General car related posts not specific to a project or person.
After owning my 2017 Subaru BRZ for a year, I thought it was a good time to go over the 5 things I love about my BRZ. In addition to being an affordable, rear wheel drive sports cars, the 2017 BRZ offers a lot of other tangibles. Lightweight and great handling being only the beginning. Going into its 5th year of production, the ft86 platform continues to grow and impress.
The 2017 racing season has come to and end. At this point of the season, I am looking at areas to improve the race cars. One area I am looking to improve is the handling of the car. So, I did my research on high end suspension systems and decided on a 2-way adjustable coilover kit from Motion Control Suspension. MCS makes top quality suspension kits and for mine, I opted for the 2-way kit with remote reservoirs. I have never had a suspension system with remote reservoirs. So, this is a new venture for me and my 2017 BRZ! Check out the first video “Unboxing MCS Suspension for my 2017 BRZ“!
I have had my QuickJack car lift for a number of months now. When I first bought the lift, I was somewhat skeptical of its uses and how it would perform. After dozens of car projects where I have used the lift, I am happy to say it has lived up to the hype. The QuickJack comes in handy for any number of projects. From simple things like changing the wheels, to more demanding projects like changing suspension systems. The QuickJack car lift covers all the basis while being simple to move around, and easily to store. My video below goes over the 5 things I love about my QuickJack.
After years of manually jacking cars up in the air and supporting them with jack stands, I finally bought a mechanical lift! I did my research and found the QuickJack car lift to be within my budget while meeting my needs. The QuickJack setup is an important part of the process to make sure your lift works good and maintenance free. While the process of setting up your QuickJack can seem kind of daunting, it really is not. Follow the instructions closely and use my video “QuickJack car lift unboxing and setup” below to get your QuickJack setup properly. In addition to the setup process, I also include the unboxing process which details everything that comes with your QuickJack.
Grimmspeed hood struts are intended to replace the stock hood prop. The hood prop holds your hood up in the air when it is open. However, the stock prop does not hold the hood in place very solid. The hood struts mount to each side of the hood and firmly keep the hood in place when open. If you are out at a car show, or a race, these hood struts are invaluable. The firm mounts consequently keep your hood safe from blowing over in the event of a wind gust. In addition, you no longer have the stock hood prop interfering when working inside the engine bay! As far as I am concerned, the Grimmspeed hood struts are one of the best bang for your buck upgrades. My hood strut installation video covers all areas of the installation. The install is simple and straightforward.
For years, engine oil changes have been the single most common maintenance item for your car. A regularly scheduled BRZ oil change ensures that your engine is running at its best while also promoting longevity. There are all kinds of synthetic oils on the market, but we will not cover that in this article. The Subaru BRZ uses a 0w-20 weight oil, per the owners manual. For my first oil change, I chose Royal Purple synthetic motor oil. I have had success with this oil in my previous Scion FRS, but may try something different for the next oil change. Now, a BRZ oil change is pretty simple. You just need basic tools, oil of course, and an OEM Subaru BRZ oil filter. Follow my detailed video below and you will have no problems changing the oil on your own Subaru BRZ!
We all love to hear the sounds of different exhaust systems on our cars. Over the past year, I have created a number of exhaust sound videos. Today, I am taking all of my exhaust sound videos and compiling them into one single BRZ exhaust shootout video! We are going to listen to the stock exhaust, my custom Magnaflow exhaust, the Tanabe Concept G exhaust review, and lastly the Blitz Nur-SPEC VSR exhaust. Listen and watch, then choose which exhaust system you like the most! Don’t forget to leave your comments on the YouTube video page!
The AP Racing Sprint kit is a top notch product. In this video, I will be going through the whole install process. The Sprint BBK is very lightweight while also improving braking capability and efficiency. For those that like to do track days, HPDE, or Time Trials, this brake kit is highly recommended for consistent and reliable braking. The installation process is pretty straightforward and requires common tools. You will also want to use a good brake fluid, such as ATE Type 200, when doing any type of high performance driving. In addition, with the AP Racing Sprint brake kit, pad changes are a breeze. Consider checking out my other video that covers how to bleed brakes!
So, I cannot seem to make up my mind on what exhaust system I want to run 🙂 I recently bought the new Blitz Nur-SPEC VSR exhaust system, which is a dual exit type exhaust. I even upgraded to the fancy blue titanium exhaust tips! The exhaust has proven to be pretty good so far, while not being overly loud. In fact, this Blitz dual exit exhaust is fairly quiet, especially compared to my previous Tanabe Concept G exhaust. The installation process is simple, just like with any exhaust for the BRZ. In this video I cover the unboxing, installation, and finally the exhaust sound of this Blitz Nur-SPEC VSR exhaust system.
Brake pads & rotors are considered wear items and as such, need to be replaced regularly. For track cars or race cars, the brakes must be changed even more frequently than street cars. My most recent brake upgrade is for my 1994 BMW 325is track car. Not too long ago, I purchased a set of Hawk DTC60 track pads and Stoptech slotted rotors. The upgrades will not only improve braking, but also survive the abuse of track driving. Since track driving generates extra heat during heavy braking, having upgraded pads and rotors is a must. The e36 generation BMW is fairly old these days, so changing brake pads & rotors is not quite as straightforward as some newer cars. This video covers how to change brake pads and rotors on my BMW, but it will apply to most cars out there on the market today. Interested in the parts I got for my e36 BMW? Check out the image links below!
