My friends, this is the end.

I sold the BRZ last night.

I watched the video Urban Outlaw ( https://vimeo.com/44410797 ) and there was a point where he had this realization that he liked building cars more than racing them. I realized that it was the same for me, but rather than Porsches my car of choice was the 4th Gen Si. It's the car I learned to wrench on, and the car I built more of than pretty much anything else. So I'm selling the BRZ, buying a new Fit and then building one 4th Gen Si at a time, driving it for a bit and then selling it. Each build will be different, and each will be build depending on my mood when I'm looking for a new car.

I just didn't get the satisfaction out of building the BRZ that I thought I would. More power, bigger tires, more expensive suspension, higher limits...should be more fun, right? It just didn't work out that way for me for some reason. I actually returned the car to stock last weekend (aside from some bushings I didn't want to pull back out) and I realized the car is just as much fun as a daily in stock form as it was with 5k of mods on it.

So Fit as a daily, build 4th gens as my hobby. For me that feeling of searching out a new car, flying out to pick it up, the adventure of the drive back and then planning out a build is half of the fun for me. I'm really looking forward to doing that on a yearly basis.

I'll note that I loved the BRZ.  It was truly the first 'drivers car' I've owned and it's connection with the road and the feeling you get while driving was unlike any other car I've been in.  I loved every minute I was in it.  I've owned this car longer than any of the other 19 I've had...that's all I really need to say.

Bilstein B8 review (at long last!)

I initially didn't want to rush a review on these struts.  That ended up turning into a bit of a delay as they have been on for about 6 months now.  I'll consider this a long-term test review...yeah, that's it.

Parts:
Bilstein $838 shipped, Tire Rack- http://www.bilstein.de/gr/products/high-performance-shock-absorbers/bilstein-b8/
Whiteline $197 FT86 SpeedFactory - http://www.whiteline.com.au/whiteline-blog/new-whiteline-roll-center-kit-for-frs-brz-and-86-models/
Perrin $148 FT86 SpeedFactory- http://perrinperformance.com/i-14754433-front-endlinks-w-polyurethane-bushings-for-fr-s-brz.html

I'll start by noting that I had some Koni yellows (which I've had on many other cars) but would have really liked a direct swap option.  Shortly after the Koni's arrived the B8's were announced.  Ugh.  So I sold the Koni's to a local 86er and put the B8's on order.  Since I was going to be down there I also ordered the Whiteline roll-center kit and the Perrin solid end links.  I installed everything at once so this review can't be a direct review of the B8's, but I feel they were the largest part of the upgrade and also made the most difference.

They are matched to the Eibach Pro Kit, and compliment them well.  Install was easy, with the Whiteline parts needing a press for the lower ball joint, and the Perrin parts needing some strong loving to get into place as the poly bushings make for a tighter fit than the OEM end links.

I'd say that the slow speed dampening is equal too or improved over the OEM setup (springs and struts) although the rear seems under dampened for slow speed bumps.  You still get a pretty hard bump if you roll over a pothole with the rear.  At medium or high speed they are nearly flawless.  If the OEM dampers are a stick of butter that's been sitting out on the table all day the B8's are the same stick only on the counter for 10 minutes.  Firm in the center but slightly soft around the edges, absorbing bumps and dips with a sport-tuned OEM feel.  At medium to high speeds I'd compare them to a stock STI suspension as far as stiffness goes.

Up to this point I'm talking about straight line characteristics.  Once you turn in...that's when the magic happens.  I'll bring us back to the roll-center kit and end links and suggest these as upgrades even if going with a different suspension.  They tighten up the the steering input and it becomes more direct than it already is.  So, back to the magic.  These dampers are some of the best I've had on a car.  Through the years I've had tried almost every model from the name brand suppliers and find these at the top of the pile.  The shortened height of the strut really shows in how quickly the corners of the car respond to quick input.  Even moving back and forth between quick esses is smooth and stable.  Paired with a quality progressive spring in front I go back to the 10 minute butter sensation from earlier. The inital turn in is quick and easy, then firm...not frozen butter firm, but 10 minute butter firm.  I've put this suspension through it's paces on back roads and a few auto-x events, both with my 245/40 Dunlop ZIIs and the grip is seemingly endless.  I have yet to push the suspension to it's limits on a full track, but this point is moot as this setup is designed for a car which will see most of it's days on the road.

