Old car was a luxury sedan, having a hard time braking and accelerating smoothly - Toyota GR86, 86, FR-S and Subaru BRZ Forum & Owners Community

Xproplayer · 01-04-2019, 02:52 AM

Hi everyone,

My last vehicle was a 97 BMW 740i, the car had smooth brakes, and an accelerator pedal with a very very stiff spring. Now coming to my 16 BRZ Automatic, I am having a very hard time driving the car smoothly. I know it likely won't be as good, but I feel like I am doing some stuff wrong.

For starters the accelerator pedal on the brz is featherlight compared to the BMW, meaning from a stop I often either over accelerate or under accelerate. I'm not sure if anything can be done about this though, I might just have to get used to it?

And on braking, I used to always do moderate braking, then during the last 5 feet coming to 0mph I would slowly let off the brake so that it would be smooth, and the car would not snap back too hard. But with the brz I keep feeling a weird stuttering, maybe the torque converter, or just different brakes. But speaking generally, is this a good way to stop a vehicle, or should I keep the braking the same amount from any speed to 0mph?

I know these questions are dumb, but the community seems friendly and I figured it wouldn't hurt to ask. Cheers

humfrz · 01-04-2019, 03:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xproplayer

Hi everyone,

My last vehicle was a 97 BMW 740i, the car had smooth brakes, and an accelerator pedal with a very very stiff spring. Now coming to my 16 BRZ Automatic, I am having a very hard time driving the car smoothly. I know it likely won't be as good, but I feel like I am doing some stuff wrong.

For starters the accelerator pedal on the brz is featherlight compared to the BMW, meaning from a stop I often either over accelerate or under accelerate. I'm not sure if anything can be done about this though, I might just have to get used to it?

And on braking, I used to always do moderate braking, then during the last 5 feet coming to 0mph I would slowly let off the brake so that it would be smooth, and the car would not snap back too hard. But with the brz I keep feeling a weird stuttering, maybe the torque converter, or just different brakes. But speaking generally, is this a good way to stop a vehicle, or should I keep the braking the same amount from any speed to 0mph?

I know these questions are dumb, but the community seems friendly and I figured it wouldn't hurt to ask. Cheers

Howdy Xproplayer and welcome to our group -

The short version is that your old BMW and your new BRZ are totally different cars, so they drive totally different.

You will get used to it - it just takes time -

humfrz

PetrolioBenzina · 01-04-2019, 03:10 AM

OP, get out and drive that sucker, you might find you like it more than your former BMW. Much of it's charm comes from the fact that it is a crude, cheap-ass car compared to your former yacht.

Or, yours is busticated. Either way, drive it some more and practice. Your brake issue might be worth checking, though. Can you descibe it more/betterer?

Summerwolf · 01-04-2019, 09:34 AM

Don't blame your previous vehicle. Its you, just get used to the car.

Sasquachulator · 01-04-2019, 10:52 AM

i would think the brake stuttering feeling might be the brakes themselves need to be looked at (Uneven bite?). I don't think there should be anything weird going on outside of one being more grabby than the other.

As far as acceleration, you'll have to adjust. If your old car had a heavy throttle and the BRZ has a light one, you definitely do not need the same amount of pedal pressure to get the car moving.

funwheeldrive · 01-04-2019, 11:17 AM

Try taking off the parking brake.

bkharmony · 01-04-2019, 11:41 AM

"Smooth" is irrelevant in this vehicle. The correct way to drive it is to pin the gas pedal to the floor at every opportunity and then wait as long as possible to apply the brakes. If you experience discomfort, tighten your seat belt.

Spuds · 01-04-2019, 11:46 AM

Did the 97 BMW have a mechanical throttle linkage? You might be noticing the difference between that and the electronic throttle in the FRS (or if not, the difference between the throttle mappings). Less feedback in the latter unfortunately. Good news is that it can be tuned to your liking. I found the OFT throttle mapping to be much better, but I have a manual transmission so idk how the auto feels.

Sapphireho · 01-04-2019, 12:34 PM

Simple. Drive more, learn car.

DarkPira7e · 01-04-2019, 12:51 PM

One large difference here is that your BMW had a floor mounted pedal, vs most cars (BRZ included) having a firewall mount, so it's suspended in the air. This car is also much lighter and snappier, it will be a couple months at least until you've adapter. Just enjoy feeling something new!

extrashaky · 01-04-2019, 01:08 PM

It never gets any better. This is a terrible car. Sell it.

PetrolioBenzina · 01-04-2019, 01:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bkharmony

"Smooth" is irrelevant in this vehicle. The correct way to drive it is to pin the gas pedal to the floor at every opportunity and then wait as long as possible to apply the brakes. If you experience discomfort, tighten your seat belt.

LOL, winner! My former boss used to drive that way, I thought he was a nutter. I'm far worse than he was.

humfrz · 01-04-2019, 01:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by extrashaky

It never gets any better. This is a terrible car. Sell it.

Grumpy -

humfrz

aceangel · 01-04-2019, 01:35 PM

Had this problem too. The stock tires are really harsh for daily driving (it's a sharp pain over bumps). Change them to a better tire as soon as possible. Passengers used to complain and get a ton of headaches, now they don't. It makes a huuuuuuuge difference.

