FR-S/BRZ Vs. 2015 WRX ride quality

[rennlistuser3]

Originally Posted by JoeC

Maybe it's like Sex Panther

He's not kidding. It really does seem to go full blast at only 30% of throttle. You need a bit of time to adjust your driving because it always feels like you're driving a motorcycle when everyone else is driving a bicycle. If anything, this car is just too fast.

[Summerwolf]

The spring rates of the WRX are higher according to NASIOC, but spring rates only play one factor in suspension tuning.


You have shocks, the weight of the vehicle, the height of the vehicle, the actual size of the vehicle, even wheels and tires. Lots of factors weigh in to how a vehicle rides/drives.


The new WRX is a high 13 second low 14 second car. If anything it needs more power. The BRZ is in even more of a power deficit.

[JoeC]

Originally Posted by rennlistuser3

He's not kidding. It really does seem to go full blast at only 30% of throttle. You need a bit of time to adjust your driving because it always feels like you're driving a motorcycle when everyone else is driving a bicycle. If anything, this car is just too fast.

ah I see. I didn't understand the issue therefore was having trouble making sense of that statement. basically 30% throttle input is the same as 100% throttle input. got it. thanks for clarifying

[brzaapi]

I have owned both. If you could swing it i would say own both. But since that is likely not reasonable, I guess it depends on how important it is for you to enjoy..as you put it "a precision instrument" sports car. I have a BRZ as a second car, I feel lucky that i can do that. I love that car. But if you honestly need 4 seats and AWD up in your neck of the woods. Then i would stick with the WRX. Yes everything you mentioned is a con of the WRX. However, the WRX is still a great car. I prefer driving my BRZ, but the WRX is way more practical. If, like me you just have to have both....then you have to bite the bullet and own two different cars. Its the only thing that satisfied me. A sporty practical car, and then a true drivers car that is just for me to enjoy when life allows it.

But as for your question about ride harshness, the WRX is a little less rough....but not a huge difference. In fact i would say that the BRZ handles some bumps better. The main thing is the BRZ has less sound deadening, and this sometimes makes it seem like it is harsher than the WRX. I would say the rides are very similar as far as roughness. But the BRZ is just a touch more raw. Of course, ride quality is so subjective....you really should go test drive one on some bad roads and then you will know for yourself.

If you need 1 car and practicality, keep the WRX.

If you can swing a second car in some form or fashion...then get a BRZ/FRS.

[SHIFTEVO]

The Coupe is definitely more of a drivers car, if you sat in a 350/370z you would want those instead, and it goes on and on!

If you got the money, and want more of a drivers car I recommend this setup:

1) Sparco/Recaro Bucket set with OEM seatbelt
2) Sway Bars
3) Performance Springs/Coilovers

The bucket seat is the best investment I've made and it's the most comfortable seat ever, 5 hour road trip = NO PROBLEM! No exaggeration~

[brzaapi]

I second the Cobb accessport. It will help with the throttle map, but since you dont seem to be a big HP guy, adding further power may not impress you. The WRX will still have the turbo feeling. I have tracked my 15 WRX and another one a few times. They are fun, but your right you dont really use the thottle mid turn the same way you can in an NA RWD car. I dont mind turbos for city/highway driving, in fact i like them just fine. But on the track, turbos do not impress me. I love AWD on the street, but hate it on the track as well. The BRZ is most certainly more fun to track than the WRX....but the WRX has one of the better feeling power deliveries for turboed vehicles in its price range. That being said, i feel it has tons of lag. But much better than my Evo X or '11 WRX.

[rennlistuser3]

Originally Posted by brzaapi

I have owned both. If you could swing it i would say own both. But since that is likely not reasonable, I guess it depends on how important it is for you to enjoy..as you put it "a precision instrument" sports car. I have a BRZ as a second car, I feel lucky that i can do that. I love that car. But if you honestly need 4 seats and AWD up in your neck of the woods. Then i would stick with the WRX. Yes everything you mentioned is a con of the WRX. However, the WRX is still a great car. I prefer driving my BRZ, but the WRX is way more practical. If, like me you just have to have both....then you have to bite the bullet and own two different cars. Its the only thing that satisfied me. A sporty practical car, and then a true drivers car that is just for me to enjoy when life allows it.

But as for your question about ride harshness, the WRX is a little less rough....but not a huge difference. In fact i would say that the BRZ handles some bumps better. The main thing is the BRZ has less sound deadening, and this sometimes makes it seem like it is harsher than the WRX. I would say the rides are very similar as far as roughness. But the BRZ is just a touch more raw. Of course, ride quality is so subjective....you really should go test drive one on some bad roads and then you will know for yourself.

If you need 1 car and practicality, keep the WRX.

If you can swing a second car in some form or fashion...then get a BRZ/FRS.

you're exactly the person I was looking for. Someone who as both and is using both on a regular basis.

I find the WRX steering to be numb compared to the BRZ. Is this your experience as well? Also, I know they should be practically the same engines minus the turbo, but it does feel like the WRX engine is sluggish in comparison. I'm not talking about power, I'm talking about throttle response and how the engine revs up and revs down.

