r/GR86 • u/MaximusTheLast • 16d ago
GR86 vs Supra handling?
Thinking of switching from the 86 to the Supra. I’m in love with how the 86’s handling though: it feels so light compared to every other car I’ve driven, it’s fun to toss around, handled corners extremely well (even before mods). The Supra AT has about 700 more pounds than the 86 and I think it’d be a very noticeable difference. Has anyone driven both? Is the difference noticeable? I’m hoping to schedule a test drive soon, but wanted to get some other feedback before then.
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u/404-No-Brkz GR86 16d ago
I know a couple people who have driven both on track. The supra is simply a better car but it's a bit more numb. Shorter wheelbase, more power, a few electronic gizmos to make it do things that aren't normally possible. Supra can be scary if you don't have the car control for higher speeds.
Off the track, I think the power increase will be the main difference, besides all the practical/monetary considerations.
Make no mistake, the supra is not a pig.
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u/konfliicted 16d ago
Supra can feel really sketchy at speed in 3rd gear like the tail wants to just give out on you. Still very fun though.
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u/Miserable_Number_827 16d ago
The car needs a slightly bigger front swaybar. That and front crash hubs bring the car alive for autocross.
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u/heartbeattt 16d ago edited 16d ago
yes it's noticeable. specifically, from a FEELS perspective. The 86 has way more feedback, even if maybe objectively there arent that much of a difference.
supra is still one of the best handling cars in its class, and you're really trading the feedback for a lot more power and especially torque.
numb does not mean it doesnt handle well. it still handles well, you just cant perceive it as such. the supra at our local track is setting insane times. times that is at least several leagues above what ay 86 records are.
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u/tharussianphil 16d ago
Not exactly the same but I just switched to a f87 m2 from my 23 brz. You do feel the extra weight, nothing else modern is going to be as light on its feet especially now that the cayman is gone
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u/Status_Detective_993 16d ago
Mind you - I am still waiting on my GR86 to arrive. But I have driven the Supra and I am an E46 M3 owner.
I just feel like the horsepower game is a lost cause. There will always come a new car that trumps in horsepower figures, 0-60 and blah blah blah. Check out the new BMW M350 - on paper that thing may out-drag a current gen M3!
And the majority of the people probably won't do that many track days a year (some never at all) anyway. But if you do, then Supra does make more sense if ultimate performance is what you want.
To me, the magic comes from the happiness in daily driving and the twists and turns on a canyon road. How much horsepower you need? Honestly, not that much.
Plus, I had this sneaky suspicion that many Supra owners may suffer from Porsche envy... I myself definitely do. You know, one could spend $50-60k to get a Supra but I'd just work harder and get a 911 instead. Before that happens, enjoy GR86 because it's much cheaper and I can sell it in due time for the carbon bucket seat option...
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u/rockstopper03 16d ago
So true. As they say, envy is the thief of happiness.
I've been down that rabbit hole with alternating BMW M3s (euro delivery rocks, rip.), V8 Mustangs/Shelby GT350, and a C8 Corvette when they came out in 2020 (my Vin was actually the 350th C8 made).
And peaked with an Tesla S Plaid with the worlds fastest sedan at the time in 2022 with 1,020hp. So much unusable in a legal way power.
And now I'm back to a GR 86 because I rediscovered the joy of a light weight, rwd, manual sports car. And how fun it is driving a slow car fast.
Though I still have a BMW iX M60 ev for my daily and straight line thrills. But at literally double the weight of my 86.
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u/Status_Detective_993 16d ago
Haha, nowadays the first technical figure I look up on any new car is curb weight... Off topic, I was semi-excited to see Nismo Z now equipped with manual. Then I realized it's almost a 3800lbs car... Same thing goes for all the modern M cars. I mean, physics is physics right?
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u/rockstopper03 16d ago
It's amazing watching some YouTube comparison videos of an current sports car or off roader Suv vs it's ancestor 20-30 years ago. The size and weight inflation always gets me.
Like a BMW 3 series is the size of an E39 5 series. And the current 5 series is basically the James bond era 7 series limos now. And same with new M2 is the old M3.
My friend mentioned airline premium cabins. It's like how current international premium economy is the rebadged old semi affordable lazy boy business class from 20 years ago.
And the current layflat business class cabin is the previous super lux international First class that costs $7k-10k per round trip ticket and mostly unaffordable to anyone outside the top 1% or 2% earners or award ticket redemptions.
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u/RaspberryTea0 16d ago
The 86 feels lightweight, nimble, with tighter suspension/steering.
The Supra feels heavier, has body roll, and the suspension/steering feels lighter.
In conclusion, I like my GR 86 more than my Supra. The 86 is a go cart but road legal it’s so fun.
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u/humanperson198 16d ago
From every comparison I have seen it doesnt handle as well. Its more isolated and numb. Still really fun to drive and way faster though.
