What did you do to your 2nd gen BRZ today?

[Desertnate]

Swapped out the OEM side markers for JDM. Big improvement.

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[EZLVN]

Those clear side markers look great!
It’s on my short list.

[Desertnate]

Thanks!

It's a really easy job for the most part. The only problem I encountered was the nuts holding the assemblies in place was really tight and did not come off as easily as the Youtube videos seem to indicate. My 10mm box end wrench was the best tool for the job due to the available space, but it wasn't long enough to get the leverage needed to break the nuts loose. I had to wedge my small socket wrench in there to get things started. Once loose, I easily spun it off with my fingers and replaced it by hand and the box end wrench.

[EZLVN]

Do you mind sharing which ones you purchased?
I see aftermarket selling for about 50.00 and OEM JDM’s going for about 150.00

[Desertnate]

I went with the OEM JDM's.

They are a lot more than some aftermarket options, but I felt going with the OEM reduced the risk of the fit not being quite right or other quality problems like bad wiring or leaks.

[Lelandjt]

Originally Posted by DocWalt

Installed the Racebred splitter.

I wonder what happens to the air when it hits those 4 different lips stacked on top of each other, but with 1cm gaps between each. Nothing productive I'm guessing...
To be clear my criticism is more of the stock design than your mod. You just made a bad thing a tiny bit worse.

[Lelandjt]

Originally Posted by EZLVN

Do you mind sharing which ones you purchased?
I see aftermarket selling for about 50.00 and OEM JDM’s going for about 150.00

I got the cheap ones from Amazon. They fit fine and look like the ones pictured above. Big improvement on a silver car, probably any color.

[DocWalt]

Originally Posted by Lelandjt

I wonder what happens to the air when it hits those 4 different lips stacked on top of each other, but with 1cm gaps between each. Nothing productive I'm guessing...
To be clear my criticism is more of the stock design than your mod. You just made a bad thing a tiny bit worse.

There are no gaps between any of them? They're all sealed together, the air can't go through the "gaps" so it just creates a high pressure bubble and and the air moves smoothly.

[MikeNSX2]

Installed an MBRP axle back with Carbon Fiber tips.

Now I have three aftermarket axle backs to swap between (HKS Legamax Premium, Nameless Performance with dual 5" mufflers and the MBRP).

[Desertnate]

Originally Posted by MikeNSX2

Installed an MBRP axle back with Carbon Fiber tips.

Now I have three aftermarket axle backs to swap between (HKS Legamax Premium, Nameless Performance with dual 5" mufflers and the MBRP).

Could you do a quick (i.e. only a sentence or two) comparison of the three?

The only one I've heard in person is the MBRP, but I'm leaning towards the HKS. Mostly because the owner of the MBRP mentioned the drone inside the cabin wasn't "too bad". We did have a bit of a language barrier, so I'm not totally confident in how well we were communicating.

I'd really like to improve the sound without making the car much louder internally or externally. I admit I'm not a fan of the blued tips on the HKS.

[Desertnate]

Originally Posted by MikeNSX2

Installed an MBRP axle back with Carbon Fiber tips.

Now I have three aftermarket axle backs to swap between (HKS Legamax Premium, Nameless Performance with dual 5" mufflers and the MBRP).

Could you do a quick (i.e. only a sentence or two) comparison of the three?

The only one I've heard in person is the MBRP, but I'm leaning towards the HKS. Mostly because the owner of the MBRP mentioned the drone inside the cabin wasn't "too bad". We did have a bit of a language barrier, so I'm not totally confident in how well we were communicating.

I'd really like to improve the sound without making the car much louder internally or externally. I admit I'm not a fan of the blued tips on the HKS.

[dragoontwo]

Originally Posted by Desertnate

Could you do a quick (i.e. only a sentence or two) comparison of the three?

The only one I've heard in person is the MBRP, but I'm leaning towards the HKS. Mostly because the owner of the MBRP mentioned the drone inside the cabin wasn't "too bad". We did have a bit of a language barrier, so I'm not totally confident in how well we were communicating.

I'd really like to improve the sound without making the car much louder internally or externally. I admit I'm not a fan of the blued tips on the HKS.

I have nothing to add here except that with ACE catless headers, stock exhaust and Verus diffuser the stock cat back does drone.

[MikeNSX2]

Originally Posted by Desertnate

Could you do a quick (i.e. only a sentence or two) comparison of the three?

The only one I've heard in person is the MBRP, but I'm leaning towards the HKS. Mostly because the owner of the MBRP mentioned the drone inside the cabin wasn't "too bad". We did have a bit of a language barrier, so I'm not totally confident in how well we were communicating.

I'd really like to improve the sound without making the car much louder internally or externally. I admit I'm not a fan of the blued tips on the HKS.

HKS Legamax Premium axle back: Easily the quietest of the three. Cold start sound is moderate. Volume level on a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being stock) is a 2 to 3. Sound quality is much better than stock. Has a nice bass tone. No drone at all. Tips really fill out the bumper and the blue tips look good on my silver BRZ.

Nameless Performance axle back (with the dual 5" mufflers): Cold start is fairly loud. Volume level is a 5 to 6 out of 10. Has a really nice tone to it (although not as nice as the HKS). No drone that I've heard. Tips are not as attractive as the HKS or the MBRP (I bought the carbon fiber tips version).

MBRP axle back (no mufflers): Cold start is LOUD. Volume level is a 7 to 8. Sounds much deeper than the Nameless axle back. The only time the exhaust sounds bad and has drone is when I accelerate to say 5000 to 6000 rpm and let off the gas and just coast. If I shift to a higher gear, the drone is minimized. At a constant cruising speed, there is no drone.

Based on what you want (improving the sound internally and externally, but not being too loud), my recommendation would be the HKS.

[nextcar]

I was so disappointed by the Toyota dealer experience that I placed an order for the BRZ tS a few weeks back... (true story: Toyota has lost 2 new car sales to me this year due to markups and forced dealer add-ons... who is putting up with that BS?)

I now have a VIN and a scheduled build date of 3/12 with an estimated arrival in March. It also has a "Current Location" of 200012, which is pretty funny since it apparently doesn't exist quite yet.

Honestly, I have mixed feelings... I really would have preferred a GR86 with performance pack, but there is no way I can justify $5000-$6000 of either markup or added junk.

I track my car with minimal mods (tires, fluids, pads, camber bolts) about 20 days/year and I am nervous about the spring rate/sway bar/handling differences of a brz vs GR86. I hate understeer, and supposedly the brz is more tuned for that?