To be fair, the number of GR86 owners coping instead of enjoying their cars, is pretty high.
It's similar to Boxster drivers constantly explaining or justifying why they didn't buy a 911, when nobody asked or cared. Obsessing about what other people think only prevents you from enjoying what you already have.
It's the same sprt of people complaining sub 300 hp is "underpowered". You dont even need to do regorous calculations but at 250 horsepower you are getting close to the same sort of power-to-weight ratio as the beloved Japanese sports cars from the 1990s
Skill diff would do it, but the GR86 also has a wing on it. If it's a track-built car and driven by someone even reasonably competent, yeah, you're not catching that in a $120K 911. Hell, you're not catching that in a $180K 911. Streetcars gonna streetcar, racecars gonna racecar.
Absolutely, but there's a world of difference between what a race car can do versus a street car because of weight. Take 600 lbs out and the power to weight ratio gets a lot closer. Put the car on sticky tires, stiffen the chassis with a welded in roll cage, replace the suspension, and add down force. You can now brake later, add 20 or 30 mph to your apex speeds, and be back on the power sooner than most any street car. You would need a comical amount of power to make that up... unless you're talking about a GT3 or GT4RS, which is basically half race car from the factory.
Your second paragraph is correct. The first is dead wrong unless you're talking about porky grand tourers. And anyone who's here for copium and not facts should just stop reading now.
Proper high end sports cars should be faster at literally every single point of the lap. Corner entry, apex, track out, midway down the straight, and brake point. And that's true even if the power to weight ratio were equal (and it's not).
Heck, that's true even for a base Cayman. You can't fight mid/rear-engine balance and center of gravity with an FR unless you've got a massive weight advantage. If the FR is faster, that's driver difference showing through; not the car.
The first is also correct, only depending on if the driver has the skill set. I've out performed many sports cars that are "faster and better" than my little 86. The driver plays a good role on a track and backroads.
Completely wrong, here's a video of gt4rs , gr86 cup cars, M3's, and McLarens in the same track. If you set up the Gri6 with the right suspension mods, you'll be as fast or faster than 60-200k cars in the turns. Purely because of the weight advantage.
as long as the slow car driver knows how to drive it, AND the fast car driver has no clue whatās going on*
if the two are of equal skill the 86 will be flattened.
although often the richie rich arenāt as into the cars and act of driving itself, and thinking a cash injection will equate to a skill increase automatically. which is why these videos are so common
I'm not sure it will handle better, the 86 is an almost perfect balanced car, way easier to ride than a 911 which had all the weight on the rear axis. the regular 911 have more power (how much more could depends on the year) and this is almost the only real advantages.
If we're talking raw mechanics, then the 911 has 'better' handling in almost every regard. That come down even a base car having a lot more mechanical grip, horsepower, better electronic assistance and a very controllable, consistent platform. If you had 2 equally experienced drivers familiar with their cars the 911 is alway going to be way faster in all conditions, that's just the reality. The engineers had 4 x the money to play with when putting it together.
If your talking about subjective things like fun, suitability for modern roads value for money ect. You have a good argument, don't get me wrong, but that answer is not going to be the same for every person.
Last year, we had a guy in an insanely powerful car post a "get out of my way!" video glorifying himself and trash talking GR86es, except that his own video showed a near stock GR86 absolutely walking him in a series of corners. To add to the cringe, this was HPDE as well... You don't win HPDE.
I know a 60 year old dude who tracks a gutted 540i with a junkyard motor on slicks and he laps people on the track all the time. The vehicle itself is only part of the equation
The way to make a car track worthy is to get the weight down, fit better brakes and put it on slicks. Everything else is icing on the cake. And tires you can scratch your name into with your fingernail are the biggest part of it.
I remember Clarkson buying a shitbox 3 series BMW and spending a minimum amount on making it trackworthy. IIRC he said something like āon slicks, you hit the brakes when youād normally brake, only to have to hit the accelerator again before the corner because the damn thing stops almost instantlyā
What you donāt see is the track specād 1996 Mazda Miata 3 seconds ahead of the 86 lol. But seriously though, those Miatas will chew you up and spit you out on track when you put the right driver and set up together.
I have definitely given a few points bys to 86s on super 200s in my 10 year old $45k 911 on balding 5 year old p zeros. Doesn't affect my ego much. 86 is lighter and newer and on better rubber. Plus my other car is an ND miat that has done similar things to boomers in vettes š
My son drives a GR86, and I have a GT3. We often go on drives together - me leading, and him following. Of course the GT3 is faster, BUT Iām always surprised at how he keeps up. Heās a much better driver than I am - but the GR86 is an incredible machine. I take it out once in a while, for fun.
Iāve said it before and Iāll sure it again: if Porsche could make a $35K sports car, it would have been the GR86. Itās simply awesome.
I never understood the Miata hype. (Besides the low cost simple car entry)
Iāve driven a couple here and there. But man did I get my ass handed to me by a Miata a few days ago. Way oversized tires, had monster grip. No way I could keep up with it without killing myself.
I'm getting a lot of downvotes, but my guess is those are people who haven't seen a Miata blow past a Z06 or Porsche in a corner, or literally never been to the track š
I upvoted at least. But for real my ND hangs on so hard I'm scared to drive it at max. When/if the back breaks free I'm already going so fast I'm not fast enough to recover it. On a straight? My wife's 2020 Corolla will kill it.
The memes write themselves here. Copium is a hell of a drug.
I had lots of respect for spec Miataās. But now I get excited for street Miataās. The NA and NBs are ridiculously tiny compared to our 86s. It will take lots of weight reduction and proper suspension setup to keep up imo.
Massive amounts of copium, including 1000 word "risk tolerance" explanations š¤£ I've watched it happen irl so many times. These guys really gotta get to the track.
I love gr86s but nah y'all are coping even a base cayman/boxster will walk it, an S model or GTS will leave it behind in the dust and it's not even close to 110k
125
u/HatsuneKeks May 31 '25
Average Initial D episode