With that in mind I'd rate this setup as one of the best daily setups I've ever put together. It's sporty when you need it, a little stiffer than you might want at slow speeds, but performs flawlessly once you're on the move. For me this is the perfect daily driver setup for the driver who might see a track or auto-x a couple times a year. Out the door the setup is about $1600 (Bilstein B8's ($838 Tire Rack) + Eibach sport line ($217 Tire Rack) + Whiteline roll correction ($179 FT86 Speedfactory) + Perrin front end links ($146 FT86 Speedfactory) + Strano front sway bar ($189 Strano) = $1569.) and in my opinion it will perform far better than any coilover for around that same price point.

Bilstein B8, Perrin End Link, Whiteline Roll correction kit reviews all incoming.

I've got some reviews to write, and I still have to install the Forester XT oil mod and the summer is on it's way out.  I've been fighting with a clunk in the front of the car for a while thinking that I wanted to remedy that before writing a full suspension review but the tie rods and end links didn't solve any issues.  I'm not looking at sway bar mounts, and steering rack mounts.  Hopefully I'll be able to dig into those soon and then put the new suspension bits through a good workout.

FT86club user extrashaky saves the day, and my eyes.

Driving the BRZ at night, even with the head unit in night mode can still be a blinding affair.  The 'black' background is still backlit and literally takes away your night vision if you are driving in the middle of nowhere.  This is not located in the manual anywhere.

In the thread "Hidden Features" on FT86club.com user extrashaky lays out his amazing finding:

"If you press and hold the "Audio" button, a hidden menu appears that, as far as I know, is not in the manual for the nav unit. If you're in day mode, a "Night" button appears at the top of the screen in that menu. If you're in night mode, that button says "Day" instead. Pressing that button toggles the night/day modes and causes it to ignore the headlights without having to adjust your display to full brightness.

So if you're driving with your headlights on in the rain during the day and want your display at daylight brightness, just press and hold the Audio button and push the "Day" button on the screen."

The best part is you can just turn the display OFF if you want to while your audio still plays!! This is not located in the manual anywhere.  Someone buy this man a beer, or root beer, or whatever he wants.

Open Flash Tablet Review!

I've been driving with the OFT for about two weeks using the off the shelf Stage 2, equal length header, E85 tune. (Mods: Perrin intake and silicone tube).

Let me skip right to what you are here for: Yes, get one.  Get one today.

With that out of the way I'll give you the run down of the entire process from ordering to mashing on the throttle for the first time.

Ordering:
Easy, quick, hassle free.  I ordered on a Friday and got it on Monday.

Initial thoughts:
It's smaller than you think, but big enough to get the job done, what else do you need?  It came with the tablet, a PC connection cable and an OBD2 cable.  There was also a sheet of paper with a link to watch a video for install, and a sticker. Bonus.

Install:
I watched the install video, and then saved it as a favorite.  I drove around until I hit the empty gas tank light pulled up to the closest station to me that has E85 and watched the video and started the process. (Note: Don't fill up first!!!)

I saved my OEM file, then went to flash a new file.  I missed the part where I was supposed to download the flash files I wanted onto my OFT so I had no tuned file to flash.  Attempt 1 = Failed.

I went home that night, read a little bit more, then watched another of Shiv's videos on how to download your files into the OFT using OpenFlash Manager.

The next day I drove back and had another attempt!  It took about 10-12 minutes from start to finish.  Then I filled up with E85 (about 10.4 gallons), crossed my fingers, started up and let it idle for a few minutes (as suggested).  Had I downloaded the files first it would have been a very easy process.

Results:
Using Torque and a fast OBD2 bluetooth adapter I tried to lay down my fastest 0-60 and 1/4 mile times.  My summer tires were on (245/40 ZIIs) but the weather was in the 40's so there wasn't much in the way of hooking up...at all.  On a closed course I ran a 7.0s 0-60 as my best and a 15.8 1/4 as per Torque.  Not great, but all the times were close and I thought I had a good baseline.  I did 6 runs and noted my best.

