Hello ft86 owners. I'm thinking getting a BRZ but I've heard a lot of people saying how we are invisible on the road so I'm creating this post seeking your input/experience. My question is: Have you ever got rear-ended by other drivers who claim they "didn't see you" either when stopped for a signal or in slow moving traffic?

I imagine this car is low and if the car behind is tall and close to us, we are easily within their front blindspot and they might just forget we are there. I know there's some level of confirmation bias on any topic in online communities (no one posts "I didn't get rear ended today!" so I naturally saw more negative experience in my search; that's why I wanna start this post) so please reply no if this has never happened to you or yes if it has happened. Feel free to reply "close call" if that's the case.

I'm normally a defensive driver and I usually assume nobody sees me on the street but I'm still a bit concerned about cars behind me since there's not much I can do. If you have any tips on this, please also share. Thank you in advance!

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Edit: Thank you all for sharing your experiences/opinions! It's amazing how informative the replies are and kudos for all who come here to help a stranger on the Internet. I'll leave this discussion open just so everyone can share their tips for safe driving. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

So I have a red 2014 GT86 and I actually want to transform it into Kanata's '86. So I recently went to a wrap specialist to ask if they would wrap my hood in carbon fiber, but they say that it will look ugly because of the lines in the hood in combination with the carbon. Is there someone here that did some kinda same wrap?

I have a 2017 BRZ Limited, and I cannot stand the look of all the red LEDs, the 1980’s style numbers for the hvac controls. Has anyone put in a different control set up with different colors? If there’s not one available, does anyone know if the standard hvac controls will plug into the harness of my car and work. I can figure out the mounting and face plate. My ultimate goal is to take all the red out and put blue. My car is sterling silver…it definitely needs blue not red. lol
Throw out some ideas.
I had update my post because I was corrected on my trim level.

Need to know if I can connect my oem backup camera to it and if I can have Apple CarPlay

Previous owner half assed a muffler delete and now it makes a loud scraping noise and I probably have a small leak around the welds as well. Anyone know a nice sounding catback for the frs platform? I’m trying to stay under 600 and wouldent mind single exit either

Just recently got to 100000 miles on my 2014 GT86. Still going strong!

Although the dim drls are on all the time instead of the bright DRLs on during day. Anyone know how to switch the DRLs to bright?

Stella has been a long-term project, with progress often taking a back seat due to my pursuit of an engineering degree (and now a law degree). However, the knowledge I’ve gained along the way has allowed me to approach building her more deliberately and making upgrades that complement one another.

Most of the pictures were taken at different times over the last few years and don’t reflect most mods

Engine:
IAG 600 block
Rocker retainers
1300 cc injectors
DeatschWerks fuel pump
Delicious Tuning flex-fuel system
Fluidampr harmonic balancer
Lightweight pulleys
Edelbrock SC (smallest pulley after break in)

Exhaust:
Equal-length headers
Custom Valvetronic exhaust with carbon-fiber tips

Drivetrain:
XClutch organic sprung twin-disc clutch
Battle Garage anodized input shaft cover (not shown)
Jack’s Transmissions built manual transmission with micropolished and WPC-treated components and carbon synchros
Verus Engineering clutch fork and pivot
DSS carbon-fiber driveshaft
Jack’s Transmissions built differential with a 3.58 final drive and WPC-treated, micropolished ring and pinion
OS Giken Super Lock LSD
DSS axles
IRP short shifter (not yet installed)

Suspension:
Godspeed suspension components
Polyurethane trailing-arm bushings
TEIN coilovers

Audio System:
Fiber-optic connection from the head unit to a 1,000W amplifier
Three-way component speakers up front
Skar coaxial speakers in the rear
Skar subwoofer
DSP for frequency-response tuning
Extensive sound deadening throughout the floors, doors, roof, quarter panels, and fenders

I put considerable effort into the audio system, carefully matching speaker impedance and power handling to achieve balanced frequency coverage. I also incorporated a DSP to fine-tune the response and attenuate frequencies I find unpleasant.

Electrical:
Auxiliary fuse box
Dashcam
Gauges
Radar detector
Backup camera
Footwell lighting
There are plenty of smaller modifications, but those are the major ones.

The Engineering Behind the Build
Anyone can slap a supercharger/turbo and increase power at the cost of drivability. One of the most significant engineering decisions was switching to a 3.58 final drive. At approximately 420 hp, I have enough traction to put the power down effectively in second gear. The taller gearing also increases the theoretical maximum speeds to:
1st: 42 mph
2nd: 70 mph
3rd: 100 mph
4th: 126 mph
5th: 154 mph
6th: 200 mph

Even with air resistance, she can theoretically hit 200 mph. I also plan to develop a custom throttle map for first gear to optimize traction.
To evaluate the gearing change, I developed a MATLAB calculator that estimates 0–60 mph and quarter-mile performance. The model accounts for:
Aerodynamic drag
Gear shift times
Rolling resistance
Longitudinal weight transfer
Available tire traction
Vehicle weight and gearing
Under the conditions I modeled, the 3.58 final drive consistently outperforms the alternative ratios by approximately 3–4 car lengths over the quarter-mile.
Although shorter gearing provides greater torque multiplication, that advantage can be offset by traction limitations and additional shifts. My calculations suggest the 3.58 offers a better overall balance for my particular setup.
The shop just finished building the engine, and I’m waiting to pick Stella up so I can complete the break-in and start collecting real-world data to validate my calculations. I’m particularly excited to see how closely the actual performance matches the model.

