BRZ STi x TRD "BSTiRDized"

[OrbitalEllipses]

Originally Posted by Subaruwrxfan

And why do all the super sexy JDM parts have to be so expensive. $200 for STI lug nuts, and $400 for the STI springs...that's double most of the other springs on the market, but I want a mild drop that won't ruin my struts, so I think I'll be saving for the STI springs after all.

RCE Yellows, Mach V lowering springs. Go check it out and mail me a check for your savings.

[switchlanez]

Originally Posted by cslntuee

HI,
Will spray paint on tail and head light cause the problem during the safety inspection?
How do you think?
Thanks.

Head lights will likely be a problem in any state (for sure in California). You might be able to get away with sprayed tail lights but best thing you can do is look it up on your local DMV site. Sorry I can't help much; I never tint my lights so I'm not too familiar with the laws.

But common sense tells me it is illegal in any state that requires DOT-approved lights because once you tint them, they are technically no longer DOT-approved. Then again, many aftermarket lights and even retrofitted HIDs are not DOT-approved but people everywhere are driving around with them so it depends on if the cop can see the difference against stock lights or feels like harassing you.

[switchlanez]

Originally Posted by Subaruwrxfan

Wow love your car, I wanna do a black and blue theme too. Have you thought about doing a vinyl wrap for the roof in either black or cf pattern?

Thanks, glad I could show that black works on this blue! I think about wrapping the roof sometimes. I have a partial clear bra on there right now and I'm not quite ready to peel that off yet plus I'm undecided on what kind of black or CF I would do but, yeah, a wrap would definitely work with this scheme :happy0180:

[Slixrix]

Your car looks awesome man. I love those rims and lug nuts combo.

[DocCola]

Beautiful BRZ. Our tastes our very similar for these cars though when I pick mine up it'll be a different color. I do love the direction of this car.

[cslntuee]

HI,
I saw several posts discuss related to “Flush Wheel Offset”
EX. http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22596
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7535
What’s your opinion?
Is there any disadvantage for doing this adjustment?
Thanks.

[switchlanez]

Originally Posted by cslntuee

HI,
I saw several posts discuss related to “Flush Wheel Offset”
EX. http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22596
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7535
What’s your opinion?
Is there any disadvantage for doing this adjustment?
Thanks.

When you change the offset, instead of letting the car's weight load dead center onto the hubs/bearings, you are moving the load a few mm from center creating a lever arm to increase stress on the hubs/bearings (think of it as lifting a barbell with one hand from its center/halfway point versus from a point offset from center, like from one of its ends).

It helps to let barrel width take care of the fitment. A 7" wide barrel with +32 offset would have almost the same fitment as an 8" wide barrel with +45. But the 8" barrel will put less stress on the hubs since it's closer to center (I presume OEM +48 offset is dead center). A disadvantage of wider barrel is it weighs more than narrower barrels but can fit wider tires.

Another disadvantage of making it flush is it eliminates the pocket of low pressure air that exists between the face of the wheel and the fender which, otherwise, exists on stock fitment. I suspect this gap creates a convection cell that ventilates heat out from the brakes/tires. I think that's why race cars are slightly less than flush.



Even though these negative effects are there, they are probably negligible at least in the short term. We'd have to do a stress analysis to know the extent of the effects (which I don't know how to do lol). And using wheel offset/width for flushness is better than using spacers, which add even more stresses to the hubs/bearings. In general, people can get away with this (again, I'm not sure for how long) and enjoy how it looks on their car. It depends on how much you can tolerate looks over function.

[chanomatik]

Still enjoying your STI springs? I'm debating between them or the Mach V's.

[switchlanez]

Originally Posted by chanomatik

Still enjoying your STI springs? I'm debating between them or the Mach V's.

Yeah, I took it out to twisty back roads last weekend. The Z cars/Impreza with their turbos and coilovers were struggling to keep up with me and the stock FR-S. The STI pinks keep the car planted with limited roll in a spirited drive. Tires and camber tweaks would be next to make the handling even better.

[chanomatik]

Hey switch. When you get a chance sometime in the near future, would you mind sharing a pic of your STI door decal taken a little closer? I noticed you have the long one. I'm debating between the long and short decals. Maybe just a shot from a couple feet away? The only ones you have are from several feet away at an angle or several lanes away on the highway.

Thanks!

Edit:

Thanks for the pics and feedback on the springs!

[switchlanez]

Originally Posted by chanomatik

Hey switch. When you get a chance sometime in the near future, would you mind sharing a pic of your STI door decal taken a little closer? I noticed you have the long one. I'm debating between the long and short decals. Maybe just a shot from a couple feet away? The only ones you have are from several feet away at an angle or several lanes away on the highway.

Thanks!

Edit:

Thanks for the pics and feedback on the springs!

NP, here you go buddy (images attached below). I found the decals here on eBay. I took two shots of the driver's side and one of the passenger's side. Notice the "STI" logo is toward the front side of the car on both sides. IMO the long decal makes sense because this is a 2-door coupe with long doors. Short decals make more sense on 4-door Subarus with shorter doors. Also, I based my look on the TRD 86 marketing cars (video below) which have long TRD decals in the same locations on the doors.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRGCNInXDRg"]86 TRD PerformanceLine PV - YouTube[/ame]

[switchlanez]

TRD shfit knob installed:



I just wanted this knob for the tactile improvement. It feels fatter, shortens the lever, and my palm sets into the concavity.

[chanomatik]

You gave in to the knob! Nice!

And thanks for the pics, vid and reasoning. Looking at it now, I'm thinking I like the short decal because they're cherry blossom red instead of pink. The only reason it's a big deal is because EVERYTHING else STI on the car (exterior) is cherry blossom red. I do agree with the long doors needing long decals, though. That was my thought initially, too. I was also thinking "short car, short decal". haha I dunno.

I didn't even think to look on eBay for the stickers. I was going to go through fastwrx.com.

I'm trying to fight the temptation to get the GT-86 Limited red shift knob since I'm working on my "red/black" interior theme at the moment. I'm loving my STI knob too much at the moment. The red would just be for pictures and showing off.

That stitching pattern on your TRD knob REALLY bothers me...

[cslntuee]

HI,

May I ask you what your opinion to upgrade the stock break to big brake system is?
I saw one which can fit the OEM wheel and also streetable.
http://www.essexpartsblog.com/news/New-product-ap-racing-ft86-formula-road-car-brake-systems
How do you think?
Thanks.