Thursday, November 15, 2012

Updates!

So, I'll have a longer post coming along after I get back from the F1 race in Austin.  Been traveling a bit for work so not much is new with the BRZ.  She has 20K on her now, warranty run through in 1 year...challenge accepted.  Below is a list of upgrades/changes waiting for my return.

- Perrin shift knob
- Perrin high flow filter
- Whiteline transmission stabilizer
- Perrin shifter bushing
- Full Motul fluid change (engine, trans, diff, brakes).
- 215/45/17 Winter i*cept Evo tires

I'll update the changes with pics and have a review of each.  Also got my tail lights changed out and they have been water free for a month!

Teaser of some unshopped photos from a set I'll have up shortly as well:


Monday, September 10, 2012

Waterlogged

Still waiting on the dealership to call me back on getting these things replaced.  My car was one of the first 1700 off the line and it seems that they were over tightening some of the screws on the tail lights which led to hairline cracks and thus the condensation in the lights.  Sommer's Subaru ( http://www.sommerssubaru.com/index.htm ) has been great in response to these warrant issues and I would recommend them for any Subaru work you need done.  I'll post up some photos with the new tails in soon.

Otherwise, smooth sailing.  I did an oil change at 7500 and installed a Qwik valve (shown below) which I won't be able to test out until 15,000 miles.  Simple idea:  Spring latch and ball valve means my 15m oil changes will only take 10m now.  More importantly the chance of me not catching the oil drain plug, getting a hand full of warm oil and then digging in the drain pan for the oil covered drain bolt has dropped to 0%.  For the BRZ the valve you want to order is the F-108.






Monday, August 13, 2012

What a short, awesome trip it's been!

10,000 miles on a car doesn't seem like much.  10,000 miles on a car that is just over two months old is...impressive.  It's been in my possession for 77 days so that equates to 129 miles per day.  Another way to think of it is that this car has been traveling at an average of 5mph, non-stop, since it rolled off the lot.

Not much is new.  I think I've figured out what wheels I'm going to put on at some point, which company I'll buy my exhaust from (they will probably have another couple of versions prior to buying one), which intake I'll likely buy, and some nice interior bits.  ECU is still up in the air.  Ecu Tek seems to be the early leader, but we haven't seen any results from Cobb yet.  Either way, lots of miles before the warranty is up (5 more months at this pace!) and plenty of time to review aftermarket parts.

The car is still an absolute blast to drive and I look forward to every drive I have with it no matter how short or long.


Friday, July 27, 2012

Dirty BRZ is dirty.

Most people that work at this place drive trucks.  I got some odd looks.



I drive my car.  A lot.

At this point I think I have the highest mileage BRZ in the country.  I can't confirm that for sure because obviously not everyone is on a forum, but with a 100 mile round trip daily commute, a trip to Arkansas and multiple trips to NE Wisconsin for work the BRZ has clicked over 8300 miles on the odometer.  One guy on the forums said his car would likely never see over 7500 miles...the horror!!   I picked it up on May 24th which was basically two months ago.  At this pace I would put on 49800 in the first year of ownership and my warranty would be up in 8.5 months.  Crazy.  In the winter I'm guessing mileage will fall off as I might be driving the xD to work when it's snowing.  But given how mild last winter was, and how insanely hot this summer is, lots of BRZ driving isn't out of the question.

Thursday, July 19, 2012

7500 mile review!





I know...my mileage is rather insane.  I drive a lot, and have a 100m round trip commute, plus a couple of trips to visit customer sites and...why not drive the thing you most like driving?!


I've got the chirping issue, and the shift knob vibration issue, but I'm not super concerned with either atm.  The knob issue can be solved by screwing it all the way down and the chirping noise is either going to be deemed normal, or will get a TSB...I no scare.


I've noticed that the care feels more loose, and more powerful.  Not a huge difference but enough that a few times 1st-2nd gear pulls have slightly put me back in my seat, just a tad.  Perhaps this is also me getting to know the shift points and launch points of the car?  Not sure. 


I've done one auto-x and had a blast.  You can't really feel the balance of this car until you get to whip it around on a track or course.  My fear of the limits of this car melted away after my first hard lap.  It's just so predictable and easy to recover if you don't do the right thing.  I also beat the FR-S that was there by 1.0s, so that helped make the day that much better.  :thumbup:


As mentioned I do drive long distances, but I also live in Milwaukee so I see a fair bit of city driving.  I've said im at 70/30 hwy/city.  That being said my current displayed mileage is 32.4mpg.  My current calculated mileage with 21 fillups is 32.31mpg...so the dash display is very accurate.


I'll be doing my 2nd oil change this weekend and haven't noticed any drop in oil level from my first change, also the oil color still looks great.  My Quik valve also goes on this weekend, so hopefully oil change 3 will be even easier.


I'm still loving the car and (obviously) driving any chance I get. It is, hands down, the best car purchase I've made to date.

Mpg to date, 21 fillups.


