Track Pirates: Suspension Upgrades For Your Winter Build

 

When it comes to motorsports, the BRZ, FR-S, and 86 models are known predominantly for grassroots SCCA-type sanctioned events. These are not like your turbocharged WRX and STI models that are a little more versatile in terms of power. Yet that was never the case with the BRZ, as it encompasses the true recipe of a traditional sports car. Front-engine with a rear-wheel-drive layout. Light, nimble, and available with a close-ratio 6-speed manual gearbox. Most importantly it’s a driver’s car where established drivers with plenty of seat time know that momentum is key, and that smoother equals faster. There is a saying that autocross racing is a drag race to the next corner. But drivers of cars such as the BRZ, FR-S, or 86 will disagree, and it’s really all about how smoothly you can enter and exit those corners rather than relying on your brakes and brute horsepower to spin and slingshot the car out of those apexes.

Furthermore, many who participate in weekend track events with the BRZ platform keep their cars relatively stock with just upgraded brake pads, rotors, and a sticky tire. That’s all you really need when racing through a parking lot and you don’t have deep pockets to have a custom gearing in your transmission or differential among a myriad of other mods.

Yet because the BRZ/86/86 is not designed to impress with horsepower numbers, most owners who purchased these cars like to turn. This also means that for a big section of aftermarket performance products on FTSpeed just happens to be suspension upgrades. The question is, are you ready for your next suspension move? Let’s discuss some suspension mods that will help you advance your driving skills for next year’s autocross events, or other sanctioned weekend occasions.

 

SWAY BARS

Subarus across the board especially for AWD models benefit from sway bars the most. A larger sway bar reinforces your suspension and chassis strength to reduce body roll. This means that you can take corners faster, they increase your overall tire footprint, improve the steering response, and they improve the driver feedback by providing more confidence. Arguably one of the best suspension mods that you can buy that that make your driving experience more enjoyable for daily use, but highly beneficial for sanctioned events.

 

 

 

Faction Fab 22mm Front Sway Bar 2013-2021 BRZ/FR-S/86

 

Cusco Hollow Rear Sway Bar 16mm 2013-2021 BRZ/FR-S/86

 

Whiteline Front and Rear Sway Bar Kit w/Endlinks 2013-2021 BRZ/FR-S/86

 

 

 

 

CHASSIS BRACING

 

On the subject of chassis reinforcement, like sway bars, the chassis benefits from limited movement to make the chassis move sharper throughout cornering. The less body roll you have, the faster your chassis can react when turning with less lateral forces. For the BRZ chassis, there is so much chassis bracing components available to make cornering a breeze.

Strut tower braces will be some of the easiest units to install because for the front, you simply remove your front strut nuts located on top of the strut towers, install the brace, and use those nuts and tighten down the bar. For the rear you will have to remove some interior bits to access the rear strut tops. When combined with sway bars, you now drive a go cart.

 

TRD GR Rear V Brace 2022-2024 BRZ/GR86

 

GrimmSpeed Front Strut Tower Brace 2013-2021 BRZ/FR-S/86

 

 

PERRIN Front Strut Tower Brace 2013-2021 BRZ/FR-S/86

 

 

ENDLINKS – WHERE LESS IS MORE

 

That’s right. For those on a budget, sway bar end links are designed to replace your OEM end links that are inherently soft by the factory and leave a lot on the table for improvement in terms of strength. Aftermarket examples are made to be much stiffer, and adjustable to increase the overall strength and function of your sway bars whether they be OEM or aftermarket units.

 

Whiteline Front Endlinks 2013-2021 BRZ/FR-S/86

 

SPL Short Version Front Endlinks 2013-2021 BRZ/FR-S/86

 

 

COILOVERS – THEY OFFER MORE THAN JUST STHE STANCED LIFE

When enthusiasts often think coilovers, the kneejerk thought is that they will make your car low. Or if you see a really low BRZ, FR-S, or 86 at a meet then you know it’s on coilovers. And if it’s sitting on the frame then obviously it’s on bags. But we are talking about the performance side of things here other than slamming the car on overly large wheels.

Fact is, coilovers must make up for lowered height with a stiffer spring. Stiffer springs improve the handling in autocross or track day situations to also reduce body roll. A lowered chassis improves the center of gravity at higher speeds. The lower the chassis is to the ground at higher speeds reduces wind drag. But during autocross events where there are short and quick switchbacks on the course design, coilovers help maintain chassis control through the cones. Yes, remember that with certain models you have damping and rebound adjustments for your own personal comfort. But because this article is more track-focused, lets look at some options that have front camber plates to enhance your alignment.

 

Faction Fab F-Spec Coilovers 2013-2024 BRZ/FR-S/86

 

 

 

BC Racing BR Coilovers 10K Front 8K Rear Springs 2013-2021 BRZ/FR-S/86

 

HKS Hypermax R Coilovers 2013-2021 BRZ/FR-S/86

 

Now that you have some options with more suspension mods for this upcoming winter build in preparation for next year, these solutions will make your BRZ, FR-S, or 86 faster through those cones and corners. These cars handle amazing right out of the box, these suspension mods make these cars more fun to drive on the street, and especially when they show their true function on the track.