Advice on used BRZ's and FI

[Russellr1994]

Originally Posted by alphasaur

I would suggest buying a car from the first owner and with an extensive service history. Also get it inspected by a trusted mechanic. Check the oil make sure it doesn't look gross/no metallic flakes. Check sounds. Check for oil leaks.

I would also suggest doing bolt ons and a tune with e85 and doing supporting mods such as clutch etc as you will surely need it with more power.

If everything goes smoothly with this process and the car feels good tuned and your logs look good, get the FI kit. As stated above there's no way to KNOW when the engine will go, but you can do things to mitigate risk...such as proper supporting mods and a good tuner, start saving money if the engine does decide to go. I'd say there's a fair amount of people with a fair amount of mileage in the 240-280whp range and that's a good range to target. This engine is fairly stout. Keep in mind, there are people that have blown stock and there are people pushing 350whp that haven't blown, some of it is luck and some of it is risk mitigation.

Good luck.

I agree and plan to do as much risk mitigation as possible. I have even thought about going as far as sending in the oil after I get it and then sending in oil after my first oil change to have it analyzed. I feel like that would give me some piece of mind.

[HaXx]

Originally Posted by Russellr1994

I appreciate this answer a lot. I basically just wanted to hear it wasn't the stupidest thing in the world and that I wasn't some moron for wanting this. So honestly appreciate your honesty and giving me one vote of confidence lol.

i had the same exact reservations about forced induction, so i took to the forums for my due diligence, as you are now. i opted to buy a supercharged 2013 35k miles after i was consoled by the great community here, specifically the "jrsc owners thread" because thats what kit the car had, so i asked questions there. i found out that JRSC is pretty much the bread and butter of FI kits for the chassis, and their proven track and daily ability put to rest all the people on the outside looking in. the JRSC kit is 6,500$ installed and dynotuned. 4k for the c30, 1k install 500 dyno, 500 ecutek+license, 750$ JRSC oil cooler. you don not need a clutch for this as its 190wheel torque. clutches are rated by how much torque they hold and i believe ours is rated to 250wtq

I look forward to seeing you in the threads
just to throw another wrench into the mix, the 2nd gen brz is coming out in a year or so, you might weigh that option, 30k new car vs 19k$ project car. id opt for used and boosted.

[alphasaur]

Originally Posted by HaXx

i had the same exact reservations about forced induction, so i took to the forums for my due diligence, as you are now. i opted to buy a supercharged 2013 35k miles after i was consoled by the great community here, specifically the "jrsc owners thread" because thats what kit the car had, so i asked questions there. i found out that JRSC is pretty much the bread and butter of FI kits for the chassis, and their proven track and daily ability put to rest all the people on the outside looking in. the JRSC kit is 6,500$ installed and dynotuned. 4k for the c30, 1k install 500 dyno, 500 ecutek+license, 750$ JRSC oil cooler. you don not need a clutch for this as its 190wheel torque. clutches are rated by how much torque they hold and i believe ours is rated to 250wtq

I look forward to seeing you in the threads
just to throw another wrench into the mix, the 2nd gen brz is coming out in a year or so, you might weigh that option, 30k new car vs 19k$ project car. id opt for used and boosted.

Good post, but fwiw the cars he's looking at have ~75k miles. He will likely need a clutch.

[mrg666]

If you are planning to do FI installation and maintenance yourself, I would say this is the best car in the market for that purpose. Working on it is fun and driving spectacular. I have installed JRSC 3 years ago myself and went through all the maintenance and troubleshooting. 35K miles after, I have no regrets and enjoy the car everyday.

If you only want a fast car at a cheap cost and planning to have it installed and maintained by other mechanics, I think, buying a used "fast-from-factory" sports car is cheaper and less trouble.

[Goingnowherefast]

Originally Posted by DarkPira7e

I mean, 500k miles or 12k miles, I wouldn't turbo these cars without expecting the engine to go.

Be ready

Small fix, but I completely agree.

[Howaitoguru]

Just buy the cheapest one you can find get a built block from IAG and boost it.