Miles Per Gallon
29.5
32.7
30.5
31.1
26.7
32.5
32.9
33.1
31.7
29.8
30.8
31.3
29.9
29.8
31.7
26.7
30.2
31.1
31.7
29.4
33.1
32.31


My current mpg based off of 21 recorded tanks.  My dash mpg displays 32.4, so it's doing a really spot on job of calculating.  I'm using the app MPG for Free to record and calculate my mileage.  It also outputs the data as a .csv file which you can email right from your phone.  A great app.

AUS BRZs sold out in 4 hours!!



http://www.ausmotive.com/2012/07/16/subaru-brz-online-sales-stumble-into-top-gear.html

They have a very limited amount for this year (201) but they went FAST!


Among the amazing BRZ online statistics:
  • Subaru website traffic initially quadrupled from 12 noon AEST
  • In the first five minutes alone, there were eight orders
  • 50 BRZs were sold in the first 1.5 hours
  • Available stock was exhausted by 1547 AEST

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Auto-x review/photos.


I joined a co-worker for my first Auto-x event with the Madison Sports Car Club this past Sunday.  We had a great event at the Madison International Speedway, a circle track with a small infield section.  First, the results!!

1T CS 119 Robert Norris 2005 Nissan 350Z
57.318
[-]0.431

2Tm CS 34 Andy Schuessler 2000 Mazda Miata
57.749
+0.431

3 CS 147 Jacob Mueller 2013 Subaru BRZ
58.213
57.439+1 +0.464

4 CS 114 Shawn Safro 2013 Scion FR-S
58.436
+0.223

The 350Z had Dunlop Star Specs, and the Miata had Azenis 615K's. Had I not coned in my best lap I would have had 2nd over the Miata. The 350 was running 55s raw times but hit 2 cones in each of those laps so even on my best day I don't think I would have been able to touch him.  Sticky tires are a hellofa drug.

All that said I've become even more impressed with the car.  It was the first chance I've had to turn off the traction control and really feel the car in it's element.  The balance that everyone talks about is obvious when you get to sling the car around a track with reckless abandon.  When it started to slide I felt the limit approaching and then the recovery was easy with either a slight lift off of the throttle to get you back in line for the next corner, or you could use steering input to pull out of the slide while maintaining your current throttle position.  At no point, even in the fast entry to the 2nd set of slaloms, when the car had to make a fast transition from one direction to another did it feel unsettled.  I knew what I wanted the car to do, and it did it, within the limits of the tires of course.

Speaking of the tires...they were pretty beat up at the end of the day.  The pavement on this track was not what you would call new.  I wouldn't actually call it old.  I'd call it tightly packed gravel with a thin tar glaze.  The FRS that was in my class said he felt his tires going on his 7th run (yes, we had 8 runs!) and while my times were only getting quicker his were falling off.  I'd assume that I was one or two runs away from tire fatigue as well.  Since the event they have returned to a normal state, albeit with a bit more rounding on the outside tread blocks.  The next step is to get some good rubber on this car and see if it still feels as planted and predictable.






Friday, July 6, 2012

Custom plates

The crew at FT86 is helping me choose my custom plates...I have it narrowed to 4, all of which I like equally.

LOW COG
NAT ASP
NO DRIFT
ESSES

We shall see what happens!

Update 6/12/12!

A late entry seems to have taken the clear win:  AIM4APX!

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Photo log!

Direct link to all my BRZ photos.  Unless I get a new piece I will specifically blog about these will be updated without any notification.

https://picasaweb.google.com/110077863287524663813/BRZ?authuser=0&feat=directlink

I would drive 3000 miles...



My commute is 110m round trip and I usually drive this 5 days a week in the summer. In the winter we will be mainly using my wife's Scion Xd which has dedicated winter tires and does very well in the snow. That said I am at the point where I think I have some solid experience with the car and can do a follow up to my initial impressions.

Interior
I am still in love with the interior. The controls are laid out well, and they are easy to understand. The touchscreen radio/nav is great once you learn how much force your finger needs and how to press the buttons on the screen. The seats are still firm and the seating position feels low and natural. It's similar to some of the dedicated track cars I've owned/been in. One gripe is that there is a small cubby just to the left of the USB port which would be great if it was deep enough for a phone and had a removable rubber insert rather than one that can't be moved. Great for iPod minis I suppose. Nighttime viewing and operation of the controls is easy on the eyes and lit very well. I've had two people in back so far. Once my brother who is short sat in back on a 1.5h car ride and he had no issues aside from having to wear a hat since the rear seats in essence have a glass roof and short hair + 1.5h of direct sun = sunburn otherwise. The other time my friend who is about 5'10" sat in back while my other friend who is 6'0" sat in front. They both fit, but 20m was likely all that would be comfortable. Really this car is either for short people, or two people.

Exterior
The paint is doing well so far but I would really like to get a clear 3M bra on the car soon. The wheels are great because they are dark grey, black and the only silver is on the outsides of every 3rd blade. This means that the wheels, for the most part, look the same if they are clean or dirty. The WRB does a great job of looking good even with a layer of rain dust on it. Touchless car washes, a synthetic sham and a microfiber towel make it look brand new.

