- The riddle pf the Toyota GT86- the car for purist drivers.

- The riddle pf the Toyota GT86- the car for purist drivers.

Author
Discussion

nickfrog

20,874 posts

216 months

Friday 13th January 2017
quotequote all
kambites said:
but mostly because I don't really have time)
Reduce the amount of posting ! wink

kambites

67,462 posts

220 months

Friday 13th January 2017
quotequote all
nickfrog said:
kambites said:
but mostly because I don't really have time)
Reduce the amount of posting ! wink
Whilst I can get away with posting while waiting for things to compile at work; I think doing a track day at work is pushing it. biggrin

V8 TEJ

375 posts

160 months

Friday 13th January 2017
quotequote all
Conscript said:
daemon said:
The GT86 doesnt. Its only fun if you're driving it at 95% and beyond
Couldn't disagree more with this. In fact, exactly the opposite - I find it fun to drive even at pretty mundane speeds, and that was the whole attraction.
+1

CABC

5,533 posts

100 months

Friday 13th January 2017
quotequote all
nickfrog said:
The track was the only place where I truly enjoyed the GT86 because the engine is less of an issue there, you're always where is (almost) works in the rev range.

It's beautifully resolved on the limit and the excellent steering helps. I was running on GY F1s and they were OK for a road tyre, bar the expected outer shoulder wear.

Only issue being the road brakes - it needs more aggressive pads and fluid.
i'm off to Bedford with the Primacys. 3 yrs old and still strong, need to scrub those b******s to death. probably going Conti 5 then.
Also fitting a revised final drive to liven everything up.

nickfrog

20,874 posts

216 months

Friday 13th January 2017
quotequote all
kambites said:
I think doing a track day at work is pushing it. biggrin
Sorry to hear that. laugh

I can't say the same !

nickfrog

20,874 posts

216 months

Friday 13th January 2017
quotequote all
CABC said:
i'm off to Bedford with the Primacys. 3 yrs old and still strong, need to scrub those b******s to death. probably going Conti 5 then.
Also fitting a revised final drive to liven everything up.
Sounds good - the car is screaming for some cheap semi-slicks though, particularly under braking. NS2Rs in 180 would be perfect. Or at least some stiffer sidewall road only tyres like Yoki 105.

Funk

26,254 posts

208 months

Friday 13th January 2017
quotequote all
Escort3500 said:
Learn2MergeInTurn said:
The GT86 is slow....
So's the MX5 but that doesn't stop it selling well. Maybe it's a design thing; the MX5 is better looking.
I think the new MX-5 is a fantastic-looking car, I prefer it to its Fiat cousin.

kambites

67,462 posts

220 months

Friday 13th January 2017
quotequote all
nickfrog said:
Sounds good - the car is screaming for some cheap semi-slicks though, particularly under braking. NS2Rs in 180 would be perfect. Or at least some stiffer sidewall road only tyres like Yoki 105.
AD08Rs would be a nice compromise if they're available in a suitable size. They're surprisingly capable on standing water. smile

em177

3,127 posts

163 months

Friday 13th January 2017
quotequote all
kambites said:
nickfrog said:
Sounds good - the car is screaming for some cheap semi-slicks though, particularly under braking. NS2Rs in 180 would be perfect. Or at least some stiffer sidewall road only tyres like Yoki 105.
AD08Rs would be a nice compromise if they're available in a suitable size. smile
I'm sorry but grippier tyres is the last thing the GT86 needs unless you supercharge it.

kambites

67,462 posts

220 months

Friday 13th January 2017
quotequote all
em177 said:
I'm sorry but grippier tyres is the last thing the GT86 needs unless you supercharge it.
On the road I agree (although as Nick says slightly stiffer side-walls wouldn't go amiss), but we were talking about for track use where I think more grip would be of benefit, at least for me. Again I suppose it's a personal preference thing.

ecsrobin

17,023 posts

164 months

Friday 13th January 2017
quotequote all
kambites said:
You may be right, but I'd always assumed the opposite was true - that the GT86 was the car you'd go to if you wanted a relatively involving driving experience without having to spend much money or run two cars. I suppose again it comes down to personal preferences and circumstances. About the only time I could imagine myself buying one is if I was single and could, for whatever reason, only run one, cheap(ish) car.

If I was 21 (and in the same position I was in when I was 21) now, I could imagine myself buying one. Now I'm in my 30s with a family and we need two cars anyway, I might as well run a proper sports car without the inherent driving limitations provided by adding two extra seats and a decent boot.

