mods you love and hate

[FR-S Future Owner]

Originally Posted by Brayden_23

LOVE: Switchback turn signals, JDL catted UEL + Perrin 2.5 res CBE
HATE: that I went for a catted header...

- Why do you dislike your catted header?
- Did you purchase it because you live in an area that requires emissions testing?
Thanks!

[Bowen]

Originally Posted by 02.ACCORD.DUDE

Really? I did not know that :- P (but in my defense I basically don't know anything about modding cars...). Looks like I have to go buy me a pair now

Where did you pick up your side markers?

Here are the bulbs

SYLVANIA 194NA Long Life Miniature Bulb, (Pack of 2) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00318V1X8..._-aDsxbQ2NRA49

And here are the side markers. I got smoke, but they have clear ones as well.

Subaru BRZ ZC6 / Scion FR-S HELIX Front Bumper Side Marker Lights - JDM Crystal Smoke (2013 2014 2015 2016) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01CV0FGQY..._ZcDsxbKMK1GXM

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[Bowen]

And here are what they look like on and running.




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[02.ACCORD.DUDE]

Originally Posted by Bowen

And here are what they look like on and running.




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Looks great! This is what I was looking for, thanks again.

[gtslow]

Favorite mod is the re71r's for autocross and my 17x9 rpf1s for DD. Rounding out the list I like my $50 Tom's a lot.

Mods I'm not sold on are the TRD springs and perrin 2.5 resonated exhaust. I got it used for $400 so it will sell easily.

The trd springs are great for street class autocross with the frs but I'll probably transition to STX build next year and I'll be wanting stiffer spring rates. The perrin exhaust is too heavy for aftermarket piece.

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[Bowen]

Originally Posted by gtslow

Favorite mod is the re71r's for autocross and my 17x9 rpf1s for DD. Rounding out the list I like my $50 Tom's a lot.

Mods I'm not sold on are the TRD springs and perrin 2.5 resonated exhaust. I got it used for $400 so it will sell easily.

The trd springs are great for street class autocross with the frs but I'll probably transition to STX build next year and I'll be wanting stiffer spring rates. The perrin exhaust is too heavy for aftermarket piece.

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$50 Toms? You got those tails for 50 bucks?!

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[gtslow]

Originally Posted by Bowen

$50 Toms? You got those tails for 50 bucks?!

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Yup. A fine young gentleman was parting out his car and wanted my stocks +$50.

[Bowen]

Originally Posted by gtslow

Yup. A fine young gentleman was parting out his car and wanted my stocks +$50.

I hope you cherish that deal forever.

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[Brayden_23]

Originally Posted by FR-S Future Owner

- Why do you dislike your catted header?
- Did you purchase it because you live in an area that requires emissions testing?
Thanks!

I think the catted header made my setup a little quiter than what I was hoping for. I don't hate it, just a minor thing that I kinda regret.

Original thinking was because I didn't want to deal with a CEL, but I threw one immediately anyway. I have since cleared the code with an OBDII reader so it really wasn't as big of an issue as I thought it would be. I also thought I would be saving myself trouble with emissions, but here in Washington you don't have to get emissions testing if your car is newer than 2008...didn't know that originally

[02.ACCORD.DUDE]

These valenti headlights that were installed on my car when I bought it are kind of pissing me off...

Just realized that the majority of turn signal lights are out on the driver side tail light and that three lights are out on the passenger side tail light... From reading on here I guess this is not an uncommon issue...

With no warranty, stock lights to replace them with or a surefire way to open and fix them I guess it's time to buy some new lights lol...

[Da Wise Sage]

Originally Posted by daiheadjai

Has anyone else gotten stone chips on the leading edge of the roof?
I have 2 (!) that sounded like bullet ricochets when I got them on the highway., and now one of them has oxidization/rust
I wonder if anyone was crazy enough to bra/coat the roof too.

As for my favourite mods:
-Intake and Exhaust combo because it made the car sound like a sports car
-MTEC springs, weighted shiftknob and TRD quickshifter to make shifting even more enjoyable (I blip/downshift just for the heck of it from time to time)

Most useless/regretted mods:
-the OEM-style rear diffuser
-possibly the stickier Pilot Super Sports
-Knock-off eBay "TRD" seatbelt pads (the damn things never stayed in place to keep the belt comfortable, and always managed to snag something)

I have the exact same issue and Toyota told me I am SOL and the car wasn't even 1.5 years old. was quite annoyed about it. I guess I will just have to do the dry carbon roof.


My car is mostly stock since I am giving this whole "being an adult" thing a go.
Like:
Spyder HID headlights (they look awesome imo)
blacked out all the emblems and smoked the tail lights.


Hate:
Ever since I smoked the taillights, I get everyone trying to race me




Question to all the other people who have done the mods,
Why did you hate a staggered wheel fitment? I was thinking of doing it but what was the biggest downside about it?


