Viper8's '13 FRS DD / Track Build

[Viper8]

I also decided to do a few more longevity upgrades. I bought some Motul Gear 300 for a transmission and differential fluid swap from mod bargains:

http://www.modbargains.com/frs-brz-t...w90-105777.htm

It was pretty straight forward to drain and replace. The drain plug was cleaner than I was expecting. It does seem that when it's cold outside gear selection is a little stiffer until it warms up.

[Viper8]

I finally decided to remove the sound tube. It annoys me they have a pipe to bring noise into the cabin, and it clutters under the hood. Following the post from @B-R-Z I got rid of that thing:
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=72263
Instead of using the shark bite to plug the passenger firewall hole, I used someone else's suggestion of just using the glove box cigarette light cap. Fits perfect, and I will never notice it's missing.

[Viper8]

Back to Hallett with a damp track. Clockwise direction again, fastest lap was 1:42.21 (about 2 seconds slower than last time). Times were largely attributable to really not wanting to take my car swimming off the track.

Since buying my FRS, this was my 5th track session over the last year at Hallett, and so far the car had been enduring well. About 75% of the way through the day, I started to notice some shimmy under heavy braking that slowly got worse through the end of the day. I expected it was due to warped rotors as I had relatively recently replaced the brake fluid (so I didn't think it was fluid related). The stock rotors had actually put up surprisingly well to the abuse and had handled all they could take, but now I finally had an excuse to make some changes to the brakes.

So for brakes. I have done plenty of brake window shopping over the last year, and as much as I'd love a nice BBK from Brembo, Wilwood, or AP racing, I just can't justify the price tag. While I'm sure it would improve brake performance, my naturally aspirated just won't require or justify the stopping power from a BBK. I even looked into a CVS (Brembo) caliper set, but even those were surprisingly costly. At this point I decided to either keep buying the cheap FRS rotor blanks, or see if I could get a better rotor with a little better longevity.

I was comparing Stoptech and DBA USA rotors and was offered a partial sponsorship from DBA USA. Full disclaimer, while I do currently have a partial sponsorship from DBA, I was impressed with what I read about their 4000 and 5000 series rotors. The 4000 T3X series is a one-piece slotted and vented rotor with heat paint. The 5000 series is a two-piece rotor slotted and vented rotor. While I understand the benefits of the two-piece, I elected to go with the 4000 T3X series (for initial and replacement cost reasons) along with some front XP650 track pads (they did not at the time have XP650's available for the FRS rear wheels).

Customer service was top-notch, shipping was quick, packaging was thorough, and installation was simple. I have not yet installed the XP650 pads as my Ferodo's still have some wear remaining on them. Initial impressions are the new rotors feel solid, (and I think they look great). One of these days I'll paint the calipers as I plan on hanging on to them for a while. My next brake upgrade will probably be stainless steel lines the next time I replace the brake fluid.

[Lunatic]

Looking good

[Viper8]

After spending way too much time looking at FRS intake systems, I decided to go with a K&N drop-in for the time being. I may eventually do an INJEN intake, but gains seem minimal for the cost. Additionally, I plan on buying an OFT+OFH in the future, and I know the tune was done with a standard intake.

Also, in order to save the bruised knees from holding myself centered in my seat on the track, I started looking into a racing harness. The issue was for a racing harness, I either needed a bar for the belt, or a full-up racing cage. The harness bar for a 4-point just seemed like an expensive half-way to a roll-cage, and a full-up racing cage wasn't going to work for as long as I keep this car my daily driver.

While scratching my head over what to do I stumbled across the CG Lock. It seemed a little ridiculous for it to claim too much of anything, but it had good reviews so for the price decided to give it a shot. With a few upgrades under the belt it was time to check our progress at the track.

[Viper8]

Just to review, updates since last track visit:
-DBAUSA Front and Rear slotted rotors
-K&N drop-in filter
-CG Lock

Going Clockwise, fastest lap time was a PR, 1:38.56 - nearly 2 seconds faster than my previous best! I was also using a different line into the first corner that an instructor recommended trying (double apex vs. late single). Evidently it was originally designed that way.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peM09oIIif8"]YouTube[/ame]

Was able to pass that pesky Miata shortly thereafter.

The new DBA slotted rotors were solid and had good bite. No seat of the pants difference with the K&N filter (but I wasn't expecting to be able to feel a difference anyways - even if there was a subtle one). The CG Lock surprisingly was very effective. Certainly no 4 or 5-point, but a good 80% solution for a fraction the cost. Cinching down and locking the belt in place kept me from sliding around left/right and made pedal manipulation easier. I'm a fan.

[Viper8]

After saving up and selling off some other toys, it was time for a header. I decided to go with the OFH3 + OFT from OpenFlash. It comes with the tablet, UEL header, and overpipe.

[Viper8]

While waiting for a good weekend to install the header, I decided to install a stage 1 flash for the mean time. After saving my car's ecu data to the tablet, I was expecting to be able to flash a pre-saved ecu tune. However, the tablet wasn't letting me install any tunes! I thought I had somehow already broken the tablet, but it turns out that there weren't any tunes preloaded.

Unfortunately, OpenFlash Manager (OFM) is a windows only app, and all I had available was Macs. I had bootcamp running on one with Windows XP (really old, I know), but it was too old to support OFM. I tried installing OFM on my other Mac using a program called Wine, but I couldn't get that to work either. Finally, I asked to borrow a friend's pc laptop and was to install the needed tunes to the tablet and then the car with no issues.

