The Sports of Toyota 86

[FRSupra]

The Toyota 86, this car is so simple, yet so very complex. What I mean here is that to achieve something so wonderfully reserved, a complex formula must be solved.

In terms of development, once a specific criteria of the sports car is deemed the performance goal, the focus of achieving that goal directly effects the results of the other, "less important" fundamentals. And as improvements are made to compensate for these now lacking criteria, the formula begins to complicate. This can equate to increasing price, weight, and ultimately the loss of original goal. What Tetsuya and Team 86 have done, is they have given us a sports car that combines all of these aspects into balance by using what they coined as the "Harmonization Index".

Motor Trend journalist Carlos Lago understood this in his early review of the FR-S:

"You can attach a number to many things. You can say how fast a car goes to sixty miles an hour, the time it takes to get to the quarter mile. The lateral g's it generates in a corner. Its height, its wheelbase, its tread width and so on... but you can't attach a number to the way I feel when driving this car. In fact, after a few tugs at the wheel numbers just disappear from my brain entirely. The shifter in this thing is brilliant, it throws neatly and tightly. It responds so well to aggressive shifts or more slow shifts when you're in traffic. The engine is aggressive, revs fall off quickly and it sounds good too. The steering... it's just the perfect control for the entire package. It's a little light, but I'm not going to complain about that because the sense of control you get through it is so good. In fact, if I had to describe this car in a word it would be balanced. Everything in this car is working in absolute harmony with everything else. So many cars these days over do it with horsepower, over do it with torque or over do it with tires... and they don't give you enough steering feel or the chassis isn't there or they have terrible seats. Not this car. See what they have done here is they've actually taken away power, they've taken away grip and focused just on the chassis and it creates this beautifully balanced car. I keep trying to find ways to make it better but every solution I come up with carries the risk of upsetting that balance. Yeah a turbocharger would give you more power, but then it might dull the throttle response with turbo lag. Stickier tires, yeah they'd give you more grip but then they might raise the limits too high for a public road, or they wouldn't transition into a slide as beautifully as this does...

...This car has reached that equilibrium of driving enjoyment that only cars like the Porsche Boxster give you. Nothing matters more to this car than the thrill of the drive...

...The beauty of it is, is that the FR-S is unquestionably one of the most entertaining cars I've driven in a very long time. It has the sort of balance and composure that so many sports cars lack. It's everything I hoped it would be and considering the admittedly ridiculous expectations I've been carrying, I'm simply blown away."

This car is about passion. While a lot of drivers will say the car is lacking, I think it's just overshadowed by the time we live in. This car represents the best of the way things once were, when they were as good as they had to be. Before people wanted more and more and more. Somewhere along the way it was forgotten what really makes for a magical drive. Tetsuya Tada hasn't forgotten. S2000 owners haven't. MX-5 and MR2 owners haven't.

For what this car is, I don't think it's lacking at all. So I put together this list to share with fellow owners and help appreciate the performance that is...

The Sports of Toyota 86:

The 86 began with a mandate directly from Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda: "Where is the passion in our lineup? I want to
build a sports car."

DRIVER FOCUS. DRIVING PLEASURE.
Philosophy: Provide enthusiasts a way to experience pure driving pleasure on a daily basis. The 86' lightweight
design and short wheelbase allows the car to be quick and nimble out of any corner with dynamic maneuverability and
confident stability.

86: HEIR TO TOYOTA'S SPORTS CAR LEGACY.
Toyota's Motorsports and performance roots run deep, and the 86 has picked up the mantle of beloved cars that have
come before - legendary sports cars like the Toyota Sports 800 "Yoto-Hachi", Toyota 2000GT "dream car", and the
revered Corolla GT-S "AE86". The Toyota Sports 800 dominated the first Japanese Grand Prix in 1963 by taking
advantage of a FR layout and a flat boxer engine to reduce weight and improve aerodynamic efficiency, balance, and
handling. From the 2000GT, the 86 got its looks. In fact a 2000GT was brought in to inspire the design team to imbue
the 86 with supercar-worthy looks. The spirit of the AE86 Corolla is infused into every piece of the 86 - all the way
down to it's custom "86" heritage badges. FR layout, supercar good looks, and performance at a reasonable
price - this is the legendary performance DNA that makes the 86 the rightful heir to Toyota's sporting tradition.

