Thread: Performance in Road racing and auto X. what not to do

Ive done some research, and the car is almost a perfect 50/50 weight distribution, right? That means how it comes off the lot, spare tire in its place, all interior in place. all OEM parts.

with that being said, for those of you who plan to Road race and the majority who will be Auto crossing, and even for the people who just love the amazing handling... think about what you are doing to your car when you..

install a light weight exhaust-
install coilovers and do not get the car corner balanced
install a bunch of body brace bars that add weight and move the over all balance of the weight distribution
start taking stuff out like intake silencers, spare tire, jack, ect ect.

If you have a Evo or a sti, these things can be overcome with the pure power that the car is capable of.

But truth be told, you wont make Gobs of power off a NA motor with a full exhaust, intake, and pulleys.

and when you buy coilovers and just "eye ball" the ride height.... you may have not done any benefit to the cars over ll performance by any means.

I guess what Im saying is, mod wisely if you plan to be competitive on a course. If you want to be competitive in a straight line, you bought the wrong car.

One last thing, dont cheap out on heavy wheels. If you plan on replacing the rims, get something that is the same weight as oem, or very very close or even lighter.

This is with a competitive sole in mind.

Nicely put, I agree with most of what you said, but you are missing a few important tips here.

-The only time you should upgrade your suspension is when you have too much power for the stock suspension to keep up, the BRZ has good suspension for a stock car but how the car handles is all up to the individual driver. In other words, know the limits to the stock suspension and get comfortable with it first before considering an upgrade. You dont want to mess up your $1,000+ new coilovers by trying to learn how to turn a corner, that learning phase is for the stock suspension to give you.

-Track > Stance

-Get some better tires that are lightweight and can grip really well and can overcome adverse weathers to go along with those lightweight rims.

agreed. An I'm not saying it 100% correct on everything.
If you are a decent driver, and you install coilovers properly and adjsut them properly, you will improve the handling of the car, drastically in some cases.. But its all about doing it right. and not just slapping them on.

look at the responses on this forum. These guys must all be building professional race cars.

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All the more reasons to just remain OEM and enter "BONE STOCK ONLY" races held at the tracks.

corner balance is important if performance is what you are after. the truth is though.. most people lower their car for looks. especially on a car like the FRS where the body roll isn't that bad. there is no reason to get coilovers just for looks.

Just to add something to this. The BRZ did quite well in it's racing debut, but did have to retire early due to a issue with the rear differential. If you plan on tracking this car a lot or doing quite a few autocrosses and don't want to worry about a failure there is a aftermarket LSD and race clutch already available for these cars.

I am not sure how much information I am allowed post here about it, as I am brand new to this site, but if you would like some more information PM me I guess and I will be happy to share this with you, and help as much as I can.

Happy driving all, I think that this is going to be a wonderful track car.

Erik Johnson
(303) 440-8899 work

Did the rear diff fail on you? After how long?

She has some kind of 3D program where she is currently designing the graphics that are going to go on the side of the car!! When she's done with the 3D image I'll be able to view the car with the graphics on it from any angle!! I know, I know I'm lucky as hell!! Check em out and let me know what you think, she did two designs, one all black shirt with gold lettering and one black and gold shirt with gold lettering. I'm leaning towards the all black with gold lettering because there much cheaper. What you guys think?

Originally Posted by brzperformance.net

Ive done some research, and the car is almost a perfect 50/50 weight distribution, right? That means how it comes off the lot, spare tire in its place, all interior in place. all OEM parts.

with that being said, for those of you who plan to Road race and the majority who will be Auto crossing, and even for the people who just love the amazing handling... think about what you are doing to your car when you..

install a light weight exhaust-
install coilovers and do not get the car corner balanced
install a bunch of body brace bars that add weight and move the over all balance of the weight distribution
start taking stuff out like intake silencers, spare tire, jack, ect ect.

If you have a Evo or a sti, these things can be overcome with the pure power that the car is capable of.

But truth be told, you wont make Gobs of power off a NA motor with a full exhaust, intake, and pulleys.

and when you buy coilovers and just "eye ball" the ride height.... you may have not done any benefit to the cars over ll performance by any means.

I guess what Im saying is, mod wisely if you plan to be competitive on a course. If you want to be competitive in a straight line, you bought the wrong car.

One last thing, dont cheap out on heavy wheels. If you plan on replacing the rims, get something that is the same weight as oem, or very very close or even lighter.

This is with a competitive sole in mind.

I kinda feel like if you are a pro driver... You will probably notice the shift in weight when removing things. But if not I kind of doubt that you could notice the change in weight your exhaust makes, especially since its so low to the ground. The average driver or even spirited driver on the other hand would probably be able to tell the difference if the car lost 100lbs. Just my 2cents.