Koji's 2013 FR-S (Firestorm - 6MT)

[Koji_Online]

(Delivered 05/29/2012) First official photo =D



New & Old (Right before I sold my RSX Type-S to Carmax)







Initial week impressions:

- Interior & Exterior are incredible; looks even better in person than in the pics; sitting next to my friends' Solid Red 370Z (used to be my favorite red on any car), his actually looks a little washed while mine looks like a deep blood red; awesome!
Interior has a higher quality of materials than I was expecting after everyone bashed on it... the gauges are incredible w/ the white tach, adjustable shift light & gear indicator.
Stock radio is excellent; Do not forget to check what mode the stereo is in because most everyone has complained of it being set to tC; there is already another thread about this on the forum; easy fix.
With radio off, press & hold multi-selector button (the big one) scroll to vehicle type & press til' it selects FR-S; it does sound noticeable clearer to me with some nice mid-range.
Back seats are small & perfect for me; I never wanted to carry back passengers, but I like knowing they are there in case of emergencies & for insurance purposes lol.
For non HVAC climate controls I'm still slightly impressed by the feel; they are pretty intuitive & don't look as bad irl =P
Front Seats Damm are nice & supportive; I found my perfect driving position w/ this Porsche tutorial; works perfect, so try it out!

-Excellent handling/ easy to play with at street level speeds ~25MPH
Handling fun is easily accessible due to rigid form, great visibility & tires that give away progressively at near the limit. because of chassis response & confidence this car gives, I feel comfortable driving with VSC sport at all times; that is pretty good taking that this is my first RWD; I just love the way the car feels

-Shift feel is near perfect; short, precise, no play in gears, shift knob seems somewhat weighted (which I love). Only thing missing from shift feeling is solid affirmation once you engage a gear ( I believe this is due to soft rear shifter bushing that connects assembly to chassis I have come from an RSX-S with every shift mod you can think of to increase feel (bushings, short throw, & a weighted S2000 shift knob.) I have ordered a PERRIN rear shifter bushing & will update this thread with DIY & review

- Clutch is soft & has a relatively high grab point. Adjusted by going under steering column, screwing in clutch master cylinder threads deeper into clutch pedal bracket (it is interestingly positioned almost above the gas pedal.)

-Power? Smooth; no redlines or over 5k until engine is fully broken in. I have come from a ~220WHP RSX-S w full all motor-bolt ons & Kpro'd ECU & also a very lightweight flywheel. I do not miss the power of my RSX because the feel & responsiveness is amazing; also there is a totally different sensation of acceleration between FWD & RWD; it just feels better even though the top end will definitely be slower.

- Gas mileage; after a week & ~300 miles my average MPG is 25.9; lower than others & I can positively attribute this to my willingness to learn RWD & play around some w/ RWD handling mechanics

First Week Mods
- K&N drop in performance filter; my favorite so far.
Interesting story w/ this one; of course K&N says they don't have a product yet because they haven't gotten their hands on one. It is most definitely part# 33-2252 that also fit in Lotus Elise/Exige with Toyota motors.
The cool guys at Autozone let me open every box until I found the match.
Installation is straight forward, but make sure to take note of the square corner so that you orient the filter correctly; it will still close if you put it in wrong in regards to the squared off corner, but you will know it is absolutely correct when it is completely FLUSH =D

*Yes this white filter pictured is stock filter


- Various light upgrades: Sylvania Silverstar ZXE H11 - They look excellent & almost look like HID's (I did not want to mess with an HID 'drop in kit' like I did with my RSX; my train of thought for mods on my FR-S is to keep original as much as possible so I can revert back if needed =D)
- Went over to v-leds.com to order W5W & 194 LEDs for licence plate lights & sidemarker lights.
- already ordered JDM Clear Sidemarkers from Carson Toyota; I will update with Install & pics

*UPDATE 6/7/12 - My DIY Clutch Adjustment thread =D
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8040

*UPDATE 6/16/12 - Forum member CU2MIKE came all the way down from LA to detail & Opti-Coat my car =D
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9011

*UPDATE 6/17/12 - Received Team Voodoo shift-knob for prototype test fitting! Fits perfectly & feels great, Thompson Engineering to produce Pearl finish Voodoo Knob for our cars!
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showt...793#post264793


*I will continue to update this journal with future mods =D

THANK YOU for reading!

