TRD proposes the driving fun of the 86 and Yaris
In recent years, TRD has been specializing in providing competition parts for Toyota cars in particular, and this time they brought a demo car to the works joint test drive event with a highly customized Toyota ’86’ and ‘Yaris’ with a strong motor sports feel. Here is the test drive report.
Anewly savor the quality of the 86’s materials
TRD’s 86 demo car is a late model ZN6 GT. The person in charge explains the reason for daring to bring in an older model with a 2L engine.
“Now that the 86 has become more affordable, it is easier to enjoy. And because it is a 2L engine, you can enjoy stepping on it as much as you like.”
The current GR86 is indeed absolutely fast and the engine power has been sufficiently increased. That said, it is too fast, or perhaps too fast for fun and enjoyment on the circuit. It’s good for people with good driving skills, but for beginners, there are many situations where the car is so fast that it’s a surprise.
In that respect, the 86 is slow in a good way. It is not too powerful, so it is easy to enjoy. However, if the car has even less power than the 86, it will now be a car with almost no oversteering behavior. In this case, the real appeal of the rear drive would be reduced by half. The 86 strikes the perfect balance between the two.
The exterior is fitted with TRD aero parts. TRD dampers were installed for the suspension. A mechanical LSD has been installed to make the most of the traction to enjoy the rise and slide control.
The body is fitted with TRD motion control beams. Rather than hardening the body, the rigidity balance has been optimized.
The feeling explodes when you drive on the mini-circuit that has been prepared for this test drive course. The rear tires slide when the accelerator is depressed, but the 86, which has more power than it can hold, can countersteer to keep this behavior in check.
In addition, the new TRD original full bucket seats, with their carefully selected upholstery, and Sabelt six-point seatbelts have been fitted for such intense driving. It is impressive that the car’s ease of handling has been improved by one or two ranks.
Easy motoring with a bare Yaris
On the other hand, the Yaris demo car is based on a model with a 6-speed MT NA engine. This is what is known as a ‘bare Yaris’. Currently, the Yaris Cup, a one-make race, is held with a special vehicle with a roll bar and other equipment based on this vehicle.
Not a one-make race vehicle, TRD is now proposing a package to enjoy customization based on a bare Yaris.
The suspension is fitted with Gymkhana-spec dampers. The ride height has been lowered by 50 mm here, and it has also been tightened to a hardness.
The engine is stock, but the flywheel has been replaced with a TRD prototype lightweight. The 35% lighter flywheel delivers a pleasant response from the start, and the engine responds quickly when you step on the accelerator at take-off, giving the impression that the car is lighter all at once.
Testing the car on a mini-circuit is quite exciting. Steering at full throttle, the car dives into the corner and then brakes. Even so, the car’s weight of less than 1 tonne is just in time. The driving that starts up from there, with the LSD working and a crisp start, reminds me of the stimulating tuning cars of a long time ago.
At the same time, the rigidity and torque of the body are the very essence of a modern car. The result is a car that combines the contradictory qualities of stimulating driving and everyday driving comfort.
translated by DeepL