Driving Impressions
This car is more fun to drive as each day goes by.  I'm really getting a feel for the limits of the tires and suspension and realizing more and more how balanced the platform is.  It's leagues above anything else in it's class when it comes to handling and fun.  I will say that another 50hp would make the car spectacular and I'm thinking that bolt ons, an ECU and cams will make this car what many people wanted it to be.  I'm having lots, and lots, and lots of fun with this car in totally stock trim and any complaint I have about hp is a small one.

To date my avg mpg is at 30.7, 70% hwy/30% city.

I've had a good amount of stick time with TCS and VSC on Full, Sport, and Off modes.

DRY-FULL
This setting make the car feel like any other car on the road for the most part. You might get a chirp out of the tires, and you might feel a very slight step out if you really get on it, but you can drive the BRZ like a fwd Civic in this condition.
WET-FULL
In the wet the Full setting is very good at keeping you in line. You can get a little more wheel spin, and step the back out a tiny bit more, but unless you are doing something very stupid you should have no troubles driving this car in the wet with everything on.
DRY-SPORT
I'm not as impressed with the Sport setting as I thought I was going to be. My expectation was that in sport you would have some ability to step out and get a little sideways, and while that is true the Sport mode also slams the door on your fun in an abrupt and unexpected manner. The sudden correction of sideways motion to an attempt to straighten you out is jarring at times. There is probably a happy medium in there somewhere, not too much slide, a slow progression to the limits of Sport mode, but it is something I will have to learn over time.
WET-SPORT
In the wet Sport mode is similar to what's noted above aside from the limits approaching faster due to the ability to more quickly lose grip. Not a lot of fun.
DRY-OFF
If you've had some rwd experience, or have an open parking lot, this is the mode you want to be in. It allows you to understand the limits of the tires, not the limits of the ECU. That limit is much higher than one would expect with a 240 A/A tire. I've entered and exited corners faster with this car than with my 91 Civic Si on full coil overs and Falken Azenis. The BRZ just sticks when you want it to stick even while the TCS/VSC is off. Learn this mode, love this mode.
WET-OFF
Unless you really want to just do some doughnuts for no other reason to do them, or know what it was like driving a rwd car prior to having an ECU which helps in the wet I don't see much reason to play around with this combo. You don't get to learn much aside from your limits in the wet, and most people aren't going to need this. Even if I was on track and I had on wet weather tires on I would likely still be in Sport mode.

Oil Change

Oil change today at 2973 miles.

5.7 qt Mobil 1 full synthetic 0W-20.
OEM Subaru oil Filter.
Tried Qwik Valve F-105, did not fit.  Will exchange for an F-108.
Time: 30 minutes.

Initial thoughts




I picked up my 2013 Subaru BRZ from Wilde Subaru on the 24th of May.  Here are my initial thoughts after the first week of driving.


Interior 
Very solid build quality Amazing touch points.  It feels much better than my friend's '11 Civic Si. Seats are great, I'm 5'8" 160lbs and they fit like a glove. Driving position is spot on. The driving position reminds me most of some of the dedicated track cars I've built. Radio/Nav/Sat is easy to use. I setup my bluetooth handsfree phone quickly and it's easy to use. We get free XM radio...not sure for how long, 1 month? I wish there was a USB jack in the glove box, it's on the main panel below the AC controls. Good cubby space, but no where to put a phone when plugged into the USB jack. I'll likely hack that cable and run it to the glove box.

Exterior
Wheel gap is pretty big and I think visually it could use a drop...but it feels SO good I don't want to mess with it. Body panels are all tight and aligned well. The hood is deceptively light. The engine bay has more open space than I expected. Whoever said their wasn't room for FI was crazy. The side marker lights don't blink when the turn signal is on. I'll likely re-wire that. Wheels look much darker in person than any photo I've seen. Great color and I like them much better in person. No matter how many times you've seen it at an auto show, it is smaller than you think.

Driving Impressions
I'm following the 4K RPM limit until 1000m so I've yet to get on it. The ride is firm, but not jarring. It's similar to an aftermarket lowered sport suspension on tight valved struts, or any of the more modern sports cars. It is happy to put along at 40mph in 6th with no issue. It has more torque than you think it does. Only reving to 4k it is plenty to move around town. I've been flooring it to 4K rpm a bunch and Im averaging 28.6 mpg, mixed driving. I think you should pull a solid 32-34 freeway. The shifter is crisp, short and has a great mechanical feel. It is the most accurate shifter I've felt in a car of this cost.  I can compare it to an '02 Civic Si and an '05 Mini Cooper S, and an '11 CSI all of which I've owned or driven and this is better than all three. It's a little light, but heavier than those I mentioned.  But...just a tiny bit lighter than I'd like. Great for a DD though. The clutch IS light. Again, great for a DD but lighter than I expected.

 Overall I am extremely pleased with all the basic aspects of the car. It's living up to all my high expectations, and exceeding many of them. I've owned the car for less than 24 hours and have already gotten 5 thumbs up, and two people pull out phones and take pics from their car while next to me. It looks great, and gets lots of attention. I am 100% happy with the money I spent.