Flex's Reliable Turbocharged DD/Occasional Track Build

[FirestormFlex]

I purchased my 2015 FR-S brand new in July of 2015. I had a 2014 Mazda 3 that I loved, but I had started looking for more performance and quickly found that it was hard to come by in the Skyactive platform - there isn't much in the way of aftermarket support, especially when it comes to tuning.



I had loved the look of the twins since the first time I had seen one a few years ago. I would see them on the road and always comment on how cool they looked, but never really saw myself buying one. Well the search for more performance brought me right to them after doing a lot of reading. I love to drive - I drive a lot, and having fun in my car is important to me. Many reviews of the platform led me to believe I should give it a shot.



I test drove an FR-S and immediately fell in love. The handling of the car was just incredible - I'd never seen anything like it in a $27000 car. It sounded great and looked great as well, and even my wife gave it the nod of approval (kind of - more on her love/hate relationship with it later LOL).



I said goodbye to my Mazda and took the car home. I drove it a lot right off the bat, and found myself wanting a bit more - both in terms of power and handling. It's funny how something that seems amazing right off the bat can leave you wanting more. I began reading more, and quickly found out that there is a huge selection of aftermarket parts available for the platform, and much of it is relatively inexpensive. I started small but quickly got bit by the modding bug.



Also, I have a fried and client who is an instructor at Skip Barber Racing School, and Lime Rock is pretty local to me. I decided that I want to start getting some time on the track as well.



This thread will be a picture log of how far my car has come, and where it goes from here.



So, onto the fun stuff:



Here she is as she sits today:

























CURRENT MODS:



Engine/Drivetrain - All installation done by Colter Dane at Prolific Performance in Branford, CT.



Tuning - EcuTek remote tuned by Moto-East, 93 octane

SBD Turbo Kit - 10psi

Kate Cool oil cooler

ACT HD Street Clutch

ACT 11.8 lb flywheel

Berk Technologies overpipe

Berk Technologies high-flow catted front pipe

Magnaflow cat-back





Suspension/Wheels



Performance alignment - 2 degrees camber all around, with mild toe front and rear.

Tein Street Flex coilovers - 25mm drop front and rear.

SPC lower control arms

Gram Light 57Xtreme Wheels - 18x8.5 fr, 18x9.5 rr

Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires - 235/40/18 fr, 265/35/18 rr





Exterior Styling/Performance



Genuine Five-Axis trunk spoiler

OEM Monogram HID headlights

Drift Armor crash bar

Ray's center caps

Moteki lugs



Interior Styling/Performance



AEM Failsafe Dual wideband AFR/Boost gauge

Innovate MTX Dual oil pressure/temperature gauge

Block8head custom 2 gauge pod - defroster vent mount

Raceseng Slammer shift knob

Raceseng reverse lockout

Weathertec floor mats

Weathertec trunk liner

Scosche Magic Mount for cell phone/electronics





Undecided/In Progress



Brake upgrade - probably pads/fluid/lines to start, but maybe a BBK eventually. Well see how things go once I start taking it to the track.



Body - I'd like to do a mild lip-kit or body kit. I'm thinking Five-Axis or Stillen, but I kind of like the Rexpeed carbon lip kit. Open to ideas/suggestions here.



Tails - I'm thinking Valenti, but can't decided between the standard ones or the new Revos. I just don't want to pay almost double for the Revos when there's really not that much of a difference.



Other exterior - I want to swap out side markers, as well as install some LEDs here and there.



Other interior - Thinking of swapping out the trim pieces for the Rexpeed carbon replacements. Radar detector will come at some point as well, still trying to decide.



Audio - I've been looking into options, and all thoughts tend to go back to OEM Audio Plus. I'll likely upgrade at some point this year.



Window Tint - I'll likely be doing that soon. Once I put the black wheels on, it really needs it.



Flex-Fuel - at some point, I'll likely update the fueling system and tune with a flex-fuel setup from Moto-East. The only thing keeping me from doing it so far is that there are only 2 E85 stations in CT, and they are both an hour from me.





Now, the car got to this point in a series of steps. From here, I'll document how it has all come together so far.



Thanks for reading

[MisterSheep]

How's your SBD turbo holding up?

[FirestormFlex]

Originally Posted by MisterSheep

How's your SBD turbo holding up?

The kit was installed VERY recently - only a couple of weeks ago. So far so good. I'm on the third tune revision from Moto-East and everything runs like a dream. This car is my daily, so I guess we'll be finding out about longevity.

[FirestormFlex]

Cool shot I got on my way home from work the other night.