TRACK PROVEN. STREET WORTHY.
Professional drivers and evaluation teams pushed the 86 to it's limits as part of the rigorous development process.
The 86 was tested over the course of thousands of hours throughout Asia, Europe, and North America. A 86 prototype
was entered into a 4-hour endurance race at the Nurburgring. Even though the engineers decided to minimize tuning
and keep the 86 near stock, the 86 prototype was still able to place 3rd in class. The 86 instills driving confidence
through balance and precision handling. The performance benchmark for the project was set on the Porsche Cayman.

ULTRA-LOW CENTER OF GRAVITY: A KEY TO SUPERIOR HANDLING.
Team 86 took full advantage of the purposefully designed FR platform. The combination of the front mounted boxer
engine and rear-wheel drive layout allows for an ultra-low center of gravity height (the distance from the road
surface to the center of the crank shaft), reduced mass, and compact size, all prerequisites for superior handling
and agility. The lower a cars CG, the less load transfer occurs under acceleration and braking and entering and
exiting corners. Put simply, the lower the CG, the better the handling. The 86 CG is a mere 18 inches off the
ground, lower than a Porsche Cayman (19 inches) and a Nissan GT-R (19.5 inches).

DRIVING POSITION: VISION AND EXHILARATION.
Team 86 designed the seating position of the 86 so that the drivers hip would come to rest just 15.7 inches off the
road, helping to embrace sights, sounds, and raw feel of the road beneath you.

QUEST FOR IDEAL WEIGHT DISTRIBUTION.
While many believe a 50/50 front/rear distribution is optimal, racing engineers know that ideal weight distribution
varies according to desired handling characteristics of the vehicle and application at hand.
Team 86 performed driving evaluations at the Shibetsu Proving Ground in Hokkaido, Japan. Based on the testing, the
team agreed on two conclusions:
1) There must be a higher degree of load on the front tires, because an 86 driver should experience direct and
immediate feedback at the slightest turn of the steering wheel.
2) The driver should be able to better control the vehicle through oversteer and understeer conditions.
With these goals in mind, the optimal front/rear weight distribution of 53/47 (including the driver and front passenger)
was agreed upon to provide the perfect balance of control and excitement to the driver.

AERODYNAMIC ENGINEERING.
The aerodynamic design of the 86 is the result of lessons learned in Toyota's Motorsports experience, including F1.
With a coefficient of drag (Cd) of .27, the 86 is slicker than supercars like the Porsche 911 Turbo (.31) and the
Ferrari F458 (.33).

PAGODA ROOF
The 86 features a "Pagoda Roof" which is concave in the center to help reduce aerodynamic drag from the air passing
in front of and over the vehicle. Viewed from above, there is a distinct step that flares outward as you move from
the front to the rear of the 86. This shape was intentionally engineered to help reduce the center of gravity by
reducing mass in the roof, add down force, and reinforce the strength of the lightweight sheet metal that the roof is
comprised of.

LIGHTWEIGHT MATERIALS
To take advantage of the ultra-low center of gravity a key directive was to decrease body mass without sacrificing
body rigidity or crash safety. To this end, approximately 50% of the 86 frame is made of high-tensile steel.
The roof itself is made of an even lighter and stronger grade of steel, which keeps the CG lower and allows for slimmer
A-pillars, complementing the "flat horizon" dash. Every part of the 86 was analyzed for possible weight optimization,
resulting in a power-to-weight ratio of 13.7lb/hp. Particular attention was paid to reducing mass in the front of the car
to maintain optimal weight distribution. Team 86 opted to produce thinner fenders and a lightweight aluminum hood.
A special resin fuel tank was created which not only saved weight, but also could be made to conform to complex
surfaces - allowing for lower mounting of the rear seats.

