FRS stands for "FUN but REALLY SLOW"

[Rampage]

The twins are competitive in solo CS and more than competitve in STX. They have won their classes two years running in the VLN endurance series. Tony Rivera raced his FR-S to two 1st place finishes and a 3rd place finish (in the rain) at the season opening Pirelli World Challenge TCA class opening rounds at COTA a few weeks ago.

If you are comparing them to cars with 1.5 to 2 times the displacement, turbos or that cost thousands to tens of thousands more then yeah they are slow on a race track. But compare them to other cars, new or old, in their class and they are not slow.


I think this thread keeps coming back because there are those that believe if they keep beating this drum somehow Toyota will reverse what they have stated all along and give the car a turbo, supercharger or a bigger engine.

[totopo]

Originally Posted by Rampage

The twins are competitive in solo CS and more than competitve in STX. They have won their classes two years running in the VLN endurance series. Tony Rivera raced his FR-S to two 1st place finishes and a 3rd place finish (in the rain) at the season opening Pirelli World Challenge TCA class opening rounds at COTA a few weeks ago.

If you are comparing them to cars with 1.5 to 2 times the displacement, turbos or that cost thousands to tens of thousands more then yeah they are slow on a race track. But compare them to other cars, new or old, in their class and they are not slow.


I think this thread keeps coming back because there are those that believe if they keep beating this drum somehow Toyota will reverse what they have stated all along and give the car a turbo, supercharger or a bigger engine.

Haha the question is always what are the cars it is competitive against? In the vln racing, isn't the only other car in its class some 1970s pos? Didn't that 1970s pos beat some of the 86s out there?

In cs it's only competitive because every qqd so hard to get the faster 370z out. Of course you can rule your class if you kick out everyone faster. Sad thing is they might still lose to the rx8. Are they going to qq the rx8 into bs next year?

Iirc the rain helped the Frs because the competitors couldn't put down power. So it helped the lighter weight underpowered Frs.

[tahdizzle]

Dunno what VLN has to do with AutoX, but okay.

only QQing lately in regards to CS is from 370z drivers. Oddly enough the same goes for BS.

[Rampage]

Originally Posted by totopo

Haha the question is always what are the cars it is competitive against? In the vln racing, isn't the only other car in its class some 1970s pos? Didn't that 1970s pos beat some of the 86s out there?

In cs it's only competitive because every qqd so hard to get the faster 370z out. Of course you can rule your class if you kick out everyone faster. Sad thing is they might still lose to the rx8. Are they going to qq the rx8 into bs next year?

Iirc the rain helped the Frs because the competitors couldn't put down power. So it helped the lighter weight underpowered Frs.

No the FR-S took 1st in both the dry races and finished third in the wet race where the FWD KIa Forte Koup and Honda Civic SI had the advantage.

I get that you are upset about the the CS decision. I was a former 350Z owner so I like them too. But lets compare. 3.7L V6 versus 2.0L flat four. 19 x8 fr and 19X9 Rr inch wheels versus 17x7 or 18 x7 wheels. 332 HP min vs 200HP. Do you really think the 370Z belonged in CS? The SCCA didn't.

[SUB-FT86]

I remember when this thread started and I was skeptical over the FR-S. I'm pleased to say I didn't let it get the best of me and the FR-S is the best car I have ever own period. I finally understand the term "Greater than the sum of its parts". I rate every part of the car pretty high but I was surprised to realize the engine isn't as bad as folks make it out to be.

Steering? A
Brakes? A-
Handling? A+++
Chassis Feel? A+
Engine? B

It all adds up to a A for me and I'm sure other cars would get a better score in Engine Performance but would probably fail epically in the other areas.

[halo13]

Sorry for bumping an ancient thread but I wanted to share my experience.

I took delivery of a FR-S a month ago and have modified it quite a bit in a short period of time. My first impression of driving this at the dealership was, "wow this is fun but it's got not balls". I come from a 500HP 370Z which made me grin every single day. So the 86 is a lot different as far as power is concerned.