Also, I would personally classify both as performance vehicles, so why would you need two performance vehicles? why not a cozy DD and the BRZ instead of the WRX which is almost as rough?

I don't mind road noise at all. As a matter of fact, I enjoy raw cars if the engine sound is nice. It's the bumpy highway driving that annoys me.

The reason I'm hesitating against having two cars, is the headache of maintaining two cars. It just complicates life unnecessarily. Also, I travel often on weekends to visit my extended family and it's an inconvenience in this case to have two cars. I'd have to leave one car behind in one city or the other.

My argument for having just the WRX is that it's nowhere near as fun as the BRZ but I'll be using it exclusivity and therefore way more often. So what's better? driving a less fun WRX all the time or driving the more fun BRZ sometimes when most other times you'll be using the supple car for main commuting?

[rennlistuser3]

Originally Posted by brzaapi

I second the Cobb accessport. It will help with the throttle map, but since you dont seem to be a big HP guy, adding further power may not impress you. The WRX will still have the turbo feeling. I have tracked my 15 WRX and another one a few times. They are fun, but your right you dont really use the thottle mid turn the same way you can in an NA RWD car. I dont mind turbos for city/highway driving, in fact i like them just fine. But on the track, turbos do not impress me. I love AWD on the street, but hate it on the track as well. The BRZ is most certainly more fun to track than the WRX....but the WRX has one of the better feeling power deliveries for turboed vehicles in its price range. That being said, i feel it has tons of lag. But much better than my Evo X or '11 WRX.

Finally!! someone who knows what I'm talking about when I say turbo throttle is nonlinear. I even stare at the boost needle and see how wacky it gets on throttle. It's nowhere near as precise as a normal NA engine, let alone a good one.

And yes, I personally am not a fan of huge HP. You actually enjoy the car less because before you know it you're hitting 130 MPH when you shouldn't be. I really don't see the point of extra HP on a car you use on the road. Unless you intend to street race which I avoid. I don't tune cars either. I greatly prefer to keep them stock.

This is veering of topic but I see that you've also owned a 20006 Porsche Cayman S. I had a 2005 Boxster S. Mine was unreliable. How did you fare with yours?

[rennlistuser3]

Originally Posted by SHIFTEVO

The Coupe is definitely more of a drivers car, if you sat in a 350/370z you would want those instead, and it goes on and on!

If you got the money, and want more of a drivers car I recommend this setup:

1) Sparco/Recaro Bucket set with OEM seatbelt
2) Sway Bars
3) Performance Springs/Coilovers

The bucket seat is the best investment I've made and it's the most comfortable seat ever, 5 hour road trip = NO PROBLEM! No exaggeration~

I never drove the 350/370z but I never noticed them getting as much love as the twins.

I might go for springs but in that case I'd probably wait a little bit more and see of the WRX suspension would loosen up a bit. It's got less than 1k miles on it so far.

[TylerLieberman]

Originally Posted by rennlistuser3

you're exactly the person I was looking for. Someone who as both and is using both on a regular basis.

I find the WRX steering to be numb compared to the BRZ. Is this your experience as well? Also, I know they should be practically the same engines minus the turbo, but it does feel like the WRX engine is sluggish in comparison. I'm not talking about power, I'm talking about throttle response and how the engine revs up and revs down.

Also, I would personally classify both as performance vehicles, so why would you need two performance vehicles? why not a cozy DD and the BRZ instead of the WRX which is almost as rough?

I don't mind road noise at all. As a matter of fact, I enjoy raw cars if the engine sound is nice. It's the bumpy highway driving that annoys me.

The reason I'm hesitating against having two cars, is the headache of maintaining two cars. It just complicates life unnecessarily. Also, I travel often on weekends to visit my extended family and it's an inconvenience in this case to have two cars. I'd have to leave one car behind in one city or the other.

My argument for having just the WRX is that it's nowhere near as fun as the BRZ but I'll be using it exclusivity and therefore way more often. So what's better? driving a less fun WRX all the time or driving the more fun BRZ sometimes when most other times you'll be using the supple car for main commuting?

The WRX is the do-it-all car. It makes more sense in terms of practicality.

If 99% of your ownership is just going to be spent commuting through traffic, then just keep the wrx. The FRS/BRZ sucks in traffic and simple city street or long distance commutes.

If you're going to be visiting the track or back roads frequently though, then the FRS/BRZ is the more enjoyable/rewarding of the two. After having already done it, I can't imagine owning an FRS/BRZ just to drive to and from work every day. It wasn't any fun. Straight line city roads with no power or torque. Then the long commutes were crap too. I drove my FRS from Oklahoma to Arizona, to California, to Vegas, to Arizona, and back to Oklahoma within a 2 week period. About 10hrs into the initial trip from OK to AZ, I wanted to drive off a cliff and kill myself. So uncomfortable.

Get it on a nice back road or a track, and the car comes alive. That's what the car is meant for.

