The New “What did you do with your Z today” (with off topic replies) XXXV

madwi

I was thinking I was just gonna drop the go pedal and not let them get close enough to read em

I made the trip without incident but the state boys were out in force! Sneaky sneaky sitting on the entrance ramps shooting the rears.

JARblue

What in the fùck is a condom?

Waste of a good water balloon

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abm89

I couldn't help it. I got an access port for the WRX. The reviews for MA Performance's Stock tune were overwhelmingly good, and it comes with the device when you get it from them. So I figured I'll try it out as it's not a wild tune or anything.


I do see myself getting a catted down/J pipe later on as the cats on subarus suck. I had so much black soot on my hands from the secondary cat when swapping out the cat back, it was disgusting.

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Complete Parts List:
https://github.com/abm89/ztouge-build

JLarson

How do you like your WRX? Looked at one for my wife a while back, and we were both very impressed with the tech package. It was a decent enough drive, but I didn't really push it at the time.

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2014 370z Touring Sport Magma Red MT // BP Single Turbo 6467 // 63mm TB's // Z1 Ported Upper Mani // RJM Pedal // Zspeed Stage 3 Clutch // 526 WHP, 451 WTQ
2006 350z (Sold) // 1990 300zx (Sold) // 1985 300zx 2+2 (Sold)

503.Zed

In my experience when I drove my friends STi, I liked the ride, feel, and sound. One thing I wasn't a big fan of is the mundane feeling of AWD compared to RWD. However it is more practical than my 370.

JLarson

That was why we were looking at it - practicality and AWD. My wife is paranoid about even driving in the rain. She ended up with a G37x, which she does enjoy (sounds great too, Motordyne exhaust).

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2014 370z Touring Sport Magma Red MT // BP Single Turbo 6467 // 63mm TB's // Z1 Ported Upper Mani // RJM Pedal // Zspeed Stage 3 Clutch // 526 WHP, 451 WTQ
2006 350z (Sold) // 1990 300zx (Sold) // 1985 300zx 2+2 (Sold)

503.Zed

Sounds like a great choice then. The infotainment is pretty nice and I liked the ride quality. But abm will be able to give you the real review, as my drive was for less than a half hour. I really do like how the newer WRX and STi's look.

abm89

Man, I should have bought this car a while ago, but I'm glad I didn't until learning so much more about automotive repair and tuning with the Z. Here's a write-up:

I have a 2016 Pearl White WRX Limited 6MT (top trim) that i got used (just under 25k miles) last November. I needed something more engaging than my HRV I had for a daily because I was still putting commute miles on the Z.

Practicality:
The WRX works for practicality because it has a high-ish ground clearance, REALLY good visibility, and good cargo space. I am also able to get excellent fuel mileage thanks to the FA20 engine, which is direct-injected (never lower than 26 combined, but i can get 30-33 on the highway depending on how I drive). It does take premium only, but I don't think that's a huge issue. The car does have quite a bit of road noise, even changing tires to the cont extreme-contact sports didn't help that much, so I recommend an extended test drive if that's a possible issue. The seats are pretty comfortable, and the adjustment range for the power seat is decent. the Rear seats are good for taking people around, but I'm not sure I would want to do a road trip back there. there's ample leg room (i'm about 5'11" and I can sit behind my driving position with no issues), but it's no luxury car.

Drivability (sp?):
Out of the box, the handling is pretty good. The symmetrical AWD is basically invisible to you on the street, which is what you want, but on the track you can feel the torque vectoring work. There's definitely a limit to how hard it want's to get pushed, but you shouldn't ever see that limit on street driving. I live in Texas, so no snow testing data is available from me, haha. The amount of power it has is what was attractive to me for a daily. it's enough to have fun, but not enough to get you into too much trouble. It does have the infamous torque dip (FA20 engines have this problem in the software from Subaru) but It's only there if you're blasting pass 4-5k WOT. I'll report back on my OTS stage 1 tune on whether that changed. The gearbox is pretty good on the manual, but you can't shift it quickly like a Z. It doesn't like to be hurried into the gear changes (especially 1-2 shifts). The electric steering isn't bad either. There's feedback through the wheel and it feels pretty natural. Also, I have StopTech sport pads installed and it helped with overall stopping power, but coming from the Z with the Akebonos, it's not even close. I should say it was enough to keep me safe on the track. Overall, I can't find too much to complain about from a daily driving standpoint.

