Differences between Performance Pkg v. tS
 

Forget the old tS with the big wing - so, that leaves me with with the 2017+ performance package or a 2020 tS - Other than the cosmetics, revalved dampers and the tires, anything else that would make me spend the extra money for a new car?

it's got that never-been-farted in smell.

you can later brag about it being a 1-owner, adult owned car.

tS stands for Tough Shit....if you don't like the price.


They've done their best to make more profits and eliminate any model I might purchase.

That's the problem. The tS is priced so close to the Type R, might as well look at that too.

Performance pkg it is. The search begins.

Stiffer springs, draw stiffener for the sub-frame, and flexible strut tower braces make the tS handle better than a PP. All of which you can find from japanparts.com
This has been discussed to death in the Suspension sub-forum.

The tS has a sharper steering response and feel. The suspension changes were mainly to help the chassis accommodate the gripper tires.

We learned from one user that the tS was faster around a track (~1sec) compared to their modded BRZ with bigger tires, header, and a tune.

I made the mistake of selling my 2018 BRZ tS. I knew I wanted to get a first-gen BRZ before they ended production, and even though I'm not too fond of the flat white and bronze wheels... I didn't look at anything else other than the 2020 BRZ tS because I know firsthand that it's the best twin that Toyota and Subaru had offered to us.

The red/black interior with the darker finished trim is a nice bonus too.

You can get a 20tS for around $30k and most states have 0.9% interest.

There's 26 available outside of California.

I just bought mine last week and couldn't be happier, and that's coming from an american muscle car enthusiast. The TS comes, as stated above, with STI tuned suspension and other cool goodies like an STI short throw shifter, the STI push button, the VERY nice black and red interior. I also like the bronze 18 inch wheels.

When I bought the vehicle I also looked at the Sport Tech RS (that's the performance package in Canada). I knew down the road I would want to eventually upgrade the wheels and suspension but with the TS that's already done.

The ceramic white is superb under the sun and you also get a limited edition car.

YES. It is a little overpriced though. But overall the vehicle is quite nice.

I was cross shopping the RS against the Hakone and the RS was actually $50 cheaper. You get a pile of extras for that money! Don't think they are overpriced at all.

I just traded in my 2020 Hakone for a 2020 tS and the deal was great. Why?


My Hakone came with TRD springs (completly suck) and TRS sways. The car hit the bumpstops over everything and there was absolutely NO suspension travel. They definitely did not test the dampers for those springs. The dealer wouldnt swap them back to stock cheaply. My wife who is typically cool about modded cars, complained constantly about the terrible suspension. So....


1. Keep the car, lose the wife...NOT happening.
2. Find used springs, swap out, $1000 with labor, maybe cheaper if I could find a person to do it on the side.
3. Buy the Ohlins for $2200, plus labor, plus alignment, around $3000, but then since I started modding I would want to brakes, wheels and tires...and I dont want to mod 2 cars (already have a 95 Miata.)
4. Trade in Hakone for 2020 tS.


I chose #4. The tS is like a completely different car. I drove to Charlotte yesterday and then drove back to Cincy in the same day. Wife came along, and she even likes it better.



Either way I was spending $3000, and I feel that I got more for that money going that route. SAD no more green paint, but the tS white is very nice! Not to mention the interest rate was lower on the BRZ.


I had 4 that I was trying to buy, 1 in Georgia (not offering enough for trade in), 1 in South Carolina (offered enough for trade, but would only do $500 under invoice) and 2 in NC (both were aggressive in matching deals). A couple places in Ohio and Indiana wouldn't go lower than $500 under invoice for a Limited PP car, they really were not even aggressive about calling me back, so maybe they didn't need to sell a car this month.


The best I could do after 4 days of haggling was $1300 under invoice, but I also got PEP #1 and the short throw shifter tossed in for free.



VERY HAPPY with the car now. I cannot explain any better how those TRD springs sucked!

If you were hitting the bump stops all the time then they didn't cut them like they are supposed to. I had dealer installed RSR Superdowns on my FRS which was 1/2" more drop than the TRD springs and rarely hit the stops since they were done right.
If they added parts at the dealership you should still have received the stock ones. You paid for them so they are yours. Mine came with the TRD sway bars but I hated them. Since I had the stock ones as well it was a simple swap. Still have the stock springs and exhaust in a shed.


The stock that exists is it. Why would they be eager to discount it? Lucky to get a deal at all really. Well done!

Hey neighbor. Im over in Louisville. my 2018 tS came from Beechmont originally. Had to brought over to Florence for a better deal.

Nope, the TRD bits on my Hakone were port installed options. The local Toyota dealer wasn't willing to help out at all. In fact, the d-bag service advisor quoted me $900 labor to swap all 4 springs, which I would have had to source used.



There were NO tS cars in Ohio.

All this talk about bump stops got me thinking. Does the tS have shorter bump stops for its mild 10-15mm drop? How often do people bottom out their tS on its bump stops?