|
|
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
|
06-02-2012, 06:49 PM | #1 |
Former Vendor
Member#: 33174
Join Date: Feb 2003
Chapter/Region:
RMIC
Location: Salt Lake City Utah
Vehicle:Chat Email or Phone! 888-457-2559 |
RallySport Direct's BRZ: The Albino Rhino
Current Mod list as of 6/27/13 Engine: Vortech Supercharger Dimple Magnetic Oil Drain Plug Prova Oil Filter Invidia Q300 Catback W/ Ti-Tips Nameless Performance Overpipe/Downpipe Catted Kartboy Lightweight Crank Pulley GrimmSpeed Oil Cap Matte Silver GrimmSpeed Battery Tie Down Suspension: Tein Street Flex Coilovers W/ Pillowball uppermounts Tein EDFC Active Whiteline Front Swaybar 20mm Whiteline Rear Adjustable Swaybar 16mm Cusco Front Strut Bar W/ Master Cylinder Brace Cusco Adjustable Rear Lateral Links Drivetrain: PST Carbon fiber Driveshaft Whiteline Gearbox Positive Shift Kit Whiteline Rear Positive Traction Kit Cusco Engine Mount Set Cusco Rear Differential Support Brace Wheels/Tires: Work CR KAI Ultimates - Custom Blue -18x9.5 +38 Rear -18x8.5 +47 Front Bridgestone Potenza RE-11 -245/40/18 Rear -235/40/18 Front Brakes: Front: Brembo GT 355x22 2-piece Rotor, 6-piston calipers - custom white color Rear: Brembo GT 345x28 2-piece Rotor, 4-piston calipers - custom white color Exterior: Lamin-X Yellow Head Light Covers APR Carbon Fiber Brake Ducts APR Carbon Fiber Side Rocker Extensions APR Carbon Fiber Rear Bumper Skirts Carbign Craft Carbon Fiber Alternator Cover STi JDM Clear Corner Lights APR Carbon Fiber Formula GT3 Mirrors APR Carbon Fiber Front Air Dam Tom's Taillights Interior: JPM CoachWorks Black Alcantara W/ Red Stitching Shift Boot JPM CoachWorks Black Alcantara W/ Red Stitching E-brake Boot Kartboy Short Shift Kit W/ Rear Bushing ATI 60mm Vent Pod Defi 60mm Red Racer Boost Gauge Prova Steering Wheel First Impressions of the car: That's right folks, its official name is the Albino Rhino, and little did we know that the name would actually be very fitting for the little car. After getting a chance to put about 40 miles on the car today I wanted to go over some of my initial impressions as well as the impressions of the other guys here at RSD. When you get in the car, the first thing that comes to mind is how much the interior does not feel like a Subaru, and I for one actually like this. It feels like you are in an actual ****pit with the driver in mind, even though the dash is not wrapped around you, it sure feels like it is, the door panels sit very high which gives you the impression that you are sitting very low in the car. Which makes sense as you actually are sitting very low compared to most cars on the road, but unlike other cars with very low seat positions, your legs still have plenty of room, and it does not feel like your legs are stretched out in front of you and on the floor. Everything you touch on a day to day basis on the car feels great, the steering wheel is nice and chunky and has a proper feel in your hands, the shift knob and shift lever are in a great position and feel solid and shifting feels notchy and the distance between gears is nice and short. It no longer feels like you have a mile of rubber bands between the transmission and the shift lever, and feels more like the shift lever goes directly in the transmission. It gives me the impression that Toyota was allowed to run with the gearbox, as it feels more like the manual transmission Toyota/Lexus cars I have driven and not anything like a Subaru gear box. The handling on this car is where it really stood out to me, it is rare to drive a car that is very comfortable yet firm, but will still hold its own when you really throw it into a corner. When pushing the limits though the corners, the stock tires