FRS at the Slalom

Quick report on a fun day.

Local Solo club secured an airport to stage slaloms. Very long high speed events (3rd gear slaloms sections) tempted me out of my dislike of cones.

As a very occasional solo driver (every 6-8 year I do one) I don't tend to set the course on fire. But after the official runs, I did a couple of fun runs with the traction control fully off.

I can say one definitive thing about the FRS...It will recover from some RIDICULOUS sideways antics! MY passenger, who was ribbing me for taking it too easy during the competition, was pretty sure I was going to spin off into the rhubarb.

And for some reason, it certainly did not feel underpowered.

I got to drive an FRS/BRZ at a school and it was an amazing car to drive, felt much more powerful than I expected and just loves to be pushed hard.

evildky wrote: I got to drive an FRS/BRZ at a school and it was an amazing car to drive, felt much more powerful than I expected and just loves to be pushed hard.

I think they are much quicker than a lot of people give them credit for. For comparison, an E36 M3 is about 6.1 sec 0-60, the FRS is 6.2. Sure it's no Z06, but it's still not slow. My experience is that they are faster than they feel, especially on the street, as you get a nice linear acceleration curve. I still want one!

I too drove one at a school and feel the same way. Enough power to get the job done. Yeah, faster than they feel. Certainly no worse than a Miata, maybe a bit quicker.

racerdave600 wrote: My experience is that they are faster than they feel, especially on the street, as you get a nice linear acceleration curve. I still want one!

I think that might be my big problem with it--for something that is going to be on the street rather than the track 99.99% of the time, I would rather have somethign that feels faster than it is.

I don't know, it has a similar weight/power ratio as an '06+ Miata doesn't it?

I certainly don't have any problems. Although it's not as exhilarating as the Mustang was.

I think people wanting moar power are the ones who want to go drifting.. without realizing that is not the reason for the car.

mad_machine wrote: I think people wanting moar power are the ones who want to go drifting.. without realizing that is not the reason for the car.

I am one who wants moar power. I drive a Miata that has a Flyin Miata suspension, Star Specs, tow hitch, and a cat-back exhaust as the only mods. Before that I was in a BMW 318ic; before that a SAAB 9-5. I should be the guy screaming "IT DOESN"T NEED MORE POWER THAT IS NOT THE POINT", but I'm not. I actually think it is the delivery of the power that gets me. Rev the piss out of it, and it hits redline with a mighty blah.

Of course, I say this knowing that the car would be driven 99% on the street, and that is where it would likely annoy me. Even with all of that, it is still a frontrunner for my next car in a year or three.

and it hits redline with a mighty blah.

No E36 M3! The rev-limiter on this thing is a killjoy. Every other car out there just bounces on the rev limiter and keeps going if say it is the last cone on the slalom. The FRS falls off the edge of the earth when the limiter comes on; you really do not want to hit it if you are trying to go fast.

mtn wrote:

mad_machine wrote: I think people wanting moar power are the ones who want to go drifting.. without realizing that is not the reason for the car.

I am one who wants moar power. I drive a Miata that has a Flyin Miata suspension, Star Specs, tow hitch, and a cat-back exhaust as the only mods. Before that I was in a BMW 318ic; before that a SAAB 9-5. I should be the guy screaming "IT DOESN"T NEED MORE POWER THAT IS NOT THE POINT", but I'm not. I actually think it is the delivery of the power that gets me. Rev the piss out of it, and it hits redline with a mighty blah. Of course, I say this knowing that the car would be driven 99% on the street, and that is where it would likely annoy me. Even with all of that, it is still a frontrunner for my next car in a year or three.

If you aren't cornering hard enough to adjust the car with your right foot, you don't need anymore power.

I drove one in anger at an AutoX and it needed more power or about 400 pounds less weight.

mtn wrote:

racerdave600 wrote: My experience is that they are faster than they feel, especially on the street, as you get a nice linear acceleration curve. I still want one!

I think that might be my big problem with it--for something that is going to be on the street rather than the track 99.99% of the time, I would rather have somethign that feels faster than it is.

Excellent point. On the street, the sensation of speed is a lot more fun than actual speed. See: classic Mini, bugeye Sprite, NA/NB Miata.

I too am looking forward to the used FRS/BRZ car market. I hope to add it to the fleet some years out. I think if it is even close to my NA Miata (I never removed the hardtop BTW) I would love it.

racerdave600 wrote:

evildky wrote: I got to drive an FRS/BRZ at a school and it was an amazing car to drive, felt much more powerful than I expected and just loves to be pushed hard.

I think they are much quicker than a lot of people give them credit for. For comparison, an E36 M3 is about 6.1 sec 0-60, the FRS is 6.2. Sure it's no Z06, but it's still not slow. My experience is that they are faster than they feel, especially on the street, as you get a nice linear acceleration curve. I still want one!

While I don't feel the FR-S is horribly underpowered, it doesn't feel nearly as quick (or fast) as my E36 M3. I don't think those times are accurate. I'd think more like M3--- 0-60 in 5.7 or so and the FR-S maybe 6.5. Not slow--- but not nearly as quick as the BMW.

This is reinforced as I've just retuned from a LAPS Inc. track day at Road America. There was a nicely prepped FR-S in my run group and my M3 had no troubles walking away from it handily down the straights. Of course he SLAUGHTERED me through the carousel. Overall his times were faster, but my car was clearly more powerful.