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Scion FR-S Tire Transformation
Posted: Thu Aug 16, 2012 2:53 am
by Mr Kleen
Scion FR-S Tire Transformation - Special Report
Don’t judge a car by its tires: What happens when you give an FR-S some grip?
Road&Track wrote:As much as we love to drive the wonderfully balanced Toyobaru twins, we were displeased at how the BRZ stacked up against the Mazda Miata and Hyundai Genesis Coupe in a recent test (see “The Great New Hope... or Hype?” July 2012). Yes, the BRZ dominated our subjective ratings with its balanced chassis, but it lacked an edge around the racetrack. We theorized that the tires were holding it back.
The Subaru-Scion twins are shod with Michelin Primacy HP 87W GreenX summer touring tires. They have a UTQG treadwear rating of 240 and howl in the corners like a beagle strapped to the roof. Buy a Prius in Europe upgraded with 17-in. wheels, and you’ll get these same sad tires. That’s right, these sporty coupes have hybrid tires, tuned for low rolling resistance, not grip.
But what happens when you slap on some sticky stuff? Will it go quicker? Will it ruin the sublime handling?...
Re: Scion FR-S Tire Transformation
Posted: Thu Aug 16, 2012 7:53 am
by iceyinferno
Why would they run such bad tires on a "performance" car
Good find though!
Re: Scion FR-S Tire Transformation
Posted: Thu Aug 16, 2012 9:33 am
by thermobox
My only guess was to make the car tossable. Around a track it makes it very "fun" and prolly not that fast. Since I have put on my pirelli tires the car has nothing but mad grip. If the Mags want more grip and less "fun" it is just a tire change away.
Re: Scion FR-S Tire Transformation
Posted: Thu Aug 16, 2012 1:47 pm
by Sabre
Damn impressive how much faster it is with a good tire!
Re: Scion FR-S Tire Transformation
Posted: Thu Aug 16, 2012 7:24 pm
by PGT
I'd like them to have done 1/4 runs to show the effect of the extra weight of wider tires. I mean, the track test does that ok but if you think of them as kinetic storage devices, it doesn't take as much energy to accelerate them from 60mph-90mph like on a track as it does from 0mph-95mph. Besides, for daily driving use, you're in the performance envelope of 1/4mile more than pure track time with transitions and threshold braking.
Re: Scion FR-S Tire Transformation
Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2012 6:58 am
by Mr Kleen
Re: Scion FR-S Tire Transformation
Posted: Sat Aug 18, 2012 12:49 am
by chicken n waffles
thermobox wrote:My only guess was to make the car tossable.
That's what I've read in just about every news source there is.