BRZ in bad weather? - Toyota GR86, 86, FR-S and Subaru BRZ Forum & Owners Community

BRZrkr · 05-02-2014, 06:21 PM

Considering a BRZ...living in PacNW we get rain 7 months a year, and some light snow. I drive a Maxima now and it can get hairy on the highway in heavy rain. I'm no stranger to RWD - 300ZX TT, 240SX turbo, BMW M3, BMW M5 - but I'm wondering if I will regret buying a BRZ when the weather gets foul again - the sun is out right now and buying a RWD sports car for a DD seems perfectly reasonable! (In case you're wondering, my "sensible" alternative is a CX-5. Not really interested in a WRX.)

AdrianG · 05-02-2014, 06:27 PM

If you can handle a 300zx TT in the rain you'll be fine. IMO the BRZ is great in bad conditions, it does exactly what you tell it to. I think it's a riot.

- AdrianG

woode · 05-02-2014, 06:28 PM

Your a trackstar that has driven RWD sports cars before and you want to know if you should get a CX-5 over the BRZ due to rainy weather?

....

BRZrkr · 05-02-2014, 06:32 PM

Well TBH all my RWD cars were weekend toys. So sure I drove them in rain, but not 70 miles a day, 5 days a week in rain, like I would with the BRZ. It's been years since I have had an "enthusiast" car (having kids will do that to you).

Also, the roads are terrible up here, highways are all rutted and fill with standing water, hydroplaning is not uncommon even with very good tires, and the city streets are littered with potholes. But the back roads are amazing.

LadyFRZ · 05-02-2014, 06:43 PM

I know plenty of people who are DDing their twins in bad weather.
Just make sure in the bad weather, you are not on stock tires. Please.

woode · 05-02-2014, 06:49 PM

I've drove in all weather conditions including snow without issue. There are some who don't know how to drive in bad weather and have messed up their cars though..

N1rve · 05-02-2014, 06:51 PM

It's really up to the operator. The best mod you can make to the car is the driver mod.

wheelhaus · 05-02-2014, 07:08 PM

The car is only as capable as it's tires. The stock tires are low grip high efficiency for a reason, to make it more fun at civil speeds. That is the same reason why you will need snow tires or at minimum, good all seasons.

I'm an all season driver in Denver and have not had a single issue in nearly 2 years (with the exception of stock tires on snow/ice, or snow that's just way too deep). Heavy rain is no problem unless you have high speed roads prone to collecting lots of water. The car's light weight will make it more susceptible to hydroplaning, but again, the right tires will help minimize this.

BRZrkr · 05-02-2014, 07:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wheelhaus

Heavy rain is no problem unless you have high speed roads prone to collecting lots of water. The car's light weight will make it more susceptible to hydroplaning, but again, the right tires will help minimize this.

This is exactly the situation I expect to face. If I understand you correctly, the stock tires are not up to this particular challenge, and some high quality AS tires are in order?

Tgionet · 05-02-2014, 07:22 PM

Just put Pilot Super Sports on it for non winter driving.

wheelhaus · 05-02-2014, 07:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by trackstar

This is exactly the situation I expect to face. If I understand you correctly, the stock tires are not up to this particular challenge, and some high quality AS tires are in order?

Yep. I've never considered all seasons to truly be ALL seasons, because they sacrifice something everywhere. Jack of all trades is the master of none.

If you plan to use one set of tires all year, good all seasons should do you well. I'll ask a buddy of mine @Pat who is somewhat of a tire enthusiast what he'd recommend.

The other option is to get summer tires that are good in the wet, and then get snow tires for the coldest part of the season (which by default are also good in the wet). A second set of wheels makes swapping easy.

BRZrkr · 05-02-2014, 07:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wheelhaus

Yep. I've never considered all seasons to truly be ALL seasons, because they sacrifice something everywhere. Jack of all trades is the master of none.

If you plan to use one set of tires all year, good all seasons should do you well. I'll ask a buddy of mine @Pat who is somewhat of a tire enthusiast what he'd recommend.

The other option is to get summer tires that are good in the wet, and then get snow tires for the coldest part of the season (which by default are also good in the wet). A second set of wheels makes swapping easy.

You've almost got me convinced. If I buy now, I can hoon about on the stock tires for the summer, get some new tires in the fall (focused on heavy rain, with very occasional light snow), and justify a new set of aftermarket wheels with summer tires next spring.

VesperLynn · 05-02-2014, 07:58 PM

I daily a rocketbunny BRZ in the Pacific NW, you'll be fine.

kberkel · 05-02-2014, 08:29 PM

Im in Michigan, it's fun.

The stability control is good. When it sprinkles and the roads are real slick, I blip the throttle on slow turns just to kick the rear out and watch the stability control pull me straight. It's fun

I wouldn't dare do that on an older RWD car, I'd be spinning out all the time

05-02-2014, 06:21 PM	#1
BRZrkr Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Drives: 2017 BRZ PP Location: Seattle Posts: 71 Thanks: 8 Thanked 26 Times in 9 Posts Mentioned: 1 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	BRZ in bad weather? Considering a BRZ...living in PacNW we get rain 7 months a year, and some light snow. I drive a Maxima now and it can get hairy on the highway in heavy rain. I'm no stranger to RWD - 300ZX TT, 240SX turbo, BMW M3, BMW M5 - but I'm wondering if I will regret buying a BRZ when the weather gets foul again - the sun is out right now and buying a RWD sports car for a DD seems perfectly reasonable! (In case you're wondering, my "sensible" alternative is a CX-5. Not really interested in a WRX.)

05-02-2014, 06:51 PM	#7
N1rve Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2013 Drives: 2019 BMW ///M4 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 2,332 Thanks: 102 Thanked 1,167 Times in 714 Posts Mentioned: 28 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	It's really up to the operator. The best mod you can make to the car is the driver mod. __________________ N1rve 2019 BMW ///M4 - Alpine White \| Sakhir Orange/Black Leather \| M-DCT \| Executive Package \| 19" Black 437M Wheels \| Carbon Fiber Trim \| Sunroof \| Active Blind Spot \| Heated Steering Wheel \| Adaptive M Suspension

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05-02-2014, 06:27 PM	#2
AdrianG Generally Well Liked Join Date: Aug 2013 Drives: '08 STi Hatch, '11 Outback 3.6R Location: Ontario Posts: 419 Thanks: 43 Thanked 197 Times in 125 Posts Mentioned: 9 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	If you can handle a 300zx TT in the rain you'll be fine. IMO the BRZ is great in bad conditions, it does exactly what you tell it to. I think it's a riot. - AdrianG

05-02-2014, 06:32 PM	#4
BRZrkr Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Drives: 2017 BRZ PP Location: Seattle Posts: 71 Thanks: 8 Thanked 26 Times in 9 Posts Mentioned: 1 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	Well TBH all my RWD cars were weekend toys. So sure I drove them in rain, but not 70 miles a day, 5 days a week in rain, like I would with the BRZ. It's been years since I have had an "enthusiast" car (having kids will do that to you). Also, the roads are terrible up here, highways are all rutted and fill with standing water, hydroplaning is not uncommon even with very good tires, and the city streets are littered with potholes. But the back roads are amazing.

05-02-2014, 06:43 PM	#5
LadyFRZ Car N00b Join Date: Jan 2014 Drives: 97 Miata Location: San Diego,CA Posts: 506 Thanks: 168 Thanked 1,167 Times in 450 Posts Mentioned: 22 Post(s) Tagged: 1 Thread(s)	I know plenty of people who are DDing their twins in bad weather. Just make sure in the bad weather, you are not on stock tires. Please.

05-02-2014, 07:08 PM	#8
wheelhaus Join Date: Jul 2012 Drives: 2013 BRZ, 2020 KTM Super Duke 1290R Location: Denver Posts: 1,788 Thanks: 714 Thanked 1,141 Times in 624 Posts Mentioned: 49 Post(s) Tagged: 1 Thread(s)	The car is only as capable as it's tires. The stock tires are low grip high efficiency for a reason, to make it more fun at civil speeds. That is the same reason why you will need snow tires or at minimum, good all seasons. I'm an all season driver in Denver and have not had a single issue in nearly 2 years (with the exception of stock tires on snow/ice, or snow that's just way too deep). Heavy rain is no problem unless you have high speed roads prone to collecting lots of water. The car's light weight will make it more susceptible to hydroplaning, but again, the right tires will help minimize this.

05-02-2014, 07:58 PM	#13
VesperLynn Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2012 Drives: Subaru BRZ Location: Oregon Posts: 424 Thanks: 468 Thanked 338 Times in 136 Posts Mentioned: 63 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	I daily a rocketbunny BRZ in the Pacific NW, you'll be fine.

05-02-2014, 08:29 PM	#14
kberkel Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2014 Drives: 2013 Subaru BRZ Limited Location: Farmington Hills, MI Posts: 581 Thanks: 32 Thanked 326 Times in 174 Posts Mentioned: 3 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	Im in Michigan, it's fun. The stability control is good. When it sprinkles and the roads are real slick, I blip the throttle on slow turns just to kick the rear out and watch the stability control pull me straight. It's fun I wouldn't dare do that on an older RWD car, I'd be spinning out all the time

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