will hiss like an angry cat, but they still provided good feedback even though they felt as if they were folding over on themselves. Steering is crisp if a bit on the heavy side. Some of the guys here loved that, and some said it made the front end feel a bit too heavy. I thought it was a huge improvement over the previous Subaru chassis, but still was not quite as sharp as I hoped it would be. The handling is where it reminded me that we chose the correct name for the car, as it does not feel as nimble and light as you might expect, but it does have great grip and is very sure footed through even the roughest of corners, the tires stay planted to the road, and the torsen LSD keeps the one tire fire at bay. A mechanical LSD would be ideal, but this stock unit is whisper quiet and actually pretty effective when pushing the car through the twisties. Body roll is there, and you can really feel it when you throw the car into a tight corner, but does not feel like it takes away from the driving experience or the handling, and all in all it feels very well set up and balanced. All and all I would say the car is great right out of the box, I feel that because I followed the car even since it was only a rumor, I expected too much out of it. I was hoping it would be more raw and more focused, more responsive and more nimble. However once I got over the initial disappointment that this 25K car did not live up to my 100K expectation, I was nothing but happy with the little rhino. It's cute, it's fun, it will make you smile throwing it into corners, and overall the car is a great "sporty" car. I would not go as far as calling it a sports car, as I would put M3's, Porsche's and the like in that category. But coming from a joint venture between Subaru and Toyota, it is a step in the right direction and I think they did a stellar job on this project. I for one would be proud to own any BRZ/FR-S/FT-86, and can't wait to see how they tweak the car in future models. I would like to put more miles on the car before getting into any recommendations in regards to modifications, but right out of the box I feel the car would benefit greatly from new performance tires and swaybars. Everything else actually feels really good to me, but that could be due to the stock tires somewhat masking the other areas of the cars that may need attention. We will keep you up to date on the modifications and our impressions of installed parts as well so stay tuned. Words by: Rick Conk Photos by: Jasmin Topalovic I also wanted to give thanks to every single person here at RallySport Direct, and all of our fantastic customers, without them this project would still be a dream, and yet it has become a reality, so I cannot thank all of you enough. Like us on Facebook!!! Last edited by RallySport Direct; 06-27-2013 at 08:02 PM. |
06-02-2012, 06:49 PM | #2 |
Former Vendor
Member#: 33174
Join Date: Feb 2003
Chapter/Region:
RMIC
Location: Salt Lake City Utah
Vehicle:Chat Email or Phone! 888-457-2559 |
|
06-05-2012, 12:36 PM | #3 |
Former Vendor
Member#: 33174
Join Date: Feb 2003
Chapter/Region:
RMIC
Location: Salt Lake City Utah
Vehicle:Chat Email or Phone! 888-457-2559 |
Quick shot from a meet over this weekend.
Funny thing is everyone has the same though of how compact this car really is |
06-08-2012, 03:41 PM | #4 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 29879
Join Date: Nov 2002
Chapter/Region:
TXIC
Location: Clemmons, NC
Vehicle:2002 WRX Wagon Silver |
Subscribed.
|
06-08-2012, 07:09 PM | #5 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 111565
Join Date: Apr 2006
Chapter/Region:
W. Canada
Location: Winnipeg
Vehicle:2007 Legacy Spec.B 324hp/313tq EVOIII 16G |
Subscribed as well!
