Wanna help me make my mod list?

[KrisisOD]

Hello, I'm pretty much dead set on getting the Hyper Blue BRZ I have the reserve on at this point, so I'm working on my mod list.

I have a (minimum) 2 and a half hour commute at least 3 times a week for the next two-four years if I don't move closer by then so the car needs to keep good gas mileage, and a decently smooth ride. I'm getting the windows tinted, and a kicker done as soon as I drive off the lot, and I'm already looking at lowering springs, and wheels.

I haven't done in depth research over the springs yet, I'm currently working on it, but the wheels I REALLY want are the Work Emotion XD9 18x9.0/10.0 in the matte bronze.

I haven't done a lot of research on better tires, but that's something I'd like as there will be some bad weather hitting soon. I do have a truck to drive if the weather gets really bad, but I'd still prefer to drive the car when possible.

Anyone have any other suggestions of mods that might be fun, but not kill my gas mileage or maybe even improve it?

In a few years I am planning on making this a track car when I upgrade back up to a larger vehicle and no longer have an awful commute.

Including the wheels/suspension I think my budget is no more than $4k for mods currently if that helps with suggestions.

Edited, as I also think I'm going to go ahead and purchase an exhaust as well. This one, I think. http://shopgreddy.com/10118300.html

[jawn]

The wheels will hurt your gas mileage, ride, and performance; it'll also consume most of your budget once you factor in the cost of tires.

This thread has a lot of the spring options:
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8739

[KrisisOD]

I don't have a lot ideas for mods right now aside from the wheels, and tires. So I wasn't concerned. If some better ideas are suggested, or as I'm researching come across other things I'd prefer, I'll most certainly alter my list.

If I stay with the stock sizing of the wheels I'm assuming that wouldn't hurt the gas mileage?

Do lowering springs hurt the ride so much that I would regret lowering the car?

I had an SRT-4 ACR at one point, and didn't mind the ride in it, but would prefer a bit looser of a suspension.

[jawn]

Originally Posted by KrisisOD

I don't have a lot ideas for mods right now aside from the wheels, and tires. So I wasn't concerned. If some better ideas are suggested, or as I'm researching come across other things I'd prefer, I'll most certainly alter my list.

If I stay with the stock sizing of the wheels I'm assuming that wouldn't hurt the gas mileage?

Do lowering springs hurt the ride so much that I would regret lowering the car?

I had an SRT-4 ACR at one point, and didn't mind the ride in it, but would prefer a bit looser of a suspension.

Adding weight will hurt gas mileage. Going wide and big is a good way to add unsprung mass. Stick to stock weights or lighter, if you're trying to improve gas mileage. The stock wheel and tire combo weighs in at 42ish pounds per corner, so I'd try to avoid going too much heavier than that.

Tire compound will also affect gas mileage. The stock tires are lower rolling resistance than most, so tire choice is also something to think about. This will probably be slightly less noticeable than adding a bunch of weight via big wheels/tires, but will still make a difference if you go with super sticky compound.

If you like 18s, there are some 18s out there that are lighter than stock, but the Work Emotions XD9s are definitely not. My preference is 17s on these cars, because you can run higher profile tires, which are generally more comfortable.

It's not a great idea to go super-low on springs. There's not a lot of bump travel on these cars, so if you want to drop it lower than an inch, I'd think about getting coilovers instead. With lowering springs, you'll either want to replace the bump stops with shorter ones, or trim the OEM ones. If you don't want it to be harsh, I'd stick to something mild.

[KrisisOD]

Thank you, about an inch was what I was thinking of lowering it, so I don't think I'd need coil overs. If I stick to stock sized wheels/tires I might not lower it at all, and that would eliminate the need for springs at all.

I just wanted the tires to be a bit more flush, but without worrying about tearing off my bumper while parking.

I'll be picking up the car a week from tomorrow, so I'm just trying to narrow things down so I can get them ordered for installation when I pick the car up.

[Tcoat]

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=96158

[KrisisOD]

Thanks for the link, but I've already got it bookmarked and have spent a significant (and still more) time reading it.

I was just hoping for some suggestions that might fit my situation that someone that's not super knowledgeable about modding a car (and when I did was always for speed with no worries over mpg).

Thanks for reading, and I'll continue to do my due diligence before I purchase anything.

I guess at this point I'm going to get 17 wheels, with an exhaust, get the car tinted, and have a small sub woofer/amp put in the boost the stereo a bit. I don't really need much else since I'm trying to keep the good gas mileage unless there's a highly recommended mod that might help my mpgs.

Does anyone think that bronze wheels will look good with the hyper blue, or is that just me?

[EzyBrzy]

I think the most important factor in maintaining good gas mileage is keeping your foot out of it. . . which is hard to do though.

I've heard the Velox/DWL front splitter and rear diffuser help with mpg's.

[xxBrun0xx]

TRD springs, Openflash header, stock wheels + tires, snow tires + 16s for the winter, openflash tablet, stock catback, kartboy short shifter, enjoy Been doing long commutes with that setup for over a year and a half. Gas mileage is in the low 30s, rides great, never worry about getting stuck in winter, and is nice and quiet on the highway.

[mav1178]

Originally Posted by KrisisOD

so the car needs to keep good gas mileage, and a decently smooth ride. I'm getting the windows tinted, and a kicker done as soon as I drive off the lot, and I'm already looking at lowering springs, and wheels.

Get the car.

Keep it stock.

Mod it when you find things you are missing.

Good gas mileage and any tire stickier/larger than stock are mutually exclusive.

My own advice for anyone that wants to mod cars is, what attribute of the car are you trying to change? If you can't answer that, you're modding for the sake of modding.

-alex

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by mav1178

Get the car.

Keep it stock.

Mod it when you find things you are missing.

Good gas mileage and any tire stickier/larger than stock are mutually exclusive.

My own advice for anyone that wants to mod cars is, what attribute of the car are you trying to change? If you can't answer that, you're modding for the sake of modding.

-alex

[Speed2th]

clear bra is essential in my opinion.

[KrisisOD]

Originally Posted by mav1178

Get the car.

My own advice for anyone that wants to mod cars is, what attribute of the car are you trying to change? If you can't answer that, you're modding for the sake of modding.

-alex

I dislike the look of the stock wheels, and have read that stock tires aren't fantastic for winter driving. I also have very light sensitive eyes so I need window tint, and the radio quality, which I tested during the test drive is awful.

I'm also going from a very mean, throaty sounding car to this one, which is why I was looking for a meaner sounding exhaust, to help ease the transition, although that one itself could wait, I'm sure I could acclimate to the sound of the BRZ fairly quickly.

I might go ahead and leave it stock for the first several thousand miles at least and see specifically what I'm looking for, it will also give me more time to look for the mods that are right for me.

I apologize if I'm coming off like I've done no research and haven't thought this through when it's the opposite, but the amount of mods available to this car can be quite overwhelming.

[Tcoat]

The radio can actually be made to sound reasonably decent with a bit of time fiddling with the settings. Not gonna knock your socks off or anything but way better that when you start out with it.