Sure this car stock only makes 200hp at the crank but it's a high revving engine and it just begs to be driven hard. The way the car is setup is perfect for spirited street driving or the track (if that's your thing). After banging my head against the wall numerous times trying to figure out how I could add more power without breaking the bank (or the car) I decided that I'm ok with the car being slower than other cars out there. I love the way it looks, the handling, and all of the "quirks" relevant to the 86 platform.

I came very close to selling the car this week and getting back into a Z or an STi but I am slowly learning to love my car even with it's underpowered drivetrain.

The car turns heads, is a blast to drive on the street/freeways, and is really unique. So I'm keeping it and to fuel my "adrenaline" addiction I'm getting a litre bike. The 86 will be my A to B car and the bike will be my "holy shit I'm pissing my pants" weekend toy.

Also as I grow older (hitting 40) I'm learning that more power/faster is not always better. Speeding tickets and what not are a deterrent not to shoot for more power. I'm content with the 86 and it's growing on me each day.

My advice for anyone is, test drive the car and you'll see that it's well balanced for what it is and it's engineered for fun not to be a street beast. If you don't like it, there's tons of other cars with more "oomph", but I guarantee you once you get this into some twisty roads/streets you'll have a blast.

[mike_ekim1024]

Originally Posted by halo13

My advice for anyone is, test drive the car and you'll see that it's well balanced for what it is and it's engineered for fun not to be a street beast. If you don't like it, there's tons of other cars with more "oomph", but I guarantee you once you get this into some twisty roads/streets you'll have a blast.

I agree it's almost perfect the way it is. A tune and a header, though, would really wake it up to its full potential, eliminating the torque dip and add a bit more torque. I know it revs high, but being able to drive in the 3-5K range allows you to not sound like a lunatic on spirited drives

[bcj]

One motorbike is never enough :p

[ShadowReaper]

Thats Cute. Got one for BRZ?

[themadscientist]

The car has no balls, true, but it has skills and if the driver can bring the balls to drive it like they stole it and the skill to keep it in the sweet spot, it's a willing partner in crime. I don't feel like I settled, but I knew what the car was. If somebody bought the car expecting fast, that's their fault, not the car's.

[ChrisFL]

I think of the torque dip wasn't a factor, the car wouldn't feel as bad. From my understanding, I've heard that getting an OFT plus a good intake is a start to clear up the torque dip issue and I hope to get the OFT soon

[exE36M3]

If a guy has to RELY on a car to help him drive fast - he sucks as a driver, pure and simple. There's a reason why there's a million wrecked Ferrari, Lambo, Porsche, Civic, [ insert car name here ] on the internet.

I got tailgated by a BMW M5 onto a freeway offramp the other night. He had my ass right up until the clover leaf... then... he had to turn. 400+hp weren't much help there... and I left him with nearly 6 car lengths by the time we hit the bottom of the ramp.

He got so butt hurt he felt he needed to blow past me at 80mph (so guessing 100mph) in *commute* traffic... which could have bought him a fast ticket to death for the price of his ego.

I get the straight line thing. It's fun to mash the pedal and go - hell I had a Tesla S Roadster for an overnight test drive. But sheesh, there's ZERO talent involved mashing a pedal... (Ok the Force family excluded from that comment).

As far as power... sheesh kids.... SHIFT above 4000 rpm at least and if you want power... drive at over 6000rpm... otherwise just buy a Corolla! :P

[themadscientist]

True. The dip is rediculous, especially when simply installing an UEL manifold eliminates it. There's no way Subaru couldn't figure that out. That the powers that be saw that graph and went, "ready to go" is criminal.



That the car doesn't have a ton of power make it MORE exciting to me. You have to do everything perfect to get the best from the car and IMO that is what "driver's car" is about. If the car is doing it for you and making up for your sloppiness you are almost just a passenger.