Fastbrew's BRZ

[Fastbrew]

Yo. I picked up a new, pearl white BRZ LTD. It's the first car I have been really excited about in a long time. I have had WRXs and Jeeps for the most part.

Anyway - I loved the look of the BRZ. I did a little research and started watching videos and was impressed with all of the good press. So, I went out and test drove one. I bought one the same day. Good times.

I love the way the thing handles and performs as is. It's a great car w/o any modifications. That said - I want to have some fun and it is my DD so I decided to start adding things.

My plan is to have a very fun, drivable DD with the ability to do a little autocross and some HPD out at the track.

Here is my stock car soon after picking it up:



Car picked up at the end of April, 2014
Mods in order:

April 2014
1) Blue LEDs for the interior lighting and also some white LEDs over the plate.
2) K&N air filter
3) Perrin intake tube + pulling out 3 feet of OEM sound colon tubing (Now replaced by the AVO)
4) GrimmSpeed plate relocator for the front
5) Tinted the windows - 35 all the way around

May 2014
6) This is being removed to go to a 3" Perrin - Nameless upgrade -
Subaru BRZ/Scion FR-S 2.5" Street Axleback and High Flow Cat Package (Replaces Overpipe)
(Mufflers: 5" Mufflers, Tip Options: 4" Double Wall Slash Cut, Finish: Brushed Stainless, Helmholtz Resonator? YES, High Flow Catalytic Converter: Yes - 200 Cell High Flow Cat, Exhaust Bushings: Five Bushings)
7) SS Brake lines
8) Grimspeed master cylinder brace
9) Brake fluids
10) Radar Detector and mirror mount/wiring - Passport 9500ix
11) OEMAudio+ Reference 400 audio upgrade (tweeters/door speakers/nice OEM look sub/amp)

June 2014
12) Rays Gramlight 57Xtremes in 17x9 +40 with 57xtreme caps
13) Bridgestone S04 Potenza Pole Positions 255/40/17
14) Odi's Feal 441 coilovers
15) Race Comp swaybars *ALERT CAN ADD NOISE - Pings pops etc. Removed and replaced with Perrin - Racecomps were too stiff
16) Whiteline adjustable end links, bushings *ALERT CAN ADD NOISE - Pings pops etc
17) GTSpec control arms
18) GTSpec adjustable Toe Arms
19) Hotchkis 1 piece strut tower bar
20) REMOVED - Kartboy Oil Fill Cap (very important ) - Replaced with AVO type 1 oil can setup
21) Craven Speed Stubby antenna

July 2014
22) Ca-Fi Android Dashlinq4 + BT ODB2 system
23) REMOVED - Kart Boy short throw shifter - ALERT RATTLES - Needs sound damping to control reverse lockout mechanism from rattling
24) Tom's Tails (DOT)
25) REMOVED - Replaced Kartboy STS with a TWM - It rattled like hell as well!!! (Vendor suggested it might be missing an O ring - may revisit)
26) Reinstalled factory shifter
27) Replaced front and back stops on the shifter with the TWM brand. Left those in.
28) REMOVED - Competition Stage 3 segmented ceramic clutch - being replaced with Southbend stage 3 endurance + a stage 2 flywheel.
29) AVO stage 2 turbo (OEM style BOV, Electronic Boost Control solenoid, upgraded MAF sensor)
30) AVO catch can
31) Cusco drift button
32) Cusco transmission mount collar
33) AVO 2.5 front/mid pipe (from Paul at AVO - loan to buy)
33) Perrin 3" exhaust

October 2014
34) Raceseng Ashiko shift knob and reverse lockout

December 2014
35) Installed some Hawk HPS pads for some extra cold weather grip

April 2015
36) One piece carbon fiber driveshaft from the DriveShaft shop (Installed by PRE Racing in PDX)




