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.

The big Five-O

So this happened a couple days ago.  I've done some other mileage check-ins, and I think at my 25k check in someone in an FRS was at...29 or 30K, so I don't think I'm the highest mileage car in the country currently, but I think I'm one of the highest.

The last 25K miles have seen some auto-xing, and a lot of driving around the midwest for work.  The car is still a great "Mini-GT" as I like to call it.  Earplugs are my only addition for long rides.  I've had no issues, and I am following the 5k oil change, 2.5k oil filter change suggestion I read about on the boards.  I'm coming up on a trans/dif change and I used Motul for my last two changes and really liked it.  I've used Mobil for my last two engine oil changes, and always use the OEM filter.

This is my second winter and there are some chips that I put a coat of wax on, but didn't get around to filling in.  I'll have those painted by my body shop in the spring with whatever other chips happen over this winter.  I'm going to add some rally armor mudflaps next week, and I run the OEM rims with winter tires while in winter mode.

I'm still averaging about 29-30 mpg depending on the month which is a mixed city/hwy of 20/80.  I run Mobil 93 almost exclusively but have had to use 91, and other 93 brands when traveling, but not too often.  I'm 10K away from the suggested spark plug change...should be fun.

Winter mods are stacking up!

I need to buy a garage heater.  That's what I need to do.

Instead I bought a used Perrin CAI and silicone hose.  The deal was too good to pass up, and was an almost new piece.

So now my growing list of parts to install:

- 2014 Forester XT oil cooler ( http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=50427 )
- MTEC transmission springs ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jk8mkTfLANk )
- Perrin CAI / Silicone hose ( https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6fP58Ir8r9PcEFuVUNkT29MS1U/edit?usp=sharing )
- Motul brake fluid

It's currently -3 F outside, which means my garage will be 10-15 F.  None of these will likely happen soon.  Saturday is supposed to be a balmy 30 F so perhaps I can get some of this done then!

The end of summer.

So I've  been very busy with work and the new house to really get down to business and post some of the mods that have made it onto the BRZ.  I've also just been driving the hell out of the car so between all that the blog updates have fallen by the wayside.  Onto the mods!

1. Eibach Sportline springs.
2. Strano 22mm front sway bar.
3. Enkei RPF1 17x8 +45 with Dunlop Z2 245/40/17
4. Full OEM black interior

The results as seen below:

I really like the stance of the Eibach springs.  It really brings an OEM aggressive looking stance to the car that it was just lacking before.  The stock struts have been handling the drop just fine, but they will be replaced after this winter with some Koni yellow inserts.  I don't have any intention of dropping the car on coilovers at this point.

The lightweight RPF1 allowed me to move up to the 245/40 tire yet retain a 40lb corner weight for the wheel and tire combo which was the exact same as my OEM setup.  The way this car feels with the OEM setup is light and balanced but when you add a wide sticky tire it becomes so much more amazing.  This tire has really brought out the chassis and demonstrated that the limts of this car outmatch my ability.  Add to that the Strano front sway to tighten up the 'point and go' feel of this car and the springs to really snug up the suspension and the car just feels so amazing.

Next mods will be a reflash, probably via Vishnu tuning Open Flash Tablet ( http://procedetuning.com/BRZ_FR-S/FA20OpenFlash/index.html ) struts, and a clutch/flywheel in the spring.  By the end of summer I would really like to put in a shorter final gear from Cusco ( http://www.cusco.co.jp/en/parts_product/close_ratio_transmission_gears.html ).  The intention is to pull the most I can out of the NA setup, eventually probably landing at a flex fuel E85 kit.  More to come!!

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:

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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!

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