Completely stock 2016 FR-S, what would you do first?

[soulreapersteve]

Originally Posted by ichitaka05

New member and have a question you wanna ask? Well, you're looking at the right thread! I made simple FAQ and quick reference thread to go to.

As for senior members, if you have any other FAQ you want to add or other good resource threads, LMK and I'll add it.


9.
Q: I have *insert amount of money*, which mods should I buy?
A: There's no one answer to this. It's all comes down to WHAT YOU ARE YOU EXPECTING FROM THIS CAR OR WHAT'S YOUR GOAL FROM THIS CAR. Best, check Member Journals. They're good resource and have a lot of information or check this thread

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=96158

[Spuds]

Agree with what TrackRider said.

Except for this.

Originally Posted by TrackRider54

[B]1) If you buy a vehicle, then have to make a bunch of changes to it, you bought the wrong car.

He has a point from a financial/practical perspective, but that's not the reason you buy an 86/frs/brz. Make it yours if you want, just don't change the parts that made you decide to buy it in the first place. (I plan to avoid suspension mods, for example)

Only way to figure out what you'd want to change, if anything, from a functional perspective is to drive it. Took me 3 years to decide to change anything on the car. Cosmetically, only you can know what you want it to look like.

Well... Tires took 2 years, but that's because of winter and ... On that matter, I'd look for something with good responsiveness, but not a whole lot of grip. IMO, too much grip makes this car boring. High tread wear rating on a "high performance" tire can be a good indicator of what to consider when you get around to it.

One thing I wish I had done earlier was ecu tuning (if you don't care about warranty). It changed the character of the engine quite a bit, which is one of the 'weak points' of the car IMO. Plenty of different providers with different philosophies.

[NARFALICIOUS]

Originally Posted by TrackRider54

1) If you buy a vehicle, then have to make a bunch of changes to it, you bought the wrong car.

Take a stock 86/BRZ/FRS you pay $26k for. Start adding exhaust, tune, wheels, tires, superchargers, lights, etc....and you're going to ring up a big tab that could have been used to buy a much more upmarket car in the first place.

2) Only address things YOU see as problems

Spend a lot of time behind the wheel and less time on internet forums. This will keep you from falling into the trap of "perceived problems". You'll see people talk about poor performance, big torque dips, noises, handling issues, bad tires, etc. Best thing to do is form your own opinion and address the shortcomings YOU feel.

I have to disagree with these 2.

There's no upmarket car as light or (as they say) pure as the 86. What's the next "upmarket" car, maybe the 370Z at 30K or maybe a mustang. Start cutting out weight when you could have had a light car in the 86 to begin with.


Also about the forum thing, I think forums and all the opinions and being able to see different builds is more beneficial. Yeah you definitely should drive it and understand it yourself as the owner and driver, but in today's world, it's easy to get a sense for what's out there and be able to learn about the chassis, what works and what doesn't work nowadays and not waste time and money experimenting and buying parts from your local ricer shop.

[nextcar]

Hand wax it....

Run your hands over every curve and appreciate the design.

Prepare for the inevitable paint chips by establishing a pristine memory of the original finish.

Then drive the sh!t out of it!

[Derek J]

Originally Posted by zizon93

get an exhaust that's a must. and you have no idea how clear sidemarker would make your car visually more attractive than oem amber one does.

I have decided on the blacked out Valenti tail lights and 4th brake light and all black emblems.

The clear side markers look good, I want to replace all of the halogens with an HID conversion kit. I've been looking but not sure if you can get both low and high beams in one kit.

Do you or anyone else know where a reputable dealer for this would be?

I checked Diode Dynamics but they don't seem to have any in stock.

[NOHOME]

Drive it for six months and note what you dont like about the car.

Figure out how to quantify that particular feature

Decide what the new improved value of that feature should be when you are done

Perform modification

Measure against baseline

Cry when you realize you made it worse. ( as happens with a lot of mods)

OR

Start with no measurable baseline and go with "Mad Tite JDM Mods cause Racecar Brah!"

Both methods seem to work

[JD001]

Has anyone mentioned swapping Scion badges for Toyota?? Easy to do and will add value to your car.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by JD001

Has anyone mentioned swapping Scion badges for Toyota?? Easy to do and will add value to your car.

Not now that Scions will be collector items!

[NARFALICIOUS]

When I had an RSX Type S, I de-badged and always wanted to badge it as a Honda Integra.
But for some reason, while everyone typically hates the Scion brand, I think it's cool and it would feel cheaper to me putting Toyota badges on it.

[JD001]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

Not now that Scions will be collector items!

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by nextcar

Hand wax it....

Run your hands over every curve and appreciate the design.

Prepare for the inevitable paint chips by establishing a pristine memory of the original finish.

Then drive the sh!t out of it!

Ahhhh........ reminds me of this gal back in ....... ....... sorry ......


humfrz

[Derek J]

Originally Posted by NARFALICIOUS

When I had an RSX Type S, I de-badged and always wanted to badge it as a Honda Integra.
But for some reason, while everyone typically hates the Scion brand, I think it's cool and it would feel cheaper to me putting Toyota badges on it.

I am sticking with the Scion badges, not because it could be a collector item but because I like them....I just want black badges instead.

[new2subaru]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

As long as you don't have to pass through Saskatchewan!

Never again!

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by JD001

Has anyone mentioned swapping Scion badges for Toyota?? Easy to do and will add value to your car.