PMok's WRB BRZ Premium 6MT

[PMok]

I've been driving the BRZ for a week now, and here are my first week impressions:

Driving with a 4K RPM limit (during the break-in period) is a real bummer... I'd forgotten how difficult it is to baby a car in its early age. This car revs really quickly and trying to stick between 2K and 4K all the time is not easy. Thankfully the car has a programmable rev limit light that I set to 3800 and it reminds me when I hit that to upshift. It really does feel like driving with one hand tied behind my back, knowing that the car should be revving up to 7400 RPM for the full experience. Can't wait until the first 1000 miles are through with. I can't really comment on performance and handling yet, as I haven't really pushed the car's limits very much... it's pretty much been just commuting to and from work.



Still getting used to the clutch and transmission. Getting better with the clutch now but the 1-2 shift is still a little unsmooth. All the other shifts seem fine. Drove a few days sitting in stop-and-go traffic which is fantastic practice I guess. I took the shift knob off to try some others I had available to put on there, and it is remarkable how heavy the stock shift knob is. The Voodoo knob from my Spyder that I tried on there is pretty hefty but I think the stock one is pretty comparable. The Voodoo doesn't fit perfectly due to the reverse lockout, so I am not going to use that one, but I might order another Voodoo knob specifically for the BRZ. I do wonder if I need a substantially heavier knob though to feel an appreciable difference from the stock one.



The GPS/navigation is a bit of a letdown compared to the one in my Lexus. The unit loses GPS signal often and it takes several minutes before it locks on again. The voice sounds a lot more robotic than the Lexus lady's voice. And the interface just isn't as smooth as the Lexus's. You'd think after 6 years any ol' navi would be as good as a 2006-era Lexus navi. But I guess it's not so. Same with the phone/bluetooth function. Maybe it's the old phone I'm using, but there is a 4-5 second pause when I get incoming calls and press answer, before the radio stops playing and I can start talking. It's just a little unpolished and I expected a bit more from the 2012 technology.



Don't get me wrong, I think this car is pretty fantastic and it's definitely a step up from the basic feature set of the MR2 Spyder which it more or less is a replacement for. Better seats, better stereo, better ride quality than what I remember the MR2 had before I modified the suspension. Better information display and controls, better interior materials. And more storage which is not hard to accomplish when you're comparing to the MR2. So you could say the BRZ is right there in between the Lexus and the MR2 in most respects. One bummer I've found though is, my rifle case won't fit in the trunk without folding the seats down. That could have some security implications, as I might not want to take this car out if I'm stopping anywhere else before or after the range.

[spitz]

Beautiful BRZ! I too have ordered a BRZ from Colorado! Not heuberger however, Mike Shaw Subaru. It is intransit and has an ETA of Oct. 27th.

Glad to hear the car got to you safe and sound. Loving the blue!!

[uspspro]

PMok, your user name sounds familiar.

I'm Marco with the 2GR 3.5L V6 swapped Spyder (now sold). Nice to see another BRZ in the Bay Area.

[PMok]

Originally Posted by uspspro

PMok, your user name sounds familiar.

I'm Marco with the 2GR 3.5L V6 swapped Spyder (now sold). Nice to see another BRZ in the Bay Area.

Yup, probably seen my name from SpyderChat, been a member since nearly the beginning. I still have my '00 Spyder. I do also own a 2GR haha but it's still in my IS350. So I'm also on ClubLexus but not that active on there these days. There's always a new obsession to focus on haha...

[PMok]

Haven't updated here for a while, so time for a major long-winded post...

I've decided to name my BRZ Stitch, after the blue Disney character. He's blue and has a big smile.



Saturday was quite a day! First of all I was approaching 1000 miles on the odometer, so I took Stitch out for a nice long drive through some of my favorite roads. Here is the odometer just as I was about to break 1000 miles.



It was very hard for me to keep the motor under 4000 RPM during the break-in period. But once I passed the magical 1000 mark, it was finally time to let 'er rip! I took it down Palomares Rd, which I think of as my own personal backyard test track, and then out past the wine country vineyards of Livermore, to Mines Rd. Mines Rd is one of my most enjoyable driving routes. It goes out to the middle of nowhere and then runs up Mt. Hamilton to the Lick Observatory above San Jose. If you're an Initial D fan, Mt. Hamilton is like Bay Area's version of Akina. It's a beautiful mountain road but an incredibly twisty and challenging drive. Pretty unforgiving too -- if you make a mistake and go off the edge of the road, you're going off a cliff and down a long ways. So you have to keep it safe and sane here. I didn't switch the traction control all the way off, but did go to VSC Sport mode to have a little more fun.



And oh man, what fun it was! This was my first real opportunity to see what this car is all about, rev it like it was meant to be driven, and push it a little in the corners to see just how crappy the tires are. To my surprise, they gripped the road fairly well. I like to drive with the windows down so I can hear the tires and they gave very good audible feedback. A little scrubbing sound as you start to turn in, gradually increasing in sound as you push it harder. On a few tight hairpins I got on the gas a little more aggressively at exit and got some wheelspin but as everyone has noted, nothing too dramatic and very easy to modulate. The whole package was very confidence-inspiring and I was able to drive the car harder than I did the first few times I drove my MR2 there. With an MR-layout you really have to watch for snap-oversteer if you get too aggressive, but the BRZ's FR layout is much more forgiving and predictable. The suspension soaked up most bumps very well and I found it much more comfortable to drive than my fairly harsh-riding MR2. And it offers fairly comparable levels of responsiveness and balance. I was very pleased with the performance of the car, bone stock -- so I'm not sure I even need to do much upgrading for now, if my main usage of the car is for the mountain twisties I don't want to ruin the comfort and balance it currently has. If I start heading to the track frequently, then that is another story.