I then reflashed, filled up, and drove back to my private race track (about 2 miles away).  My first run was a 6.7s 0-60, and a 15.4 1/4 mile (as per torque).  I dropped another tenth off of both with a second run and considered that progress considering my previous 6 runs were all 7.0+ 0-60.  Totally unscientific, but it was in line with what my butt dyno was telling me.

Now rather than a feel of dying out at 7k, the car pulled from 5-7.4k quickly and as if it wanted to keep going, each gear shift at WOT now put you into an actual powerband that you could feel pull you through the revs.  It was addicting.

At this point I was probably running about E60 since I still had 2 gallons of 93 gas in the tank.  Now that I'm three tanks into my E85 tune I feel like it's gotten even faster.  The torque dip has not vanished, but is much less pronounced and I don't feel the need to downshift, especially cruising on the freeway or putzing around town.  Above 4.5-5k the car just roars now compared to stock form.

I let a co-worker, who I auto-x with and is a general car nut, drive my car after each mod so he's been in the seat 5-6 times now.  He got back after this drive and I asked if he could feel a difference.  He said he could feel a "big difference compared to the stock tune" and had a smile on his face while telling me so.

I'm sold on this tune, and it can only get better as I add the OFT header and add the shorter rear gears.  If you don't have an OFT, go get one!

Bluetooth connection issues - Fixed!

From the day I got my car I had Bluetooth connection issues.  It would drop sometimes, but my main issue is that it wouldn't always auto-connect.  Sometimes it would connect right away, sometimes it wouldn't connect at all, sometimes it would wait until I was 15 minutes into my trip.

Needless to say this was frustrating.  During this time I had an iPhone 3, an iPhone 4, and a Galaxy S3, all had the same issue.

I think I fixed it!  I recently started digging around in the less than obvious menu of the OEM head unit.  I eventually drilled down into an option which asked "Connection Method?" and gave me two options: 'From Headunit' or 'From Device'.  'From Headunit' was selected by default (as I had never been in this menu before) so I figured that choosing 'From Device' couldn't hurt anything.  Since making that change my Galaxy S3 now connects every single time almost as soon as I get in the car.  It's awesome...and by awesome I mean it now meets my expectations.  /sigh

Below is a visual walk through of how to get to that menu/option.

MTEC Shifter Spring Review

I recently purchased a set of MTEC shifter springs.  I purchased these based on some reviews on FT86.com which said they improved shifter tightness and feel.   I watched the video that MTEC provides on their website:  http://www.mtecind.com/diy/scion-frs-subaru-brz-toyota-gt-86-shift-spring-install/ which really helped with the install.  It's pretty easy but you need to have the car jacked up enough to really get under the car.  I had the front and rear on jack stands and was on a roller which made everything much easier.

MTEC says that the install should take 30 minutes but I took a little over an hour.  The first 10mm socket bolt you remove takes a while to get out because you can only turn a 1/4 at a time.  Then the second 27mm detent also is not simply taken out and put in.  The angle is awkward and when you re-thread it back in you really have to take your time and make sure you get it right.

Tools needed (minus torque wrench)

Oem 10mm spring, and the bolt. 

Oem detent spring on left, MTEC on right.  This is located near the rear of the transmission on the passenger side.  It's a bit buried so feeling around with bare hands helps when you align the 27mm socket.  

Torque to 29 ft/lbs.

Pretty easy install, just a bit time consuming for 2 springs.

And now onto the review.  I did notice that the shifter was slightly tighter but there wasn't a night and day difference as explained in some of the reviews.  Doing this while you are already on the ground doing an oil change, or some other under car work would be worth it, but I don't think spending the $35+shipping and 1-1.5h is worth it on it's own. I'll note that I do have the Whiteline positive shift kit bushing, so perhaps that had a greater effect than the springs.  On an OEM setup maybe the springs would be more noticeable.