[Joey]

Having installed a 2" ADF lift kit its a great look and clearance is much better for road hazards and undesirable sometimes unavoidable road transitions here in Seattle Tacoma. The front end of kit seems ok so far.

BUT I have big problems in the rear.
1. There's no good way to hook up the center pipe to muffler because the muffler is "body attached" 4 hangars, and "carriage attached" 1 place. The carriage center pipe attach is effectively dropped 1 1/2" relative to the body so the pipe it's not only lower but the distance to the muffler is increased too. This kit makes no provision for and has no hardware supplied to make up for this hookup center pipe to muffler problem. It seems that an entirely redesigned center pipe is required. I had a couple shops look at it too and there is no easy fix.
2. The drivetrain is sounding really unhappy. I can hear/feel noise/vibration really well because I have the rear seats, carpet, all foam, covers etc removed from the trunk. I've kept speed to below 45 mph and about 30 miles altogether to let things settle in and see what is what.

What I hear (and lesser much feel) is like an out of balance drivetrain and gear sort of condition. I'm guessing either the problem is that the frame mounted drivetrain support behind the engine is being stressed making noise or the whole rear wheel carriage is out of whack fwd/aft and/or laterally which may cause the effect.
I've been wondering if anyone really knows what the effect is on this generation of GR86/BRZ is when dropping the rear wheel and suspension carriage 2".
Hoping someone is in the know of the 2022 suspension, I haven't found any good info on a new gen 2" lift.
I love the increased lift but I am stuck with my two big problems for now and may need to ditch the lift.
The pics are 2" lifted and BTW front splitter removed, the gap and mismatch with muffler and center free-hung and relaxed on their attach prongs and rubbery donuts, the center mount prongs in the position they are in if I push the aft end up into contact with the rear frame plus just about 3/4" clearance.

 

[HumboldtEF]

I would reach out to ADF if you havent already.

It looks like the you just need to modify the muffler to adjust the routing to the mid pipe. Then relocate the hangers on the mid pipe so they work with the stock body side hangers (ditch the subframe hanger mount and make up a body hanger mount instead). Seems very do-able to me but I could be wrong. You might be able to find a stock muffler that someone is ditching if you wanted to keep a stock one for the future.

What did you ask the exhaust shops to do? For them to say there no easy fix makes me think you might not have asked for an all new mid pipe to be made.

 

[JesusLivesinYou]

You could try $13 adjustable exhaust hangers for the back 4

Check out the 3:53 min mark

 

[burner208]

Any exhaust shop can fix that, sounds like you are checking with places that only deal with simple bolt on installs. Take it to the type of shop that will custom bend a dual exhaust, those guys will know what to do.

 

[Outtopasture]

Interesting. I'm sure an exhaust fabrication shop can move this forward pretty easily. I'm wondering about the suspension and the amount of travel. Does it put too much angulation on the drive axles? Perhaps someone with an oem car can measure the distance from Center to the hub to the fender and then put the rear of the car on jack stands and again measure from center of the Hub to fender. Maybe this lift kit is exceeding the maximum travel of the suspension?

 

[Joey]