To give you an idea, I went from a 2012 WRX to a 2013 FRS to a 2016 STI. Huge differences between all three. My STI took everything I loved about the WRX and FRS and put it all together. For every day use, I'll take my STI over the FRS any day of the week. Probably would take it over the FRS on the track too. However, on a back road, I still prefer the FRS over my STI.

That should tell you something.

[rennlistuser3]

Originally Posted by TylerLieberman

The WRX is the do-it-all car. It makes more sense in terms of practicality.

If 99% of your ownership is just going to be spent commuting through traffic, then just keep the wrx. The FRS/BRZ sucks in traffic and simple city street or long distance commutes.

If you're going to be visiting the track or back roads frequently though, then the FRS/BRZ is the more enjoyable/rewarding of the two. After having already done it, I can't imagine owning an FRS/BRZ just to drive to and from work every day. It wasn't any fun. Straight line city roads with no power or torque. Then the long commutes were crap too. I drove my FRS from Oklahoma to Arizona, to California, to Vegas, to Arizona, and back to Oklahoma within a 2 week period. About 10hrs into the initial trip from OK to AZ, I wanted to drive off a cliff and kill myself. So uncomfortable.

Get it on a nice back road or a track, and the car comes alive. That's what the car is meant for.

To give you an idea, I went from a 2012 WRX to a 2013 FRS to a 2016 STI. Huge differences between all three. My STI took everything I loved about the WRX and FRS and put it all together. For every day use, I'll take my STI over the FRS any day of the week. Probably would take it over the FRS on the track too. However, on a back road, I still prefer the FRS over my STI.

That should tell you something.

Thanks! very helpful post

Between the STI and the FRS, which one was harsher on bumps? and which one had a better ride quality on highways in terms for having a supple ride?

Also, do you have any input on comparing the STI to my WRX? for what it's worth, I never considered the STI solely because of price tag. I know it has better steering and better gearbox. Also the AWD is more sophisticated. But simply the price tag alone ended it for me.

[rennlistuser3]

Originally Posted by raven1231

A few things here:

1) both the frs and wrx have a rough ride, the wrx is a little smoother though.

2) the non linear gas pedal has nothing to do with FI but rather the factory tune. Switching to the cobb map or any other will correct this 30% is 100% issue.

3) As for feeling connected, the frs wins hands down. But if you're looking for a better overall package but arguably less of a "toy" car then the wrx is much better in my opinion. If you have the luxury of owning two cars, and or have a lifestyle where the 86 fits in fine then go for it.

4) As stated above you will likely miss the higher tq, I told myself I wouldn't after trading in my EVO 8, but it was only a matter of time before I did.

Pardon me Raven, but I've been reading this thread:

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showt...=66340&page=28

And I noticed you listed the cons of the FR-S and mentioned

"driving is rough, and you feel every bump"

as a con for the FR-S but not for the WRX. So is it significant that it's a con for the FR-S but not for the WRX? or you feel like it's a con for both vehicles?

[raven1231]

Originally Posted by rennlistuser3

Pardon me Raven, but I've been reading this thread:

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showt...=66340&page=28

And I noticed you listed the cons of the FR-S and mentioned

"driving is rough, and you feel every bump"

as a con for the FR-S but not for the WRX. So is it significant that it's a con for the FR-S but not for the WRX? or you feel like it's a con for both vehicles?

both I guess, just more noticeable on the FRS. I would expect any sports car to have somewhat of a harsh ride, the wrx is just more tolerable.

[TylerLieberman]

Originally Posted by rennlistuser3

Thanks! very helpful post

Between the STI and the FRS, which one was harsher on bumps? and which one had a better ride quality on highways in terms for having a supple ride?

Also, do you have any input on comparing the STI to my WRX? for what it's worth, I never considered the STI solely because of price tag. I know it has better steering and better gearbox. Also the AWD is more sophisticated. But simply the price tag alone ended it for me.

In terms of ride comfort, from most comfortable to least comfortable:
VW GTI
Focus ST
WRX
STI
FRS

The difference between the STI and FRS in terms of comfort is marginal though. I think the seats in the FRS/BRZ are a bit better, but it's so much louder in the cabin at speed. Also, since it's small and lighter, I think the bumpy road surfaces are just exaggerated that much more. So, there are trade-offs, but I'll take my STI for a cross country trip long before I take an FRS/BRZ again.

I made a review/comparison thread here:
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=91845

A lot of people have used this thread to help with their decisions in switching to a WRX/STI. All your questions and many more have been answered there. Read through the whole thread and maybe you'll have an easier time with your decision.

I do my very best to remain unbiased to be straight up and transparent. I won't defend my purchase to anybody, because I have no reason to. I pay for the car every month, nobody else does. I had my reasons for switching. I had reasons for wanting to keep the FRS. In the end, the STI made more sense than the FRS for my wants and needs.

I'll also say that the WRX is definitely the better buy/better value compared to the STI. If you have no intention of going to the track, the STI is really a waste of money.