Mods to my BRZ: It's the little things

[Desertnate]

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.

[Setec Astronomy]

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.

[Big Dave]

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

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.

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[Klasse Act]

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 have LOTS of experience with the original DWS and the new DWS06+ and I promise you they'll not let you down in the snow or in the dry but in the rain they REALLY shine

Another option are the new Michelin Cross Climate 2, this isn't an all-season but rather all-weather, a rather new category of tire, Wirth checking out as well

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[Klasse Act]

Getting it Dragon ready

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[Setec Astronomy]

Another option are the new Michelin Cross Climate 2, this isn't an all-season but rather all-weather, a rather new category of tire, Wirth checking out as well

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.

[Setec Astronomy]

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.

I thought I posted this before, but what's with all the shaft collars? I notice they are, ahem, Imperial...

[Sizzle Chest]

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

[Big Dave]

I thought I posted this before, but what's with all the shaft collars? I notice they are, ahem, Imperial...

They were being thrown out as obsolete stock at my work years ago, they looked useful so I kept them. When I got this particular gear knob the brass fixing at the bottom has sharp edges and is irritating, the collars fit perfectly and are smooth, I did think about finding some kind of boot that a collar could hold up, but I haven't found any that work with an auto shifter yet. Why all 4, I think it looks better than just 1, sometimes I space apart for a different look.

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[Desertnate]

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 have LOTS of experience with the original DWS and the new DWS06+ and I promise you they'll not let you down in the snow or in the dry but in the rain they REALLY shine

Another option are the new Michelin Cross Climate 2, this isn't an all-season but rather all-weather, a rather new category of tire, Wirth checking out as well

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk

Same experience here. I ran the original DWS's on my GTI as a winter tire and they worked great. The ONLY place I felt they were not as good as a dedicated winter/snow tire was on ice. On ice they performed really well for an all season tire, but couldn't compete with a tire designed for for the conditions. In the dry/wet they have great grip and actually wear pretty well. The nice part is they don't get hard and loose grip when the temps start to drop. If you are going to compromise and try to hit the middle ground between weather capability and performance, they are a great option.

My daughter and son-in-law both run sets on their cars (Charger Scat Pack and a Mazda3 hatch). In Seattle conditions the tires have served really well for them too.