Dave-ROR's BRZ thread

[Dave-ROR]

Updates..

So after spending more time in the car, the following things need to be fixed/changed IMO.

Storage: There needs to be a better place (aka any place that makes sense) to storage sunglasses, wallet (I don't like keeping my wallet in my back pocket on long drives), etc keys, etc. Center console "works" but annoying since there isn't a lot of space if you want to keep the cup holder piece in there. Maybe the center console will fix this.

Heated Seats: They suck. Worst heated seats I've ever used. I wish I were kidding as this is a feature I really wanted but after they've been on forawhile they seem to turn off, or maybe just turn down so far that they barely create any heat. Either way, they are the coldest heated seats I've ever used.

HVAC: When stopped at a light in florida heat, the AC seems to get warm after 30-45 seconds unless temp is all the way down, recirc is on and fan speed is max.. even then the second you start driving again it gets colder. I understand how AC systems work, but it actually seems like it's turning off after a bit at a light.. at least in Florida heat Maybe post tint this will be better it's been raining the past few days so I haven't noticed any problems.

NAV/Audio System: Where to start.. It's hard to get it tuned well and I still haven't gotten it sounding good. To me it sounds like it's missing midrange, both on the low end of the mids (120-250hz or so) and the upper end (2.5-4.5khz or so). I'm guessing those little 3.5 or 4" drivers in the dash are partly to blame. Also no crossover settings for the door subs so who knows what freqs they are getting. The NAV system is *HORRIBLE*. I was driving to Miami so I wanted to set a route to an address in the Miami area so I tried to do so after moving through voice rec and that was a failure.. I'd give it the street address and it would search nearby only.. as if that is useful to me. You have to stop to enter it manually. Once entered you can find alternate routes and so on and the system works fine then. My last problem is that the display can't be turned off as far as I know. That's not awesome at night, I'd love for the night time mode to just turn off the screen as an option after 30 seconds, or via a soft button. Easy enough to have it reactivate at the touch of the screen or when a phone call comes in, a hard button is touched, Nav directions come up, etc.. I don't need the screen lit all the time if I'm driving down the interstate for 300 miles though.

Power: I find the low end performance to be perfectly acceptable for daily driving. Once in the high end of the powerband it's a bit.. lacking. I was probably expecting too much as I wanted to feel more urgency at the top end of the powerband.... and it just doesn't happen. I'm not saying the car is slow, it just doesn't feel as entertaining and visceral as my ITR.

Ended up not getting an exhaust done due to work issues causing a delay in getting to the shop and there just wasn't time.. if they don't have a local person bring a car by soon I'll make another trip down south in a few weeks.

Also, went ahead and threw on the RPF1s I bought. Specs are 17x8 +45 RPF1 with 235/40/17 Yokohama AD08s. Since I had the car up on the lift anyways I took some random pics, nothing specific really just taking pics for friends who haven't been following the car so much so they are new to them, not to you folks here.

Some pics since the last set.

500 Miles


1,000 Miles


Lots of dead bugs all over the car



Old wheels/tires vs new wheels/tires:




Installing the wheels and misc shots with the wheels including some hard parking shots for you cali guys:



















Misc engine and under carraige/suspension/etc shots:
















Enjoy

[Longhorn248]

Nice shots! Looks great with the tint.

[Dave-ROR]

Oh and one other feature I noticed.. probably in the manual.. not sure. If you lock the power windows the backlighting for the passenger window turns off at both switches.. re-enable power window control for the passenger side and the switches light back up

[MarkRacerX]

Great Pics, Wow much wider track w/ new wheels/tires over stock pizza cutters!!

Thanks for sharing!

[Dave-ROR]

Originally Posted by MarkRacerX

Great Pics, Wow much wider track w/ new wheels/tires over stock pizza cutters!!

Thanks for sharing!

Yeah, I didn't expect them to be that pushed out but I guess if I had done the math it would have been more obvious.. what was most surprising is how narrow those OEM tires are.. they seem narrowing then the 205s on my ITR but I haven't measured.

[Draco-REX]

Awesome! The size comparison had me going "Oh yeah!" The offset looks perfect.

But here're the big questions:

How does the steering feel with the increase in scrub radius?

And how does the chassis feel with such a huge increase in grip?
Does the body roll a lot more?

Looks great and I can't wait to get my rims even more now!

[Dave-ROR]

Originally Posted by Draco-REX

Awesome! The size comparison had me going "Oh yeah!" The offset looks perfect.

But here're the big questions:

How does the steering feel with the increase in scrub radius?

And how does the chassis feel with such a huge increase in grip?
Does the body roll a lot more?

Looks great and I can't wait to get my rims even more now!

Right after those pics it started pouring rain and thundering/lightning. I drove from nates house (his garage/lift) to mine at 20mph and no visibility lol

Things I did notice:
Ride was stiffer thanks to the stiffer sidewalls
Steering felt the same but not the best test data
Ad08s are louder than performance package Prius tires

[Draco-REX]

Originally Posted by Dave-ROR

Right after those pics it started pouring rain and thundering/lightning. I drove from nates house (his garage/lift) to mine at 20mph and no visibility lol

Things I did notice:
Ride was stiffer thanks to the stiffer sidewalls
Steering felt the same but not the best test data
Ad08s are louder than performance package Prius tires

Thanks. I'm looking forward to your post-event review of the new setup.

I'd like quieter tires (Continental ExtremeContact DWs are perfection for performance DD) but I believe anything less than a stiff sidewall is a crime against this chassis.

[MarkRacerX]

Originally Posted by Dave-ROR

Yeah, I didn't expect them to be that pushed out but I guess if I had done the math it would have been more obvious.. what was most surprising is how narrow those OEM tires are.. they seem narrowing then the 205s on my ITR but I haven't measured.

Wheels Looks good man!! Nice stance
My RPF1's should be here Friday and hope to race on new wheel/tire setup Sunday if all goes smooth!

It's gotta handle much better over stockers, def some meat under the car now!

[inimitable]

I have those same hockey gloves. That lower wrist pad really annoyed me though, so I cut it out/off. Then, I scored some Vapor X:60s and went with 13" instead of 14", and life has been SO much better.

[ayau]

are you going to be changing the suspension dave?

[Zgrinch]

Those wheels look sweet. NAV/stereo/speaker upgrade is going to be my first major mod. As a DD, NAV and high quality sound are a must for me.

[Dave-ROR]

Originally Posted by inimitable

I have those same hockey gloves. That lower wrist pad really annoyed me though, so I cut it out/off. Then, I scored some Vapor X:60s and went with 13" instead of 14", and life has been SO much better.

Yeah mine are a bit too large.. I need to upgrade eventually but my two half broken through sticks need replacement first :P

[Dave-ROR]

Originally Posted by ayau

are you going to be changing the suspension dave?

Eventually. I want to drive the car stock for a bit so I can form an opinion of what I need to have the new suspension correct