alignment next week to dial in some negative camber in the front and zero out the toe all around, so that should even things out appearance wise as well as improving the handling balance.

Here are some pics:

Side View:


Front 3/4 View:


Rear 3/4 View:


FLUSH in Front:


Near Flush in Rear:


Brake Clearance:

[Dzmitry]

Originally Posted by Tatsu333

So my wife surprised me with some new wheels for the BRZ for my upcoming birthday! 17x8" ET35 Fast Wheels FC04 in Titanium, with black McGard Spline Drive wheel nuts. The new wheels are fitted with the same Pirelli P Zero All Season Plus 225/45R-17 tires I was running on the stock Performance Pack wheels.

These are the same wheels I had on my Tiburon (but different bolt pattern, obviously), and I liked them so much, I (we) bought them twice! Nice and light at a touch over 17 lbs. per wheel due to their flow-formed casting, and I never had any issues with my old set in 4-5 years of owning them.

LOTS of clearance to the Sport Tech RS / Performance Pack Brembo's, with 7mm of space at the closest point where the spokes curve in and over 15mm mid-spoke. Also plenty of clearance to the barrel.

On stock alignment, this wheel/tire combo is EXACTLY flush in the front, and a few mm tucked at the top in the rear. I'll be (finally) doing an alignment next week to dial in some negative camber in the front and zero out the toe all around, so that should even things out appearance wise as well as improving the handling balance.

Wow these look amazing! Do you happen to know how much they weigh? Could be on my future wheels list, love them.