Review on the Scion FR-S

[Guest GMoney]

I went to the drive event this weekend. First walk around the car, the car seems to be made very well no issues with panel gaps, but altezza taillights? Hello 2001. Seating position is really nice and you are very low. I like the build quality and the overall design is really nice. The Toyota first drive has automatic transmissions in their cars so the public isn’t burning through clutches. I was able to get three laps, the first with all the safety features on. I had a yellow warning light flashing in my face the entire time and no throttle for 50% of the lap. I complained to the people running the event and they were kind enough to let me turn of/reduce some of the electronic safeties. Second lap was much better with this new setting. I now had control of the throttle about 90% of the time and it didn’t feel like I was driving a Camry at the edge of its limits and the safety features shutting me down at every turn. The third lap they turned the car into what they called track mode for me and told me not to tell anyone…. Haha hopefully there isn’t any of their bosses on here. It allowed the car to do its thing and that’s handle like a dream. Wow the car came alive and is balanced very well. It has enough power to drift even with the auto. I am not used to cars with so much “driver ads”. Every car I have ever owned only had ABS and drive by cable.

 

They have scored a home run with this car and I hope they sell tons of them. Go drive one. I want one now just to be a test mule to make turbo kits and other performance items from it. I have also been told TRD have a solution to the lack of power and will be released soon, supercharger most likely.

[STEVE-O]

Like the subaru it needs more turbo and I have herd they are going to come out with a awd trim in the future.

[Draco-REX]

Like the subaru it needs more turbo and I have herd they are going to come out with a awd trim in the future.

 

AWD is NOT going to happen in this reality:

http://i489.photobucket.com/albums/rr256/massdojo/z9.jpg

 

Unless they can find a way for the rear pistons to share space with the front axles.

[Draco-REX]

Yeah, to turn all the nannies off you have to hold the TRAC OFF button for about 5 seconds. At that point you have only ABS and Toyota's Smart Stop (thanks Prius owners, burn in hell) system. Luckily the Smart Stop feature doesn't seem to interfere with left-foot braking.

[Das Borgen]

Like the subaru it needs more turbo and I have herd they are going to come out with a awd trim in the future.

 

that's just plain stupid to do on this car

 

if you do that, why even have the WRX anymore?

[Das Borgen]

Yeah, to turn all the nannies off you have to hold the TRAC OFF button for about 5 seconds. At that point you have only ABS and Toyota's Smart Stop (thanks Prius owners, burn in hell) system. Luckily the Smart Stop feature doesn't seem to interfere with left-foot braking.

 

one shouldn't be on the brakes and gas at the same time anyway during road course and autocross driving anyway...unless you are combatting pad knock-back and/or checking brake presence at the end of a long straight (both are close to being the same thing)

[Guest GMoney]

one shouldn't be on the brakes and gas at the same time anyway during road course and autocross driving anyway...unless you are combatting pad knock-back and/or checking brake presence at the end of a long straight (both are close to being the same thing)

 

I left foot brake almost everything I drive, specially underpowered cars like the FR-S. Why would you not? You lose that spilt second every time you hit the brakes. A true road racer will have ZERO delay from full gas to the brakes are applied. There is a great Top gear where Hammond gets data logged in a F1 car and it takes him something like .2 seconds from gas to brakes and the data collection guy said that was WAY too long.

 

If your not hitting the brakes when the gas is still on the floor your flat out losing time in any form of racing.

 

Hell i brake my mountain bike while still pedaling and i am by no means a good driver/rider.

[Trouble Maker]

Phil Spector invented the wall of sound, and he eventually killed a woman.

GMoney will follow a slightly different path in life after inventing the wall of text where he wil eventually eat his own face off after trying bath salts.

[Das Borgen]

I left foot brake almost everything I drive, specially underpowered cars like the FR-S. Why would you not? You lose that spilt second every time you hit the brakes. A true road racer will have ZERO delay from full gas to the brakes are applied. There is a great Top gear where Hammond gets data logged in a F1 car and it takes him something like .2 seconds from gas to brakes and the data collection guy said that was WAY too long.

 

If your not hitting the brakes when the gas is still on the floor your flat out losing time in any form of racing.

 

Hell i brake my mountain bike while still pedaling and i am by no means a good driver/rider.

 

there's a difference between LFB and braking while on the gas

 

I specifically said there should be no time where you are on both AT THE SAME TIME....not 0.0001 seconds difference, grass hopper.....

 

I may not have a lot of experience driving on road courses but that much I know from personal experience....never be on the brakes and gas at the same moment

[gbracing81]

The car seems cool enough but IDK, I just can't seem to get into it.

[Guest GMoney]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtDRGNnTQHY

 

I know it's F1 blahh, blahh. He is also trail braking where he's back on the gas before even releasing the brake totally. Both intiating the brake with gas on and brake on during exit help to keep the car stable in certain corners.

 

So to say NEVER brake and gas at the same time is false. Its done all the time driving a FWD on a road course, rally, and in snow also.

[Mallard]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtDRGNnTQHY

 

I know it's F1 blahh, blahh. He is also trail braking where he's back on the gas before even releasing the brake totally. Both intiating the brake with gas on and brake on during exit help to keep the car stable in certain corners.