First impressions with the Stage 1 91 Oct tune: the throttle deadband increase (throttle lag) worried me at first but afterwards read it's normal and should go away after a few days (which it did after about a week). There was no noticeable seat of the pants performance increase, but the throttle response was noticeably more linear (which will allow for more subtle and precise throttle changes).

Next posts will be the header install...

[Viper8]

Pre-installation I did a fairly thorough inspection of the header and over-pipe. The welds all looked good (no cracks, holes, or significant "fish-eyes"). The stainless finish looked sharp too. After reading about the flange (header to block) issue @tomaszjanczak had, I checked mine with a straight edge for flatness. The driver's side flange was square, but the passenger side flange was not. It was slightly convex. I decided to go ahead and press with the install and see if the gasket would be sufficient to prevent any leaks.

While I didn't realize this until mid-install, the header to over-pipe connection is a slip fit. The moment I realized this my heart sunk. Slip fits are notorious for being difficult to seal. This is displayed clearly in OpenFlash's advertising of their OFH3 package, but I didn't notice it. While I think I was finally able to get a complete seal, it was fairly frustrating to do so. Doing it again I would recommend the OFH2 + OFT and purchasing a separate flanged aftermarket over-pipe if desired.

[Viper8]

Thanks to @F1point4 for his excellent Borla UEL header installation DIY. The OFH install was quite similar with only a few differences I'll point out.

-Put the car on a lift (if you have access to one - it will make the job way easier)
-Remove the skid plate
-Remove the fiberglass splash pad
-Unclip the two O2 sensor wire harnesses and clips that keep the wires secure
-PB Blast the old exhaust manifold to engine block nuts, the nuts on the bolts connecting the old exhaust to overpipe, the front pipe hanger bolt, (if replacing the overpipe, also PB Blast the over pipe shield bolts and the overpipe to front pipe nuts)
-After giving the PB Blaster a few minutes to work, loosen the nuts/bolts just sprayed

-Note:
If one of the exhaust manifold studs loosens instead of the nut, don't fret and just remove it as is without changing the nut position on the stud. If the nut didn't move during removal, when you re-install it (torqued correctly) it should hold just fine. If the nut did loosen, but the stud removed, re-tighten the nut at least as much as the other nuts were while torqued and then reinstall.

All pictures are oriented with the front of the car up.

[Viper8]

The header itself removed fairly straight forward. I removed the front pipe hangar bolt and the overpipe to front pipe bolts. Then I pulled the front pipe off the j-hook and let it hang from a piece of hangar wire. This gave me enough slack to fully remove the header without loosening or removing the frontpipe from the cat-back.

Overpipe removal specific: I struggled for a while with trying to figure out how to get the old overpipe out. Turns out you have to remove the overpipe heat shield then it will thread out fairly easy.

Clean up the mating faces with a razor blade (if you're extremely careful) or a good solvent and rag. I reinstalled the O2 sensors with some anti-seize as well. You can hang the gaskets off the studs for pre-placement to make installation a bit easier. In an attempt to prevent leaking from the side of the non-square header face, I also installed a bead of Permatex Optimum Grey on the driver side header face.

OFH3 Specific: To install the header + overpipe, attach the overpipe to the header via the slip fit with the loose clamp over it, and snake the overpipe through the gap. Thread a couple nuts on each header flange to hold it in place. I then slid the overpipe most of the way off the header, installed a thick bead of Permatex Optimum Grey on the header side of the slip fit, and slid the overpipe back over (spoiler alert: the seal didn't hold). Lift the frontpipe back onto the hanger and reinstall (don't tighten) the frontpipe hanger bolt. Install the gasket then bolts to the overpipe - frontpipe interface and snug, don't tighten.

Now that everything's connected, snug all the nuts/bolts. Prior to torquing everything down, make sure everything is aligned and properly flush. Torque the header nuts (22 ft-lbs) alternating nuts and side of the header, then the overpipe to frontpipe (37 ft-lbs but I couldn't get a torque wrench in there anyways). Then torque the frontpipe hangar bolt (37ft-lbs).

I then tightened the clamp for the overpipe/header slip-fit and let the sealant dry for 24hrs. Every thing else was buttoned up (O2 sensor plugs, double checked torqued bolts, and reinstalled base plates). With all that done I reflashed the ECU with the Stage 2OFH flash, excited for my next drive.

[Viper8]

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nw8bI9G4Z8Y"]IMG 1834 - YouTube[/ame]

[Viper8]

OFH+OFT Driving impressions...

Open Flash's Header and tune make a noticeable and significant difference. There is quite a bit more power available earlier, and it makes the car even more fun to drive. Additionally, there is a subtle improvement in the exhaust note and a more obvious boxer rumble. I am very happy with the new exhaust sound, and it's not at all too loud with the stock front pipe through catback. I'll post a cabin volume comparison between the stock and OFH in the next few days.

On the con side, I could smell some exhaust in the cabin while driving. I came up with a cheap DIY exhaust leak detecting system. To do this, you need:

-Your wife's/GF's/neighbor's hairdryer
-Packaging tape
-A spray bottle with kids bubble fluid (soapy water may also work)

See the next pic...

[Viper8]

On a cold exhaust system...
1) Tape the hairdryer to one of the exhaust tips (I hung the cord above the exhaust to help hold it)
2) Tape off the other exhaust pipe (it doesn't need to be perfect - just enough to put a positive pressure load on the exhaust system)
3) Pour some kids bubble fluid into a spray bottle
4) Turn on the blow dryer
5) Spray suspected leaking connections and look for bubbles. Leaks will be obvious. Wipe off all sprayed areas and repair.
6) Don't forget to remove hair dryer and tape before driving!