The 86 also wears the lightest 17-inch wheel currently offered by Toyota in any market. Coupled with relatively slender
tires, less steering assist is needed to make turns. This means that communication from the tires up to the steering wheel
is direct and intuitive.

RETURN OF THE "BOXER FR"
Upon looking back through Toyota's sports car heritage, the development team focused in on the Toyota Sports 800 and
it's boxer FR layout. The team pored through engineering drawings at Kanto Auto Works (the company that built the Toyota
Sports 800) and became convinced that the boxer FR would be the foundation for the 86.

TOYOTA NEXT-GENERATION D-4S
The 86 uses Toyota's first application of it's D-4S (Direct-injection four stroke gasoline engine Superior version) system in
a production car. The D-4S injection system helps ensure that intake air and fuel are mixed evenly at all engine speeds through
combustion, reduced emissions, and enhanced power. The D-4S heads feature two injectors per cylinder. The direct injector
sends fuel directly to the cylinder. The port injector delivers misted fuel to the intake port just above the intake valves.
While the direct injectors are used at all engine speeds, the D-4S system selectively uses both direct and port injectors at
certain engine speeds and under certain engine loads to help fill out mid-range torque. Working together, the two types of
injectors optimize engine performance and emissions throughout the rev range.

THE "86" CONNECTION.
The number 86 is a special one for every Toyota enthusiast. In addition to the 86' connection to the AE86 Corolla, the 86'
bore x stroke just happens to be 86mm x 86mm. Reflecting on the storied 2.0 liter sports car engines of Toyota's past,
the bore and stroke match that of the 3M engine in the 2000GT, the 1G-G engine in the Supra, and the 3S-G in the Celica and MR2.

THE SOUND OF PERFORMANCE
Extensive steps were taken to finely tune the engine and exhaust notes of the 86. The roar of the 4U-GSE engine is communicated
directly into the cockpit via a unique intake sound device called the Sound Creator. Combined with strategically placed
sound proofing and vibration-isolating materials, the Sound Creator helps to create a driving environment that captures the symphony
of the engine.

HARMONIZATION INDEX
During vehicle development improvements in one area can detract from the feeling or performance in other areas. Because of this phenomenon,
team 86 created a "Harmonization Index" to help ensure that the 86 would be a truly balanced sports car. The main feeling contacts; the steering wheel,
shifter, pedals, seats, are optimally balanced to embody the ideals of the FR layout.

NEUTRAL STEERING
The 86 was designed to be most thrilling during cornering. When the apex of a corner is reached and the driver is prepared to accelerate out,
the steering should be as neutral as possible. The 86 provides linear steering, excellent on-off braking control, agility, and an overall steering feel
that is perfectly aligned with the will of the driver.

TUNED FOR AGILITY
In the case of Toyota and Subaru, each company's engineers have tuned the suspension differently to reflect the unique personalities of their respected brands. For the 86, Toyota engineers wanted to give drivers the maximum amount of freedom to pilot the car. As such a softer spring rate in the front of 23 N/mm (131lbs./in.) was paired with a firmer spring rate in the rear at 37 N/mm (211 lbs./in.).

T-MESH PATTERN
The stylists drew their inspiration from the geometric shapes found throughout traditional Japanese culture, including ancient family crests, architecture, tatami mats, and paper lattice doors. The Toyota "T" logo of the 1960s influenced this pattern and can be found on the front grill (and fog light covers for non-fog light equipped cars), the instrument cluster backing, sun visors, main dash panel (pre '15 cars), climate control panel backing, door/window switch panel backing, the outline of the reverse light and rear reflector, and is the design on the carpeted floor mats.

AERODYNAMIC FINS
The rear taillight housings feature aero-stabilizing fins, a trick learned from Toyota's F1 program. They help shape the airflow passing over the rear and sides of the car by creating small vortexes that lock in the car body from the sides. Fins are also found underbody, to help provide additional control at speeds.