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[CSG Mike]

Originally Posted by Russellr1994

Hello Everyone,

I am looking to purchase a used BRZ sometime in the next year or so and my end goal is going to be a turbo. Currently, most of the cars in my area have had some work done to them already ranging from exhaust to suspension upgrades. I also have not found many low mileage cars in the area. So with that being said, I am curious how risky it would be to buy a car with say 75k or more miles and turboing it? I plan on going lower boost so nothing crazy there. The plan would also be for all the supporting mods like oil cooler, catchcan, and clutch.

Obviously, I know the short answer to my question is that it will depend on the car and how it has been treated but any insight that you guys have beyond that would be greatly appreciated. Please let me know what you guys think and if I am just out of my mind wanting to do something like this.

I have a read-to-drive turbo brz for sale, as it happens, with every supporting and cooling mod necessary for it to run properly and reliably.

I'm with the majority here when it comes to preaching supercharger, because it's just much cheaper to get a reliable, proven setup. With a turbo, you have to deal with all of the extra piping and complexity you're adding to your engine bay. It just so happens that I went turbo partially to prove that it can be done, so my car for sale has all of those little extra things.

Recent maintenance includes a new O2 sensor, new spark plugs, freshly cleaned injectors (all 8). My maintenance schedule is likely much more extensive than the norm.

[Calum]

Originally Posted by CSG Mike

I have a read-to-drive turbo brz for sale, as it happens, with every supporting and cooling mod necessary for it to run properly and reliably.



I'm with the majority here when it comes to preaching supercharger, because it's just much cheaper to get a reliable, proven setup. With a turbo, you have to deal with all of the extra piping and complexity you're adding to your engine bay. It just so happens that I went turbo partially to prove that it can be done, so my car for sale has all of those little extra things.



Recent maintenance includes a new O2 sensor, new spark plugs, freshly cleaned injectors (all 8). My maintenance schedule is likely much more extensive than the norm.

Do you have a list of all cooling and supporting mods necessary to run a turbo setup reliably?

[Goingnowherefast]

Originally Posted by Calum

Do you have a list of all cooling and supporting mods necessary to run a turbo setup reliably?

On track? Yes. 100%

[CSG Mike]

Originally Posted by Calum

Do you have a list of all cooling and supporting mods necessary to run a turbo setup reliably?

1. duct everything

2. shield everything

3. tune tune tune

4. add enough cooling to match however much power is added

5. have enough clutch

6. have enough axle


You can make the power for 7k, pretty easily.

You'll be closer to 20k to make it reliable.

You can make the same power, supercharged, reliably and track worthy, for closer to 10k.

[Calum]

Originally Posted by CSG Mike

1. duct everything

2. shield everything

3. tune tune tune

4. add enough cooling to match however much power is added

5. have enough clutch

6. have enough axle


You can make the power for 7k, pretty easily.

You'll be closer to 20k to make it reliable.

You can make the same power, supercharged, reliably and track worthy, for closer to 10k.

How does that apply to a colder climate than yours? And for a car that won't see track use?

[CSG Mike]

Originally Posted by Calum

How does that apply to a colder climate than yours? And for a car that won't see track use?

Identical.

What if someone is only wanting to do canyon runs in a colder climate, and is a highly proficient driver? What about the same scenario with a beginner driver?

Both are harder on the car than tracking.

Zero corners can be cut, unless you want to severely cut back use case.

For example, my 2016 WRX only had a cat delete and flex tune. From coolant being at thermostat, I could get it to start overheating (over 225F coolant) in just 30 seconds going uphill in a canyon.

[HaXx]

a pretty shitty video, but a cold hard truth for people expecting to get $15k for their NA 100,000mile frs/brz on entry level coilovers. you can use some of the talking points in the video to help you be more prepared for negotiating the price you feel is fair for both parties.

[Russellr1994]

Originally Posted by CSG Mike

1. duct everything

2. shield everything

3. tune tune tune

4. add enough cooling to match however much power is added

5. have enough clutch

6. have enough axle


You can make the power for 7k, pretty easily.

You'll be closer to 20k to make it reliable.

You can make the same power, supercharged, reliably and track worthy, for closer to 10k.

Yikes, that is honestly a lot more than I was expecting. From most of my research, I was expecting an oil cooler, air-oil separator, turbo kit, turbo blanket, and a clutch. I guess I need to do more research to see if this is really something I want to get into. I am not sure if it makes a difference but I am only looking at upper two hundreds for whp and mabe 250 or so for wtq.