What do you think about these door sills?

[yospeed]

Update (9/28/2012):

I'd like to thank everyone who provided feedback on our prototypes.

Production door sills are now available via the classifieds forum > interior parts

Thanks again, everyone!

Update (9/14/2012):

I received the first batch of door sills back from powder coat in a textured black finish and engraved a nice clean looking pattern onto them. No more driver/navigator. Pretty much everyone agreed that it didn't look too good.

What does everyone think of these? Improvement? Personally, I think they look GORGEOUS. I've located a local FR-S and BRZ owner. I'll try to get some photos of these installed on their cars this weekend!











Original Post:

Hi all! I've been working with a few members of this forum trying to get some new parts made for their cars and now I'm looking for some feedback in regards to their aesthetics and how positively or negatively they'd be received by the community.

About Our Door Sill Garnish

The door sills begin as a solid block of 6061-T651 billet aluminum. From there, they're machined down to the dimensions below and then hand brushed to give it a lustrous metallic finish and finally, engraved with either BRZ or FR-S.

They'll be available in the brushed finish below as well as a black powder coat finish to match the black interior.



What do you like/hate about these?

The part I'm concerned about the most is the engraving. We'll be offering custom engraving to members who want unique sills on their car, but I also want to offer standardized sets for people who want a simple and elegant solution to replace their plastic sills. So, I'd really appreciate any feedback on the engraving patterns below. Do you hate the FR-S logo? Do most people prefer the FT86 logo? Would people prefer an "FT86club" option? Replace "navigator" with "passenger"? Ditch the whole thing and replace it with skulls/flames/flowers?


Subaru BRZ door sill garnish:



Driver's side Scion FR-S door sill:



Passenger side FR-S door sill in brushed aluminum finish:



TL;DR: Do you like the current design? Why or why not?

[MiguelAE86]

I could see how some users may have a slight tick with the fact that:

1) the design is very smooth, it should maybe have some grip-etching (if you know what i mean) integrated into the design

and 2) "Driver" + "Navigator" should (maybe) be an option to choose when ordering, not on every produced door sill.

[yospeed]

Originally Posted by MiguelAE86

I could see how some users may have a slight tick with the fact that:

1) the design is very smooth, it should maybe have some grip-etching (if you know what i mean) integrated into the design

and 2) "Driver" + "Navigator" should (maybe) be an option to choose when ordering, not on every produced door sill.

So you'd like a rougher finish. Something like this?



Your second statement makes sense. I can see why some people might prefer a very minimalistic approach and just want FR-S or BRZ on their sills. If more people agree, I'll try to offer two versions, or if it turns out no one likes the "driver"/"passenger" lettering I could remove it all together.

Thank you for the response!

[xclusive_brett]

maybe one with the 86 piston logo?
and agree on losing the driver/navigator thing or making it an option

[Surok]

unfortunately by putting "driver and "navigator" on there you just made it a LHD only part..

now you will have to make 2 versions if you want to sell the RHD markets..

[ShoGun]

Make the border etching of the word "BRZ" bigger. That way it wont get drowned out in direct sunlight like photo #3

[whataboutbob]

I like the alum material. I like the idea of the 86 pistons. But I think it needs something else, but what that is I'm not quite sure yet.

[matsayswhat]

Looks good. I like the idea of a rougher finish too.

[PMok]

Originally Posted by ShoGun

Make the border etching of the word "BRZ" bigger. That way it wont get drowned out in direct sunlight like photo #3

^^ what he said. Needs to be bolder, or deeper etching to make the logo stand out more.

also, lose the Driver/Navigator etching. I can see the typical person opening the passenger side door, and thinking to themselves, "which is it? Is it a BRZ or is it a Lincoln Navigator??"

maybe have it say "SUBARU" or "BOXER" on the BRZ sills, and "SCION" or "86" on the FR-S sills.

[Sutty]

Originally Posted by Surok

unfortunately by putting "driver and "navigator" on there you just made it a LHD only part..

now you will have to make 2 versions if you want to sell the RHD markets..

I agree with the above statement, are you going to make a RHD version of this.
Also for non Scion markets, how about an 86 & pistions emblem. I would seriously consider getting a set if you make a RHD/86 version.
I also prefer the aluminium version as opposed to the non-slip version.

[Surok]

JDM 86 already come with aluminium door sills btw. this might scratch the bottom of the door once the door starts to sag.

[yospeed]

Originally Posted by Surok

unfortunately by putting "driver and "navigator" on there you just made it a LHD only part..

now you will have to make 2 versions if you want to sell the RHD markets..

I wasn't planning on selling to Asian or European markets originally, but that's a great point

Originally Posted by xclusive_brett

maybe one with the 86 piston logo?
and agree on losing the driver/navigator thing or making it an option

I'll try to make an 86 pistol logo version as well. It seems to be a popular choice.

Originally Posted by PMok

^^ what he said. Needs to be bolder, or deeper etching to make the logo stand out more.

also, lose the Driver/Navigator etching. I can see the typical person opening the passenger side door, and thinking to themselves, "which is it? Is it a BRZ or is it a Lincoln Navigator??"

maybe have it say "SUBARU" or "BOXER" on the BRZ sills, and "SCION" or "86" on the FR-S sills.

Seems unanimous. Ditch the driver/navigator! I'll try to make a Scion/Subaru version instead.

Originally Posted by Surok

JDM 86 already come with aluminium door sills btw. this might scratch the bottom of the door once the door starts to sag.

Interesting! I know Toyota's build quality is pretty robust, as my family has owned many over the years. I don't think door sagging will be an issue. My Hondas all have door sills and none of them have experienced this issue yet(they're all pushing 6+ years of age at the moment).

I appreciate all the feedback!

So it looks like the driver/navigator is getting ditched, and I'll likely be making the engraving more prominent for the brushed aluminum sills. There will be a "rougher" textured option for the black powder coat sills as well.

If there are any other comments you guys have, or would like to see other changes, please voice your opinion!

[SkullWorks]

how about anodized sill then machine the engraving afterwards? give some contrast and reduce the glare, this would also allow color options.

Another idea is a bead blasted surface with the engraving afterwards to provide contrast.

last idea, apply lacquer stick in the engraving to make it stand out

and FWIW I liked the driver/ navigator but would prefer a Pilot/ Co-Pilot nomenclature.

[Nate219BRZ]

I second that anodized before engraving. Maybe throw in some ///// BRZ \\\\\ in the engraving and/or a outline around the perimeter.