Features:
My 2-cents is to get the Limited Trim;heated seats and LED lights were what I was after. The stereo in mine sucked ***, but I don't know about the facelifted models (18+). The gauges illuminate red, which is good at night, and you can turn the digital speedo on and off, as well as the center screen in the dash.

Why did you skip the STi?:
Price was one dealbreaker, the other was the EJ25 engine. The newest ones (19+) have revised pistons to alleviate some of the problems with ringland failures, but they have to run those cars lean from the factory to meet emissions and efficiency targets. Speaking of efficiency, it's crap in that car. Now, if you want a track toy, by all means, it's better than the WRX out of the box.

Stuff I did to mine:

• Subaru wheel studs are subpar; i swapped all of them to ARP
• Since mine was used, i cleaned the MAF and installed a K&n drop in. it fixed some boost hesitation issues.
• There's noticeable gear slop in the lever, so i have the Perrin shift stop kit to reduce it. Get a factory STi short shifter if you're getting it new, i did like that in the one I test drove.
• new pads, clutch/brake fluid, and tires, because i don't trust the previous owner
• I use Castrol full synthetic oil on my last change. So far so good, and stick with the factory recommended weight. Don't change the weight to what some of the subie bros say, do what the factory recommends.
• I replaced the head unit with an android one (jury is out on that) and the speakers with the factory Kicker replacements. that fixed my crap audio issues.
• bunch of other exterior ****; because why not.

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Complete Parts List:
https://github.com/abm89/ztouge-build

JLarson

Good write-up. Part of why we didn't go that route was reading about the ringland failures. I also detest the idea of a car coming lean from the factory. I was doing some additional reading yesterday, and I guess I'd thought they would be an easier car to make power in. Everything I read suggests a pretty low upper limit before you start having to build the engine.

Anyway, I was asking more out of curiosity than for any other reasons. I dd my Z, and love it. Have a truck when the weather demands it.

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2014 370z Touring Sport Magma Red MT // BP Single Turbo 6467 // 63mm TB's // Z1 Ported Upper Mani // RJM Pedal // Zspeed Stage 3 Clutch // 526 WHP, 451 WTQ
2006 350z (Sold) // 1990 300zx (Sold) // 1985 300zx 2+2 (Sold)

abm89

Yeah, i guess to clarify the WRX is much better than the STi in terms of reliability. from what i've read, people get in trouble when they try to crank the boost up on the FA20. It's already running a 10:6 compression ratio with about 20+ PSI of boost flat out.

Supposedly, you can eclipse the STi in power easily in a WRX because of the direct injection system. STis need fuel upgrades to get back in front of the WRX.


Edit: the other option is to wait for the 2021 model being released soon.

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Complete Parts List:
https://github.com/abm89/ztouge-build

FPenvy

my dad sent me a pic text earlier he was high bid on a 19 mclaren 570S but the dealer wouldnt let it go at 158k

he said 160k wouldnt budge off of 2k which amazes me right now.

was really close to having a new toy to play with lol

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324whp/258wtq AAM Tuned |F.I. NonRes CF CBE/NonRes TestPipes #373|UpRev Tuner|Akuma Motorsports Intakes|Z1 34 Row Oil Cooler

Zoren 370

19 model..,that would be dirt cheap for 158K

FPenvy

2019 with 2k miles.

had the upgraded white paint and some sick black/red/white interior option for like 5k.

sadly not all the carbon goodies i personally would pick but it was still awesome.

guy asked 162. pops went up to 158. couldn't meet at 160.

warning: massive pic lol

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324whp/258wtq AAM Tuned |F.I. NonRes CF CBE/NonRes TestPipes #373|UpRev Tuner|Akuma Motorsports Intakes|Z1 34 Row Oil Cooler

bunk

Would you mod that if you had it? I'd keep it stock.

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-Drop in K&N Filter -Invidia Gemini CBE -Z1 Oil Cooler -Swift Springs - EcuTek -Forgestar F14 -SPL Camber Links -Akebono BBK Upgrade -Z1 Premium SS Lines -SPL Diff Bushings -SPL FUCAs - BellRaceworks Diff Brace

FPenvy

normal basic mods. def exhaust for sound/power and a tune to clean up the A/F

not sure what else you can do to those aside from i see people finally doing turbo upgrades on them now.

also, i'm conflicted would i was the regular or the GT slant back one. basically do i want the engine covered or exposed lol

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324whp/258wtq AAM Tuned |F.I. NonRes CF CBE/NonRes TestPipes #373|UpRev Tuner|Akuma Motorsports Intakes|Z1 34 Row Oil Cooler