What did you do to your 2nd gen BRZ today?

[Thatllbuffout]

Originally Posted by SlowTime

Sold my 2022 Limited MT after only 1650 miles.


Just didn't like it as a daily driver. Not as much fun as my Miata.

No judgement, the Miata is the benchmark. Drove an NC1 for a bit and it's just sooo good.

I'll always remember back in the day all the mags were saying the Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky were Miata killers. Ya Right...

[soundman98]

Originally Posted by Thatllbuffout

No judgement, the Miata is the benchmark. Drove an NC1 for a bit and it's just sooo good.

I'll always remember back in the day all the mags were saying the Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky were Miata killers. Ya Right...

The only real interest I ever had in the solstice/sky was that you could GM parts bin a v8 into them quite easily. But the interiors sucked, even for early 2000 GM stuff. It was literally miserable to just sit in the cars in the dealership...

[Stonehorsw]

.

[eyeballs]

Finally finished the exhaust. JDL EL header and overpipe with titanium ceramic went in today. Unfortunately my O2 spacer doesn't have much clearance, and removal will require pulling the header. Noticeably more power down low, and just enough volume where I can now finally hear the exhaust (rest of the setup is catted/resonated midpipe and CSG touring cat-back). It seems my oil temps are a tad higher, which I was not expecting. Thinking about trying some thermal tape on the oil pan.

[Re_Invention]

Originally Posted by Thatllbuffout

I'll always remember back in the day all the mags were saying the Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky were Miata killers. Ya Right...

Originally Posted by soundman98

The only real interest I ever had in the solstice/sky was that you could GM parts bin a v8 into them quite easily. But the interiors sucked, even for early 2000 GM stuff. It was literally miserable to just sit in the cars in the dealership...

I actually have a Solstice ownership experience I can share...

So way back when in the early 2010's I had a ride-along in a turbo solstice (GXP?) which had the GM dealer option tune that was good for around 350 hp/350 ft lb and full factory warranty backed. I was only a passenger but thought it was a riot! I started thinking the hot version of the Saturn Sky with that tune would be a cool third car... Fast forward to around early 2019 and I was looking to replace a Honda Fit toy car with something - perusing Craigslist and Offerup as one does, I came across an original owner 100k mile Solstice for $3,000 asking in Chino Hills, a few miles from where I'm at.

It was a dog but for around $2,700 that I was gonna get it for, it was leagues more fun than the first gen Fit it was going to replace. Figure I'd take a flyer on it. The lady smoked in it and I could not get it out with an o3 machine and the paint was peeling but it shifted fine and ran. Turned out to be absolute garbage and after one autocross blew something that I could never identify... Honestly I think there was a hole in the head because if the car was running it would weep oil down the block and I could NOT find the source no matter what. Decided it wasn't worth the effort to refresh the car and ended up donating it to a charity for the tax write off a couple of months later...

It's an agricultural engine, if anyone has experience with a Kawasaki KLR650, you wouldn't be far off to imagine that in a car. Think about as much character as a tractor - it made a little more torque than an NC miata with little desire to rev, the shifter is chunky, not unlike a mid 2000s Mustang or a truck for that matter. It has garbage to zero feedback and handles like crap. It relies on its 255 square setup to hold grip, think Corvette - it's all theoretical. It'll do it, and that one and only autox run I did had lap times slightly faster than my latter NC miata, you just won't believe it even while it's doing it, and it creates a more white knuckle experience than it should be. All in all it's a failure of a drivers car for sure.

BUT... it is a cool car. It's got presence no roadster in that category can match. Get the turbo version chipped and it's got really solid acceleration and there's an absurd 'cool-factor' to it even with that asinine soft top and terribly bad Fischer price interior and built quality. In fact, maybe that all adds to it. There's a personality/build ethos that is so damned flawed, it becomes interesting. It reminds me a baby 1/2nd gen Viper in many ways. Something like a kit car built on a (bespoke) factory line. Definitely not something mass produced. If I had the space and came across a clean GXP with the tune in a killer color combo (mine was black/silver) I'd 100% pick one up again... as a 6th car :p

Edit: Found some old pics of the car

[Xed32]

Originally Posted by SlowTime

Sold my 2022 Limited MT after only 1650 miles.


Just didn't like it as a daily driver. Not as much fun as my Miata.

Interesting. I had the opposite. I test drove the Miata and felt that it was terrible as a daily. No room, floaty and the steering wheel felt like a truck steering wheel. Asked the dealer how people carry stuff like winter tires. He laughed and said in their first car which is usually an suv. Soooo I went with the BRZ which can carry stuff, be my daily while also being my track car.

[Liquidsnake]

Originally Posted by Xed32

Interesting. I had the opposite. I test drove the Miata and felt that it was terrible as a daily. No room, floaty and the steering wheel felt like a truck steering wheel. Asked the dealer how people carry stuff like winter tires. He laughed and said in their first car which is usually an suv. Soooo I went with the BRZ which can carry stuff, be my daily while also being my track car.

I got a BRZ to replace my 124 Abarth ( the Miata’s cousin) I cried from happiness the day I got rid of that car. Im infinitely more happy now.

[PhatFreshPrince]

I saw my first IRL GR86 in the north Hall county area of Georgia. Well, besides my own BRZ and one on a dealer lot.

It looked to be a TRUENO BLUE GR86. The same color as my SAPHIRE BLUE BRZ.

[mycrors7]

Install oem audio plus speakers today
Man what a difference…. Genuinely night n day

Also took the Liberty to install a long strip of sound deadening across the door. I doubt It will help much as I didnt get full coverage, but it’s probably better than nothing!

[Liquidsnake]

Originally Posted by mycrors7

Install oem audio plus speakers today
Man what a difference…. Genuinely night n day

Also took the Liberty to install a long strip of sound deadening across the door. I doubt It will help much as I didnt get full coverage, but it’s probably better than nothing!

If I could find an installer I trusted I would buy them today. Just looking for a shop in Los Angeles that’s not going to scratch up all my shit and jack things up

[soundman98]

Originally Posted by Liquidsnake

If I could find an installer I trusted I would buy them today. Just looking for a shop in Los Angeles that’s not going to scratch up all my shit and jack things up

lol, it should be a plug-n-play setup.. if you make your way to chicago, i'd do it for fun in a weekend!

[KongolQc]

Originally Posted by mycrors7

Install oem audio plus speakers today
Man what a difference…. Genuinely night n day

Also took the Liberty to install a long strip of sound deadening across the door. I doubt It will help much as I didnt get full coverage, but it’s probably better than nothing!

OEM plus speaker ? What are those?

[MacSpeed]

Installed a knee pad and shift boot from EightyZips plus wrapped some on of the area around the shifter with some CF vinyl I had laying around.

[mycrors7]

Originally Posted by Liquidsnake

If I could find an installer I trusted I would buy them today. Just looking for a shop in Los Angeles that’s not going to scratch up all my shit and jack things up

honestly, its a VERY easy install. the most intimidating part is removing the door panel. im free until sept 5 if you want me to help you install em!

Originally Posted by KongolQc

OEM plus speaker ? What are those?

https://oemaudioplus.com/gr86-brz/