Draco-REX Posted May 3, 2018 Report Share Posted May 3, 2018 Again and again, I think to myself, "Self? You may love manual transmissions, but look at THIS car! It has {this} and {that}, you can live without a clutch pedal!" And I agree with myself. For a time. Then I get the itch for a clutch. I've gone through this at least 3 times. And it ends the same each time. With the sale of the Lotus, I suddenly found myself without a single clutch pedal to my name. This realization sent me far off the deep end. I may need to be committed, because not only do I keep thinking an auto might hold my interest, but I just drove home in this: Yes, a BRZ again. A 2017 BRZ with three pedals and 6 gears. So good... I've never really gone back to a car I've owned before, even the STI was kind of a different direction to the first, but I really liked my first BRZ and I think I'm going to do it all over again (mostly.) The 2017 does come with some mild updates. The power was increased over the 2013-2016 model.... by 5hp.. That's not a typo. But on the useful side of things, there's now an oil temp gauge that's been shown to be reasonably accurate, and the final drive was bumped from a 4.10 to a 4.30. The suspension was tweaked as well, but I'll likely be throwing most of it out. This car comes with the "Performance Package" which adds Brembo brakes tuned for the BRZ, wider wheels, and better dampers. Other updates include a facelift, better lighting, and the full ROW interior that was skimped on for the US previously. The radio still sucks. The seats still rock. And the torque dip is still there. It's still CR-slow. And it still kicks ass in the corners. I can't wait to start bolting on the parts left over from my last BRZ. I don't plan to put the supercharger back on it just yet. This car will take a similar path as the first one, with a NA/mild suspension setup, then more later. It felt so good driving it home. Oh and Doc, you were right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc1647545523 Posted May 3, 2018 Report Share Posted May 3, 2018 Well, you beat me to it. You're still Chasing Amy. And who's to say that insanity is such a bad thing ..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2 Sweet Posted May 3, 2018 Report Share Posted May 3, 2018 That car looks really good in white Three pedals FTW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Not Brian Posted May 3, 2018 Report Share Posted May 3, 2018 I sat in Doc's and really liked it. For how small they look they are pretty roomy inside. But yeah, bringing a zippy little manual home after drowning in automatics has to feel like a deep breath of fresh air. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyM3rC Posted May 3, 2018 Report Share Posted May 3, 2018 Didn't expect to see this on a site about taxicabs and mall crawlers. Nice pickup Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsm_sleeper Posted May 3, 2018 Report Share Posted May 3, 2018 Again?! Congrats and it isn't an automatic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaron Posted May 3, 2018 Report Share Posted May 3, 2018 I agree, congrats. If the brz had a v6 or v8 I'd buy one, they're amazing to drive just dog slow. Yours was one of my favorites. Maybe try a centri charger instead to see if it'll live longer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Beard Posted May 3, 2018 Report Share Posted May 3, 2018 (edited) Get that supercharger on there! That would definitely help with the Getty-up and go aspect. Nice pick up, and will be a blast in the twisties regardless. Edited May 3, 2018 by Red Beard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TTQ B4U Posted May 3, 2018 Report Share Posted May 3, 2018 Congrats on the pick up. Must be a fun car to drive if you had all those issues after modding and still went back. Nice to get a break by going white this time too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeitgeist57 Posted May 3, 2018 Report Share Posted May 3, 2018 These will definitely be future classics. Unfortunately - like Miata's, E30s/E36s, 944s - those darn kids are going to rip them apart when they are fully depreciated......BUT, after THAT then these will definitely be appreciated for being a more modern Datsun Z-type of driver's car. I will still stand by the pleasure of driving a slow car fast, rather than a fast car slowly. Pushing the gas and grabbing gears at the top of the redline is fun no matter what the speed. Won't win races, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rally Pat Posted May 3, 2018 Report Share Posted May 3, 2018 No bullshit, I was just thinking about you and your old BRZ the other day because I have been shopping for a new car. Now, here you are with another one. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caseyctsv Posted May 3, 2018 Report Share Posted May 3, 2018 It’s all fun and games until you get rolled by Carol in her Honda Odyssey at the stoplight drags . Nice pick up, I really like how they look and the driving position, I just could not get used to the lack of power - even if I rarely use it. Thankfully, you have a plan and can fix the only flaw! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