June 2015
37) Hankook RS3s
38) Perrin adjustable swaybars (replaced much too stiff Racecomps)
39) Perrin lightweight pulley set
40) Gates serpentine belt
41) HKS Spark Plugs - M50HLs
42) HKS Hybrid Oil Filter M20

August 2015
43) VIS SS Style CF Trunk
44) FIC 880cc Injectors
45) FlexFuel Kit / Sensor
46) FlexFuel Tune at The Drift Office

October 2015
47) Perrin POSITIVE STEERING RESPONSE SYSTEM with .5 caster offset
48) Perrin Front Control Arm Brace
49) Perrin Steering Rack Lockdown
50) Raceseng Tug View - Rear Tow Hook + GoPro Mount
51) Velox "tame" Diffuser
52) Velox extra diff protection covers
53) JDM underpanel set
53) Mtech shifter springs
54) JDM sti transmission mount

READY TO INSTALL (On order)

Items on my research/adding soon list:
Front brakes

CANCELLED - vendor failed to fulfill order - Flossy Knob

CURRENT DYNO on E-85 (Low boost and high boost maps)

[yatesy27]

Welcome mate. Nice BRZ you have there.

What colour 57xtreme's have you got? Will be interested in seeing them installed!

[Fastbrew]

Originally Posted by yatesy27

Welcome mate. Nice BRZ you have there.

What colour 57xtreme's have you got? Will be interested in seeing them installed!

Thanks for the welcome.

I went with graphite and should have pics Tue/Wed.

I had to spend hours picking wheels. I was literally exhausted after browsing the forums and internet for days trying to come up with a combo and pull the trigger. Glad that part is almost done!

[Fastbrew]

Note when doing the wheels/tires -
TPMS system!

I am choosing to keep my TPMS and this is a consideration when doing a swap. Make sure to do a little forum searching/googling etc. I am going to pull the existing TPMS modules and stems and put them on the new wheel/tire setup prior to balancing etc. Just a little "gotcha" to look out for.

[yatesy27]

Originally Posted by Fastbrew

Thanks for the welcome.

I went with graphite and should have pics Tue/Wed.

I had to spend hours picking wheels. I was literally exhausted after browsing the forums and internet for days trying to come up with a combo and pull the trigger. Glad that part is almost done!

Nice! I was looking at the graphite 57xtremes too! Will be keen to see the pics.

Although tiring, research is a must. Haha.

Cheers
Chris.

[Fastbrew]

Speaking of tiring...

My plan today was to install the Ca-fi Dashlinq4 and the OemAudio+ Reference system.

I pulled the factory head unit out and noticed right away that I had some issues:

1)Square and rectangular connectors on the factory - a mix on the Ca-fi.
2)There is a GPS antenna with the Ca-fi - but - I believe all I need to do is get the BRZ GPS antenna plugged in and I won't need it.
3) I want to retain my USB location etc

So - I changed plans and installed the OEMAudio Reference system on it's own and plugged it into the factory head.

I wanted to do the OEM install myself so I could learn how to take apart a BRZ interior.
I ended up learning about the head unit, the doors/panels, the side panels, the seats, the foam, the location of the factory amp, grounds in back, the firewall grommet, etc.

They say it takes a couple of hours - not me. It took pretty much all day but it is done right.

It sounds really nice too. The upgraded tweeters, door cones and the little 8inch sub in the back make it sound really nice. No rattles - no distortion. I am pleased with the install.

Now - I have to figure out the ca-fi. I know we have at least one expert posting here so I will have to do a little research. The hard part is out of the way at least - I think!

Also- It was interesting pulling back the curtain on the BRZ. It is not an overly expensive sports car. I think it looks more expensive and even feels that way when driving. Once you start pulling back the panels and taking out the seats though - you get a different view at how they were able to save some dough.

For instance, behind the door panel there is just some cheap plastic stuck to a bead of black sealant that looks like it was applied by a saki drinking team. There are big, rough foam chunks glued sloppily in places. The bottom of the seats look like they were made from Sofa Eating Trollwallop. I was glad to get it all back together and let the illusion return...

