Nightmare driving FR-S vs driving Miata

[Sport-Tech]

Probably a better match for the twins than the Miata is the new Fiat 124 Abarth - same basic platform but better soundproofing, slightly bigger and heavier, and according to all the reviews it's a great handling car. Some nice Mopar goodies are coming for it as well. Hope to see a head-to-head with the MCR'ed twins soon.

[JFunk]

I was also between a miata and a frs but the frs felt better to me, I had driven manual before just never with dense city traffic more like a small town at first it was a hassle it still is seeing as I've only had my car for month but I've seen my progress and the car has gotten better for me or should I say I've gotten better for the car. The engine sound to me is decent, but a good exhaust will fix it
The sound tube delete really would help a lot helped me to shut up my gf and her constant complaints on how my car drones so much and all the noises bother her. After he delete it's decently quiet but as previous post say there are a lot of sounds, my gf is no in love with the car and actually asked me if I can put the sound tube back in lol but I prefer the nice quiet interior


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[Summerwolf]

All the issues are you.

[RichardsFRS]

Some of that may be lack of skills but a lot of it is true to this car. Its clutch point is high, so forget feathering around in the city in first in traffic. Also, yes its torquey on the bottom in first, so leave your self a half a car if you can't control that. You don't want to jump into someones rear bumper. You can drive in second and just get your revs up to that gear when you start off, but that gets anoying. This car is a go car. You let out the clutch it goes, it doesn't sleep and its clutch is quick. I wouldn't think the miata is much different. I'd like to drive one to see

Guess you should have put more thought into the miata before jumping over to the FRS. From what I read, the FRS is a much better performing car. And from what you said of the miata; it doesn't have the characteristics of being a quick to go car. But like i said Id have to drive it

[Sport-Tech]

Driven both, the new Miata definitely has an easier to modulate clutch IMO, with its lower and wider bite point. But for the experienced MT driver I don't think it would be that hard to adapt to the GT86.

[Romanov]

suggestions for each of your issues
1. Clutch Adjustment/spring removal - i recently did the spring removal and i haven't missed it. I still need to do the adjustment.

2. If i know the next stoplight will be red by the time i get to it i leave it in whatever gear it is in almost to the point of stalling then push in the clutch and brake. In lots of stop and go i just leave it in first-second. you'll get used to in time

3. it's all about finding that sweet spot of gas/clutch to get it going. It will take time to learn.

4. Motul 300/transmission oil change/mtec springs/weighted shfit knob will help - what you are experiencing is normal

5. buy an exhaust to drown out the engine noise

[FX86]

i say rev the heck out of your car and then shift up...like a sports bike it doesn't like to be going slow and shifting..but if you get it up to speed and the rpms up the shifts will be smoother

[Songha]

Originally Posted by Romanov

suggestions for each of your issues
1. Clutch Adjustment/spring removal - i recently did the spring removal and i haven't missed it. I still need to do the adjustment.

2. If i know the next stoplight will be red by the time i get to it i leave it in whatever gear it is in almost to the point of stalling then push in the clutch and brake. In lots of stop and go i just leave it in first-second. you'll get used to in time

3. it's all about finding that sweet spot of gas/clutch to get it going. It will take time to learn.

4. Motul 300/transmission oil change/mtec springs/weighted shfit knob will help - what you are experiencing is normal

5. buy an exhaust to drown out the engine noise

I suggested the clutch spring removal earlier in the post as well. Seeing that you've done it, did you get used to the catch point before doing this? I'm considering doing it as well but after 5 months owning my FR-S, I've gotten used to it. Do you like it better as everyone else has?

[Braces]

OP ... you have to EMBRACE the noises, clutch feel, notchy gears, road noise, etc. etc. because that's what race cars feel like. No sound deadening. No soft clutches. I used to own a 911. Trust me. Clutch was heavy. Engine was noisy. I could hear the transmission , gears, synchros all moving, tire noise. I LOVED it. It's part of the experience.

If you want ..... EASY .... then the 86 is not for you.

Keep practicing. In time ... you won't even have to think about shifting.

[DarkPhoenix]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

What those guys said.

As far as the engine sound goes, in one month you probably haven't heard half the weird noises yet. It is a boxer in a virtually non soundproofed car so you either learn to love it or trade it. The sounds are not going away.

Originally Posted by Braces

OP ... you have to EMBRACE the noises...

Just wait until you get the crickets.

Jokes aside, the FR-S isn't an easy car to drive properly, but it's worth the trouble and the effort to learn its quirks. Like Braces said above, this is a pure sports car. The Miata is more forgiving, but it's a different type of car, so in a way you're comparing apples to oranges.

Yes, it's possible you got the wrong car for you, but it's going to take some time before you can really know for sure - a month isn't long enough to really learn it.

[gramicci101]

I don't know what everyone's talking about. The clutch is easy to feather in first in traffic, it's easy to balance on the clutch at a stoplight on a hill (not recommended), it's easy to upshift smoothly, it's easy to downshift smoothly, the shifter requires very little effort to move between gears, the pedals are set up very well for heel/toe downshifting. This is not a difficult car to drive slowly. The only time I double clutch is from first to second if the transmission is cold (say, just pulling out of the neighborhood on a cold day).


My drivetrain mods. It doesn't cost a lot of money to make a tremendous improvement in feel. I haven't removed the clutch spring.
Motul 300 in trans and diff - $80
MTEC shift springs - $33
Whiteline transmission bushing insert - $31
Whiteline rear diff carrier bushing inserts - $54
Energy Suspension shifter mount bushing - $18

[strat61caster]

I didn't feel really comfortable until I put 30k miles on the odometer, it was my second MT car, 4th MT I've driven and I already had >15k miles and 3 years experience. I think this car is a little more difficult to figure out in daily scenarios than most. Shifts like butter when you're pretending you're a racecar driver on track, but in stop and go traffic? Like @humfrz said, it's an art, but the kind of art like a well stacked supermarket display: 99% of the world doesn't give a shit, and your coworkers will give you a pat on the back.

Props for giving it a try. Good luck, hope you stick with it.

[Romanov]

Originally Posted by Songha

I suggested the clutch spring removal earlier in the post as well. Seeing that you've done it, did you get used to the catch point before doing this? I'm considering doing it as well but after 5 months owning my FR-S, I've gotten used to it. Do you like it better as everyone else has?

I drove the car for about 1 year before i did this, and i was used to driving like this for quite some time (shifting smoothly ect). I just decided to do it to make it feel like a real clutch with more feedback and being a little less vague. I really like it i feel like i shift even more smoothly, but some people do not and revert back to include the spring.

[finch1750]

Spend more time with it. Youre new to it so some is just making it totally second nature. Adjust the clutch pedal as others have said, it helps a lot. A heavy shift knob may help getting it from gear to gear a bit easier as well (though the stock knob has some weight to it)

But in the end it may not be perfect and you have to decide if you can deal with it or would rather sell the car and get something else.

And lastly Subarus make noise so do like every Subi owner and get a loud ass exhaust to cover it up haha