Looks or Power? My head hurts

[Yourfavoritericer]

Hi guys,

I apologize in advance if this was already in a thread, my laptop didn't show me anything when I searched it.

I have a dilemma, and I am unsure as to what I should do.

Disclaimer: I LOVE my BRZ, it handles like no other car, I feel like a celebrity when I drive it, and no other car makes me feel like my BRZ does.

Anyways, I have a 2015 BRZ with 125,000 kilometers on it, the body is in very good condition and the engine has no signs of issues.

I am on a stage 2+ tune right now and I am now on the airlift 3P kit.

The car still has no power un 4K, and I have to be screaming down the road to feel anything, not to mention getting gapped by the homies is also annoying.

One of my dream builds is a rocketbunny BRZ, and I dont know whether to go wide to fill that dream, or or go boost.

I just feel as though my car is all show no go, and it makes me feel like a 16 year old with an 96 Honda who just drives around with a huge wing and fart can.

Here are my thoughts, tell me what makes sense:

Pros of Rocketbunny:

- I get the dream build I wanted
- It looks hard af
- The bags will make dialing the car's fitment seemless
- Better handling?

Cons to wide:

- New/wider wheels = more money
- Car will be a bit slower because of wider footprint
- Painting/wrapping fenders
- Car is almost unsellable after
- Everyone is going wide

Pros to boost

- Power
- Fun sounds
- Car is a lot easier to drive on the highway and my car will have a bit more balls


Cons

- Cost
- Reliability (?)
- Foreign to boost and big power mods

I currently do sales and I'm on the road all the time, I do roughly 100 km (60 miles) a day between April - November, and I don't want to go boost or try and be a hero if the car will have issues.

I have no plans on selling the car, but going wide will make the point of "all show no go" even worse, but going boost can give me reliability issues I dont want to deal with at all.

I plan on doing either boost or widebody this winter, interested to see what your thoughts are.

I am more lenient to going widebody because I can still buy an intake and try some bolt ons, but ugh idk, I'm so torn

[Tcoat]

-"The bags will make dialing the car's fitment seemless"


WHAT THE FUCK DOES THIS EVEN MEAN?????

[86MLR]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

-"The bags will make dialing the car's fitment seemless"


WHAT THE FUCK DOES THIS EVEN MEAN?????

Hey, TC, get off the kids cloud.

OP: do it all, spend all of the monies, obviously you will keep the car "forever".

It would make excellent sense to spend Porsche money on modifications to a Subaru.

All the men will want you, all the women will want to be you.

YOLO....

Or, think about what you could have if you don't modify the Subaru....

[86MLR]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

-"The bags will make dialing the car's fitment seemless"


WHAT THE FUCK DOES THIS EVEN MEAN?????

Hey, TC, get off the kids cloud.

OP: do it all, spend all of the monies, obviously you will keep the car "forever".

It would make excellent sense to spend Porsche money on modifications to a Subaru.

All the men will want you, all the women will want to be you.

YOLO....

Or, think about what you could have if you don't modify the Subaru....

[DarkPira7e]

Here's something to consider- a body kit, wheels, etc do not affect the engine's longevity and suspension issues can be fixed fairly painlessly.

If you add forced induction, you're greatly increasing the risk of blowing the engine and causing damage. You also don't get to show off power much, where if you're into show car stuff, people can see it every where; at the gas station, at Burger King, when it's in your driveway...

I choose power every time, but the headaches make me wish I was content with "dat fitment"

[Mizuiro]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

-"The bags will make dialing the car's fitment seemless"


WHAT THE FUCK DOES THIS EVEN MEAN?????

I'm no doctor but it sure sounds like a stroke when he was writing that.

Haha, joking aside. Personally I'd go for aero mods, header and exhaust. I don't like the wide body but that's just me. I like the clean look, like the TS.

I'm daily driving mine so FI is probably no-go until I get another daily driver and this will become my project car or something..

[grumpysnapper]

If you go looks in the way you are describing then there will be zero improved function, in fact maybe some negative effects... it will literally be only about the way you see the car, and others see the car. For better, or for worse.

And because there is no such thing as a 'free lunch', if you go for (turbo/supercharger) power, then that too can be problematic on a whole pile of levels.

Like you say reliability can be an issue, but also you might then need to spend more money on other things on the car so that it safe and fun to use:
Brakes need to be thought about.
Tyre choice becomes more important.
Cooling may be an issue.
Will your clutch cope?
Is your suspension suited to more power?
Etc Etc Etc

The only concrete advice I would give you is, do not do anything only because you think other people will like it.

And by the way it is a clever first step to seek advice and to consider the pro's and cons, well done!!

Lyndon

[Tanstin]

If you're looking for mods with all gain and no drawback, a third option would be to stay NA and instead use that money to get a quality road and track suspension like kw clubsports or tarmac 2s. high quality coilovers will let you double down on something that is already REALLY good in the FRS and make it even better.

You can still be ridiculously fast on the track. This guy runs kw clubsports with only a header, tune, and wheels and he supposedly did 8.11 on the nurburgring with only 208 whp. He sails into corners that even other FRS/BRZ's can't take as easily.

You can still lower your car for looks and have a really nice bump in handling. Only downside is it might be overkill if you're not tracking/autocross (which i totally think you should), and it doesnt affect power.

You can add a body kit or FI down the line and it will complement both routes if you decide on one. imo, you cant really go wrong with suspension, but its benefits may not be as flashy as the other two. Its ultimately up to you to decide if its worth it.

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[thomasmryan]

great vid...notice he stays above 5k.






dude is Fangio reincarnated.

[grumpysnapper]

Originally Posted by Tanstin

You can still be ridiculously fast on the track. This guy runs kw clubsports with only a header, tune, and wheels and he supposedly did 8.11 on the nurburgring with only 208 whp. He sails into corners that even other FRS/BRZ's can't take as easily.

Although I think it's the driver in this case which might be the "ridiculously fast" bit...

[Tanstin]

Haha that's true, but you can definitely see the suspension doing its job. He doesnt even need to brake in some corners and just carves right through them. It goes to show that theres a lot of underrated options out there.

If you're worried about FI reliability, take that 6 grand and get a high end suspension instead. Pair that with wheels, tires, a header, and tune, and you'll have a surprisingly competitive NA track setup with OEM reliability for daily driving.


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[Tanstin]

...

[Ernest72]

This is a personal decision. IMHO, it’s your DD and going 60 miles a day collecting rock chips on your new rocketbunny will not make you feel good. At the same time power for a long commute won’t do that much for you on the highway.

This car is missing torque for sure, and a Camry or minivan may pull on you at a light but they will not have as much fun as you. Getting the car in the twisties is where it shines.

If you go FI start saving for a motor.

If it was me I would live with it and save my money for the next car. After you get that new reliable car for DD, you could turn your old BRZ into a project car and do whatever you can afford.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by 86MLR

Hey, TC, get off the kids cloud.

OP: do it all, spend all of the monies, obviously you will keep the car "forever".

It would make excellent sense to spend Porsche money on modifications to a Subaru.

All the men will want you, all the women will want to be you.

YOLO....

Or, think about what you could have if you don't modify the Subaru....

Not on anybody's cloud. I really don't know what that group of seemingly random words is supposed to mean. It as if they took a bunch of internet catch phrases and crammed them together to make a sentence.