trem's '16 BRZ ~~ "Erika" ~~

[treminaor]

I've had the car for a while and figured it's time to start one of these journals. Erika's my DD so I try to keep the mods practical and functional for the most part, and I'm a college student on a budget so rims and tires are still on the backburner. I still have my 7 year/100,000 mile warranty too so I'm waiting to do anything to the engine that the dealer's going to bitch to me about.

Aero/Exterior:
HIC Black Side Window Visors
HIC Black Rear Window Visor
Wired up the turn signals to the sidemarkers
TOM's clear USDM taillights
Phasetek 4th brakelight
LED plate light
86Speed Gas Hood Struts
Llumar Ceramic film window tint - 80% on the windshield, 20% on front, 15% on the rear.
Hella Sharptone Horn Kit (red)
Rexspeed Wide-Angle heated side mirrors
Helix Clear JDM Sidemarkers w/ Amber DiodeDymaics HP3 LEDs
RallyArmor Mud Flaps
Manzo USA Racing Diffuser
Looking for a modest wing to replace the stock BRZ limited one - need something that will cover the holes (or even fit them).

Engine/Misc:
Corsa Catback Exhaust (Stainless tips)
Swapped the clutch slave cylinder, cheers to @Ultramaroon
HKS Super-Hybrid Air Filter
Lowered the height of the clutch pedal

Interior:
Cusco Sports Accelerator Pedal
Pioneer x8500BHS head unit, wired to the stock backup camera
'15 WRB dashboard facia to fit the Metra adapter
Custom built sub box in the trunk I made which fits against the angle of the rear seat
- Kenwood KAC-8406 900W 4-Channel Amplifier
- Kicker CVT10 10" 400W Subwoofer
DiodeDynamics LED Dome Light + Door Courtesy Lights 6000k HP3
Those stupid red footwell lights from Subaru that only turn on with the parking lights... really need to get around to rewiring those myself.
Perrin Reverse Lockout
Stock shift knob - I've tried a handful and hated them all, the stock one is just right for me.
Motion-activated glovebox light

Wheels and Tires:
Stock wheels, painted gunmetal gray with Duplicolor
- RPF1's are nice but I see way too many twins with these, I gotta stand out a bit lol. My ultimate goal is Volk CE28's but those are definitely just a dream right now.
Stock tires
F 20mm R 25MM Eibach Wheel Spacers

Suspension:
RCE Yellow Springs
Stock Struts, waiting for them to need replacement before I make any investments.

Brakes:
Stock

February 2016 - brand spanking new and waiting to go sideways


February 2016, got the windows tinted 2 weeks after buying her


March 2016, first road trip with Erika - 400 miles round trip


June 2016, dropped my custom sub box in the trunk and wired it up


September 2016, installed the hella sharptones


November 2016, after installing the new springs and painting the wheels


December 2016, finally got my vanity plates


December 2016, mud flaps installed. Spacers soon.


December 2016, 20mm front 25mm rear Eibach spacers:


January 2017 after a wash:


July 2017, installed a Corsa exhaust alone in the garage


Today, waiting for enough time off work to install all the shit laying around in my garage

[Ultramaroon]

Isn't is a great little turismo! My wife and I love it. Looks great, man.

But you need to lose a little weight.

[treminaor]

Originally Posted by Ultramaroon

But you need to lose a little weight.

Nonsense, I'm just the right amount of round and plumpy. Makes it easy to do lateral rolls around the garage to grab tools.

[treminaor]

Got the clutch slave cylinder replaced today, the clutch height adjusted, and the clear Helix sidemarkers installed. I see why everyone complains that they don't fit flush - they certainly don't. The housing also isnt made to perfect spec, the clips are cheaper and the twist hole for the light bulb is too tight, which marrs the original bulb housing. I'm glad I only paid $38 for them. Overall I'm happy with the look and the flushness won't bother me. I use them as turn signals so it's nice to have amber LEDs now, it's much brighter in the daytime.

I test drove the car with just a lowered clutch pedal first to see what that was like - I immediately felt like I was driving a BMW... which I wouldn't say is a compliment. The travel was super short and mushy, you couldn't feel what was happening but things were at least happening faster than before.

Next I swapped the slave cylinder and again re-adjusted the clutch height since the new slave raises it a bit automatically. Immediately I noticed the clutch travel is much stiffer... but in a good way. Not too stiff but stiff enough to feel sporty. Next I noticed that the travel felt longer as a result - keep in mind I left my assist spring installed.

Once I took it for a drive I got the full impression - the feel is MUCH BETTER. I can feel where the clutch is engaging, and best of all the engagement point is lower now so gear changes are way faster - less RPM lost. It's like meeting the car all over again, it's beautiful. So glad I did it - thanks again to @Ultramaroon for the DIY guide and all the preparation help.

I think having the clear sidemarkers really pulls together the ascetic of the car - the sidemarkers were the only orange thing on the whole car and it was really distracting. Now I just need to do something about the chrome fender pieces.

[Ultramaroon]

Awesome, trem! I'm thrilled that you like it.

[treminaor]

Just put in an order with @Diode Dynamics for some LED replacement lights:

- Door Courtesy Lights HP3 6000K
- Dome Light HP3 6000K
- Trunk Light HP3 6000K
- Amber turn signals HP3

I'm sick of looking at the ugly yellow lights all over the interior... I strongly considered red door lights but I ultimately decided they would probably just as useless as the dim OEM incandescents...

I also already have amber LED turn signal lights that came with my JDM sidemarkers but they are dim as fuck, I want people to really see when I'm changing lanes in broad daylight, hopefully the HP3's are noticeably brighter...

[treminaor]

Got the LEDs installed, not sure how much I like the cool white 6000k, I probably should have gone slightly warmer - but I'll get used to it.

I installed the new LEDs in the clear turn signals and it's a slight improvement for daytime and a major improvement during nighttime.

Old free LEDs (left) vs New DD HP3's (Right):

[treminaor]

Finally got my personalized plates after waiting 13 weeks and then 3 hours at the DMV

[Ultramaroon]

It's nice that you guys still get real embossed plates. Washington charges extra for cheap silkscreen (or whatever) prints. I can't bring myself to do it because they look so tacky.

[treminaor]

Originally Posted by Ultramaroon

It's nice that you guys still get real embossed plates. Washington charges extra for cheap silkscreen (or whatever) prints. I can't bring myself to do it because they look so tacky.

Wow, that doesn't sound worth it at all. They charge us $50/year for this over here.

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by treminaor

Wow, that doesn't sound worth it at all. They charge us $50/year for this over here.

Looks really nice.

[treminaor]

Originally Posted by Ultramaroon

Looks really nice.

Thanks! I spent a few weeks trying to find ones that weren't already taken and finally settled with this. I quite like it, gives the car a recognizable look in my area.

Now I need to find a leak-proof oil container with a spout to store my TCW3 oil in... I'm tired of these shitty Valvoline plastic bottles leaking everywhere.

[treminaor]

Finally had time to install my mud flaps today. Gonna install the spacers today too, forgot my torque wrench at home.



My clutch squeak came back today... must not have applied enough grease.

[treminaor]

Just realized I never posted a pic of the spacers installed: