Why the Toyota 86 is a Great Car.

[billwot]

Originally Posted by Don Ivey

I think you've had a bit much of the cool aid. I've got a 911, and the FR-S ain't no 911, not by a long shot. It is a great car, in it's own right, so we're all winners.

It's not even an MR2! But I still like it.

[Sarlacc]

Originally Posted by Don Ivey

the FR-S ain't no 911

I never said it was. I said the GT86 will be regarded as a classic car.
See the difference? No? Never mind, then.

[Sarlacc]

Originally Posted by billwot

It's not even an MR2

Naaah, I'm not taking that bait.

[speargunsandracecars]

I like my cars like I like my women. Lightweight, fun, reliable, inexpensive, and has massive potential. The Twins embody all those qualities. If my BRZ were a woman, I'd have been hitched by now.

[skyloran]

so detail..love it

[clayrush]

It's all about what makes you happy in a car. Enjoying the corner, enjoying powerful acceleration or both.There is nothing wrong with people wanting both from this car.

[FRSupra]

Originally Posted by Sarlacc

@FRSupra
First post is spot on! Thanks for putting it out there :-)

In my crystal ball, this car will be recognized as a classic of epic proportions in the annals of motoring history. Right there with the E-Type, the Corvette and the 911.

It will not be a turbocharged rocket frankenbunny with silly camber angles they will celebrate; say 20 years from now, it will be the stock 86.
And I have one of those.

When that day comes I will sit back and think yeah, I recognized it for what it was when Toyota called and offered me a test drive back in '12, so I bought it brand new off the line.

Hopefully, I'll still have mine in 20 years. It will probably still be stock engine, tranny, suspension etc. because the car is perfect for the way I drive on the roads I drive on.

Wow, thanks!

Thanks everyone for chiming in.

[CatDaddysBBQ]

I think the low power and bad tires is terrific for the street - safe and fun. But after riding shotgun with a supercharged one on an autox course last weekend, yeah. Much better.

[Peter1953]

Agree with sentiment 100%.

Mine is the base GT with 16" wheels. It would move around a little more but probably gives more warning and could be more compliant, it is even a little lighter. I am 60 so come from the era of 240Zs, 510s, MGBs, Twin Cam Escorts, Fiat 124s, 2002s, Copper S, RWD Alfa GTVs and Honda S600s. I feel that I set the specifications for my GT 86 in the 70s. Independant rear end, 4 wheel disks e.t.c. They have surpassed specifications.

Away from the lights it is the diesel SUVs that most commonly want to beat me, unless trying hard it can be difficult to keep up. However, I only have to remember the pleasure of a country drive and I just smile.

I have fitted slightly better tyres which has had a very positive impact, even the DSC's intervention seems to be smoother. I have also fitted a good quality catback exhaust. The facory ECU took two weeks to get itself perfectly sorted but now the motor is smoother than stock with a big big improvement in throttle response. The car now matches the throttle response of my Twin Cam Escort, the first car since that time. Fuel consumption is unchanged.

[kthxbai]

OP thank you for this write up!!

After nearly a year and a half ownership, this car still puts a smile on my face every day. My commute to work is a heart wrenching 3.5 miles one way; believe it or not, I wish everyday it was more like 30.5 miles one way so that I can have more time to drive this machine.

When I got to the bottom of this write up and read the quote from Jeremy Clarkson, it brought back all the memories of when this car was just a dream for me. I remember watching his review on the GT86 and when he said this quote and how he said it. We all know he is a car enthusiast, that is obvious; but you could see it in his eyes that the words he spoke were genuine and he himself was trying to get done with his bit so that he could get back in the GT86 for another spin!

"In traffic, you'll be in a car, same as everyone else. You're no better off than Simon Cowell in his Roller or that foolish idiot in the Nissan Versa. It's the same story on the motorway. But there will come a moment when the traffic thins, the police aren't looking and there's a nice bit of road ahead. At a time like this, a GT86 will make you happy. You will be reveling in the sort of thrills normally only on offer to the super-rich, but your thrill is better, because it's not scary. To make a Ferrari misbehave, you need to be doing Mach 2. To make a GT86 squirrel about, you only need to be doing 20." -Jeremy Clarkson

This past weekend, I went home to surprise my mom for mother's day in Atlanta. I currently live in Central Florida; beautiful weather aside, the roads here are for the most part straight and unwavering. I love living here but I didn't know who looked more forward to the roads in and around metro Atlanta...me or my FRS.



As with any relationship, if you are lucky to have your own mother and a soon-to-be mother-in-law, you must be diligent and visit her too! I took a 45 minute trip south with my fiance to visit his mother in southwest Atlanta. He too is a car enthusiast like me and it was as if we were co-piloting a 757 jet. As we merged onto I-285 without a word, the windows were rolled down, our rarely used radio was turned completely off, and we just sat back and allowed the FRS to do what she does best. No foolishness or uncontrolled driving occurred, but I will say with every curve in the road the FRS took, she was begging to go faster! Once again, I marveled at the set-up of this car from factory. All-in-all, everything will have it's flaws, but the goods in this car completely override any flaws and quite frankly makes me forget them the moment we are on the road.

[wawawoowee]

@FRSupra , Thanks for this post; I agree wholeheartedly with you.

I owned a 2005 S2000 for 2.5 years and wasn't driving it much towards the end, so I sold it. The car I switched to was a 2012 WRX hatch since I drove my friend's stage 2 '12 WRX and loved the power. What I didn't pay attention to was that all the driving feel I had in the S2000 was gone (although I realized it as soon as I picked up my 2012 WRX from the dealer). I have nothing against the WRX; it just isn't the car for me. A year later, I finally traded in my WRX for a 2013 BRZ Limited. I cannot be happier. It really is different from every car out there (especially in its price range) because of how "pure" it feels. It's nice to once again have a car that I go out just to drive, track/autox, always take the long way home with, and still have every creature comfort I could really want.

I can honestly say that I don't plan on selling this car at any point. I will eventually get a daily driver and have a goal of owning a 997.2 GT3RS (all-time favorite car), but I don't plan on getting rid of this thing. I'll build it into a track-toy/weekend-fun car and keep it as long as I can. I believe that it is one of the last pure drivers cars for the foreseeable future (safety, regulations, efficiency, horsepower wars, etc.), although I hope that other manufacturers will use the twins as an inspiration to put out a similar product again.

Kudos to Subaru/Toyota; you guys rock.

[SubieNubie]

"Anyone can throw a big engine in a car, but it's what makes that connection between the driver and the road that counts."

My favorite quote.

[LeeMaster]

Originally Posted by Ponwh

The problem with the world is that, people always want more.

I could not agree more with this statemet. 98% of the time when getting into a conversation with people I always hear, "It's just so slow", or, "Needs a turbo" OR "Needs AWD + Turbo".
You see it on facebook all the time, less in real life because people are no longer hiding behind their computer but you get the idea..

[Trettiosjuan]

Great original post. I have felt a bit sidelined by most modding done on this forum that turned the car into something that, for me, was the very thing it tried not to be - a high hp high grip sports car. I understand why, but I also felt that while things were gained, some of the originals cars spirit were getting lost along the way in this community. Win some, lose some. To each their own.

Then this post came and I feel strengthened that there is still hope for the original spirit. Not saying it is "better" this or that way, just that it deserves to be understood, also.

With that, I would just want to remind that there are more options than stock vs. modifying for more power/grip. There are other modifying paths. One I chose was to refine what makes the original car good. I added some bushes and dialed out some understeer - nothing new there and also added, or rather "substracted", 16" wheels on regular GY balloon soft side-walled tires, losing 6kg per corner in the process. It is the very opposite of what most do, with less direct steering, more comfort... And yet it gives me more driving feel, with more movement and excellent road contact and better feedback on grip levels that makes me enjoy the car even more as it flows and slides down a twisty narrow bumpy road. Provided one has such roads, of course... and you don't forget to drive it there...

(Edit) Oh and I forgot a great car reference. For me the Lotus Elan is perhaps the greatest one. The wheel comparison is very telling...

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3KWU1qlfIM"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3KWU1qlfIM[/ame]


Yep, just wanted to mention that. Over and out.

PS: I also added a catback and have headers on order, not for more hp per se, but for more "engine enjoyment"...