Let me try an respond to all your much appreciated 4 posts of input.
Firstly ADF is working the problem and they're fine to work with so far.
The problem is kinda a 3 variables interrelations that is best fixed with a differently bent longer center pipe that goes around the whole dropped suspension assembly (SA). Adding spacers between the body and SA lifts the body but lowers the SA relative to the center pipe run which is still running with the body.
The GR/BRZ exhaust design hugs the body and SA especially tight with a single 1" donut to body prong so dropping 1 1/2" when you only have about 1/2 of the 1" donut to reduce if/any.
And since you have to go around the SA because you have no other options you end up too short and too low as you try to hook up the muffler. See pics.
My thinking at this point is that the body spacers need to be reduced from 2" to 1" and (the rest of the lift must come from other means) then add 3/4 to 1" to the center pipe length by spacer up at its closer to engine union, and then with center pipe removed cut off and re- weld the center prong 1/2 to 5/8 shorter. Reinstall everything and if needed and the math indicates its so, change the muffler support donuts from 1 1/2" to 2 or more as results in an ok looking exhaust tailpipe exits at the rear.
What a hassle right?
Ok a big problem here is that there were two exhaust shops that fabricated mandrel bent custom including stainless-steel are now gone. (Clear Image and Stan's) The shops I have at hand are pretty much hacks and don't offer TIG welding not wire feed GMAW stainless either.
You might ask them why use body spacers at all since they are the big problem especially because you can't get a new center pipe made from scratch and they ( body spacers) "only give you a look of lift"* and not actual lift? Well I like the 2" I have up front and hope to have something like 2" in the back even if it's partly just sham.
*Consider my installed as supplied rear lift 2"components: 1 1/2" body spacers, 2" strut extenders = 2" of lift. So where is my lift in each must be body 1 1/2" and struts 1/2 and my actual ground clearance gain is only 1/2" right? But I said I can elevate my center pipe any more than 5/8" if that so the actual overall lift is basically sham except for appearance one sees by side view at the wheel/wheel wells.
Pic:
I didn't take before measurements at the differential to ground but here is the 2" after. The muffler is hanging freely and centered in the donuts. The center pipe is hung off its single donut and is not stretching it down and if I press up on it there is only about 1/8" of slack till resistance. The camera lenses is level with the bottom of the differential. The lift looks like so with the camera lenses centered between the tire and body gap.

Did I say 2" lift Nightmare?

 

[Joey]

Any exhaust shop can fix that, sounds like you are checking with places that only deal with simple bolt on installs. Take it to the type of shop that will custom bend a dual exhaust, those guys will know what to do.

Yeah but where is a shop like that anymore? Everyone I was familiar with along with their equipment seems gone. Were stainless-steel besides. Any suggestions of a shop?

 

[Joey]

You could try $13 adjustable exhaust hangers for the back 4

Check out the 3:53 min mark

Negative, the longer hangar method doesn't help much because the muffler would need to drop a lot and look silly. See my recent post pic.

 

[Breezer]

This video shows the "short-cut" exhaust tube modification up close; starts at about 7.5 minutes. Off Road BRZ Build Lifted and Tested! - YouTube
I like the reroute idea in post #6, sounds more practical (in theory) than leaving the exhaust tube exposed.

 

[burner208]

Yeah but where is a shop like that anymore? Everyone I was familiar with along with their equipment seems gone. Were stainless-steel besides. Any suggestions of a shop?

We have 2 great ones locally, had a 3rd that I worked for on and off 10 or 15 years ago. The owner had 30 plus years experience and his main exhaust guy also had 20 years experience. Those guys could bend a dual exhaust on a 57 Chevy or 40 Ford by eye with very few return trips to a bender. It's a dieing art that's for sure. I did it for 5 or 6 years and they say it takes 20 to get good at it.

 

[Joey]

Someone asked about my hub covers, here are pics of what I used and modified them a bit.
Ya have to have something to slip into though so hub centric spacers are required.

 

[Joey]

This video shows the "short-cut" exhaust tube modification up close; starts at about 7.5 minutes. Off Road BRZ Build Lifted and Tested! - YouTube
I like the reroute idea in post #6, sounds more practical (in theory) than leaving the exhaust tube exposed.

Yeah he's saying he is using spacers but I don't see them in his intro, only the shocks so he should have big hookups trouble as soon as you exceed 5/8" body spacer thickness as near as I can tell from what I have here. BTW, there are two dust pan covers that cannot be reinstalled with out major rework to them in any amount of thickness body spacers installed.
I don't have easy access to cut splice weld of correct diameter stainless here so I'm thinking to remove the 1 1/2" spacers and make them 5/8". The stock bolts may be long enough to accommodate but we'll see.
Meanwhile, the body spacers do absolutely nothing to increase ground clearance that I need. The body spacers only add an appearance of undercarriage lift as side viewed in the BRZ.