On the way to Mt. Hamilton I stopped by a popular rest point for bikers and cyclists -- The Junction. Got a few compliments from bikers as I rolled through, but I didn't stay long. I was having too much fun driving! When I got to the Observatory at the top of the mountain, there were no other cars there, just a few bicyclists. The view up there is fantastic on a clear day. Again, after a brief stop to take a few pictures, it was time to head back down and tear up the roads some more...



Panoramic shots: Click to see fullsize.






That wasn't the end of my day though. I also had to take Stitch in to get smogged, so I could register it at the DMV this week. So I stopped by my local smog test place in Hayward, the guy there is cool and we talked about the car for a while and he even snapped a pic of it after the test. Of course, Stitch passed with flying colors!



Then it was back home and time to give Stitch a much-deserved bath. My wife was nice enough to help me clean the interior while I dried the exterior.



Then I spent the rest of the evening applying the 3-stage Meguiar's Deep Crystal Shine system. Paint cleaner, polish, then wax. My back is a little sore and my arms a little tired, but man the shine on the car is so impressive, like a mirror. This morning I will take the car out and get some more shots of it in its oh-so-clean glory.

[PMok]

I forgot to mention, while I was waxing I also debadged the SUBARU lettering. I left the BRZ on the right side for now, it does look a little lopsided so I might take it off as well.

Here are some pics I just took of my all cleaned and waxed ride!

[PMok]

Here is a video of my smog test on the rollers... not that exciting as he only drives it up to about 25mph and holds it there, and it's a stock exhaust, so not much to see or hear. But here you go.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S70JTB1FZyk&feature=plcp"]Subaru BRZ getting smogged - YouTube[/ame]

[PMok]

I picked up some oil and filter yesterday at the local Subaru dealer... wow that OEM Subaru Synthetic oil is not cheap. About $9/qt. So the package total was about $71. I asked how much an oil change is at the service department and they said about $88. So I'm not saving that much by doing it myself, however for peace of mind I will probably do the first few oil changes myself.




I also bought a [ame="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003VCCUJI/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957& creativeASIN=B003VCCUJI&linkCode=as2&tag=whatsgoin on02-20"]Fumoto F108 oil drain valve [/ame]on Amazon that I will install at the first oil change.

The mild cosmetic modding will probably start soon as well... ordered some tail light redouts and side marker blackouts from BlueBatmobile that should arrive in a day or so.

[PMok]

1300 miles... I went to change the factory oil filter and it was on way too tight to remove by hand thanks to the industrially trained gorillas in Gunma... started the ol' "hammer a screwdriver into the filter to torque it off" trick. Hammering wasn't working well so I pulled out the electric drill, made a big ol' hole, inserted said screwdriver and got that mutha off.

Then went to lift the car from the front and found that my large heavy duty floor jack (family heirloom from my dad) won't fit under the front ... will scrape the underside by about 0.25". So I didn't change the oil yet, decided to go look at ramps and/or a low profile floor jack. Then later in the day found a few scrap pieces of 2x4 wood that should help me raise the front just enough to get the jack under there. Getting late so I guess I will do the oil change tomorrow...

[PMok]

1350 miles... finished doing the oil change and installed the Fumoto F108 oil drain valve. That should make future oil changes easy as pie.

I also got some smoked vinyls from BlueBatmobile to cover up the orange sidemarkers, so I installed those tonight using the recommended soapy water method. Mod cost: $10 for smoked sidemarker vinyls.

before and after


It didn't go as smoothly as I had hoped, I tried my best to tuck them in around the lights but there was a bit more vinyl material than was necessary and that made tucking them a little difficult. I ended up cutting about 2mm off the bottom edge and my technique was a little weak, so some of the cut edge is a little jagged. After I smoothed it out as much as I could I heated it with a small hairdryer for a few minutes to help it shrink and adhere better. All in all though I think it will look passable until I change out the lights to clears or something else.

I also received the smoke redouts package for the tail lights but I am going to look for a professional installer who can do those for me... after my difficulties with the fairly flat, simple sidemarkers, I am not sure I can do a decent job with the tails myself.

[86_ZN6]

looking good!

cant wait to see this out of state car on saturday

[NoOneBetter]

congrats! Looking good!

[lazyluka]

Looks great!

You must be one of the rare owners on here who has kept their car fairly stock. I have to say that's impressive! I always felt that the stock set up on the BRZ/86 would teach a driver about car dynamics and be more enjoyable than going for all out grip straight away, so congrats for keeping the tyres/suspension stock.

[PMok]

Thanks! Yeah I am taking my time, I feel a lot of people rush into mods without appreciating the car the way it came from the factory. Tires and suspension (good ones) cost money so I see no point in changing them out so soon when they work perfectly fine. Perhaps as I get "bored" with them I wll change my tune. For the moment the car is a daily driver and also my weekend canyon carver, so to me the setup is near perfect as is. Bigger wheels and lower profile tires and lowered suspension will get me what, 5mph faster cornering speed? At the cost of ride comfort and practicality. Don't need it for the roads I drive, I can scare myself plenty in stock configuration.

So for now I am focusing on fixing the few cosmetic things I don't like about the car. Tail lights, exhaust tips, that sort of thing. If I start feeling like I need more performance, then I will eventually go for an ECU flash tune, and an exhaust.