|
06-09-2012, 11:01 AM | #6 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 176793
Join Date: Apr 2008
Chapter/Region:
Tri-State
Vehicle:2009 pontiac G8 black |
Subscribed
|
06-09-2012, 09:09 PM | #7 |
Former Vendor
Member#: 33174
Join Date: Feb 2003
Chapter/Region:
RMIC
Location: Salt Lake City Utah
Vehicle:Chat Email or Phone! 888-457-2559 |
What, a real update for the Albino Rhino BRZ!? That's right, I wanted to put some more miles on the car before giving another update. So we have almost 700 miles on the car now***8230; so***8230;.close***8230;to***8230;break in! We are going to wait until the factory recommended 1000 miles to really start beating on this car, so hopefully we will break the 1000 mile mark before the beginning of next week, and if we do, I will do a fresh oil change on it, and we will be sending it our local dyno, ZipTieDynoWorks for a baseline dyno and perhaps just one very small power mod(don't get too excited), just to see what this pale rhino can do. Of course we will be posting up the results of the dyno so stay tuned for updates on that. Wait.. this was supposed to be an update on the car***8230;right***8230; Okay, so the car. Well one thing I did notice for sure was after the first few hundred miles everything started to feel better. The engine felt smoother and like it was more happy to rev for us, it seemed to take less effort on its part to move us around. The way the car's handling felt to me was also better, now I am sure it did not undergo a special ops under the radar surgery, I think it is all in my head, and I blame this all on the hype leading up to the release of the car. In my head I had built this perfect little car made from my favorite car manufacturers, Toyota and Subaru, but when reality hits the road, I was left a bit disappointed. I was thinking, "What happened to the car I had imagined", and well that car does exist, but I think you will find a prancing horse on it, and not a boxer badge. So I feel that it took some time for these unrealistic expectations to leak out of my head, but once they did, all I can say is that I love this car!!!! What a blast to just go for a cruise in it, the car feels so balanced, nimble and quick, and I love that I can feel the rear LSD as I am accelerating through a long bend, everything feels exactly as it should, and everything feels "together". I love this car the more I drive it, especially when I just go out for a drive, not thinking about the car, not thinking about what I am going to write about, but just letting the car do its job, and that is making me smile and removing all thoughts of work, stress and other not so fun things, I just drive, I find myself focusing on the actual event of driving. It's a weird feeling when you can really feel what a car is doing, you become more and more 'one' with the car, your mind starts to shift its focus on the road, that next turn, blipping the throttle while on the brakes, and executing that perfect rev-match downshift, everything else just becomes a blur, and for that, I could not ask for anything more out of this car. But since you are probably like me, you can't leave a good thing alone, so naturally we will be throwing some mods on the car. I won't go into the full details here as they are still a bit fuzzy to me at this time, but do expect us to address the suspension first. I am thinking that front and rear swaybars along with some nice tires will really bring this car to life without compromising the daily comfort or drivability. We will see if my predictions are right! We will let you know how it turn out. Stay Tuned! RallySport Direct, Rick Remember to check out our blog for new updates and more! http://theattack.rallysportdirect.com/ |
06-10-2012, 06:33 PM | #8 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 313753
Join Date: Mar 2012
Vehicle:2012 WRX TSM Tuned - 310whp/340wtq |
Nice car, I can't wait to see your wheel choice
|
06-11-2012, 10:11 PM | #9 |
Former Vendor
Member#: 33174
Join Date: Feb 2003
Chapter/Region:
RMIC
Location: Salt Lake City Utah
Vehicle:Chat Email or Phone! 888-457-2559 |
|
06-16-2012, 12:05 AM | #10 |
Former Vendor
Member#: 33174
Join Date: Feb 2003
Chapter/Region:
RMIC
Location: Salt Lake City Utah
Vehicle:Chat Email or Phone! 888-457-2559 |
Albino Rhinos first Oil Change Tools needed: 14mm socket or wrench, ramps or jack and stands, oil drain bucket, small funnel, fresh oil, and oil filter. Gloves and shop rags are very nice but not required. Time Required: I would give yourself about 30 minutes to complete the oil change. Difficulty: One of the easiest oil changes I have done. First I like to make sure the car is somewhat warm but not hot. You will want to drive your car up onto the ramps, or jack the front of your car up with a jack and make sure to secure it with jack stands. Pop the hood and locate the oil filter and oil filler cap on the front driver side(left side) of the engine bay. Take off the oil filler cap and put it aside in a safe location. Next go under the car, and you should see the large metal under plate, and you will notice a large access hole, this is where you will be able to access the oil drain plug. Take your 14mm wrench and loosen the oil drain plug, and make sure your oil drain bucket is close at hand so you can get it directly under the oil flow path as you are removing the oil drain plug. As oil is draining, you can start to remove the oil filter on the top of the engine. With the filter being on the top of the engine, you should not have to worry about the filter spilling oil as you remove it, should be a very clean removal. Once the filter is off, I like to clean the mating surface of the engine to ensure a leak free seal on the new filter. Install the new filter and tighten down to manufacturer or oil filter specs. Once you have let the oil drain for a sufficient time, you can screw the oil drain plug back in the oil pan and torque to factory specs. Last step is to fill the engine with oil, we used a small filter which will help keep any oil off the engine. Subaru states the oil capacity is 5.8 quarts, but ours did not take quite that much, so I would fill it to around 5 quarts and check the oil level, and top off if needed. Put the oil cap back on, start the engine and make sure the oil light turns off. Get out of the car and check for any leaks. Once you have confirmed there are no leaks, double check everything, and enjoy your fresh oil! Now go for a drive!!! We decided to use the Dimple Magnetic Drain Plug on this oil change, the part number is M16X1.5X12 which is also the dimensions of the oil drain plug. The new Dimple plug will use a 15mm head, so if you do go this route, make sure to have a 15mm wrench handy as well. We also used the Prova Sports Oil filter, part number 10000SP0010 |
06-17-2012, 08:20 PM | #11 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 173553
Join Date: Mar 2008
Chapter/Region:
International
Location: Sao Paulo
Vehicle:1996 Civic VTi Dark blue |
Subscribed.
