First Drive Review of Toyota FT-86 / Scion FR-S Mule! [Car magazine]

[SUB-FT86]

I cant feel torque in engines less than 2 liter so serialkiller must be used to engines of that type. But when I have driven cars with over 3 liters I feel the damn torque.

[ryridesmotox]

I have a different perspective to look at the drivetrain... this Toyota ecu tuning stuff kinda worries me. I know the Subaru guys use Cobb tuning and such, is there something similar for Toyota stuff? I am looking at this from purely modification/tuning standpoints. All of this car has a huge aftermarket following (Subaru motor, aisin trans, torsen difs etc etc) all of these have people that build high performance stuff. The Toyota ecu doesn't seem to have a similar following.

[madfast]

Originally Posted by ryridesmotox

I have a different perspective to look at the drivetrain... this Toyota ecu tuning stuff kinda worries me. I know the Subaru guys use Cobb tuning and such, is there something similar for Toyota stuff? I am looking at this from purely modification/tuning standpoints. All of this car has a huge aftermarket following (Subaru motor, aisin trans, torsen difs etc etc) all of these have people that build high performance stuff. The Toyota ecu doesn't seem to have a similar following.

toyota ecu is encrypted and thus no tuning whatsoever. i've also read that if you run a piggyback, the ecu's closed loop will just tune out the piggy making it useless after a while.

so the answer is a simple yes or no. does this car have a toyota ecu?
yes: we're all screwed, this car will fail if all you can do is bolt ons
no: this car will be an epic tuner's car

lastly, there have been rumors that the BRZ may use a different ecu (unencrypted like all subarus?) and make more power because of it. if that's the case then the BRZ will be the one to get...

[ryridesmotox]

Yea that's what I was afraid of. My cobalt is easy money. With a good tune people can pick up over 50 HP. And they were encrypted for quite a while as well.

If the brz gets a different ecu I can't imagine it will be terribly difficult to swap.

[madfast]

Originally Posted by ryridesmotox

If the brz gets a different ecu I can't imagine it will be terribly difficult to swap.

do you mean a BRZ ecu in a FR-S? don't most modern ecu's have the VIN stored in them? so you'd have to take it to the dealer for the new ecu to even work. is that even possible with a FR-S vin and BRZ ecu?

imo there is a WHOLE LOT riding on whether or not the ecu is encrypted...

[MiguelAE86]

If anyone is wondering where the Interior picture came from, i found it!

http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-reviews...aspx?im=470713

[tranzformer]

This car will be epic either way.

[ryridesmotox]

Originally Posted by madfast

do you mean a BRZ ecu in a FR-S? don't most modern ecu's have the VIN stored in them? so you'd have to take it to the dealer for the new ecu to even work. is that even possible with a FR-S vin and BRZ ecu?

imo there is a WHOLE LOT riding on whether or not the ecu is encrypted...

If the Vin is all you are worried about... that is easy money. Most, if not all, stand alone tuning software can fix that. In the cobalt world it was common to have a couple different ecus if you ever had to send the car back for warranty work. Now with HP tuners I can handle all the retunes.

[Jah1mon]

Wonder if there is any hope at all of a turbo version with the BRZ. The driving review sounds promising, I am still going to hold out for a FI version.

[ryridesmotox]

Originally Posted by Jah1mon

Wonder if there is any hope at all of a turbo version with the BRZ. The driving review sounds promising, I am still going to hold out for a FI version.

I think a forced induction version would significantly up the price. Like at least 4 or 5 grand. That isn't just the cost of parts. Toyota must also account for more warranty work, which will factor in, and redesign of intake paths and exhaust to bring it up to emissions standards. It would be better to do it yourself anyways, you can choose a turbo specifically for your desired application (drags, road course, or daily driver) and I'm sure kits will be around soon.

[madfast]

Originally Posted by ryridesmotox

If the Vin is all you are worried about... that is easy money. Most, if not all, stand alone tuning software can fix that. In the cobalt world it was common to have a couple different ecus if you ever had to send the car back for warranty work. Now with HP tuners I can handle all the retunes.

nope. stand alones dont work on the IS350, so i cant imagine they would work on this car. why? D-4S. there is no stand alone that can tune 4 DI injectors and 4 port injectors. and with modern ecu's everything is integrated, so you can possibly lose systems like TC/ASC and ABS, etc.

[Marrk]

Originally Posted by serialk11r

Oh and, bullshit torque number, as usual. You can't "feel" torque.

This is a baffling statement.

I must respectfully disagree. :happy0180:

[ryridesmotox]

Originally Posted by madfast

nope. stand alones dont work on the IS350, so i cant imagine they would work on this car. why? D-4S. there is no stand alone that can tune 4 DI injectors and 4 port injectors. and with modern ecu's everything is integrated, so you can possibly lose systems like TC/ASC and ABS, etc.

Exactly I completely understand about the IS350 and such. But there is tuning able to account for the injector issue. A few shop cobalts have both the DI of my car and secondary injectors in the manifold to allow for a TON of fuel... Like I said, shop cars... I believe they use HPtuners as well, but that tuning software is domestic cars (Forde, GM, Dodge) only. But if the BRZ uses a different ECU, that is able to be unlocked with tuning software then it will be able to be used to run the car. I doubt this will be the case though, that would mean that subaru would have to make the computers and do all the programming and such. I hope that the ECU will be able to be unlocked somehow. If not this car will be about as boring as my grandpa's Cadillac... Tuning is EVERYTHING in cars these days... Especially with a direct injection motor.

[madfast]

Originally Posted by ryridesmotox

Exactly I completely understand about the IS350 and such. But there is tuning able to account for the injector issue. A few shop cobalts have both the DI of my car and secondary injectors in the manifold to allow for a TON of fuel... Like I said, shop cars... I believe they use HPtuners as well, but that tuning software is domestic cars (Forde, GM, Dodge) only. But if the BRZ uses a different ECU, that is able to be unlocked with tuning software then it will be able to be used to run the car. I doubt this will be the case though, that would mean that subaru would have to make the computers and do all the programming and such. I hope that the ECU will be able to be unlocked somehow. If not this car will be about as boring as my grandpa's Cadillac... Tuning is EVERYTHING in cars these days... Especially with a direct injection motor.

are those shop cars on the stock ecu with tuning software or a stand alone? dual injectors as a concept isnt anything new, but having it as an oem setup is pretty unique.