[Koji_Online]

Updated! w/ exterior & interior impression; proper driving position video courtesy of Porsche driving school =D
& how to set your radio to the proper car type (as it is most likely set to tC via most complaints on the forum)

[Ricochet48]

Once you break in your FR-S I'd like to hear more comparisons between your RSX-S.

I currently track my modified RSX and am deciding between a FR-S/BRZ (and eventually going FI) or a 370z.

Car looks sharp and small even next to the RSX!

[Koji_Online]

Thanks! I will definitely post up impressions on auto-X & uDrift events once the car is fully broken in; like you, I am also intent to go FI on this.
Yesterday I had the chance to test drive/ run hard my friends 370Z; I gotta say the Z is awesome as expected, but I still prefer the FR-S & can't wait to put boost on this =D
It's cool to see another RSX owner on here! & yes it does look smaller next to the RSX than I originally thought =P

[xclusive_brett]

please tell me you didn't trade the car in with the bbs wheels on it!
looks beautiful man

[Lonewolf]

Great detective work on the K&N filter!

[Koji_Online]

Originally Posted by xclusive_brett

please tell me you didn't trade the car in with the bbs wheels on it!
looks beautiful man

Damm you noticed xD
It hurts to say that I sold the stock wheels before & couldn't get another set for a decent price; the notice that my FR-S had been delivered to the dealer was sudden & unexpected; I didn't even get the chance to sell the Kpro ECU...
The next owner will be surprised with a clean & fairly quick RSX that doesn't look it on the outside haha

Originally Posted by Lonewolf

Great detective work on the K&N filter!

Thanks!

[Lonewolf]

Part Number 33-2300 is the part number for the K&N filter (thanks Vivid for your confirmation!) specifically made for the FRS/BRZ.

I wonder what the differences are, if any, between what you found and this new part number.

[Fish]

I like that NERV sticker you had on the brake light.

[Koji_Online]

Originally Posted by Fish

I like that NERV sticker you had on the brake light.

Thanks! Nice to see other anime fans haha

I bought a red one for my FR-S, of the latest design with the apple sihlouette; this time it's going on the fuse box cover under the hood; I don't plan to put any stickers on the outside this time =D

Originally Posted by Lonewolf

Part Number 33-2300 is the part number for the K&N filter (thanks Vivid for your confirmation!) specifically made for the FRS/BRZ.

I wonder what the differences are, if any, between what you found and this new part number.

Thanks for the update! Though the 33-2252 fits perfectly flush with no gap or bulging; I'm interested now too! I will look into this =P

[Fish]

lol Nice! I like the new logo. On my OG Droid phone I had a NERV theme going on and I used the new one.

I know what you mean with the stickers on the car. I don't know if you ever heard of Persona. But my old Evo was yellow. I really wanted to put the silhouettes of the characters on the side. I never got around to doing it though.

[Koji_Online]

Originally Posted by Fish

lol Nice! I like the new logo. On my OG Droid phone I had a NERV theme going on and I used the new one.

I know what you mean with the stickers on the car. I don't know if you ever heard of Persona. But my old Evo was yellow. I really wanted to put the silhouettes of the characters on the side. I never got around to doing it though.

Ive never played any of the shin megami games =X
, but friends say Its awesome so I'll try to get to it after mass effect =P
I think your idea for your old evo is almost 'itasha' style; I really like seeing those at car shows haha; but definitely seems wrong to do it on our new cars xD

[Fish]

Originally Posted by Koji_Online

Ive never played any of the shin megami games =X
, but friends say Its awesome so I'll try to get to it after mass effect =P
I think your idea for your old evo is almost 'itasha' style; I really like seeing those at car shows haha; but definitely seems wrong to do it on our new cars xD

If you ever get the chance to play them, I recommend it. For me 3 and 4 are probably my most favorite games.

lol Yeah, I always wanted to go for that look. But not all crazy like some of the other ones out there. There was a time attack STi that had something like that. Right now I couldn't bring myself to do it on the car. Maybe 4-5 years from now when the car is almost paid off and old I could probably consider it. Maybe.

[Koji_Online]

Updated to include the link to my clutch adjustment DIY, the Opti-Coating of my car by CU2MIKE who drove all the way up from LA =D
& the thread on the devolpment of the exclusive Pearl finish Team Voodoo Shift Knob!