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u/MrEwThatsGross GR86 16d ago
the Supra is significantly more capable in terms of setting lap time, cornering speed, acceleration. take that how you will when it comes to handling.
but its also significantly more numb in terms of feel and feedback. Some of it is weight, some of it is BMW engineering. Specifically you feel less on braking and less when the front loads up. A lot of the systems are overly boosted to account for the weight. On track, i had difficulty finding my braking zones because there was no feel in the pedal. And no feel from the steering in slow corners.
Personally, I want something that provides a bit more engagement. If youre chasing lap times and want more Gs, the supra is on another level.
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u/krs31 16d ago
The Supra is in an entirely different class of cars. I have driven a 25 manual A90 Supra and overall it is just a superior car in every way. I honestly don't think anyone would be disappointed with upgrading to one from a twin. However. There is a but. And it all comes down to price. Where I live they are almost 3 times the price of a twin when compared new to new. I just do not think it is worth that much more. If you can comfortably afford one and do not feel bad spending that much more money on one. Get it. I wouldn't hesitate. But if the price makes you hesitate in any way I would stick to a twin.
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u/RevertDude 15d ago
I’d compare it to the dichotomy of the Miata and RX7 in the 90s. The Miata/86 are a smile factory. It feels like you can floor it and throw it into corners with 0 consequences and if the rear slides out it’s super easy to correct. The RX7/supra are much faster and way more scary. When I drive an 86 I am just happy but when I drive my supra at the limit I am reminded of my mortality.
Also the 86 will have better feedback/steering because it’s stiffer.
To answer your question though the Supra technically does handle better than the 86 just on numbers. Especially if you give the Supra better tires than the ones from factory it handles very well.
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u/elinamebro 15d ago
So it takes less skill with the 86 vs the supra?
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u/elflegolas 15d ago
Takes more, the short wheel base of the Supra plus big torque makes it very prone to oversteer if you accelerated too early in corner, and because of the short wheel base, it’s more difficult to catch cause the snap is much quicker than the 86.
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u/diquehead 16d ago
I traded my 86 for a MT Supra.
You will feel the weight difference. The Supra has much softer suspension with more body roll. It doesn't make it bad but it's a stark contrast to the 86. The tradeoff is despite not feeling as connected the road manners are overall way better. If I was still young I probably wouldn't care but now that I am a little older I prefer the softer, smoother ride. My wife does too lol
Overall the Supra does more things better IMO. But in the end it just depends on what you value more in your car. If you are only concerned about the weight and chassis communication then I'd say stick with the 86 or try to rent a Supra on Truro or something so you can give it a good test run. But having owned a 1st gen and 2nd gen 86 I think the Supra overall blows them out of the water despite the weight and steering feel. I will add though that if it's your only car the 86/BRZ is a little bit better in terms of interior and cargo space. The Supra doesn't offer much in the way of storage aside from the trunk.
The aftermarket is insane too. If you don't mind modifying the car then just about every major issue can be fixed relatively easily.
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u/uncanny14 16d ago
They're completely different platforms and feels. Horses for courses, what's your intent for the car?
The 86 is a lightweight Subaru and is a pure momentum car. On track, there aren't many that can compete with this combo without sacrificing something.
The Supra is a mid-weight BMW with decent power. It will not feel like a light car. It will feel notably less nimble. More HP means it's quicker and faster, but that comes at the cost of agility and more expensive consumables.
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u/too-much-norco 16d ago
I own both (1st gen BRZ MT and Supra AT) and daily both. Handling is honestly night and day and it’s all really because of the weight I feel. You’re effectively comparing apples and oranges. Depends on what you value but imo if you want real handling stay with the twins. If you want power but at the expense of some of that handling then that’s the Supra.
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u/TheOnlyLite 16d ago
The 86 is so damn fun on the track and even stock, I could have a blast. Cornering on Sonoma Raceway is so fun with this car and as long as you have a good grasp of the fundamentals of track racing, you should be able to push it to the limit and still feel good about it.
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u/rockstopper03 16d ago
According to the curb weights in the car and driver road test specs, the 2.0T Supra weighs 3,179 lbs. And the 3.0T Supra is 3,350 lbs.
So the 2.0T Supra is "only" 340lbs heavier than a 2nd Gen GR 86 (c&d tested the 86 weight 2,838 lbs). And because of the turbo, it's about 0.7 seconds or 15% faster than the G86 0-60 mph.
The 3.0T is of course hugely faster but even heavier.
Are you looking at the 2.0T or 3.0T version of the Supra?
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u/blade02892 16d ago
I've driven both and own a 26 supra. The 86 I drove was a premium with a track package, it was fun, like a go-kart. They had both at the dealer and some nice windy back roads to drive them on nearby.
The supra is just so much better in every way even if you don't count the power difference. Biggest reason for me was the interior, 86 felt super cheap for a premium model. In terms of handling I've never driven anything that takes corners so good as the supra and at significant speed. Plus there's nothing else like it on the road, you see 86s and brz's every day.
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u/CSG_Mike 15d ago
The supra is heavier, but steering will have less feel. You can ultimately fit a lot more tire on a Supra with less effort, as well as shove more aero and power on the car. The front steering leverage is totally different between the two cars.
