Painting on This Decade’s Blank Canvas: Mod ideas for the Toyota 86 (FRS, BRZ, GT86)

Painting on This Decade’s Blank Canvas: Mod ideas for the Toyota 86 (FRS, BRZ, GT86)

We live in Toyota’s world. Their trucks have been indestructible since the ‘80s. Their luxury cars have been global conquerors since the ‘90s. Their Prius took over in the 2000s, influenced the design of hybrids from dozens of different manufacturers, and pushed the world towards a greener future.

Fortunately, Toyota decided to let Subaru co-parent its first compact rear-wheel-drive platform in years and gave us something great. The Scion FRS, Subaru BRZ, and Toyota GT86 (collectively referred to as the Toyota 86) are fun, light coupes and come with a do-it-yourself gearbox, ticking all the boxes required for a Mazda Miata competitor. But what if it doesn’t quite settle you? What if you want more out of your ToyoBaru? The good news, there are plenty of ways to make your Toyota 86 faster, more nimble, and more unique. Here are our recommendations for what to do first!

Wheels and Tires

This one is a gimme. Almost every car benefits from wider tires and lighter wheels. The stock 215mm tires make for tons of sideways fun, and that width is great for learning the behavior of your chassis if you opt for a stickier compound. However, if you want more grip and better fitment, wider wheels with more offset can help fill out the fenders and make room for 235mm or 255mm tires.

Dampers, Springs, and Coilovers

Subaru may be known for making rally cars, but the 86 is at home closer to the ground. When you’re cornering hard or sliding sideways, you want the most control possible over your car. On top of that, if you own a race car, you want it to look like a race car. Low is as low does though, so you can’t cut the springs and expect that to work well. Coilovers are bolt-in shock/spring packages that can change the ride comfort, height, and performance of your vehicle while adding adjustment options. There is a boatload of Coilover options available for the 86 platforms. Unfortunately, it’s not a one-size-fits-all situation, as certain coil-overs are geared toward one type of driving or another.

Accessory and Crank Pulleys

Pop quiz: where are the places you can save unsprung weight? Brakes, check. Wheels and tires, check. For most of your suspension geometry, check. Engine pulleys? Check!

Exhaust Pipes and Headers

One of the best things about driving a fun car is the sound. The stock exhaust system on an FRS sounds alright at high RPM, but it’s a little wheezy. There are a few easy bolt-on fixes for this. Axle-back exhausts can help with the exhaust note a bit but don’t do much for performance as they’re basically replacement mufflers. Cat-back systems do exactly what they say they do: they run from the catalytic converter back. Catback exhausts are axle-back systems along with an upgraded midpipe at their simplest, or one-piece piping sections that go from a catalytic converter flange at one end to the muffler welded on at the back of the car. Catbacks are the easiest exhaust upgrade that will actually get you a little horsepower and free up a ton of weight. The stock cat-back is about 40 lbs, while single exit systems like the Tanabe Concept G are half that weight and more efficient at high RPM.

Air Intakes

If you’re upgrading your 86, it definitely needs to breathe better. First so you get more delicious intake noise, second, so you can make more power!

The ToyoBaru 86 platform is ready for all the mods and abuse you can throw at it. There are plenty of racing championships out there tailored at sports cars like the BRZ, FRS, and GT86, and plenty of mods for you to go out there and make your vehicle competitive. Don’t forget that the most important mod is the driver mod. Practice makes perfect, and no amount of money can replace skill.