01-04-2019, 02:52 AM	#1
Xproplayer Member Join Date: Nov 2018 Drives: 2016 BRZ Limited Auto 43k Location: Bay Area, California, US Posts: 12 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post Mentioned: 0 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	Old car was a luxury sedan, having a hard time braking and accelerating smoothly Hi everyone, My last vehicle was a 97 BMW 740i, the car had smooth brakes, and an accelerator pedal with a very very stiff spring. Now coming to my 16 BRZ Automatic, I am having a very hard time driving the car smoothly. I know it likely won't be as good, but I feel like I am doing some stuff wrong. For starters the accelerator pedal on the brz is featherlight compared to the BMW, meaning from a stop I often either over accelerate or under accelerate. I'm not sure if anything can be done about this though, I might just have to get used to it? And on braking, I used to always do moderate braking, then during the last 5 feet coming to 0mph I would slowly let off the brake so that it would be smooth, and the car would not snap back too hard. But with the brz I keep feeling a weird stuttering, maybe the torque converter, or just different brakes. But speaking generally, is this a good way to stop a vehicle, or should I keep the braking the same amount from any speed to 0mph? I know these questions are dumb, but the community seems friendly and I figured it wouldn't hurt to ask. Cheers

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01-04-2019, 03:10 AM	#3
PetrolioBenzina Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2016 Drives: 17 86 Location: Oregon Posts: 1,671 Thanks: 75 Thanked 1,133 Times in 647 Posts Mentioned: 10 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	OP, get out and drive that sucker, you might find you like it more than your former BMW. Much of it's charm comes from the fact that it is a crude, cheap-ass car compared to your former yacht. Or, yours is busticated. Either way, drive it some more and practice. Your brake issue might be worth checking, though. Can you descibe it more/betterer?

01-04-2019, 09:34 AM	#4
Summerwolf Panda Trueno Join Date: Jan 2015 Drives: No twin now. Location: North Indiana Posts: 3,349 Thanks: 2,113 Thanked 2,409 Times in 1,332 Posts Mentioned: 17 Post(s) Tagged: 2 Thread(s)	Don't blame your previous vehicle. Its you, just get used to the car.

01-04-2019, 10:52 AM	#5
Sasquachulator Pavement Grey Join Date: Dec 2011 Drives: 2020 Toyota Camry XSE, 2017 BMW X1 Location: Calgary Posts: 3,116 Thanks: 109 Thanked 2,256 Times in 1,221 Posts Mentioned: 8 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	i would think the brake stuttering feeling might be the brakes themselves need to be looked at (Uneven bite?). I don't think there should be anything weird going on outside of one being more grabby than the other. As far as acceleration, you'll have to adjust. If your old car had a heavy throttle and the BRZ has a light one, you definitely do not need the same amount of pedal pressure to get the car moving.

01-04-2019, 11:17 AM	#6
funwheeldrive Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2014 Drives: BANNED FOR TELLING THE TRUTH Location: MODS ARE ON A POWER TRIP Posts: 3,447 Thanks: 7,830 Thanked 3,022 Times in 1,409 Posts Mentioned: 38 Post(s) Tagged: 1 Thread(s)	Try taking off the parking brake.

01-04-2019, 11:41 AM	#7
bkharmony Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2017 Drives: 2017 86GT Location: North Texas Posts: 324 Thanks: 562 Thanked 335 Times in 166 Posts Mentioned: 1 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	"Smooth" is irrelevant in this vehicle. The correct way to drive it is to pin the gas pedal to the floor at every opportunity and then wait as long as possible to apply the brakes. If you experience discomfort, tighten your seat belt.

01-04-2019, 11:46 AM	#8
Spuds The Dictater Join Date: Apr 2017 Drives: '13 Red Scion FRS Location: MD, USA Posts: 9,646 Thanks: 26,684 Thanked 12,705 Times in 6,293 Posts Mentioned: 88 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	Did the 97 BMW have a mechanical throttle linkage? You might be noticing the difference between that and the electronic throttle in the FRS (or if not, the difference between the throttle mappings). Less feedback in the latter unfortunately. Good news is that it can be tuned to your liking. I found the OFT throttle mapping to be much better, but I have a manual transmission so idk how the auto feels.

01-04-2019, 12:34 PM	#9
Sapphireho Famous Potatoes Join Date: Mar 2016 Drives: '15 ultramarine Location: Idaho Posts: 14,043 Thanks: 5,808 Thanked 19,640 Times in 9,241 Posts Mentioned: 162 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	Simple. Drive more, learn car.

01-04-2019, 12:51 PM	#10
DarkPira7e Rust bucket enthusiast Join Date: Feb 2017 Drives: 2013 Turbo Firestorm FRS Location: Vermont Posts: 4,052 Thanks: 3,307 Thanked 4,202 Times in 2,111 Posts Mentioned: 33 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	One large difference here is that your BMW had a floor mounted pedal, vs most cars (BRZ included) having a firewall mount, so it's suspended in the air. This car is also much lighter and snappier, it will be a couple months at least until you've adapter. Just enjoy feeling something new!

01-04-2019, 01:08 PM	#11
extrashaky Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2014 Drives: 2014 BRZ Limited Location: USA Posts: 4,046 Thanks: 1,100 Thanked 5,620 Times in 2,267 Posts Mentioned: 55 Post(s) Tagged: 1 Thread(s)	It never gets any better. This is a terrible car. Sell it.

01-04-2019, 01:35 PM	#14
aceangel Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Drives: 13 BRZ WRB LTD 6AT Location: Los Angeles Posts: 76 Thanks: 73 Thanked 33 Times in 19 Posts Mentioned: 3 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	Had this problem too. The stock tires are really harsh for daily driving (it's a sharp pain over bumps). Change them to a better tire as soon as possible. Passengers used to complain and get a ton of headaches, now they don't. It makes a huuuuuuuge difference.

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