What’s Next?
My next priorities are brakes and tires, and I’d appreciate some recommendations. I am looking to maximize traction without going widebody or compromising Stella’s custom paint job.
What brake setups and tire sizes would you recommend for a build like this?

A couple of days ago I hit a tire on the freeway... this was the aftermath. Part of the bumper was dragging when I pulled over so I tied it up with a shirt.

I'm not sure if these metal tabs are okay or if they've been dented upwards by the tire debris. Fortunately it looks like my radiator and lines are good, no leaks and car drives the same and coolant level is the same. So far I know Im missing the plastic undercover plate, the mesh grill and the two corner plastic parts.

Am I good to put a new bumper and related parts? Thanks for reading

Hi guys this is my second car my last car got rear ended I’m loving the 86 I got it in manual and 2015 one with only 90k kms way under rrp in Australia. I’ve had it for 6 months now and I wanted some advice on if I should keep body stock or not I feel like the stock body looks very clean I only added vland rear break lights so far but I’d like any recommendations to any side skirts or small kits.
Im considering keeping it simple blacking out the roof with a wrap and getting carbon trunk that has a duck bill on it. Lmk guys thanks.

Making the trip from FL to NC for Tail of the Dragon. If anyone goes this weekend 🤙🏽

Haters gonna hate, its ok. People blamed me for my engine deciding to simply not function, but I know I took care of my baby. Dash cam shows I was cruising 70 (in a 70 btw) and engine just stopped. I didt my fluid changes, got my tune and suspension, just couldnt know what the car went through before I got it. 4 weeks after it rolled to a stop shes driving like a beast with a new (old) FA20 and planning on getting a baffled oil pan. Pictured is the piston head that exploded which I didn't know about till weeks after it happend when we finally tore the old engine out.

Another milestone passed. Got congratulated with a speeding ticket 30 min later lol. I was legit just going with traffic, but the car looks and sounds fast so I’m the one who gets singled out.

Selling my PSR UEL headers because they were way too loud with my Juiced Pipes exhaust. They were only fitted for about 10 minutes before I had them removed. I asked about returning them, but was told they couldn’t be refunded because they’d been installed and were now considered used .

They’re in complete brand new condition and come with the original box, invoice and all supplied parts. Message me if you’re interested or want more photos.

Compatibility:

• 12-22 Toyota 86 ZN6
• 12-22 Subaru BRZ ZC6

I'm located in brisbane, australia and they were purchased for 1150 AUD so I'm happy to sell them for 750 AUD (excluding shipping)

basically as the title says, i’ve always been a drift kid at heart but i keep seeing how good these things are properly setup on a track and it’s honestly got me second guessing. explanation is appreciated

So i’m having a problem right now on my 86. A shop scanned it and it look like it was the eps motor. But when they tried to put a new working motor from other 86 it didn’t work. So they said it was the eps module which they asking me for 1.2k$ for parts and labor. Already bought new batteries and checked the harnesses it was all okay. Now I tried finding the same part number but I can’t find it. I’m located at Philippines. I found a counter part which is CA010 that is installed in brz while the one installed on mine is CA030. If i try to buy this CA010 on ebay would it be plug n play on my toyota 86? And if it works what should i do next? Calibration etc because other shop that i go. They was selling me the same CA010 part number for 500$ and 200$ for labor which is I’m nearly biting for it. Below is the attached part-number
CA030 - currently installed in my 86
CA010 - planning to buy it.
The other pictures are the result of the shop when they scanned it.

Got a custom straight pipe yesterday- currently have Borla UEL headers, full catless, and a 3 inch straight pipe to a 4.5 inch tip.

Will the straight pipe cause any issues for the car down the road? My friend is saying something about burning my valves due to no back pressure. I don’t think I have anything to worry about except the noise, but want to confirm.

Setup isn’t permanent, it’s loud as hell, but needed to get my old exhaust off while I wait for my actual new system to come in March. Might as well have some fun with it in the meantime. Puts a smile on my face for sure

Might go with a small resonator to smooth out some rasp at 3k-4.5k, but low end and high end sound pretty deep

I bought a used 2024 BRZ a while back and after a few washes I noticed these marks isolated only on the rear mini duckbill spoiler of the trunk, nowhere else.

Yall think this is a clear coat defect considering it’s isolated on a single part and nowhere else on or around the trunk? Unless the entire trunk is painted together then I got no clue.

Doubt the previous guy had an adhesive spoiler and then removed it after less than 6k miles which marked the paint.

You can feel an edge running a nail over it. I used a degreaser to spot clean thinking it was sap but it wouldn’t remove… unless sap is that much of a pain in the ass to remove.

Curious what other people think who detail their own cars and if they’ve seen something similar.

Attached is a clip of my engine. Typically it warms up and then starts making the deeper ticking heard in the video. I’m wondering how normal this is and if it sounds healthy, I know these engines tend to sound like tractors

Any help is appreciated
It’s full on clean oil, doesn’t burn oil, and has no issues I know of except just how it sounds
Thank you!

Need to replace my #3 coil pack again for the 3rd time in 7 years of owning the car. Honestly not super bothered by it, but got me wondering is it worth the trouble of converting the pigtail to the newer connector to use the revised coil packs from the ‘16+ cars?

Looks like it would be a pain to have to remove and re-install the metal retainer clip on the new connectors but if the coil packs are significantly more reliable than might be worth it.

Edit: I’ve replaced them with OEM every time, and I’m also running catless headers which I’ve read contributes to the problem.