Yahoo Autos 2024 Toyota GR86 Sharpens Its Tool Kit Ever So Slightly
Given the precision required to drive on a racetrack, small tweaks can make a big difference. Toyota is hoping that a new Performance package for the 2024 GR86 sports car will appeal to owners who regularly bring their cars to track days and autocross events. This new upgrade, which will also be offered as a retrofit for existing 2022 and 2023 models, includes larger brakes and upgraded Sachs dampers that are meant to improve the rear-wheel-drive coupe's responses.
We recently got a chance to run some laps in the GR86 with this package in new-for-2024 Trueno Edition form, with some back-to-back laps in a standard GR86 providing contrast. A similar package was offered on the prior-generation 86 in the TRD model added late in that car's run.
The upgraded brake rotors—measuring 12.8 inches in front and 12.4 inches in the rear—are larger by 1.2 inches and 1.0 inch, respectively, compared with the standard car. Brembo calipers—four-piston in front and two-piston in rear—clamp down on these rotors, and the pads offer more surface area as well. We felt a bit more bite from the pedal in the Performance package car, but it's not a transformative effect. We look forward to testing the upgraded GR86 at our Lightning Lap event, as we previously found the stock brakes in both the GR86 and its Subaru BRZ twin to be a weakness after repeated laps. (It's important to note that the brake fluid you use can make a difference, too, as the stock BRZ's brakes exhibited less fade with high-temp brake fluid.)
The effect of the Sachs dampers is also subtle, and Toyota says that these are meant to improve stability rather than boost stiffness over stock. We didn't get a chance to drive the 2024 GR86 on public roads yet, but we doubt there's much of a difference in the Performance pack's ride quality. Rest assured that the upgraded chassis does nothing to dilute or disrupt the playful nature of the GR86, and we had plenty of fun ripping the little coupe around.
Toyota is offering this package as a dealer-installed option. It'll come standard on the limited-run Trueno Edition, which has an AE86-inspired graphics package and special badges. The bigger brakes only fit with the Premium trim level's 18-inch wheels, though, so you'll either have to buy this more expensive trim level or source your own wheels for the Performance pack to be compatible.
Existing GR86 owners who want these upgraded brakes and dampers will be able to retrofit them, and a Toyota representative told us that dealerships may even sell the parts on their own if you want to install them yourself or use a third-party shop for installation (though this would likely void the warranty). Pricing for the package isn't out yet—and we're curious to see if Subaru offers an equivalent upgrade for the BRZ—but on the surface, this new Performance upgrade is looking like a worthy purchase.
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