 

So to say NEVER brake and gas at the same time is false. Its done all the time driving a FWD on a road course, rally, and in snow also.

meh...

 

http://jalopnik.com/5919227/braking-steering-and-throttle-techniques

While all this has been going on, you must also have been very smooth on the wheel. Turning aggressively shifts weight, causing body roll and upsetting the car. You want to bring the car down to apex gradually and slowly, gently loading the outside tires.

 

At the apex you may have a moment of "no pedals" whatsoever. That is ok. The longer the corner radius the longer the wait could be. Fight the urge to get back to power. Patience here will go a long way. If you did pick up some gas all that would occur is the rear would sit and the dreaded "plow" of understeer would manifest, causing you to, again, miss that ideal 100% throttle spot we set out earlier. Wait until the front grips up and you can quickly and aggressively apply power, getting back to full throttle as early as possible.

[Das Borgen]

So to say NEVER brake and gas at the same time is false. Its done all the time driving a FWD on a road course, rally, and in snow also.

 

i m talking road courses and autocrosses (go back and read my earlier posts where I outlined the domain of my argument).....rallying is a whole different animal... the video you posted shows the driver covering the pedals, not pressing them at the same time...also the audio is out of sync so you can't rely on audio correlation to the visual......

 

 

but I digress

[Doug1647545489]

Not everyone left foot brakes... including professionals. I know they are a few indy car guys that right foot brake including Dario. Rubens too.

[Xyster101]

there's a difference between LFB and braking while on the gas

 

I specifically said there should be no time where you are on both AT THE SAME TIME....not 0.0001 seconds difference, grass hopper.....

 

I may not have a lot of experience driving on road courses but that much I know from personal experience....never be on the brakes and gas at the same moment

 

Quit talking like you know everything about racing Rich. Ever heard of a turbo? Left foot brake and gas at the same time to build up BOOST while racing.

[okami]

I second the pro left foot brake + throttle comments.

 

1) allow turbo to build boost

2) shift FWD brake bias rearward for better rotation. Common in rally, but useful on road courses too.

3)ease brake to throttle transition in cars with a sloppy drivetrain, or power that comes on quickly due to engine tuning, etc.

 

I used to left foot brake my Mazdaspeed 3 a lot on track, including when on the throttle to get more rotation without bleeding off too much speed. Xyster's MR2 also responds well to the technique to build boost before braking is done.

[Farkas]

one shouldn't be on the brakes and gas at the same time anyway during road course and autocross driving anyway...unless you are combatting pad knock-back and/or checking brake presence at the end of a long straight (both are close to being the same thing)

 

This is why you're a noob.

[BDHG940]

Guy at work has a silver one, and he loves it.

[Farkas]

Guy at work has a silver one, and he loves it.

 

Great review, thank you.

[Trouble Maker]

one shouldn't be on the brakes and gas at the same time anyway during road course and autocross driving anyway..

 

We need to teach you how to heel-and-toe.

[dsm_sleeper]

"Granny-shifting. Not double-clutching, like you should. You're lucky that 100-shot of NOS didn't blow the welds on the intake."

[Trouble Maker]

We could even overnight parts from Japan.

[AWW$HEEET]

this thread has taken a turn for the worst.

 

review of 200hp car: check

das borgen present: check

fast and furious quotes: check

[BDHG940]

Great review, thank you.

 

Why?

[El Karacho1647545492]

I went to the drive event this weekend. First walk around the car, the car seems to be made very well no issues with panel gaps, but altezza taillights? Hello 2001. Seating position is really nice and you are very low. I like the build quality and the overall design is really nice. The Toyota first drive has automatic transmissions in their cars so the public isn’t burning through clutches. I was able to get three laps, the first with all the safety features on. I had a yellow warning light flashing in my face the entire time and no throttle for 50% of the lap. I complained to the people running the event and they were kind enough to let me turn of/reduce some of the electronic safeties. Second lap was much better with this new setting. I now had control of the throttle about 90% of the time and it didn’t feel like I was driving a Camry at the edge of its limits and the safety features shutting me down at every turn. The third lap they turned the car into what they called track mode for me and told me not to tell anyone…. Haha hopefully there isn’t any of their bosses on here. It allowed the car to do its thing and that’s handle like a dream. Wow the car came alive and is balanced very well. It has enough power to drift even with the auto. I am not used to cars with so much “driver ads”. Every car I have ever owned only had ABS and drive by cable.

 

They have scored a home run with this car and I hope they sell tons of them. Go drive one. I want one now just to be a test mule to make turbo kits and other performance items from it. I have also been told TRD have a solution to the lack of power and will be released soon, supercharger most likely.

 

Who held this event? I went to Toyota direct to test drive the thing and was treated to an awful sales experience. The guy knew absolutely shit-all about the car and didn't seem to want to deal with anyone who did know anything. I've heard good things about my down-the-street competitors (Germain) but so far I can't get any of them to line up with the Abarth :lolguy: Not that the Abarth would stand a chance in a straight line.