10phone2 Posted May 3, 2018 Report Share Posted May 3, 2018 No shame in the slow game. Great pick up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vulcan900 Posted May 3, 2018 Report Share Posted May 3, 2018 Congrats again! Surprised you went back to a BRZ after all the troubles you had with the last one. Hopefully you have better luck this time around. I really like them as well, but they really need to have an STI version that is boosted in some way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ackbar00 Posted May 3, 2018 Report Share Posted May 3, 2018 Let me know when you want to get dragged all over by the ST. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draco-REX Posted May 3, 2018 Author Report Share Posted May 3, 2018 Thanks for all the replies. I was expecting more CR hate. Going back to the BRZ seemed like it might be a little masochistic, but to paraphrase Doc, sometimes a little insanity is a good thing. I do plan to add forced induction eventually. But I think I'll let some of the warranty run out first. I'm pretty sure the issue with the last BRZ was a loss of oil pressure once the oil got up to temp. It's possible that after all I did, I only had to replace the oil pump, but I was just done with playing whack-a-mole with that engine. This one's supposed to be a little bit more robust from what I'm reading. And either way, I still have those race heads, so I can pick up where I left off. I'm also not going to go to a race-weight flywheel or replace the harmonic damper in the slim chance they contributed to the issue. (And driving around town the the race flywheel sucked.) But in the mean time, I'm thinking of going E85 with a tune and long tube header to minimize the torque dip and get a bump of about 30rwhp. That should help a lot. And of course there's no way I'll be able to leave the suspension or appearance alone. This one might be a little more aggressive looking when I'm done. I plan to be at the 6/3 event for everyone that wants to show me how slow I am. First mod done, just before bedtime last night: Shift knob from the old BRZ. Removed the dealership ads from ALL OVER the car today. Thankfully, when mounting the front plate bracket, they used the least damaging method. I just need to find some really small trim plugs now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Not Brian Posted May 3, 2018 Report Share Posted May 3, 2018 This one might be a little more aggressive looking when I'm done. Go all out. yolo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruizin01 Posted May 4, 2018 Report Share Posted May 4, 2018 Nice. I like the facelift and updates on the 17's. I can't imagine selling mine. First car Ive had that's been paid off and have no desire to replace it with anything. IMO keep it around 300whp on E85 with a centrifugal blower and you'll be happy and reliable. That's where I'm at and its been dead reliable. (I don't put a lot of miles on it but it does get beat on on the regular. The stock clutch has held up as well. It has required nothing in the 3'ish years Ive been driving it that way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draco-REX Posted May 5, 2018 Author Report Share Posted May 5, 2018 Nice. I like the facelift and updates on the 17's. I can't imagine selling mine. First car Ive had that's been paid off and have no desire to replace it with anything. IMO keep it around 300whp on E85 with a centrifugal blower and you'll be happy and reliable. That's where I'm at and its been dead reliable. (I don't put a lot of miles on it but it does get beat on on the regular. The stock clutch has held up as well. It has required nothing in the 3'ish years Ive been driving it that way. That's about where I was. The issues weren't load related. The problem I was having was that a rocker on the RH side of the engine would just come loose. It happened when the engine oil was fully warm and the engine dropped from cruising RPM to idle. I tried replacing the rockers, going to stronger valve springs, and shimming the oil pump bypass. Nothing worked. The only thing I didin't try was just replacing the oil pump. But when I got to that point I was just sick of chasing the problem and couldn't trust that engine. I'm thinking this engine will prove more reliable. But that's something for down the road. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
