DarkSunrise 2022 BRZ

[Dzmitry]

Originally Posted by DarkSunrise

Nice, thanks for the data point. That UOA does look very solid. Out of curiosity, how many track days had the engine seen at that point?

I think the only thing that concerns me about PUP 5w30 is its KV 100 value is lower than most other 30 weight oils I've looked at:

PUP 5w30: 10.3
Castrol Edge 5w30 EP: 10.8 (2.9 HTHS)
M1 5w30: 11.1
M1 0w30 AFE: 11.5
Castrol Edge 5w30 LL: 11.6 (3.5 HTHS)
Pennzoil Euro L 5w30: 12.6 (3.5 HTHS)

I'd bet any quality synthetic 30 weight oil would be fine though. BTW I get the sense that Subaru is much more likely to void the warranty for track use than for using a 30 weight oil.

I also use PUP as after a ton of research and calculations, I determined this to be the best bang for the buck with great specs. One thing I wanted to note which I'm sure you understand - that lower KV value is so insignificant, it really doesn't matter. The difference between 10.3 and 12.6 even out of the list you gave is completely insignificant. It's not a 19% difference in flow, it's just a difference in 2.3 cSt which is practically meaningless. Don't forget, when you start your car in freezing temps, you're sitting in the 500-1000 cSt range. Now THAT's a difference.

But I do have to admit if you're tracking or reaching very high temps often, I can see why the absolute lowest KV100 value (out of your list) will be unfavorable.

[DarkSunrise]

Originally Posted by Dzmitry

I also use PUP as after a ton of research and calculations, I determined this to be the best bang for the buck with great specs. One thing I wanted to note which I'm sure you understand - that lower KV value is so insignificant, it really doesn't matter. The difference between 10.3 and 12.6 even out of the list you gave is completely insignificant. It's not a 19% difference in flow, it's just a difference in 2.3 cSt which is practically meaningless. Don't forget, when you start your car in freezing temps, you're sitting in the 500-1000 cSt range. Now THAT's a difference.

But I do have to admit if you're tracking or reaching very high temps often, I can see why the absolute lowest KV100 value (out of your list) will be unfavorable.

Yeah you kind of answered it in that bolded part above. In extreme conditions like the track, I’d prefer having every ounce of protection I can give the engine. Other factors like TBN and cold start protection matter less (again for that narrow usage case and short drain interval). It may not be a huge difference, but why not go for the oil that will give you that extra bit of protection?

That said, I’m not a huge oil zealot for any specific brand or formulation. I stated this earlier but I think any quality 30 weight would offer sufficient protection in most track usage, including PUP 5w30. I’d happily run any of the oils I listed above for the track.

[autosenses]

Originally Posted by DarkSunrise

Nice always wanted to try Lime Rock. Seems like it'd be fun with the elevation changes. Have fun, post some pictures

Absolutely.

[DarkSunrise]

Took the BRZ up to ACH today and decided to have some fun now that it's finally out of break-in. I encountered an older base 911 (I think 997 C2) wearing track numbers. The driver seemed pretty good and kept a good canyon pace so I decided to chase him a bit. Couple of thoughts.

• This new BRZ has noticeably more midrange torque than my old FR-S on E85. Coming out of corners at ~5000 RPM, this car will push you into the seat more. That more than anything else makes this 2nd gen feel stronger than the 1st gen. It kept up with the 911 pretty well exiting corners and on the straights.

• There is a fair amount of entry and mid-corner understeer compared to my FR-S on RCE T2's. It takes more throttle to induce rotation. Overall balance is definitely skewed towards understeer. I'm hoping a decent alignment with camber bolts (say -2.2 degrees front camber, 0 front toe, 1/16" rear toe in) will neutralize the handling a bit and lessen some of the front shoulder wear I'm seeing. There's also more body roll, but that's probably the price for the fantastic street compliance with this OEM suspension.

• I know Subaru/Toyota claim to have upgraded the pads, but the OEM pads still can't take much heat. I was getting pad fade halfway through my latter runs. I may try some old Stoptech 309 pads I have laying around from my FR-S and see if that helps any.

• Steering feel is about the same as the 1st gen. It's definitely lighter, but the actual feedback through the wheel is close. Both gens have good feedback compared to most other EPS units. The only time I noticed less feedback through the wheel was this one corner where there's a dip before a turn. The steering on the 1st gen typically loads up heavily in those situations (and with sticky tires on the track will actually cause the EPS to cut out) whereas this 2nd gen doesn't load up like that.

• Oil temps got hot. It's hard to tell with the bar display (wish the BRZ had the GR86 digital oil temp readout) but looked to be around 250 F. It's not too surprising given I would hit north of 240F in the canyons with my FR-S w/Perrin oil cooler, but I'll need to decide whether to add an aftermarket one to this BRZ.

Overall I'm loving the balance between comfort, performance and responsiveness on this 2nd gen.

[DarkSunrise]

Threw on my track wheels last week and gave it a proper shake down in the canyons. Wheels are Apex ARC-8 in 17x9 +42. Tires are 235/40/17 sx2’s. Stock suspension and alignment.

I was 50/50 whether this setup would rub based on what others have said, but happy to report I haven’t seen any so far. Pretty sure that would change with 245’s though, especially wider ones like the rt660’s. This setup pokes slightly all around. Clearance to the front strut is tight, probably 9-10mm. Not a lot of room to add camber at the hub. I think these will work well with coilovers and a track alignment.

Steering feel improves with this setup as it did on my gen 1. Turn in is noticeably sharper and there’s more feedback through the steering wheel. Overall balance remains skewed towards understeer. I can actually hear my front tires scrubbing under power on exit and visually the outer front tire tread blocks reflect that. Definitely different than how my FR-S was setup, but I think a proper alignment will do wonders for the front end.

Pretty happy with how these wheels look, even with the 4x4 stock suspension. Was set on selling these wheels, but now am undecided, especially since they don’t seem to rub. Hmm.