Great car/tire review for the BRZ/FRS by Randy
 

I love these episodes of Downshift with Randy Pobst. In this one both Motor Trend and Tire Rack tested tires on a Mustang V6, BRZ, and BMW 328i. They sought out to see if performance tires really make a difference…

Randy Pobst gave our Subaru BRZ an awesome review and even said that "we wimped out when we didn't make it the best drivers car" His only slightly negative comment was that it needs more POWAHHHH!!!… He said something about adding a TURBO…

I am so excited about getting my BRZ in December… :party0030:

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSqWD5BSeoY"]Testing Tires with Subaru BRZ, Ford Mustang & BMW 328i! The Downshift Ep. 65 - YouTube[/ame]

Randy Pobst knows what's up. I think if he'd been in charge of their Best Driver's Car ratings, the F-type wouldn't have been anywhere in the top five. Still can't believe MT put the F-type ahead of the Cayman in that contest...

If that's the same video I saw a week or two ago, than he said it needs it when you put on very sticky tires, since it then has more grip than power. So if you're on stock rubber - it doesn't need more power.

Good bit of info: Bridgeston S04 PP is about the same level of grip as oem.

Agree with this.

One of the execs in the company I work for is an avid driving enthusiast, and he bought the F-Type S.

He says that it's the biggest disappointment he had in the past 20 years. But then again, he traded his Cayman S for that, and currently still owns his 911.

I really think MotorTrend is completely bought out by auto-makers, specially on their Best Driver's Car yearly show. You can tell 70% of their show and reviews makes common sense, but the 30% remaining is just pure junk fed by the biggest bet from X automaker.

The FT86 chasis and platform is just awesome. It does scream for more power with higher performance tires. As opposed to the Mustang which Randy said the extreme tires were more tire than the chasis allowed and the chasis rolled too much and also bottomed out. Pobst actually recommended sticking with the OEM tires on the Stang which is a big disadvantage for the Mustang platform.

Ford really needs to overhaul that chasis. It is dated and it shows on the track.

That video did more to showcase the BRZ's chassis than anything else.

Uh, Yeah. That would be why they are!

I agree and like the Mustang V6 even the BMW 328i started showing some chassis weakness after the installation of grippier tires.

It really makes me happy that Subaru did such a solid job on the BRZ's chassis.

Be careful who you say that in front of, lol… The Mustang camp will be having a flame war if they thought that we were talking bad about the highly revered Mustang.

Randy's praise for the BRZ is spot on and one of the best kept secrets in the automotive enthusiast world. This platform has much higher upside potential than what is typically known. It literally begs to be unleashed with aftermarket support.

In my case I did a track weekend at Roebling Road in May completely stock other than RBF 600. Came back in August with coil overs , V710's and better pads. Without any power adders and in much worse conditions the lap times dropped from 1:31 to 1:23. The car was absolutely transformed into a cornering monster. Now let's talk about what 250whp will add to the equation.

I am *shocked* by the results with the S04 vs oem tires, can't be right...

Gotta be the low rolling resistance of the OEM tire, lol :party0030:
Seriously though, S04 isn't much of a step up, and probably less communicative. I've had it loong time ago and it wouldn't scream progressively louder when pushed. I might not appreciate OEM Michelins trying to get cops on my ass on the street, but on the track extra feedback is welcome and lets you go faster.

Yeah but still, with Pobst behind the wheel - the S04 should have a much stickier compound than the stock tires. Aren't they supposed to be just a small notch below the Michelin PSS (which are the second coming of tires)?

Very interesting test. To me it suggests that choice of tire on the BRZ depends on what you're looking for. For drivers who actually enjoy sliding the rear end out, the OEM tires do the trick pretty darn well in a predictable way. If you want more grip and less slide, the higher performance tires are there for you. But if you go too sticky, like the last tire in the test, you may be disappointed wishing for more power to exploit the grip. Choices, choices.

For me, I think I'm going to stick with the OEMs for a while and then probably upgrade to something stickier, but not too sticky. :-)