And what is so bad about having a catted header? I was planning on that to keep legal and I don't really care much about the sound (except I don't want the buzz).

[WryGuy]

Armrest vs Cup Holders

Greetings,

On scale of 0-10 where 5 is meh and 10 is love, I give the armrest either a 4 or 5 depending on my mood.

I debated a long time whether or not to install an armrest. Decided I'd rather have an armrest and use center console for storage.

Awkward to use cup holders. And breaking my shoulder to grab my coke finally tipped me towards getting the armrest.

Storage space is a big plus, and armrest is rather comfy (rate 6 for this part of it). But the lack of multiple cup holders is rather irksome. So, until I figure out something suitable, the lost cup slots lowers rating to a 4.


Equip:
Gt86 OEM full armrest from http://www.ft86speedfactory.com/toyo...rest-1899.html

- Star screw driver size 20
- drill 5mm 8mm (~SAE 3/16, 5/16)
- courage

Foreword:
- .. Template is... Yuck.
.. Too flimsy. Printed it out. Trimmed in all right places. Even tried using heavier construction paper.
.. But alignment was too much guesswork. A small wrinkle or lift or twist in paper and holes could end up anywhere. (Just use base of armrest instead)

- two mounting screws on passenger side are inaccessible.
.. I was concerned with breaking the plastic pivot to disassemble the armrest top piece to access the screws. So skipped them. Seems okay without but would have liked to screw that side down too. Nothing flat on underside to use 3M mount tape on either.

- Ultimately ended up just using rigid bottom piece as the template (again wishing came as separate pieces) and leather punch for marking drill hole placement. Far far far easier to align than paper.


Installation:
- Used armredt bottom as template and leather punch to mark

- Drilled with 3/16, checked alignment (spot on), used 5/16 to enlarge holes

- Push in the rubberized nuts

- Screwed in assembly

Total time: 1hr... Note: 40 minutes was spent messing around with paper cutout. Skip that and it is just a matter of align bottom, poke starter points, drill, screw, admire.


Pros:
- I admit it is much better having padded armrest during commute, driving in general.

- okay amount of storage
.. Store sunglasses, tissues, gum, pen and notepad, plug in phone to charge, a few bucks for fast-food drive thru, etc.

- Less visibility for tempting passing thievery.


Cons:
- "loss" of the cup holders
.. Usable if keep the armrest open (Can close lid with cup holder piece inside but then lose lots of storage space)

- drilling isn't reversible


Conclusion:
- Armrest itself is nice addition.

- Losing cup holders is annoying.

.. And to make matters worse. As a smoker, I use door holder slot for an ashtray (cheap ashtray cup insert). Consequently, I now drive around either chilling or warming my nether regions (sometimes this is in the pro category). I do have the cup insert in the back shelf for when I need it - tossing other items on passenger seat and fuming the whole time.

Meanwhile, I'm looking around for an ashtray insert for center console (will probably get Euro model)

Open to suggestions on where might place / mount alternative cup holders.

Yeah, could stop smoking too and win back a slot. Or toss butts out window like everyone else. But I prefer not seeing a brushfire along my commute and being left wondering.

The armrest is just nice enough that I don't want to remove it. But... sigh

[extrashaky]

Originally Posted by WryGuy

Armrest vs Cup Holders

Greetings,

On scale of 0-10 where 5 is meh and 10 is love, I give the armrest either a 4 or 5 depending on my mood.

I debated a long time whether or not to install an armrest. Decided I'd rather have an armrest and use center console for storage.

Awkward to use cup holders. And breaking my shoulder to grab my coke finally tipped me towards getting the armrest.

Storage space is a big plus, and armrest is rather comfy (rate 6 for this part of it). But the lack of multiple cup holders is rather irksome. So, until I figure out something suitable, the lost cup slots lowers rating to a 4.


Equip:
Gt86 OEM full armrest from http://www.ft86speedfactory.com/toyo...rest-1899.html

- Star screw driver size 20
- drill 5mm 8mm (~SAE 3/16, 5/16)
- courage

Foreword:
- .. Template is... Yuck.
.. Too flimsy. Printed it out. Trimmed in all right places. Even tried using heavier construction paper.
.. But alignment was too much guesswork. A small wrinkle or lift or twist in paper and holes could end up anywhere. (Just use base of armrest instead)

- two mounting screws on passenger side are inaccessible.
.. I was concerned with breaking the plastic pivot to disassemble the armrest top piece to access the screws. So skipped them. Seems okay without but would have liked to screw that side down too. Nothing flat on underside to use 3M mount tape on either.

- Ultimately ended up just using rigid bottom piece as the template (again wishing came as separate pieces) and leather punch for marking drill hole placement. Far far far easier to align than paper.