99StockGT Posted May 7, 2018 Report Share Posted May 7, 2018 Well congrats on the new ride sir, hope all this positive energy you are throwing at it makes her more reliable They are fun little rides for sure I can absolutely see the appeal but I just can't help having flashbacks of the old ones threads... Welcome back to the 3 pedal club! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draco-REX Posted May 9, 2018 Author Report Share Posted May 9, 2018 Well congrats on the new ride sir, hope all this positive energy you are throwing at it makes her more reliable They are fun little rides for sure I can absolutely see the appeal but I just can't help having flashbacks of the old ones threads... Welcome back to the 3 pedal club! While I think my issue was largely a fluke and it's likely the "tweaked" engine in the 17+ should be more reliable, I am going to avoid some mods in this car. Since the oil pump is driven directly by the crankshaft, I'm going to avoid things that may cause excess vibration on the off chance that it was the oil pump that failed and it wasn't a manufacturing defect. So this time, no lightweight pulleys, UELs, and a "street" weight flywheel at the lightest. Probably I'm being too cautious, but the gains from these mods really aren't worth much at this power level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsm_sleeper Posted May 9, 2018 Report Share Posted May 9, 2018 So this time, no lightweight pulleys, UELs, and a "street" weight flywheel at the lightest. Yup. Mine is modded similarly to your old one minus those parts. Though I have been thinking about a lw flywheel, I wouldn't go lighter than the streetlite. Good luck with the build. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draco-REX Posted May 13, 2018 Author Report Share Posted May 13, 2018 The insanity continues. Ordered some parts for the BRZ and had a pile of parts itching to go on. So I hauled a load of them in to work and set up camp around an unused lift today. Here's what was on the menu for today: From left to right: Subaru Auto Dimming mirror with Home Link TOM'S Tail Lights Radium dual catch-can system GrimSpeed Intake GrimSpeed Belt cover Carbon Fiber drive shaft (I forget the brand) Cusco Strut bar with master cylinder brace ARK Grip catback Whiteline Diff mount bushing inserts Whiteline Rear Subframe bushing inserts Whiteline Transmission mount bushing insert ARK resonated front pipe Got it up in the air: Then removed the stock stuff going away, and started installing parts. I had to take a picture of the driveshaft since it'll never be seen again: And the Exhaust: Also invisible to the naked eye are all the bushing inserts. I did those before with the old BRZ on my garage floor with the car on jack stands. It is SO much easier on a lift with a screw jack. So much... It was getting close to closing but the underside was done so I started with the top-side parts. I tried the TOM'S tailights. And while I really liked them on my old BRZ, they just looked kind of dated on the new one. I think I might try some tinted film or NightShades on only specific portions of the stock tail lights. Haven't fully decided yet. Under the hood is next. Stock engine bay: The red manifold was a TRD add-on previously, but is now standard for 2017+. I think it looks a lot better than the old black plastic one. I don't think I've heard of the plastic one letting go under boost, but the aluminum one will likely be even better. Now with the intake, belt cover and bar/MC brace: I think the red intake pipe with a black belt cover ended up looking good with the red intake manifold, even if they don't quite match. I didn't get to install the catch cans or mirror yet. The mirror I can do whenever I have a free 20 minutes or so. The catch cans, after re-reading the manual, may wait for a lightweight battery. I remember the clearance by the battery being very tight. I may also replace the fittings since I chewed them up chasing a vacuum leak with the old car. Suspension is next. I've got the old RCE yellow springs and their sway bars waiting to go on. And I picked up some wheel spaces to punch the wheels out a bit until I get around to getting new wheels. But that will likely be a couple weeks from now as I have to get the Evo ready for the first event on the 20th. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Not Brian Posted May 13, 2018 Report Share Posted May 13, 2018 Am I missing something or does the stock exhaust look like it bypasses the muffler completely? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draco-REX Posted May 13, 2018 Author Report Share Posted May 13, 2018 Am I missing something or does the stock exhaust look like it bypasses the muffler completely? The input pipe goes over the LH exit pipe before going into the side of the muffler. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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