I am in a dilemma

[ryoma]

Originally Posted by krayzie

All the nice people giving sound advice of wise money and faster lap times to the OP, yet I read the OP's comments I think he's dead set on modding just for the sake of modding because it makes him happy, spending money to be Batman instead of trying to be Superman to achieve a similar goal.

Selling the BRZ and buy that used C5 Z06 won't make him happy imo if it stays stock. The devil's circle, he'll be asking the same question again afterwards.

the answers in this thread were the type of responses I was looking for. I wanted to see what other people think since I cannot read minds and I do not know if my type of thinking was prevalent among the community. obviously I am no Senna, but I am working on my driving skills in conjunction with modding my car with "go faster" parts. I like the feeling of improving, but I also want to give myself encouragement and confidence with some extra room to drive the car fast. again, this is how it plays out in my mind and you may or may not agree with me. the only downside is that I live so far away from all the tracks and there are no competition organizations that are near me so my opportunities are limited in that aspect. I don't mind driving 3 hours to SoW or 1.5 to CVR but I just do not have the time to attend these events on a constant basis.

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by ryoma

the answers in this thread were the type of responses I was looking for.

I think you sparked a fine discussion. We have thoughtful, cogent responses across the board with surprisingly little criticism/judgement.

[strat61caster]

Originally Posted by krayzie

All the nice people giving sound advice of wise money and faster lap times to the OP, yet I read the OP's comments I think he's dead set on modding just for the sake of modding because it makes him happy, spending money to be Batman instead of trying to be Superman to achieve a similar goal.

I really like that analogy.

To me one of the most rewarding parts of owning this car, the car that has spawned millions of 'lol slower than a Camry' internet comments is chasing down cars that should blow this out of the water on any track.

I have laid down lap times and autocross times faster than or at least competitive with 911's, Cayman's, every BMW M car under the sun, Corvettes of 5 different generations, AMG's, V8 Mustangs and Camaros, and on and on. The fastest car in the world will get beat off the line by a Geo Metro if the driver is asleep at the wheel, and a Miata will hold up a hulking SUV down a narrow back country mountain road when that SUV driver has driven that road every day for the last 20 years.

Despite my humble-bragging of passing 911's and Mustangs and M4's, put me on Laguna Seca with a spec Miata that took top 10 at the SCCA runoffs, drop the green flag and give us 20 laps and he'd lap me with his whopping 130 horsepower and 205 tires.

Lots of people can afford a taste of being Batman, whether it be renting the batmobile or using your affordable 5.0 Mustang to blast past that NA Miata on the front stretch even though he can pull away by 8 car lengths on you in 5 turns. I'd rather have a taste of being Superman by coaxing out 10/10ths of a cars performance and taking 'the little engine that could' sailing past the 'superior' car.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by krayzie

All the nice people giving sound advice of wise money and faster lap times to the OP, yet I read the OP's comments I think he's dead set on modding just for the sake of modding because it makes him happy, spending money to be Batman instead of trying to be Superman to achieve a similar goal.

Selling the BRZ and buy that used C5 Z06 won't make him happy imo if it stays stock. The devil's circle, he'll be asking the same question again afterwards.

This is how I have seen it as well. There is nothing at all wrong with modding for the sake of modding but our minds can trick us into thinking we are doing it for other reasons. The same applies for thinking about trading for another car. We may think we want faster, more comfy, smaller, bigger, etc but what we really want is just different from what we already have.

[krayzie]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

This is how I have seen it as well. There is nothing at all wrong with modding for the sake of modding but our minds can trick us into thinking we are doing it for other reasons. The same applies for thinking about trading for another car. We may think we want faster, more comfy, smaller, bigger, etc but what we really want is just different from what we already have.

Yes nothing wrong with either approach. Actually if you read / watch Initial D especially the early part of the series they really explore this discussion in depth; car performance vs. driving skills vs. car setup => the application of all three elements depending on the course and situation.

It's no surprise the writer portrayed two rich brothers with highly modified high output expensive track toys only to get beaten by an old seemingly low output tofu delivery car with little do they know, a serious tarmac rally setup driven by a poor bloke with rally driving skills to back it up.

In the end of the story I think it wants to say you need a good mindset / balance combo of everything in order to reach one's goal of winning some sort of reward? I know it's really just a comic but there are some telling truths of reality.

[Vincenttam]

I think all you really need for a good track time in these cars are good fluids, tires and brakes. I mean there is a tier list on what bracket you're placed in with each additional mod you add, that is assuming you're competing with other similar car times, but theres really so much your mods can do to carry the driver. Everything else is all you. Aim for a better line, different braking methods and gear shifts.

