Upgrade Decisions
 

So, I’m at a point in my life where I have a decent amount of funds available. I’m thinking about upgrading my car to a Type R new(price marked up), a used STI, or a Supercharged 86 with upgraded brake and tires(along with other mods that may make this build more balanced). I’d just like to hear input from anyone with experience SC their ride(assuming it’s a BRZ/FRS/86) and/or anyone who owns or driven an STI 15-current or Type R 17-current. Thank you.

I've driven a stock type r messed with various levels of 14 sti and wrx's and have owned both e85 na frs and brz ts clone and installed both Jackson racing and vortech supercharger kits to the pre 17 chassis.

I can't tell you what's better or not the

Type r is insanely good. But it is fwd and it sort of heavy and the front wheels feel it after a bit. This car is the most digital feeling out of all three. It's still hyper fast and the noises it makes and the braking feel.. Honda braking is just so sweet. It does have its limitations with oil and coolant Temps but aftermark can help with that. It should be nearly illegal to drive on the street with how good it is. Made the focus St and the golf r look like child's play.. Sorry for the old language but this car is "knar"

The subarus are also great cars a bit more tame but alot more functional. They also don't use highly special parts so replacement stuff for them is cheap and easy to come by. I've always enjoyed them highly and the awd system is just so sweet. It's a real peach of a car that does dual duty well. It too is kinda heavy but tire wear patterns are normal for awd and it's balance. Really recommend these chassis for guys who only have room or money for one car and wants to tweak them and have fun but not go overboard. The sti's versions are just a tune and some fuel away from making all the power you want for street driving. Seriously 330 whp is pretty staunch with awd

The 86 chassis is great. For being a parts bin special from subaru they took their time in making the parts work really well. It's light turns in well responds to driver input. It's engaging and fun. If but slow the supercharger kits. Standard like 5 psi? Make good power and can go on in one day. The vortech kit was a 7 hour install at a leisurely pace.. And it really livens things up. On a stock 4.1 rear I don't think it's as rip snorting at the sti or type r will be. As far as reliability with them at modest boost pressures it'll be fine I think I'd trust em up to 10 psi but anything more and the engine becomes the concern. Around 8 psi or 9 might be perfect and couple that with the forever 17x9 common wheel size and you have a good balanced chassis and it would be alot of fun.

what are you going to use the car for? Daily driving, tracking etc?

I swapped my, purchased new, 2015 WRB WRX STI for a, purchased new, 2017 Limited Edition 86, manual of course.

The money left over from selling the STI purchased:

Enkei RPF-1 rims
Hankook RS4 tyres
MCA coilovers and traction mod.
AVO turbo
Full 2.5" exhaust

The STI with a exhaust and tune made 215kwatw and it weighed 1550kg????
The base run stock for the STI was 145kwatw.

The turbo 86 makes 205kwatw and weighs 1250kg + turbo ?????1270kg????

The 86 when stock made 115kwatw, with a tune and a "free flowing" OEM exhaust it made 147kwatw.

The STI felt laggy and then fellover at about 6k rpm

The 86 keeps going to redline.

The STI looked like a Kia or Hyundai with a wing.

The 86 looks awesomeballs.

The STI was like a understeering boat, and even when tuned, was uninspiring. It took sway bars and alot of alignment changes to get it right "where I" could live with it.

The 86 is like a gokart and now pisses all over the STI for fun value, and all round performance.

The plus for the STI was it was a good little family car, you could get 5 adults in (3 squeezed in the back) and a weeks worth of shopping in the boot.

If you live where you need AWD (snow, muddy roads) it might be more functional, me, I don't see snow, and muddy roads are for rally cars and 4WD.

Edit: the 86 is now 20mm lower.

Never owned a Type-R but various STIs and a BRZ (tS parts equipped) I can assure you STI is by far the more practical car with lots of enjoyment and if you buy the latest special edition S209 you don't need to tune it or spend a lot on mods.
Of course BRZ is pure joy but you may lack the power if you used to drive more powerful cars!

I like the BRZ with the supercharger. It makes it a fun car and the power feels about right on the street imo. My biggest drawback is that the car wasn't really engineered around 300 hp so must accept some risk with modding.

i daily a supercharged brz, its a ton of fun, people cant make fun of you for being slow (although, be honest, 260wheel is still slow)

but truth be told, i dont whip in the streets, im nearing 30, sounds like ur out of your teens as well.

i do not think having a FI 86 vs NA 86 would make a single difference in my daily driving, other than a chip on the shoulder when talking to other car guys. idk, maybe im just no fun.

that said, i would absolutely get a s/c 86, 4 doors are just plain jane, there are fast 4 door sedans, but i just dont want to be in the same category as 3 series, civics, corrolas, a4's etc. 2 doors for me. so you would not carch me dead in a type R, i am a subie fan boy, but i just dont want a 4 door sedan.

You went from 'practical STI' to the most unpractical STI--the S209. With S209 money ($64k), he could buy a base STI ($36k) and a base 86 ($27k) and still have a grand left over.

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@localgod808

To the OP, go test drive each one. This is absolutely necessary. Ask yourself which one feels the best to drive. Ignore power at first. Ask yourself which one has the seating position and ergonomics that you like. Ask yourself which one handles the way you like. Ask yourself which one fits inside your life the way you like. Ask yourself which one just feels right. Ask yourself if RWD, FWD or AWD is your preference.

Then ask yourself, do you prefer modified or unmodified cars--NA or FI cars--lighter or more heavy/solid--bigger or smaller dimensions. The STI and Type R not only have more power, but it is easier to get more power; all you need is a few bolt ons and a tune and you might see an extra 100hp, but for the 86 you will need a FI kit, clutch, tune, etc. The 86 is cheaper, so the price could work out, but the platform isn't the greatest for reliable power. 350whp/250tq seems to be the safe limit for the rods and that would be with E85. 275whp/200tq seems to be about the limit on pump gas. The transmission will tear itself apart somewhere between 250-300wtq, depending on the driving style and luck. While I like my platform, I can admit that other platforms could be more palatable for other people's tastes, and if it is, they may also prefer the easy access to more power. If you end up being indifferent then in general you are better off buying the most from the factory and doing light mods than doing heavy mods on a cheaper car; ie, buy a STI or Type R instead of buying something cheaper and then trying to match their performance. This is true of the WRX ($27.5k) vs STI ($36K); the STI has more than $8.5k in extra stuff, which would cost double or triple that price to replicate if someone wanted to buy a WRX and modify it to match a STI. Similarly, the Type R and STI are more expensive, but are a better value because it would take a lot more stuff to match what you get from the factory compared to modifying an 86. In the end, that didn't matter to me because this was the platform I fell in love with.

Also, if this is a new car conversation then instead of a new car you may also want to consider a used car. For the price of a new Type R or STI or 86 plus brakes/FI/suspension/clutch you could be looking at some nice used cars. Just like the STI and Type R are a better bang for your buck, so would buying some nice used cars that have dropped in price.

Used pony cars would be cheap. There are decent prices on used Caymans, BMW M240i, older V8/I6 M3s, Audi S3, Lexus ISF, if a little more luxury is your thing.

In terms of money too the I30N ( or the velostar n? ) is about the same performance of the type R and argubly better bang for the dollar and its really really a hoot

I absolutely love my SC 86. I think a used +17 model with PP, and add the parts you want like wheels, tires, and FI. If this mostly for street a positive displacement blower is a lot of fun plus that wine. If your looking a more track focused kit, Jackson racing kit will fit the bill. Either way with both setups you will be well under either costs of the other cars.

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