Mods to my BRZ: It's the little things

[Desertnate]

I'm well familiar with the category, but I'm a firm X-pattern rotater, no directionals for me (directional is ok for winters that we only have on here for about 3 months, sometimes less). By the time I get around to new tires they probably won't make either of them anymore, anyway.

Directionals tend to get loud too as they wear. Noise is the main complaint I've heard from the CrossClimate's. I had a set of directional summer tires on a car many, many years ago and those things howled like crazy after about 50% wear.

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I've always liked the BRZ/86 twins, even more with the new models, but I've always thought the BRZ was the better looking of the two. I keep an eye on the used prices of both, just out of curiosity. Here is a little bit of news you might find interesting, the BRZ is set to dethrone the Mustang as Australia's top selling sports car, Ford waiting for the new model coming in would have something to do with that, but you take the wins where you can get them.

Subaru BRZ overtakes Mustang as Australia's best-selling sports car

Fascinating! In a country which hangs part of it's identity on fire-breathing V8 cars, I'm surprised a tiny little sports car with 4 cyclinder engine is making such a dent.

I hate the standard gear knob/shifter in most cars, I have about 6 I change over in the FJ, the original isn't bad, but it is scratched and not completely secure, so I change them randomly. I have a couple of carbon fibre look ones, a heavy alloy thing, a leather one from a Toyota Hilux, a cheap TRD knockoff, and the big black ball I'm currently using, see below.

My last few cars (Mazda, VW, BMW) had pretty decent knobs. However, I really hated the one in my Subi. The leather and padding on it was nice, but the shape and small size drove me nuts. I felt like I should be shifting with my finger tips. It did not fit my hand well no matter how I gripped it. This Grimmspead knob is perfect. I don't drive around with my hand on the knob, but when I reach for it, I want it to fit well. The lighter weight just made it even better. When I put it on the scale, it was almost 50% lighter than OEM.

[Desertnate]

Getting it Dragon ready

Maybe....

It will really help when autocrossing too. On top of the better handling the extra negative camber up front will even out the tire wear so the outer tread blocks don't take so much abuse. I'm running about 1 degree now. I really should run upwards of 3 degrees, but to do that I'd get bumped out of class.

Like these types of threads/topics! Good deal on your mods to help you get her dialed in!

I'll continue to add as stuff comes along. I was really surprised by how much better the car drives with a custom (i.e. non-factory) alignment and two small parts.

Something I didn't mention before was price. The tires and alignment were going to happen anyway as normal upkeep of the car. The bolts cost me $9. For both of them. I actually paid more in shipping than I did the parts themselves. I think a noticeable upgrade in handling for less than I'd likely spend on a lunch is worth it.

[Coatingsarecrack]

A couple of folks here have shown the mods to their cars, so I thought I'd share mine too.

This weekend I had the first mod done by installing these little beauties.



They may not look like much, but they are commonly known as "crash bolts" in some circles. They are an OEM part and are designed to help a mechanic get a proper alignment on a car after it has sustained damage to the front suspension. However, in the hands of someone doing autocross, they are a easy and inexpensive way to dial in a little front camber and still stay in street class.

After having these bolts installed and a custom alignment performed, the car turns in much better and feels not only more stable, but more maneuverable as well. Ignoring the factory settings only makes this car better.

This spring I also added a new shift knob. This one is from Grimmspead and made from delrin. The lighter knob makes shifting faster for me and adds more feel. The real reason for me was the size and shape. This knob is bigger around and sits a little lower on the shift lever. Feel is nearly perfect now compared to the puny original knob.



In other news the car also picked up a set of Conti DWS-06+ tires this weekend I'm now properly set up for year round driving. I've not pushed it too hard, but in normal driving, I don't feel I've lost anything over the summers they replaced.

Let us know how those tires are, I was thinking of getting them for one of my cars. Maybe another one if you tell us they are good in the snow.

I just put a set on the Camaro. On that forum it’s always an argument between those and the Michelins. Couple test reviews I read said in rain the Conti’s did better and that was my main concern.

I’ve had them on the rear for the past 3 years and there good. I got 305’s on rear so there likely hydroplaning but these do it solid.


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[Desertnate]

I just put a set on the Camaro. On that forum it’s always an argument between those and the Michelins. Couple test reviews I read said in rain the Conti’s did better and that was my main concern.

I’ve had them on the rear for the past 3 years and there good. I got 305’s on rear so there likely hydroplaning but these do it solid.


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Yeah, the Conti DWS 06+ and Michelin PS4AS4 debate will drag on forever. It doesn't help when places like TireRack do testing and the results are so close.

I seriously considered both and liked the Michelin's slight edge on dry grip and larger tread width (i.e. foot print) compared to the Conti of the same size. However, the price and consistent complaints about road noise kept me away. The BRZ has little sound deadening, so avoiding potential increased tire noise is a concern for me people in larger/heavier vehicles probably don't worry about.