Sciaru BRZFRS (BreezeFrees)

  • Thread starter Azuremen
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Finally got around to go test drive an FR-S. My verdict:

In person, the car is simply beautiful. One of the prettiest cars in the NA market to my eyes.

The interior is very functional and reasonably quality. There are some strange carbon-look surfaces that are pretty bad though. Great instrument cluster.

The gearbox is very nice. I like the close and linear feeling ratios. RPM drop is consistent and relatively small between shifts, which makes getting the best from the engine a little easier.

The engine. Oh the engine. I can't come up with a single positive thing to say about it. It sounds terrible. It has acceptable response, but not what I'd call good, which is a mark against it, being normally aspirated and all. The engine is also very rough. Im not sure if that is typical for a flat four, but it feels tragically unrefined. Where is the power? Honestly? I'm used to a rotary where you have to fish for the power in the upper mid range and top end. The H4 in the BRZFRS, though, doesn't seem to have a bottom, mid, or top end. There is a slight burp of torque just before redline, but then you bounce off the limiter. It honestly did not feel significantly quicker than my 100hp Mazda2 (the Mazda has a very large weight advantage) and my RX-7 (carb, exhaust, intake) would walk all over it from any point in the rev-range, and deliver much sharper response, smoother delivery, far better noise, and a broader rev range.

All-in-all, I was disappointed. I feel my 7 is a much more alive car, and quicker too. I did get a chance to toss the FR-S into a corner or two, and it was rewarding, but without more power, I don't think I would buy one.

Anyone swap a rotary in yet? :)
 
Eunos_Cosmo
Anyone swap a rotary in yet? :)
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A rotary? :lol:

2e335a38d1e211e2a7ec22000ae904db_7.jpg


 
Tada-tuned Toyota 86 prototype -Handling pack upgrade improves grip
The car's chief engineer, Tetsuya Tada, has developed a handling option upgrade that elevates the 86's level of grip without ruining its fun-to-drive character.

The modifications include a set of larger 18-inch forged alloy BBS wheels fitted with specially developed Dunlop Direzza tyres and revised damper settings.

Tada says there is no firm timing on when the handling upgrade will make it to production, nor whether it will be fitted to the range-topping GTS or an additional track focused flagship model.

"The upgrade is ready for production," he told Drive while in Australia for a Toyota event to celebrate the car being on sale for a year.

"But it is now up to the commercial [marketing division] as to when it will be released." While the changes aren't drastic, they do alter the character of the car at varying degrees depending on how hard it is driven.

The revised damping actually improves the ride comfort at normal speeds as it soaks up big bumps with more body control.

The brilliant electric steering also feels slightly more responsive with the sharper settings. But it's when you really push it hard that the new lighter wheels and stickier tyres -branded with the 86 logo on the sidewall -comes into their own.

It turns in harder, holds more mid corner speed and has better traction under hard acceleration. It can still be provoked into gentle tail slides but it all happens at much higher speeds than the regular set-up.

The improved suspension settings also play a much greater role as it reaches the limit of adhesion too. There is less body roll and pitch, which helps give it a more neutral handling balance, and the better bump absorption means it doesn't lose traction as easily on rough surfaces or mid-corner irregularities.

The 2.0-litre boxer four cylinder has remained untouched though, maintaining its 147kW/205Nm maximum outputs.
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smh.drive.com.au

thatguysewrd_1024-600x400.jpg
 
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R1600Turbo
LS swaps are so over played now. Not impressive anymore.
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Always impressive, because its always powerful and always fits in anything, even a low-hooded bay designed for a flat engine. Every single LS swap just goes to show how much more versatile and better this engine is than any other on the planet.

Merica.
 
Keef
Always impressive, because its always powerful and always fits in anything, even a low-hooded bay designed for a flat engine. Every single LS swap just goes to show how much more versatile and better this engine is than any other on the planet.

Merica.
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Dont care. Over played, same old same old. Uniqueness has long worn off, I encourage being different and unique. My opinion, dont care if nobody agrees.
 
It's compact because it's OHV, it gets its power from cubes, and it's the epitome of muscle-fan hubris. It's certainly effective, but it's so lame, IMO.
 
I don't care where I gets my horses from. Just give me horses!

And if they happen to come in a sweet, compact, lightweight, reliable, modern package... all the better.

There's a reason that V8 swaps are popular in American drifting.

-

I seriously hope, though, that the next generation 86 gets an I4 of some kind... giving tuners more flexibility for power adders.
 
Personally, if they were to revise the 86 I'd want it to be lighter, rather than necessarily more powerful. Do more with what it has.
 
There are no issues with the naturally aspirated boxer, but it limits what they can do with higher-spec versions.

Aftermarket companies can and do install forced induction, but the packaging limits factory forced induction.

Also, I'd prefer an inline as it would allow them to stuff some double-wishbones under the front arches. Yeah, I know... it shouldn't affect performance, but the Miata does a better job of being supple and capable thanks to its set-up.
 