[Fastbrew]

I find it really difficult to be patient.

I have time scheduled at my shop for Friday and it is taking forever.
Wheels, tires, coilovers, control arms, sway bars, adjustable links, adjustable toe, front tower brace, some magnetic caps, fluid swap, balance, alignment.

I should also be receiving a couple of adapters for the ca-fi system in the next couple of days so I can probably finish that off on Thursday night.

If everything goes well - I will have my suspension all done and I can move onto deciding between AVO, Ptuning, or Kraftwerk.

[Fastbrew]

Ok.
The Rays 57Xtremes (17x9 40mm) are on along with the Feal 441s.
Additionally, GTSpec lower control arms, toe links, Hotchkis tower brace, Whiteline sway bars.

The tires are the Bridgestone Potenza S04 Pole postions 255/40/17

The total lowered height was just less than an inch.

I will post some other shots in a bit but this one was from today at the Red Door drive in in Portland, OR.

My kid looks huge lol

[Chen]

Originally Posted by Fastbrew

Ok.
The Rays 57Xtremes (17x9 40mm) are on along with the Feal 441s.
Additionally, GTSpec lower control arms, toe links, Hotchkis tower brace, Whiteline sway bars.

The tires are the Bridgestone Potenza S04 Pole postions 255/40/17

The total lowered height was just less than an inch.

I will post some other shots in a bit but this one was from today at the Red Door drive in in Portland, OR.

My kid looks huge lol

My buddy was there as well. He has a black frs with quad exhaust. Come to the nw subforum and say hey to the locals. Plus I'd like to see your wheels in person.

[ModBargains]

Sweet photography and even better car! Great job. Let us know if you need any help!

[Fastbrew]

Some phone cam pics.

[Fastbrew]

I added a Kart Boy short throw kit. I am used to a short throw in my old WRX. I was a little worried since the BRZ is already pretty short as it stands. I like the way it feels now. Nice tactile clicks, it just made it feel more precise for me.

Rating: Thumbs up on the Kart Boy *Ran into some noise issues - they are sending out a more recent bushing design. The thing clatters like a ball bearing in a tin can above 4K RPMs. Will post back later with the fix.

The Ca-Fi unit is now settling in. I have it connected to the internet via a hotspot on my phone. "Car home" is not crashing now since Will at Ca-Fi helped distribute a patch to the OS. Torque is running bluetooth to the ODB2 port - OEMAudio+ is sounding good. I am running Co-Pilot Premium for maps mostly - works well. Miss the HD radio a little.

Rating: Thumbs up in the Audio/electronics realm

Suspension:

Lesson learned: Suspension is a world onto it's own. It takes a bit of time to learn and I think it is one of those areas where you can constantly make adjustments. It is very subjective. There is a ton of science to it and there is also a sense of style. Form and function.

Anyway - here is a thread related to my initial experiences with my setup:
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=69132

Suffice it to say - I am still dialing it in. It feels great but needs some work.

Overall satisfaction at the moment: Big Thumb

Next steps - Dialing in the choice on turbo and making the leap into FI.
I have built the car from the bottom up for this next phase and am looking forward to getting the extra hp/tune.

[Fastbrew]

Today was a Murphy's Law day.

The dealership replaced my HPFP and the cricket is dead (for the moment) however, due to the installation of a Kartboy sts - the inside of the car sounds like a ball bearing in a blender!

Starts at 4.5K RPM - at 7K it sounds like it is going to fall apart!

Contacted Kartboy on a hunch that this might have been addressed. They responded within 5 minutes offering to send me a newer, slightly different bushing.

Hopefully everything will be back to "quiet" in the BRZ soon!

[Fastbrew]

Cricket Free! (For the moment)
The dealer replaced the high-pressure fuel pump and the cricket is dead.

They swear it will stay gone. We will see.

For the moment, it is nice and quiet under the hood.