CENTER HIGH-MOUNT STOP LIGHT
The decision was made to place the center high-mount stop light inside the cabin of the car, so that 86 owners who opt to customize their cars with the addition of aftermarket spoilers do not lose out of the added safety provided by the CHML.

86 PISTON LOGO DESIGN
The "86 Piston" logo found on the front fender inserts and steering wheel (non US cars) feature three distinctive elements that represent the 86' heritage and engineering. First, the two opposing piston shapes are a reference to the 4U-GSE boxer engine. Secondly, the 86 number represents the connection to the AE86 Corolla as well as the 86mm X 86mm bore X stroke measurement. Lastly, the four black squares inside the number 86 represent four-wheels on a diagonal plane - a homage to the evolution of drifting.

CONNECTING RODS IN THE CABIN
The shift lever housing, circular air vent grills, and center instrument cluster all feature shapes that elicit the image of a connecting rod (silver pieces).

THE DASH PANEL DESIGNED BY DRIVERS
The styling development team solicited opinions from professional test drivers during the driving evaluations of the 86. The goal of "Simple. Simple. Simple." resulted in a clutter free and very intuitive instrument panel configuration which allows for split second decisions during hard driving. Horizontal symmetry was applied making it easy to know where to look for vehicle information. The center of the windshield vent features a notch to help determine the precise location of the center of the vehicle to the horizon. The top of the instrument panel and surrounding steering shaft cover is treated with low-gloss material to eliminate distracting reflections.

FENDER FLARES
The engineering team sculpted the fenders until the view from the driver's seat of the front and rear fenders (through the windshield and side mirrors) would convey to the driver car speed, direction, and position relative the competition.

AUTOMATIC INDEXING GLASS
The automatic indexing glass improves the doors opening and closing characteristics by efficiently venting cabin pressure while also reducing wind noise through improved sealing performance.

DRIVER FOCUSED STEERING WHEEL
At just 14.4 inches, the steering wheel in the 86 is the smallest of any Toyota production model and is purposely void of integrated controls that could be distracting to the driver.

CLEAR DRIVING INFORMATION
The instrument panel display was designed for optimal visibility and readability during dynamic driving. The chosen fonts, meter gradation styling, and indicator positions were thoroughly reviewed.

PROGRAMMABLE REV INDICATOR
The 86 features a tach with a programmable rev indicator that enables drivers to customize the indicator to illuminate at any engine speed for more consistent up shifting during dynamic driving.

HARMONY INTO SHIFTING
The absence of a center console tray was chosen so that shifting operations would remain unobstructed, even the cup holder can be moved rearward. The parking brake is packaged right next to the shift knob - to maximize car control abilities during "high-performance driving".

STEPPING IN
The scuff plate features a perforated assist pad to allow the occupants to adjust entry and exit using their outermost hand.

SEATS FORGED BY THE NURBURGRING
Chief engineer Tetsuya Tada formed a satellite development group that established a base of operations at the Nurburgring. On the track and surrounding public streets, the team bench marked its seat designs against the leading global brands until they had engineered a seat that would give the 86 the best feedback while being suitable for daily use.

ALUMINUM PEDALS
The aluminum pedals on the 86 were designed with optimal spacing for heel-toe downshifts and have a resistance that was adjusted for precise and dynamic driving maneuvers.

2+2 & 2+4
Team 86 rejected the idea of a two-seater, opting instead to continue the tradition of the 2+2 seating started by the AE86 Corolla. The 86 allows amateur drivers to arrive at a track with a passenger and a complete set of four tires and the essential tools to compete in an autocross or other performance driving event. The rear seats fold down to allow its owner to arrive, race, and drive back without the need of a tow vehicle.