See pic, these two pans, would be nice to see if someone came up with a rework and reinstall plan for them. I think they belong attached but it would take plenty of work to make that possible.

 

[Joey]

We have 2 great ones locally, had a 3rd that I worked for on and off 10 or 15 years ago. The owner had 30 plus years experience and his main exhaust guy also had 20 years experience. Those guys could bend a dual exhaust on a 57 Chevy or 40 Ford by eye with very few return trips to a bender. It's a dieing art that's for sure. I did it for 5 or 6 years and they say it takes 20 to get good at it.

So where is these folks? Willing to relocate to the PNW?🥳

 

[burner208]

So where is these folks? Willing to relocate to the PNW?🥳

I'm in VA so it would be a trip

 

[Joey]

Here's after picture

with the 1 1/2" body spacers removed but the 2" strut top spacers in. (2" strut top spacers front and back, no 1 1/2" body spacers which were included as parts in the manufacturers 2" kit.)
The exhaust went back to were it's supposed to be as compared to pic in post 6.

 

[Joey]

Side view 2" strut top spacers front and back, no 1 1/2" body spacers.

 

[Breezer]

Did you turn the steering wheel left & right to full stop and check for brake line bind while the suspension was at full extension?
Do you have stabilizer bar adjustable end links?
I experienced a few issues when increasing ride height beyond 25mm over stock using strut extension alone. One thing was ride comfort degradation. The overly acute angle of the rear's forward suspension arm was just one of the suspension articulation problems. In street-only context, my current opinion is the negative tradeoffs start around 15mm over stock, but I'm also still experimenting.

 

[Joey]

Did you turn the steering wheel left & right to full stop and check for brake line bind while the suspension was at full extension?
Do you have stabilizer bar adjustable end links?
I experienced a few issues when increasing ride height beyond 25mm over stock using strut extension alone. One thing was ride comfort degradation. The overly acute angle of the rear's forward suspension arm was just one of the suspension articulation problems. In street-only context, my current opinion is the negative tradeoffs start around 15mm over stock, but I'm also still experimenting.

Wow, 15mm isn't much.
I drove a bunch today and also visited a well rated alignment shop. They had suggestion's I will run these by the manufacturer tomorrow.
Off hand, to me, the front seems not entirely horrible ride comfort degradation being stiff and seems like less travel, and rear is bad for sure and unsafe due to positive camber change and stiffness seemingly much less travel. Pic is passenger side, driver side is worse in positive camber.
The suspension shop feel the rear can likely be made ok by adding an adjustable suspension arm and adding some body lift where I had removed all 1 1/2 inch.
The ride heightened seems all plus and not terribly degrading to the feel of CG. I kept it under 75 though cuz it doesn't at all feel right in back and there is a noise when turning right.
Thanks for your input and I'll update as things may become more workable in the rear who knows.

 

[Duchess]

I have about 3/4" lift from taller sidewalls on my Blizzaks. The tire aspect ratio tires were actually cheaper than the OEM size.

 

[Joey]

Did you turn the steering wheel left & right to full stop and check for brake line bind while the suspension was at full extension?
Do you have stabilizer bar adjustable end links?
I experienced a few issues when increasing ride height beyond 25mm over stock using strut extension alone. One thing was ride comfort degradation. The overly acute angle of the rear's forward suspension arm was just one of the suspension articulation problems. In street-only context, my current opinion is the negative tradeoffs start around 15mm over stock, but I'm also still experimenting.

Thanks, you say "Do you have stabilizer bar adjustable end links?" and yeah I can see how having them may be a good idea.
At this point I'm trying to work out a good fix between ADF and the alignment shop TruLine Bellevue WA. Yes for sure that I need adjustable SPC stuff in back but stabilizer bar with adjustment links I do not see offered from SPS or ADR Do you have a recommendation?
BTW, I'm looking at this point a hybrid rear lift being part strut top spacers and .5-.7 body spacers but something must be figured for the changed angle of the drive shaft run. The 2022 BRZ is not happy with the 1.5" spacer induced deflection, it lets you know it ain't happy big time.