Edited by kambites on Friday 13th January 12:47
How many 21year olds can afford a GT86 and the relevant insurance?

kambites

67,462 posts

220 months

Friday 13th January 2017
quotequote all
ecsrobin said:
How many 21year olds can afford a GT86 and the relevant insurance?
Now, I don't know, but I think I could have afforded one at the bottom of the market when I was 21 or at least when I was 22 (I was running two, admittedly rather cheaper, cars by the time I was 22). Insurance has gone up rather since then though, and disposable income has arguably fallen.

CABC

5,533 posts

100 months

Friday 13th January 2017
quotequote all
nickfrog said:
Sounds good - the car is screaming for some cheap semi-slicks though, particularly under braking. NS2Rs in 180 would be perfect. Or at least some stiffer sidewall road only tyres like Yoki 105.
just fitted NS2Rs to my track mx5, looking forward to trying them. The 105s have a lot of fans too.
I know the Contis are solid performers on the road and they do win summer performance tests. Plus they do well in the wet and the 86 is a practical car for me.
Choices!

I've actually enjoyed the Primacys. They make the car skittish, but at least it's alive and i like that because i enjoy driving for fun & feel not just speed, especially when i have the Elise that's so planted. Of course, you'll say that the NS2Rs would also be better in the wet than the Primacys.

daemon

35,724 posts

196 months

Friday 13th January 2017
quotequote all
Truckosaurus said:
daemon said:
.... A 370Z sports a similar look, but it has 330BHP to back that up...
The 370z has sold in tiny numbers even compared to the GT86.
True, it hasnt sold for different reasons though, however its looks match its power

Flibble

6,470 posts

180 months

Friday 13th January 2017
quotequote all
em177 said:
kambites said:
nickfrog said:
Sounds good - the car is screaming for some cheap semi-slicks though, particularly under braking. NS2Rs in 180 would be perfect. Or at least some stiffer sidewall road only tyres like Yoki 105.
AD08Rs would be a nice compromise if they're available in a suitable size. smile
I'm sorry but grippier tyres is the last thing the GT86 needs unless you supercharge it.
Partly it's not so much grip as a more progressive tyre. The primacies, in the wet particularly, tend to grip well but then snap into a big slide very sharply at the limit. I run V105s and it's a lot easier to drive close to the edge because you can actually feel it.

I don't think the standard brakes are too bad really either, you can lock the wheels on a dry track with standard pads, and they didn't melt on the few track days I took them on. Obviously a better compound gives a bit more confidence to really push them though.

I can definitely understand the complaints with the engine. I thought it was a bit rubbish until I fitted a new manifold and had it remapped. It now has a much flatter torque curve (it gained about 30 lb-ft in the midrange) and sounds like a proper boxer. wink

james_gt3rs

4,816 posts

190 months

Friday 13th January 2017
quotequote all
em177 said:
I'm sorry but grippier tyres is the last thing the GT86 needs unless you supercharge it.
The advantage with the Yoko tyres is that they give more consistent grip. IME, road tyres tend to get hot after a few laps and go sloppy, this hasn't happened to me yet on AD08s. Tread pattern looks cool as well smile

Rovnumpty

128 posts

98 months

Friday 13th January 2017
quotequote all
I think Toyota, and subaru, missed a trick with these.

They should have sold a stripped out and caged version for the same money as a standard one.

Then set up a string of single make races.

Think they would have sold a lot more then - standard car benifitting from the halo of the 'racer' model.

Essentially, the british public need re-educated about what makes a sports (or sporty) car - current perception is a 1500kg turbo-charged hatchback.

dmitry

341 posts

161 months

Friday 13th January 2017
quotequote all
Rovnumpty said:
I think Toyota, and subaru, missed a trick with these.

They should have sold a stripped out and caged version for the same money as a standard one.

Then set up a string of single make races.

Think they would have sold a lot more then - standard car benifitting from the halo of the 'racer' model.

Essentially, the british public need re-educated about what makes a sports (or sporty) car - current perception is a 1500kg turbo-charged hatchback.
There is (was?) a one-make 86/BRZ race series just like this in Australia

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fG1KtubDlKI

LasseV

1,754 posts

132 months

Friday 13th January 2017
quotequote all
meh, car is great and it is selling well.

KarlMac

4,457 posts

140 months

Friday 13th January 2017
quotequote all
Rovnumpty said:
I think Toyota, and subaru, missed a trick with these.

They should have sold a stripped out and caged version for the same money as a standard one.

Then set up a string of single make races.

Think they would have sold a lot more then - standard car benifitting from the halo of the 'racer' model.

.
They did in Japan

http://www.autoblog.com/2012/02/09/toyota-gt86-com...

We were too busy arguing about which econobox was fastest.