The 86 is the result of a singular focus on providing maximum driving pleasure within reach of all drivers.
To do so they refrained from using features such as turbochargers and four wheel drive, as they would not
only add cost but more importantly, disrupt the balance of the 86. So with an mid-life refresh months away
(assuming it keeps in line with typical Toyota updates), keep in mind what was put into this car, and what was
purposely left out. It will be interesting to see how team 86 can tweak the formula.

[Ponwh]

Is the midlife refresh really just months away?

is heel toe really possible?in my experience with Toyota cars, the brake pedal, Is higher than the gas pedal and it's really difficult and uncomfortable to angle your foot to heel toe.

&I love how they stuck with the 2+2.

[D_Thissen]

13.7hp/lb eh? Lol. I think it's the other way around. Awesome read though. @Ponwh is takes a bit of practice to heel toe. Its a bit challenging with gentle breaking

[FRSupra]

Originally Posted by D_Thissen

13.7hp/lb eh? Lol. I think it's the other way around. Awesome read though. @Ponwh is takes a bit of practice to heel toe. Its a bit challenging with gentle breaking

Fixed it. Thank you, it was a lot to type.

The information is on going, so if anyone wants to add anything speak up.

[Lonewolf]

I'm bitter with Toyota's reluctance to truly improve this platform over time (a touchscreen head unit and shark fin is hardly groundbreaking), so this may come off as harsh but...

So much for motorsports heritage, as TRD USA has all but ignored the platform, and Toyota has not sponsored the 86 in any real racing series (drifting does not count) in North America except for that ridiculous attempt with Ken Stout.

C'mon Toyota, balance my ass...the car should be a tad faster. Change the final drive, tweak the ecu, make the heads freer flowing, we don't need 40 more hp, just something a bit more from the factory...

[airjonny]

TRD should be supporting this platform way more than they do right now. Instead of being stubborn about the car being perfect, Toyota/Subaru should be looking to address people's problems with the car. Are people realistically wanting a Mustang killer? Of course not. But Toyota/Subaru need to stop looking at performance and fun as a either/or proposition.

[Tromatic]

Longest "refresh-rumor" post ever.

[Ponwh]

^obviously didn't read

[funwheeldrive]

Originally Posted by Ponwh

Is the midlife refresh really just months away?

is heel toe really possible?in my experience with Toyota cars, the brake pedal, Is higher than the gas pedal and it's really difficult and uncomfortable to angle your foot to heel toe.

&I love how they stuck with the 2+2.

I would be surprised. They just recently released pictures of the MY16 in Japan. I can't imagine any details about the MY17 will be leaking anytime soon.

[Mim]

Forgot to mention the head rests that can be inserted backwards to allow for a racing helmeted driver. That and the roof cavity to likewise accommodate a helmeted driver.

Great read otherwise!

[Sarlacc]

Good read, thanks!

[DarkSunrise]

Nice writeup - I learned a few things. A couple of minor comments though:

1) Our cars don't actually reach 53/47 weight distribution without a driver and passenger.

2) The part about having a lower CD than a 458, while true, is a bit misleading. The 458 was designed to produce downforce at speed (140 kg downforce @ 200 kph). I believe the 911 turbo produces downforce as well. In comparison, the BRZ produces slight lift at speed (25 lbs F / 35 lbs R @ 70 mph). Designing downforce usually introduces drag, so the CD numbers for the Ferrari and Porsche are partly a product of design compromises.

[Jyn]

Originally Posted by DarkSunrise

2) The part about having a lower CD than a 458, while true, is a bit misleading. The 458 was designed to produce downforce at speed (140 kg downforce @ 200 kph). I believe the 911 turbo produces downforce as well. In comparison, the BRZ produces slight lift at speed (25 lbs F / 35 lbs R @ 70 mph). Designing downforce usually introduces drag, so the CD numbers for the Ferrari and Porsche are partly a product of design compromises.

So what you're saying is the lack of power is to discourage driving at speed? Genius engineering!!

[DarkSunrise]

Originally Posted by Jyn

So what you're saying is the lack of power is to discourage driving at speed? Genius engineering!!

Also saves gas and prevents speeding tickets! LOL