I've always had an affinity for boxers. Porsches were my high school favorite, then I discovered the awesomeness of the E30 (BMW makes boxer bikes, at least). I always liked Subaru, and when the time came for a replacement for the E30, it dawned on me that while BMW has gone horribly astray, Subaru still adheres to the values I prefer in a car. It was stressful trying to track down another BMW that wouldn't be a money pit, but there are thousands of acceptable Subarus out there, and more all the way up to MY2014.

Anyway, call it emotional or whatever, but I love the whole concept of the Toyobaru as it is. The E30 M3 reborn, with a free-revving boxer and not much excess baggage. Like hfs said, I'd rather see if they can drop the weight than bump the power. Personally, the main reason I'd appreciate an STI/turbo version is so people would quit yammering about it. ;)
 
niky
Also, I'd prefer an inline as it would allow them to stuff some double-wishbones under the front arches. Yeah, I know... it shouldn't affect performance, but the Miata does a better job of being supple and capable thanks to its set-up.
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I really need to get a good go in the 86 on UK roads. My sole turn behind the wheel has been 25 minutes of arsing about going sideways in second gear on relatively smooth concrete, which doesn't really give me a full appreciation of its handling in different conditions...
 
To be fair, I've only driven it for thirty minutes off of the track, and about the same on it. Waiting to get a weeklong drive.
 
homeforsummer
Personally, if they were to revise the 86 I'd want it to be lighter, rather than necessarily more powerful. Do more with what it has.
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I think it's light enough. Any lighter and it would feel rather flimsy on bumpy everyday roads. Personally I think 25-50 horsepower extra is all that is needed to make this car absolutely perfect.
 
Bram Turismo
I think it's light enough. Any lighter and it would feel rather flimsy on bumpy everyday roads. Personally I think 25-50 horsepower extra is all that is needed to make this car absolutely perfect.
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Lighter =/= "cheap/flimsy". It's more than possible to reduce weight without reducing quality, if it's done well.

Not to mention if you make it lighter you can get away with running a slightly softer suspension setup without compromising on handling, which would reduce the chance of a lighter car jiggling about as much on bumpy roads.
 
niky

I seriously hope, though, that the next generation 86 gets an I4 of some kind... giving tuners more flexibility for power adders.
There are no issues with the naturally aspirated boxer, but it limits what they can do with higher-spec versions.

Aftermarket companies can and do install forced induction, but the packaging limits factory forced induction.

Also, I'd prefer an inline as it would allow them to stuff some double-wishbones under the front arches. Yeah.
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Alot of people are to worried about there warranty and resale value to shell out the cash and effort to do there own engine swaps and a factory effort is rather slow but from the owner responses ive heard the 86's engine seems like it was never intended for "that" car it seems rather frugal like it was meant for a little gas sipping ecobox than a sports car.
The best aftermarket option ive seen is HKS's supercharger kit.
I didnt realise the 86 didnt have a double wishbone already i guess i missed that on the spec's sheet :dunce:
Wolfe
With a passenger, the Toyobaru weighs as much as my station wagon. It could be lighter. :)
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What wagon ? and how big is your passenger :sly:
 
Endless-Wilso
...from the owner responses ive heard the 86's engine seems like it was never intended for "that" car it seems rather frugal like it was meant for a little gas sipping ecobox than a sports car.
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It gets plenty done for two naturally-aspirated liters. From what I've read, the true limiting factor for a factory-backed power boost is apparently the gearbox.
Endless-Wilso
What wagon ? and how big is your passenger :sly:
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Legacy 2.2L AWD. They wouldn't be a fashion model :lol: but my car is only roughly 200lbs. heavier. Subaru keeps their cars pretty trim.
 
What would everybody thing if the 86 variants were available with a 1.6 Turbo like most small hot hatches how nowadays?
 
It'd probably have the required punch for slidey sideways stuff but it's doubtful throttle response would be as good. That was one of the reasons they went for NA in the first place.
 
Am I the only one who has never heard of this "TS" designation and doesn't really care what it is?

Endless-Wilso
I know everybody likes a turbo but Why no love for the supercharger ?
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Because they're not as versatile or efficient.
 
Endless-Wilso
I know everybody likes a turbo but Why no love for the supercharger ?
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There is definitely love for superchargers out there, due to the more crisp throttle response and linear delivery. The environmentalist landscape, however tends to push car makers to turbochargers. Superchargers reduce fuel efficiency while turbochargers increase it. I think the days of factory supercharging are all but over.

I don't care about fuel efficiency in sports cars, so superchargers make way more sense to me, provided you can keep everything cool. Twin screw blowers have gone a long way in that regard.

I think the 86 would be utterly fantastic with 200lbs less weight and maybe 15 more hp. And for heaven's sake, fix that induction noise somehow, it's awful.
 

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