The Subaru BRZ and Scion FR-S are built for tight cornering and stunning good looks. They're also meant to go fast, but unfortunately Toyota forgot that minor detail. By default, the FR-S/BRZ platform lacks any major go-fast mods, making this sexy two-door coupe pretty disappointing. But fear not gearheads, we've compiled a list of three essential mods to sate your appetite for power!
- Tomei FA20 Unequal Length Header
- GrimmSpeed BRZ/FR-S Cold Air Intake
- MAPerformance 3" Stainless Catback Exhaust
GrimmSpeed Cold Air Intake System
Cold Air Intakes are a must have for every owner looking to improve throttle response and gain a few HP, while enhancing the appearance of your engine bay. It's fairly common knowledge that cold air intakes dont add much power to an NA engine. However, that is not the case on the FA20. Most CAI's for the platform have been proven to add a decent amount of HP/TQ through the entire power band. Will you feel it in the seat of your pants? Probably not. But when added with other mods including the ones below, the notice is definitely there!
Grimmspeed has a great cold air intake for the Scion FR-S / Subaru BRZ. Their kit includes a sealed airbox, high flow filter, intake pipe, couplers, and installation hardware. The sealed airbox keeps the warm air from inside your engine bay where it belongs - inside the engine bay, and not in the engine. An opening in the front of the airbox allows cold air from outside the bay to enter the engine. The intake pipe features a GrimmSpeed proprietary air straightener which helps direct air into your engine. This kit installs in 30 minutes, and doesn't require front bumper removal as seen on other aftermarket intakes. Made right here in the USA, you cant go wrong with the Grimmspeed Scion FRS/Subaru BRZ Intake!
Tomei Unequal Length Header
While the FA20 may be disguised as a Toyota engine in the Scion FR-S and Toyota FT86, it's a Subaru powerplant at heart. Despite being a different breed of the iconic EJ Series boxer engine, it shares many physical traits such as the horizontal flat-four layout and boxer design. However, unlike the other boxer engines in Subaru's arsenal, the FA20 comes with equal length headers from the factory. Headers of this design have their benefits (click here for more info on that) but you lose the iconic Subaru grumble, something that makes these cars so much better.
Fortunately their is a product on the market offered by Tomei Performance which brings back the Boxer grumble without any adverse effects. This same modification also increases horsepower and looks good doing it. Made from 304sus Stainless Steel and attaching to the engine via thick 1/2" flanges, you're getting one of the most durable FA20 engine bolt-ons known to man. This FR-S/BRZ Unequal Length Header kit comes with everything you need for installation, including gaskets, nuts, bolts, and a fancy Tomei sticker to boot! If you're looking to make your FRS/BRZ sound more aggressive, perform better, and are sick of cheap headers, check out the Tomei Unequal Length header today!
MAPerformance Catback Exhaust System
Along with an Enequal Length Header, we also recommend running and aftermarket catback exhaust system on your FRS/BRZ. Not only does a catback exhaust system improve the sound of the car, but its larger diameter also helps increase horsepower and torque output by allowing exhaust gases to pass through the system quicker. But you dont want to select an exhaust system that is too large, or you risk losing power. We wont get into the math behind it, but proper research and design must go into a catback exhaust system, and it's important you know you're getting the most results from your purchase.
We don't like to toot our own horn here at MAPerformance, but our very own catback exhaust system for the Subaru BRZ / Scion FR-S is one of the best on the market. Why is that? We took special care during the research and development process to figure out the best pipe diameter the FA20 needed to breathe at low and high RPM's. We then matched it with an attractive single in-dual out polished muffler to give your car a race-inspired exhaust tone. Finally, we werent sold on the idea of needing gaskets, so we used V-Band flanges instead of traditional flanges to ensure you never had to worry about blown out gaskets or pesky leaks. We include everything you need to turn your stock FRS/BRZ into a growling monster! So check it out, and let us know if you have any questions.
