Impressions after 250 miles

[DocWalt]

The Michelin PS4 are pretty crappy for road noise, shockingly so.

That said, it's not a super quiet car.

[DarkSunrise]

Originally Posted by sds

Okay so I’m not being crazy. Gen 2 on MPS4 is 40% louder than Gen 1 on Primacys.

Yeah appears that's correct based on the C&D testing. I haven't driven a gen 2 yet, but I imagine it's going to be highly dependent on tire choice as well. Just means mount your track tires at the track

[Interceptor777]

I absolutely agree with throttle response and trans/engine mounts.

The throttle response is A LOT better at 4.5k+ revs but once the revs drop so does the response. If you don't heel toe while slowing down and instead downshift after slowing down, the engine is slow to respond.

And not just for shifting, say I'm in 2nd gear at 2k rpm, if I suddenly punch the gas the car takes a whole second before it does anything. It's pretty annoying on extreme uphill roads where you aren't going fast enough to be high in the revs but still need the low end torque.

Road noise wise, I'm coming from a Miata so this thing may as well be a luxury cruiser for me. But compared to my 2019 Camry, the road noise is still very low and quiet for me. I really don't think it needs any more sound deadening especially seeing as how you can barely even hear the motor without the fake noise. It's a sports car after all.

Also on the trans/engine mounts, I agree. This thing needs stiffer mounts all around. Sometimes 3rd is hit or miss when driving hard since it shifts around a lot. My Miata was also like this until I put stiffer Mazdaspeed mounts on the engine, suddenly 3rd is perfect Everytime.

[DocWalt]

Yep, the throttle thing is exactly what I noticed too. It just feels lazy when you're not driving it hard. Hoping tunes fix that!

[ForeverCar]

I have noticed the “lazy” throttle at low rpm as well. It kinda adds to the fun of “don’t let the rpm drop” flow. Initially, we may want the quirks to go away. In the long run, I think the quirks make the car even more special.

[TheDonEffect]

Originally Posted by DarkSunrise

Having tried everything from all-seasons to summer tires to track tires on my FR-S, I've noticed it's the most tire-dependent car I've ever owned in terms of road noise. With fresh all-seasons, it's borderline quiet on the highway. With worn Hankook RS3's, I want to reach for earplugs. To put some numbers on it:

C&D 70-mph DB level:

2013 FR-S (with Primacy's): 71 db
2012 Cayman S: 74 db
2022 VW GTI: 74 db
2022 GR86/BRZ (with MPS4): 76 db
ND Miata ST: 80 db

If you intend to drive it on quiet tiers like the Primacy's or all-seasons, it'll be fine. Not exactly quiet, but way less noisy and less rattly than my friend's stock AP2, for example.

Yeah that's what I figured, thanks for the objective data. I'll probably get the hankook v4 then, I really liked those, nice progressive grip, cheap, and quiet.

[dsc_pat]

Originally Posted by sds

[*]It's far more powerful than the first gen--feels about as strong as a bolt-on K24A2

Originally Posted by sds

I've only briefly driven a modified first gen and I honestly can't compare it.

[sds]

Originally Posted by dsc_pat

Exactly my point—you only need a brief drive in a gen 1 to know it’s noticeably slower relative to the gen 2.

[eeghie]

Originally Posted by ForeverCar

I have noticed the “lazy” throttle at low rpm as well. It kinda adds to the fun of “don’t let the rpm drop” flow. Initially, we may want the quirks to go away. In the long run, I think the quirks make the car even more special.

I’m sure the gr86 will be a great fun once i get to (test) drive it. Yet shouldn’t the (generally linear and) quick NA response be the plus to argue against turbo-lag? Does the lazy throttle you guys experience indeed feel like a lagging turbo? ( I know i’ll experience a power drop coming from an 1M, but i expect to get a vibrant low rev behavior instead …?

[StE92ve]

Originally Posted by sds

1. It rides better than expected--and I'm driving on city streets in Boston

This is what I wanted to hear regarding the 40 series Michelin Pilots. Was concerned the ride would be compromised on not so perfect roads.

[StE92ve]

Originally Posted by sds

I had the dealer install Pilot Sport A/S 4 tires as part of the dealer prep process

Did you supply the dealer with the A/S or did you purchase from the dealer? Are you keeping the Pilot summers for a spring changeover or did you get a credit?

[sds]

Originally Posted by StE92ve

Did you supply the dealer with the A/S or did you purchase from the dealer? Are you keeping the Pilot summers for a spring changeover or did you get a credit?

I paid for them (dealer ordered) and am keeping the summers—might end up selling them, who knows.

[ForeverCar]

Originally Posted by eeghie

I’m sure the gr86 will be a great fun once i get to (test) drive it. Yet shouldn’t the (generally linear and) quick NA response be the plus to argue against turbo-lag? Does the lazy throttle you guys experience indeed feel like a lagging turbo? ( I know i’ll experience a power drop coming from an 1M, but i expect to get a vibrant low rev behavior instead …?

Besides the significant power delivery difference (my reference similar to the 1M is a M2C), the engine is also very different. Engine (and car) designs have to navigate lots of compromises. It’s best not to compare an inline 6 turbo to a naturally aspirated flat 4.

The laziness I experienced is, if you let the rpm fall to low range (say all the way to 1k) in neutral, it’s slow to rev back up to say 6k rpm if that’s what you need for a downshift.

Low torque wise, other than 1st gear, I drive in the higher rpm range so it doesn’t impact me.

[wizee]

Originally Posted by Interceptor777

I absolutely agree with throttle response and trans/engine mounts.

The throttle response is A LOT better at 4.5k+ revs but once the revs drop so does the response. If you don't heel toe while slowing down and instead downshift after slowing down, the engine is slow to respond.

And not just for shifting, say I'm in 2nd gear at 2k rpm, if I suddenly punch the gas the car takes a whole second before it does anything. It's pretty annoying on extreme uphill roads where you aren't going fast enough to be high in the revs but still need the low end torque.

Road noise wise, I'm coming from a Miata so this thing may as well be a luxury cruiser for me. But compared to my 2019 Camry, the road noise is still very low and quiet for me. I really don't think it needs any more sound deadening especially seeing as how you can barely even hear the motor without the fake noise. It's a sports car after all.

Also on the trans/engine mounts, I agree. This thing needs stiffer mounts all around. Sometimes 3rd is hit or miss when driving hard since it shifts around a lot. My Miata was also like this until I put stiffer Mazdaspeed mounts on the engine, suddenly 3rd is perfect Everytime.

I haven't yet gotten to drive one, but your comments exactly match my experience playing with one that was stationary (already sold to someone else). I felt the shifter did shake more than I'd like on startup, and when revving it below 3500 RPM (didn't go higher as engine was cold and I didn't want to abuse someone else's car), throttle response felt rather laggy/slurred and with pronounced rev hang. However, I'm still waiting for a chance to go on a proper test drive with the engine warmed up and using the full RPM range.

Aside from that, I thought the car was nice from what I could tell - interior was fine, seats comfy, a good size, nice looking exterior, slick and precise shifter feel. I have a red base model on order, just hoping I'll be satisfied by the throttle response without needing to tune and void warranty.