Nose drive/nose heavy

[regal]

The stock FRS, especially tight turns on sharp declines has a tendency to nose dive. I know the stock suspension was sort of setup for "drifting" with the lighter springs up front.

Anyone else experience this? Would higher spring rates up front help or a bigger front sway bar? Also the weight distribution up front leads to a little under damping on sharp declines.

With other cars the solution to this is a matched set of stiffer springs and tighter struts (Koni used makes a great package engineered for specific cars).

Coil overs just aren't an option for me, has anyone found a solution to this issue ?

[448hpsti]

I feel you

My wife's car just got a vortech and I can feel the extra weight, I have decided on Rce yellow after vehicle bunch of research and run some nice coil overs from GC on my car. Ah daily driveshersvto work and isn't a coil over candidate either

[Suberman]

Originally Posted by regal

The stock FRS, especially tight turns on sharp declines has a tendency to nose dive. I know the stock suspension was sort of setup for "drifting" with the lighter springs up front.

Anyone else experience this? Would higher spring rates up front help or a bigger front sway bar? Also the weight distribution up front leads to a little under damping on sharp declines.

With other cars the solution to this is a matched set of stiffer springs and tighter struts (Koni used makes a great package engineered for specific cars).

Coil overs just aren't an option for me, has anyone found a solution to this issue ?

The BRZ doesn't do this. Simplest mod I can think of is to swap in a set of front springs from a Subaru BRZ parts dept. That way you'll get the stiffer front end you think you need plus the stiffer rear end the FRS comes with.

A higher rate front roll bar would also work for cornering but would not totally cure the weight transfer dive caused by braking or lifting off.

Toyota spec'd the softer front spring rates (and crapola tires) to make inducing oversteer easier on the FRS, by lifting off, pitching the front in and then standing on the gas pedal. The weight transfer dive you notice is deliberately dialled in for the FRS and is just for the kids. The BRZ has the suspension set up for grown ups.

I'm also ditching the hopeless Primacy tires, they totally ruin this car for serious drivers. Even my winter tires are better: 225/45x17 Pirelli Sottozeros. I mean whose idea was it to fit 215 profile tires? Who even makes these? They even look silly, like seeing a football player wearing ballet flats.

You can't really power oversteer this car anyway so the stock set up is just silly. And you can still do the silly kids stuff with the BRZ which is unfortunate. This car would be so much better if it had been designed to handle properly from the outset. It is sort of fun to have to really drive these cars but only for a while. It gets old really quickly and you just wish it would go where you pointed it.

[regal]

Originally Posted by 448hpsti

I feel you

My wife's car just got a vortech and I can feel the extra weight, I have decided on Rce yellow after vehicle bunch of research and run some nice coil overs from GC on my car. Ah daily driveshersvto work and isn't a coil over candidate either

Keep me posted on the rce yellows those look like a great choice, just concerned about using stock shocks with aftermarket springs. Not so much blowout or damage but matching dampening to spring rate.

Thanks

[Suberman]

Originally Posted by regal

Keep me posted on the rce yellows those look like a great choice, just concerned about using stock shocks with aftermarket springs. Not so much blowout or damage but matching dampening to spring rate.

Thanks

Springs stiff enough to overpower the stock dampers would ruin this car.

This car is slow and fun to drive only because it handles so well. Coilovers would completely ruin the car for street driving.

[xwd]

Many of the autocross folks in STX class now run higher spring rates in the front than the rear, and others like myself are running even spring rates. I believe the RCE yellows are equal front and rear. Koni yellows also help since they are rebound adjustable and will help control some of the weight transfer.

It's somewhat exacerbated by weight reduction since the easy weight reduction is in the rear of the car (tools/spare, gas, muffler).

[Draco-REX]

RCE Yellows =

[Dezoris]

On the FR-S on stock suspension I never had an issue after adding the front sway bar, alignment and sticky tires it transformed the car without basically doing anything on track and street. That setup was by far one of the best. Almost equal to many of the guys running coilovers in autox.

[SkAsphalt]

The only time I notice "dip" is because I (myself) bob forward) with the car, then again I am 6'4 so I am at the very top of my seat. I honestly think just a better seat belt/seats would change how the car feels for me

[EAGLE5]

If you were going to put BRZ springs in the front and FRS springs in the back, which set of dampers would you use, the BRZ or FRS ones, and where?