|
06-18-2012, 08:20 PM | #12 |
Former Vendor
Member#: 33174
Join Date: Feb 2003
Chapter/Region:
RMIC
Location: Salt Lake City Utah
Vehicle:Chat Email or Phone! 888-457-2559 |
Our new BRZ, the Albino Rhino is officially broken in!!!! Now this is where the fun begins. I did a fresh oil change before I was able to take it out for a true test drive, and once that was done, I was able to finally get a true feeling for what this car can do. I decided to get away from work and from the city and found a winding road that whips it way up one of our many local mountains. Taking it easy at first I was able to feel the suspension on the rough roads, even though it does feel stiff, you get the impression that the tires never want to leave contact with the road, it just feels so incredible planted and stable. I found a few fast corners that looked like they would just be a ton of fun, so I went past those corners, checked for any traffic, and once I knew I was in the clear I headed heavy footed for the corner, a bit nervous but excited to see how this car did in the fast sweepers. All of my nervousness was instantly replaced with a giant smile, which quickly turned into some type of giddy laughter as I realized I could have easily done another 20-25 MPH through the corner. The grip you get out of this car is unbelievable, and to think it is riding on Prius tires makes you scratch you head in confusion, as the grip feels like something you would get out of a much more aggressive tire. Also the corner was not particularly smooth, and I was amazed with how well the suspension soaked up the rough bumps and kept the tire gripping to the road like they were made out of glue. Next I wanted to have a bit more fun with the car, which means getting that rear end to step out. I continued down the canyon, perhaps a bit quicker than I should have, but it is so hard to resist the speed when the car just encourages you to go faster, I almost feel like if you did not drive it hard, it would make fun of you on facebook or something, calling you slow and dimwitted. As I value my facebook image I made sure I would show this car I was not your average sissy driver and found a few series of tight corners that I could really test the car on. Approaching these corners, again very nervous as you just never know how a new car is going to react, I was a bit cautious, but as soon as I turned in and mashed the gas in 2nd gear, the rear end comes out in a very controlled and very predictable manner, and as soon as I let off the gas, the rear end snapped back into place. To get the rear end to really come out on you, and stay out, you are going to have to put in some effort, the natural tendency is for the rear to snap back into place, which I think is just fantastic having driven too many RWD cars that always want to snap oversteer on you, leading you going backwards into the nearest ditch or tree. I do need some more practice with this, but after a few quick tail slides, this car just inspires confidence and makes you feel like a drift king. Now I am not talking about getting the car sideways at 90 degrees, as I just don't have the huevos for that(don't tell the BRZ that, I can hear it firing up the computer already), but just those fun little power slides that you can easily do powering out of a sharp corner, and this car is the king of that for sure. With everything being so tight and together on the car, you can feel what the front end is doing and exactly what the rear end is doing as well, so it is hard to not have confidence and know the car will easily pull you out of the slide without having to call the insurance company. One thing I did not really touch on in this review was the power. With the engine finally broken in I was able to take it to redline, and luckily I did not have any unrealistic expectations that the engine would turn into this high revving beast, as it just is not. Now I am not saying the power is bad in anyway, as you can easily get this car up and moving quicker than you would ever need, so we're just going to call the power levels adequate and leave it at that. All around this car appeals to me more and more every time I drive it. I often can find questionable situations to put this car in which would embarrass other cars, and this one just seems to excel all while leaving you with white knuckles and a huge ear to ear grin. You can create whole new levels of fun by just dodging around man hole covers, paint stripes etc.. It reminds me of the first sport bike I ever road, it just feels so nimble that you can't help but to test it out by purposefully avoiding every little thing on the road***8230;"I am sorry officer, it is brand new, so I just needed to make sure those..umm.. pebbles on the road would not hurt my tires". Just remember to be safe and have fun! Thanks, Rick http://theattack.rallysportdirect.com https://www.facebook.com/Rallysportdirect Last edited by RallySport Direct; 06-19-2012 at 11:42 PM. |
