By now, the “less is more” dictum that Toyota keeps repeating at every opportunity concerning its GT86 (that’s Scion FR-S in the US) rear-wheel drive coupe must be ingrained in every car fan’s head.
The 86/FR-S/BRZ trio ignores the horsepower and performance war and focuses on pure driver enjoyment like its famous ancestor, the Toyota AE86.
Well, a safe way to have a lot of fun is going to a track. However, here the 17-inch Michelin Primacy HP 87W GreenX tires with which the Scion FR-S is fitted with are below par. This comes as no surprise since they are the exact ones worn by the Prius hybrid and they are made for low resistance and fuel saving, not recording lap times.
Road & Track originally tested the practically identical Subaru BRZ against the Hyundai Genesis Coupe and the Mazda MX-5. Their conclusion was that while it was fun, as its maker intended, the tires were getting in the way of fully exploring the car’s abilities to the fullest.
Thus, they took the FR-S to the Spring Mountain Motorsports Park track and tested it with the OEM tires and Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 Star Specs in the original 215/45-17 dimensions and larger 235/40-18s. The interesting thing is that, while the performance tires will wear out faster, they are both cheaper than the originals!
For good measure, R&T also brought along a Mazdaspeed3 and a Subaru Impreza WRX to pit against the FR-S and see how it stacks up against its talented rivals with the three different wheels/tires combinations.
You can watch the video and learn the verdict right after the break.
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