Great car/tire review for the BRZ/FRS by Randy - Toyota GR86, 86, FR-S and Subaru BRZ Forum & Owners Community

2013GTRNate · 09-23-2013, 05:36 AM

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…

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

Ganthrithor · 09-23-2013, 09:22 AM

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...

dsgerbc · 09-23-2013, 12:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2013GTRNate

His only slightly negative comment was that it needs more POWAHHHH!!!… He said something about adding a TURBO…

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.

tacoss23 · 09-23-2013, 12:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ganthrithor

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...

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.

thill · 09-23-2013, 06:53 PM

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.

Mobius357 · 09-23-2013, 08:33 PM

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

a2cpc · 09-23-2013, 10:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thill

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

Uh, Yeah. That would be why they are!

2013GTRNate · 09-23-2013, 10:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mobius357

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

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.

2013GTRNate · 09-23-2013, 10:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by a2cpc

Uh, Yeah. That would be why they are!

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.

Deep Six · 09-25-2013, 06:49 PM

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.

bfrank1972 · 09-25-2013, 06:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dsgerbc

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

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

dsgerbc · 09-25-2013, 07:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bfrank1972

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

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.

bfrank1972 · 09-26-2013, 10:01 AM

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)?

MarcL · 10-02-2013, 07:31 PM

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. :-)

09-25-2013, 06:49 PM	#10
Deep Six Senior Member Join Date: May 2013 Drives: 2013 FRS / 2013 427 Vert Location: Orlando Posts: 611 Thanks: 212 Thanked 328 Times in 197 Posts Mentioned: 5 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	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. __________________ [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC] 2013 FR-S Asphalt BC Coils/Rev Works UEL header/HKS Front Pipe/Racing Brake BBK/Shorai LW Battery/ACT 6 Puck Clutch/FBM Radiator & Oil Pan/JR Oil Cooler/Jackson Racing High Boost C30/Rev Works Built Motor 2016 Audi TTS APR Tuned

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09-23-2013, 09:22 AM	#2
Ganthrithor Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Drives: '13 BRZ, '06 997, Other Things(TM) Location: Santa Barbara, CA Posts: 1,078 Thanks: 1,715 Thanked 670 Times in 351 Posts Mentioned: 9 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	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...

09-23-2013, 06:53 PM	#5
thill Senior Member Join Date: May 2012 Drives: 2020 SS1LE (previous 13 BRZ owner) Location: North Pole Posts: 2,753 Thanks: 328 Thanked 1,463 Times in 802 Posts Mentioned: 20 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	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.

09-23-2013, 08:33 PM	#6
Mobius357 Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2012 Drives: '15 WRX '13 Legacy '07 Colorado Location: Seacoast NH Posts: 337 Thanks: 10 Thanked 118 Times in 82 Posts Mentioned: 9 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	That video did more to showcase the BRZ's chassis than anything else.

09-26-2013, 10:01 AM	#13
bfrank1972 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2013 Drives: 2013 FR-S Argento Location: Westport,CT Posts: 1,855 Thanks: 517 Thanked 1,041 Times in 616 Posts Mentioned: 7 Post(s) Tagged: 1 Thread(s)	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)?

10-02-2013, 07:31 PM	#14
MarcL Member Join Date: May 2013 Drives: 2013 Subaru BRZ Limited (SWP) Location: Denver, CO Posts: 17 Thanks: 3 Thanked 25 Times in 4 Posts Mentioned: 1 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	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. :-)

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