Michael Chuang tests the Subaru BRZ at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park and compares it to the Toyota 86. The BRZ sets a benchmark lap time on the track, with owner Luca discussing technical performance and driving experience.
Questions this video answers
205 horsepower (naturally aspirated)
Approximately 2,800 pounds
1.35 miles
13 turns
Approximately 1,400 feet
Chapters
I'm sure you figured this one out by now. You see, it's not always about who has the most horsepower or the biggest displacement. Sometimes it's more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow. And that's exactly what we're going to do today. The Subaru BRZ 205. Naturally aspirated horsepower, 2800 pounds. And front engine, rear wheel drive with a six speed manual. It doesn't get more kosher than that. Wait. This one's also the 50th anniversary edition, which comes in this cool heritage blue and adds a bunch of badges and bits that make it look just a tad faster. The styling is on point, the headlights are sporty, and it's got big round exhaust tips. This all sounds like a recipe for a good time. Some would say that it's the perfectly balanced driver's car for those on a budget. And at around 25 grand, it's hard to argue with that. But it's also the same thing as this, the Toyota 86, which also has 205 horsepower and. And a curb weight of 2,800 pounds. And practically the same everything else. But we're not here to compare the two today. We're here because I want to set a lap time in the brz because I think it's the perfect benchmark for my home track. And that track is the road course at Old Bridge Township Raceway park. A technical 1.35 mile setup with 13 turns and a 1400 foot straightaway. Let's do a few laps with the car's owner, Luca. But I lied. We did end up comparing it to the 86 for a little. Cool.
So let's talk about the car some more then. So your dad has the 86, right?
Yeah, he does.
How does this car Compare to the 86?
So the 86, this year's 86, 2019, he has, feels a lot more like the 16 BRZ that I used to have. So the older 86s, I feel used to have a lot more oversteer kind of built into them. Kind of felt more like a kiddie car where you kind of get the back out a lot more easy.
Right.
This year feels a lot more like the 16 that I had. A little more uniform and kind of stiff in both the front and the rear. So it's definitely a better track car than the original FRS or older 86s.
Right.
In regards to this one, I feel like it has more of a uniform shock and rebound. This one has a little more softness on the shock, but a much better rebound. So I guess it depends on the track. I think on a level track, on a flatter track, his might do better if you increase both the shock and the dampening linearly. So obviously if you have a soft shock and a soft damper, you're not getting very far. Yeah, but if you increase both of them because of the. The ratio it has, it might be better on the track. But this one, on this track, because of the way it's set up, I feel better.
Right.
The brakes on this one, though. So he has the 86 without the Brembos. I feel a significant.
Oh, yeah, yeah.
I can't even feel it just from here. I mean, I haven't even been in this car, but yeah, the Brembos on this thing do stop you very well.
Yeah, they're. They're fantastic.
Carry quite a lot of speed through that back straight away. And like most people do break a lot earlier than that.
Yeah.
And I feel really comfortable breaking it.
Where I do too. Yeah, it's not.
I'm not even second guessing it. I remember on my brz, I have pretty much the same caliper and brake setup as he has now.
Right.
I even tried aftermarket pads on these RE71Rs. I rarely ever lock them here. I can lock them pretty easy with these Brembos, I have much better braking performance.
So I guess the Brembo option is worth it then.
Definitely, I would say.
Yeah.
So, yeah, I feel like this car is. I mean, with these new tires, you feel like it's pretty good balance.
I do. I think Maybe could use 50 more horsepower, but other than that, it's definitely good. There's a significant amount of body roll, though, with new tires. I don't know if you can tell.
Well, that's because.
Nice oversteer.
Great, great, great.
Yeah, you should be trying to oversteer in this corner a little bit.
Yeah, it's a. I actually feel faster if I oversteer through there on power.
I think on your hot lap, or maybe on this next one we go. We go out again. We should try running slightly cooler temperature.
Yeah, I definitely feel it. I. I agree.
Yeah, cuz they're starting to get greasy, right?
Y.
Like 40 psi right now.
Yeah, that's a little too high.
All right, it's time to do that hot lap. It. It's. So I think it's safe to say that Luca drove the crap out of that brz and most of his laps are pretty quick. But the fastest lap was 1.28.63. That's a lot faster than I would have thought. And it's only two seconds slower than Kevin's track built 124. But one thing to keep in mind is that this car was Also on Bridgestone RE71RS which is probably one of the faster summer rated tires you can get before jumping straight to a semi slick like the R888R. In my experience the factory all seasons probably would have been about a second or two slower. So if we're talking bone stock cars, I think anything Under a minute 30 is a pretty solid time here. But otherwise looks like Lucas Brz's 1 minute 28 second time is the new benchmark to beat. Thanks for watching. So where do you think John's Focus RS would end up on here? Probably somewhere down here. Huh? You know, I think so. Think we should just preemptively put it there because he may never show up. So just do this Focus rs. Nope, nope. I think, I think we're just gonna do this. I think that's, that's the safe thing to do.