06-19-2012, 12:38 AM | #13 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 224615
Join Date: Sep 2009
Chapter/Region:
MWSOC
Location: La Crosse, WI
Vehicle:2004 WRX San Remo Red |
The more I see about this car, the more I want one. This is the first time I really have seen a good under hood picture and I can say I am really impressed by the way its put together. Everything just seems like it should be where it is. Pleeeeaassse make a turbo version and I will be happy.
|
06-19-2012, 12:56 AM | #14 | |
Former Vendor
Member#: 33174
Join Date: Feb 2003
Chapter/Region:
RMIC
Location: Salt Lake City Utah
Vehicle:Chat Email or Phone! 888-457-2559 |
Quote:
Thanks! Rick |
|
06-19-2012, 04:44 AM | #15 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 323639
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Michigan
|
Wow very cool!
|
06-19-2012, 05:04 PM | #16 |
Former Vendor
Member#: 33174
Join Date: Feb 2003
Chapter/Region:
RMIC
Location: Salt Lake City Utah
Vehicle:Chat Email or Phone! 888-457-2559 |
Event: Dyno Tune/Product Testing Location: ZipTie Dynoworks, Salt Lake City, Utah Ambient Temp: 87F Elevation: 4600 Feet Weather: Sunny Car: 2013 Subaru BRZ Tuner: None, this was for a Baseline Dyno Info: Mustang Dynamometer Transmission: Factory 6-speed Gear: 4th Peak HP: 150 Peak TQ: 116 Fuel: 91 Octane Modifications: -Apexi Panel Filter -Dimple Magnetic Oil Drain Plug -Prova Oil Filter Next we wanted to see what would happen if we just removed the factory filter, so we popped the hood and quickly removed the stock filter. One thing I will point out is that the factory air filter actually looks really really good, it has quite a bit of surface area and seem to be of super high quality, so we were impressed by that. But this is not a stock filter review, we are here to get some numbers! So we made a few more pulls with the factory air filter out of the box, and we got a maximum HP of 148 and max TQ of 114. We were hoping to see more gains out of this, but it seems like the power delivery was not as smooth, and while we did gain 1 horsepower overall, the majority of the time, we were actually under power compared to the stock filter. I am guessing this has to do with the way the air floes over the MAF sensor itself, and I do think having a filter in the box creates the proper air flow over the MAF. Now that was all done, we wanted to try out the new Apexi drop in air filter. Removing it from the box, you can instantly tell this will be a much better flowing filter than stock, and if not that, at least it is looks much better. We did have some issues installing the new air filter in the air box, this might have just been us trying to hurry to get the car off the dyno, but we had to physically remove the air box, put the filter in, clamp the air box together and bolt it back in the car. Something about a bunch of monkeys and a football comes to mind looking back on this… Once the monkeys got the air filter installed, we fired up the engine for a few more pulls. With the engine breathing much better, we achieved a maximum HP of 150 and a Maximum TQ of 116. Now this is what we are talking about! Not only did we see a gain of 3 HP and 2 TQ over the stock filter, but throughout the entire RPM range it made more power than the stock filter. Not too bad for a drop in air filter and what should have been a 2 minute install haha. Driving the car, it does seem the throttle response has improved ever so slightly, and the car does seem to pull a bit easier as well through the RPM range. Not a huge performance gain, but I figure it is a very worthwhile modification if you ever have to replace the factory panel filter and do not want to go with a true aftermarket air intake system. Just wanted to give a big shout out to all of the guys over at ZipTie Dynoworks, this was the first time I have been to their new shop and it is nice to see a clean, well-organized shop, and all the smiling faces over there always helps too. Also make sure to check out our video of our little dyno adventure Stock vs Apexi |
06-19-2012, 05:12 PM | #17 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 102714
Join Date: Dec 2005
Chapter/Region:
MAIC
Location: PA
|
Random, but....
