Steering? 2nd gen BRZ GR86 vs. 1st gen?

[rennlistuser3]

Originally Posted by raisingAnarchy

This doesn't really support rennlist's comment, which I'm not trying to support either, but I believe the first gen steering would overheat on track. Maybe that was just when owner's ran wider tires than stock, but I'm hoping the new gen got some improvements with regard to the few issues it had (coil packs, EPS motor overheat, etc)

This and @nikitopo are valid points



It might be for saving weight or reducing the overheat issue of the older generation


Mine did overheat and shut down on me but it only did that once during ownership.



We need someone from inside Subaru/Toyota to tell us why they decided on this new system.



I'm really liking what @PBR is saying about the new system having better feedback. My wishful thinking will have me hoping this would be my impression of it too.



In any case, I'll only be looking at a new one if my 2017 is utterly destroyed or something cause so far I'm not seeing enough to warrant an upgrade.

[raisingAnarchy]

Originally Posted by PBR

Did not know any of that lol. Awesome Well. This single Dad with no life is about to go down a rabbit hole and get way more confused hahaha.

Just keep in mind that no one gets on a forum to tell the world how great their car is!

[DarkSunrise]

Only time will tell, but the 2nd gen steering doesn't seem like it will cut out the way the 1st gen did with heavy loads. So that's a potentially significant positive that may outweigh the negatives if you regularly encountered that issue at your local track.

Also there are ways to increase steering feel on this chassis, namely through tire and wheel selection. The best steering feel I've felt on my FR-S was with 200tw track tires slightly stretched and with less sidewall, i.e., 235/40/17 tires on 17x9 wheels. Noticeable difference on track and in the canyons. Turn-in was very sharp and there was a bit more feedback coming through the wheel. I'll try a similar setup later this year when I track my 2nd gen but I would expect it will make a similar improvement.

[NoHaveMSG]

Originally Posted by DarkSunrise

Only time will tell, but the 2nd gen steering doesn't seem like it will cut out the way the 1st gen did with heavy loads. So that's a potentially significant positive that may outweigh the negatives if you regularly encountered that issue at your local track.

I would trade some steering feel for that in a heartbeat.

[DarkSunrise]

Originally Posted by NoHaveMSG

I would trade some steering feel for that in a heartbeat.

Yeah my thought exactly, consistency is underrated.

[dhutty]

Originally Posted by PBR

Do this test. Gen 1 vs gen 2. Bumpy road. 30 mph..See which one has more movement. My money is all Gen 2. And that's what we call, "feedback." It's also more consistent from lock to lock without the off center dead spot like my '13
13. I've also owned a Lotus evora which, arguably, has the best steering feel yet of any modern car. Way better than my 997.1.

I seriously would love PBR's thoughts on the difference between the Evora's and the '22 BRZ's steering. I know it's not an apples-to-apples, but I've been obsessed with Evoras forever, primarily for that lauded steering feel. Since a BRZ is much more in my budget range than an Evora, any attempt at a comparison would be eagerly read.

[PBR]

Originally Posted by dhutty

I seriously would love PBR's thoughts on the difference between the Evora's and the '22 BRZ's steering. I know it's not an apples-to-apples, but I've been obsessed with Evoras forever, primarily for that lauded steering feel. Since a BRZ is much more in my budget range than an Evora, any attempt at a comparison would be eagerly read.

No problem. I owned it for about a year and did a few track days at MSR Houston and Harris Hill. It was the way it weighed up and how you could feel the front tires load up so nicely. It "jiggled" quite a bit for lack of a better term but the consistency was awesome. It felt alive from lock to lock. Oversteer was fun because it was so easy to control. Opposite lock, again just natural weight, little jiggles and a nice tactile feel. The sense of"tension" building up as you approached the limits was full of feel and linear. The chassis was also very stiff with serious lateral rigidity not just torsional rigidity. Dual wishbones all around. No expert but now understanding how those things affect feel as well. I don't find the twins so far off. When I first drove an FRS in 2012, i couldn't believe it was an EPS system. And at that time I had always assumed my RX8s were hydraulic because of their feel. I was ignorant to that while I owned them lol. Another highly stiff chassis. With the twins, both gens, I've found similar "tension" feeling and nice control weight.

[Ohio Enthusiast]

Originally Posted by PBR

No problem. I owned it for about a year

Which Evora did you have (N/A, S, 400, GT)? I know they didn't change a whole lot other than adding the supercharger with the S, but they did iterate over suspension and chassis tuning. I'm a bit of a Lotus fanboy myself.

[ZDan]

Steering on my '17 has never once cut out on me at the track, even on Hoosier A7s. I'm pretty sure that was more a problem on earlier gen 1s.

[PBR]

Originally Posted by Ohio Enthusiast

Which Evora did you have (N/A, S, 400, GT)? I know they didn't change a whole lot other than adding the supercharger with the S, but they did iterate over suspension and chassis tuning. I'm a bit of a Lotus fanboy myself.

NA, Launch edition. It was tough car to own. The interior was falling apart. A pillar placards would break. The passenger airbag and dash started to warp. The shift boot glue came undone. Also, engine out, 6 weeks and around $6K ish for a clutch change. Stuff like that.

[dhutty]

Lots Of Trouble Usually Serious, but still, I lust for them. Thanks for the write up and thoughts, seriously, in my mind I cross shop the Evora and the BRZ as crazy as that sounds $$ wise.

[PBR]

Originally Posted by dhutty

Lots Of Trouble Usually Serious, but still, I lust for them. Thanks for the write up and thoughts, seriously, in my mind I cross shop the Evora and the BRZ as crazy as that sounds $$ wise.

I don't think it's crazy at all! What other pure 2+2s are available? Does the Brz/86 miss the "cool" factor of a Lotus? Definitely. But I don't think the driving experience is so far off. It's not light-years ahead. These things are very much more than the sum of their parts. And much more affordable to maintain. Piece of mind to run them hard is great too. I learned with that with the Evora, which I got a hell of a deal on, that being able to buy a car and being able to own a car are 2 very different things. So more than satisfied with my low key and affordable compromise lol.

[Samba86]

Originally Posted by PBR

Mate, this is awesome. Saw my first in the flesh recently and it had so much presence for its size.

[PBR]

Originally Posted by Samba86

Mate, this is awesome. Saw my first in the flesh recently and it had so much presence for its size.

I don't think this is so bad either lol🍻