Installation:
- Used armredt bottom as template and leather punch to mark

- Drilled with 3/16, checked alignment (spot on), used 5/16 to enlarge holes

- Push in the rubberized nuts

- Screwed in assembly

Total time: 1hr... Note: 40 minutes was spent messing around with paper cutout. Skip that and it is just a matter of align bottom, poke starter points, drill, screw, admire.


Pros:
- I admit it is much better having padded armrest during commute, driving in general.

- okay amount of storage
.. Store sunglasses, tissues, gum, pen and notepad, plug in phone to charge, a few bucks for fast-food drive thru, etc.

- Less visibility for tempting passing thievery.


Cons:
- "loss" of the cup holders
.. Usable if keep the armrest open (Can close lid with cup holder piece inside but then lose lots of storage space)

- drilling isn't reversible


Conclusion:
- Armrest itself is nice addition.

- Losing cup holders is annoying.

.. And to make matters worse. As a smoker, I use door holder slot for an ashtray (cheap ashtray cup insert). Consequently, I now drive around either chilling or warming my nether regions (sometimes this is in the pro category). I do have the cup insert in the back shelf for when I need it - tossing other items on passenger seat and fuming the whole time.

Meanwhile, I'm looking around for an ashtray insert for center console (will probably get Euro model)

Open to suggestions on where might place / mount alternative cup holders.

The armrest is just nice enough that I don't want to remove it. But... sigh

The USDM sliding arm rest is 100 times more functional. It's higher, so I can actually use it as an arm rest. But it also slides out of the way so I can have coffee and use the cupholders. It's one of the best mods I've done. If I bought a car where someone had installed the JDM-style flip-up arm rest, I would replace it with the sliding arm rest instead.

[Bowen]

Originally Posted by WryGuy

Armrest vs Cup Holders

Greetings,

On scale of 0-10 where 5 is meh and 10 is love, I give the armrest either a 4 or 5 depending on my mood.

I debated a long time whether or not to install an armrest. Decided I'd rather have an armrest and use center console for storage.

Awkward to use cup holders. And breaking my shoulder to grab my coke finally tipped me towards getting the armrest.

Storage space is a big plus, and armrest is rather comfy (rate 6 for this part of it). But the lack of multiple cup holders is rather irksome. So, until I figure out something suitable, the lost cup slots lowers rating to a 4.


Equip:
Gt86 OEM full armrest from http://www.ft86speedfactory.com/toyo...rest-1899.html

- Star screw driver size 20
- drill 5mm 8mm (~SAE 3/16, 5/16)
- courage

Foreword:
- .. Template is... Yuck.
.. Too flimsy. Printed it out. Trimmed in all right places. Even tried using heavier construction paper.
.. But alignment was too much guesswork. A small wrinkle or lift or twist in paper and holes could end up anywhere. (Just use base of armrest instead)

- two mounting screws on passenger side are inaccessible.
.. I was concerned with breaking the plastic pivot to disassemble the armrest top piece to access the screws. So skipped them. Seems okay without but would have liked to screw that side down too. Nothing flat on underside to use 3M mount tape on either.

- Ultimately ended up just using rigid bottom piece as the template (again wishing came as separate pieces) and leather punch for marking drill hole placement. Far far far easier to align than paper.


Installation:
- Used armredt bottom as template and leather punch to mark

- Drilled with 3/16, checked alignment (spot on), used 5/16 to enlarge holes

- Push in the rubberized nuts

- Screwed in assembly

Total time: 1hr... Note: 40 minutes was spent messing around with paper cutout. Skip that and it is just a matter of align bottom, poke starter points, drill, screw, admire.


Pros:
- I admit it is much better having padded armrest during commute, driving in general.

- okay amount of storage
.. Store sunglasses, tissues, gum, pen and notepad, plug in phone to charge, a few bucks for fast-food drive thru, etc.

- Less visibility for tempting passing thievery.


Cons:
- "loss" of the cup holders
.. Usable if keep the armrest open (Can close lid with cup holder piece inside but then lose lots of storage space)

- drilling isn't reversible


Conclusion:
- Armrest itself is nice addition.

- Losing cup holders is annoying.

.. And to make matters worse. As a smoker, I use door holder slot for an ashtray (cheap ashtray cup insert). Consequently, I now drive around either chilling or warming my nether regions (sometimes this is in the pro category). I do have the cup insert in the back shelf for when I need it - tossing other items on passenger seat and fuming the whole time.

Meanwhile, I'm looking around for an ashtray insert for center console (will probably get Euro model)

Open to suggestions on where might place / mount alternative cup holders.

Yeah, could stop smoking too and win back a slot. Or toss butts out window like everyone else. But I prefer not seeing a brushfire along my commute and being left wondering.

The armrest is just nice enough that I don't want to remove it. But... sigh

Probably the best product review I've ever read. +1 my good sir.

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