[retoocs]

Have you thought about going a completely different route and try karting? Shifter karts are f-ing fast, as fast as cars costing 10x more. Even the entry level 10 hp karts are fast and capable of pulling 2g's in the corners. Plenty of kart tracks around socal.

[pfaffendorn]

Originally Posted by ryoma

I just feel that I am in the mindset of always wanting to improve the car to suit my obsessive need of getting faster lap times. right now, I am looking at BBK's for later braking to get that marginal improvement on lap times lol. I feel that it's a never ending cycle of chasing the best lap times possible. but I also think that if I perhaps had a car other than the BRZ, it would be easier to chase these lap times without spending the money that I have currently spent on the BRZ. I am also closely monitoring the FI options for the BRZ as well which doesn't really help my wallet

I am no track guy. I've never been to one, much less urged my BRZ through a lap. But I've been thinking about your dilemma, and suddenly the flashbulb popped. Competing at the track sounds like a lot of fun, but it seems you have reached a plateau and are trying to find out how to wring another challenge out of the track. Maybe you could just step away or de-obssess occasionally by finding some curly roads in your area to explore, either by yourself or with some other guys, who would probably enjoy hearing about your mods and your track experiences.

I have spent Saturdays or Sundays just getting lost in these Carolina mountains and have found a number of gloriously twisty roads that are all different and test my skills in different ways. There is even a famously deadly stretch used by bikers and cars like a track to compete for the best times in both directions. A day of surprise on these pretzel roads really gives me a thrill and clears the cobwebs.

I don't mean to throw shade on the track; if you yearn for prizes on the Nascar tracks, go for it and move toward cars that will take you there.

It's just that I hate to see a BRZ and its driver get bored with each other -- neither one of you deserve it at all.

[soulreapersteve]

Originally Posted by pfaffendorn

I am no track guy. I've never been to one, much less urged my BRZ through a lap. But I've been thinking about your dilemma, and suddenly the flashbulb popped. Competing at the track sounds like a lot of fun, but it seems you have reached a plateau and are trying to find out how to wring another challenge out of the track. Maybe you could just step away or de-obssess occasionally by finding some curly roads in your area to explore, either by yourself or with some other guys, who would probably enjoy hearing about your mods and your track experiences.

I have spent Saturdays or Sundays just getting lost in these Carolina mountains and have found a number of gloriously twisty roads that are all different and test my skills in different ways. There is even a famously deadly stretch used by bikers and cars like a track to compete for the best times in both directions. A day of surprise on these pretzel roads really gives me a thrill and clears the cobwebs.

I don't mean to throw shade on the track; if you yearn for prizes on the Nascar tracks, go for it and move toward cars that will take you there.

It's just that I hate to see a BRZ and its driver get bored with each other -- neither one of you deserve it at all.

This!!!

As a noobie myself, I very much enjoy listening to more experienced people talk about just.. stuff. Tips or opinions/thoughts on what you learned on track, etc.

I'm willing to bet my car's title that there's one person out there who is hesitant about going to the track and just needs someone who have been there to give them a tiny nudge. That's where you come in.

[atlbrz]

I would say learn from my experience. I had a 95 miata and built it into a respectable daily/driver track car. I kept it natural aspirated, but did most of the available/common upgrades. Once I finely got the car how I wanted, I sold it after one or two track events. I then purchased a 2009 miata with intentions of not modifying or tracking the car. The 09 had a 2.0L engine and had so much more torque than the 1.8L I just knew it could be a good bit faster than my 95. After about $12K in mods, the car was pretty fast and I passed a lot of faster cars on the track. Once the car was how I thought I wanted it, I sold it. So what is the lesson. Modifying and building the cars is the journey for me. Once I run out of upgrades I get bored with the car. Even my wife knows when a car has run it's course. It is expensive, but I had fun. I too sit there and think I could have purchased a nice used BMW or Porsche with the money I had in the 09 Miata. The other risk is as the car gets better on the track, but it loses it daily driver appeal as it becomes more hardcore.
I would like to track the BRZ, but I am trying to avoid the temptation. If I go to the track stock, I will want to upgrade the brakes, than the tires, than the suspension it just goes on and on.
So enjoy the car for what it is. Decide what you want out of your track days and car. As others noted keep working on your track skills which is the most important factor.

[humdizzle]

I would also say learn from experience. you mentioned that for the money you spent already u could have had a nice golf R. Go drive a golf R... would u trade your 10k modded FRS for one? if so then there's ur answer.

At the end of the day modding is fun.. but its also money you won't get back. money that could be used to get a better all around car and a whole new experience of driving. money that could be used to pay off the car sooner and have some financial freedom. Im not saying don't touch the car, but u should have a game plan for the car before you buy it and try to stick to it.