The rear diff is a torsen right? I wonder if its an R160 and what the fd is? |
06-19-2012, 05:13 PM | #18 |
Former Vendor
Member#: 33174
Join Date: Feb 2003
Chapter/Region:
RMIC
Location: Salt Lake City Utah
Vehicle:Chat Email or Phone! 888-457-2559 |
The diff is a Torsen Type B.
Similar what is in the Lexus IS300 FD is 4.1:1 |
06-19-2012, 08:42 PM | #19 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 89641
Join Date: Jun 2005
Chapter/Region:
NESIC
Location: worcester,szczytno
|
no suprise you are recomending sway bars
|
06-19-2012, 11:30 PM | #20 |
Former Vendor
Member#: 33174
Join Date: Feb 2003
Chapter/Region:
RMIC
Location: Salt Lake City Utah
Vehicle:Chat Email or Phone! 888-457-2559 |
|
06-20-2012, 10:39 AM | #21 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 323767
Join Date: Jun 2012
|
cant wait!!
|
06-20-2012, 05:12 PM | #22 |
Former Vendor
Member#: 33174
Join Date: Feb 2003
Chapter/Region:
RMIC
Location: Salt Lake City Utah
Vehicle:Chat Email or Phone! 888-457-2559 |
One of our long time customers stopped by with his brand new BRZ on VOLK CE28's and Tein Flex Coilovers.
Had a chance to take this car around the block, and simply could not believe how much difference these 2 modifications made along with good tires. Simply couldnt stop grinning |
06-20-2012, 05:16 PM | #23 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 190492
Join Date: Sep 2008
Chapter/Region:
Tri-State
Location: Long Island, New York
Vehicle:2008 STI |
Very nice! Subscribed.
|
06-22-2012, 11:48 PM | #24 |
Former Vendor
Member#: 33174
Join Date: Feb 2003
Chapter/Region:
RMIC
Location: Salt Lake City Utah
Vehicle:Chat Email or Phone! 888-457-2559 |
Before we start going crazy tossing parts on the car we want to get a good feel for how the car drives in its stock form. We are going to try to do a before and after video for every part we install. So here it is, bone stock.
Like us on Facebook to track the progress of our Albino Rhino as we put it thru its paces. facebook.com Our Blog Thanks, Rick Last edited by RallySport Direct; 03-26-2013 at 08:43 PM. |
06-23-2012, 12:48 AM | #25 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 173553
Join Date: Mar 2008
Chapter/Region:
International
Location: Sao Paulo
Vehicle:1996 Civic VTi Dark blue |
That was nice! A liked the way you can see it turning on throtle.
|
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
RallySport Direct's BRZ: The Albino Rhino | RallySport Direct | BRZ Forum | 179 | 07-18-2014 11:37 AM |
RallySport Direct's 2011 STI Sedan! | RallySport Direct | NASIOC Project Cars | 540 | 04-07-2014 02:31 PM |
RallySport Direct's 2011 STI Sedan! | RallySport Direct | Rocky Mountains Impreza Club Forum -- RMIC | 192 | 12-27-2010 03:07 PM |
RallySport Direct's 2011 STI Sedan | RallySport Direct | Member's Car Gallery | 119 | 08-25-2010 04:06 PM |
OMG - I think I made the theme track to the Spearmint Rhino... | sherifx | Southern California Impreza Club Forum -- SCIC | 9 | 05-19-2004 05:41 AM |