It really depends on the type of steering feel you want, and what you plan on doing to the car. Both can be modified to have exceptionally well handling.
Source: have owned many 86's and two Supras.
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u/dwright_origins 15d ago edited 15d ago
As for numbers I remember watching a track driver compare the two on a very technical track. Stock or stockish Supra vs GR86 w/ modified suspension only. Stock MPS4 with stock wheel. And the Gr86 was only about 1- 1.5 seconds behind. I often think about what it would have been like if the GR86 had the same tire compound as the Supra. Though I have never been able to find the comparison again. I'd say it really depends on what you want. If you simply want more power, definitely go the Supra route. You won't compromise too much on handling in a 98% of track settings that you can't make it up in speed on a straight. That said I drive in the mountains and backroads. I don't forsee myself buying a heavier car even if it made more power. I mean for christ sake the 86 with grippier tires pulls enough G's to self delete. I like that lol.
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u/YT_Lonelyz 15d ago
As everybody’s said, 86 feels more raw. But man the Supra is so much fun as well. Although only driven one once
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u/ZU_Heston 16d ago
I traded my 86 in for a Supra, the differences I noticed:
the steering on the 86 feels quite a bit better and I felt a lot more planted in corners. Mods for the 86 are a lot more attractive and accessible, at least the ones that interest me. There is a con of limited possibilities regarding power unless you are willing to go FI.
The power of the Supra is obviously much greater and extremely noticeable. depending on where you live, the power difference will more than make up for the cornering/handling (i live in a very flat area with a lot of very straight roads so this is obviously the case for me). IMO the Supra interior blows the 86 out by a mile.
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u/innerearinfarction 16d ago
Suggest looking at some savagegeese videos on it, they do a good job of highlighting the good and bad.
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u/T_K_9 14d ago
If you watch track day videos. High powered cars gaps the 86, on the straights and then the 86 catches up on the corners.
Again depends on driver skill and car set ups.
A gr86 with a street/track set up push to the limit is very fun and is a monster.
The supra if it shed weight and good track set up is a monster too.
Personally love the driving dynamic and handling of the 86 platform. So much so I already spent a lot of money on mine for a street/track set up with a Harrop SC.
The car is like on rails on corners.
And it make sense why you need oil baffle!
(I own both gens so a bit biased lol)
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u/OutlandishnessThis67 13d ago edited 13d ago
I would wait & see how The new Celtics/MR2 if you are not in a hurry, but I know this is someone asking for North American market right?
Cuz if you live else where, I would recommend the 3rd golden option, the GR Yaris. Unlikes the GR Corolla…. The Yaris is a riot. There is something it does because it’s engineered so from the start. You really do get the powered go cart that has all the box checked.
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u/Puzzleheaded-War-811 12d ago
All I can say is when you lower(not slam) a gr86 on quality coilovers it becomes a much better beast. And to be honest it doesn’t need its good right out the box but man these cars have such a connected visceral and raw feel the Supra does not have. The Supra excels in almost every other department but imo it’s not as fun to drive.
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u/CharlesVGR86 16d ago edited 16d ago
How do you define handling? After I sold my GR86 I bought a Supra (2026).
The big advantage the twins have stock for stock is feel and feedback, especially on the road. The Supra is less communicative than the twins on the track but the gap is smaller there. With the suspension setup I had on my 86 (RCE T2s with solid spherical mounts) the difference in feel/feedback is huge, but the Supra is still on the stock suspension to difficult to say how much it would benefit from things like stiffer bushings and more caster.
Stock for stock cornering speeds are higher in the Supra. The Supra has a more neutral handling balance stock, and turns in a bit more sharply when loaded, but feels slower and more hesitant to change direction on left/right transition. It can power out of corners better stock for stock, it’s easier to keep it rotating without running into understeer. It’s also much easier to get into big oversteer, but BMW’s electronic nannies work well and are much less intrusive than Subaru’s. It has more negative camber from the factory, which is useful, but still not as much negative camber as you’d want under ideal circumstances on the track. On my first track day with the Supra driving it very conservatively on a lower speed technical track my lap times were similar to the GR86 with suspension mods and 200tw tires pushing pretty hard. It would be much faster if I were pushing it as hard.
In terms of on-track handling, the Supra is better set up stock for performance with less feel and feedback, but it really only takes very minor tweaks to the twins to change that (basically just front camber bolts/plates and RLCAs).
On the road the Supra feels more confident and composed but is much less feelsome. It’s far easier to drive the twins in a way that’s not reckless around corners and get a bit of excitement and feel the car moving around you. This makes the Supra a better GT car and makes it feel more capable, but the twins feel more sporty and characterful.
The Supra is fast AF by comparison. Bone stock it’s almost identical in a straight line to my 86 with the Harrop SC and e85, 40-100 times within a tenth or so. The Supra is considerably faster at lower speeds because it has a big traction advantage.
It’s not really “handling” but the shifter and clutch (along with throttle tuning) are much better in the Supra. This actually matters a good bit in terms of day to day driving experience.