GR86 GR86 on track - any member experience/feedback?

Knotty

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May 21, 2024
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Hi All, potentially looking at taking the GR86 on track sometime next year - just wondered if any forum members have any feedback / gotchas to be aware of in advance?

E.g., How do the standard brakes hold up?, any recommended tyre pressures? Did your tyres hold up OK?
 
I'm looking to do the same next summer. The only changes I am making is oil weight. Given all the experiences and data surrounding oil starvation and oil pressure I'll be switching to 5w30 with a 750ml overfill.
 
If I recall @Lauren , @TorqueOfTheDevil , @ninjin and @mackie all have gone to the track at some point.
There is also some information from @Will300 either on this forum or the gt86 one about mods for tracking the car.

Ideally you should change to better brake pads if you want to do more than a few minutes of hot laps.
Oil cooler if you are doing stings longer than 10 minutes I'd say, otherwise you will have to do cool down laps.
Oil weight as @ZN8 said

Nothing stopping you hitting the track in OEM spec, just don't expect to do hot lap after hot lap
 
I'm not sure on your standard of driving but the most important thing you can do and is easy, is to pour 1l of oil in. I.E over fill by 1litre.

This is something that can be easily done and gives a bit more piece of mind.

Other than that, all the other mods depends on your standard of driving and how hard you will push the car. More advanced you are, the more mods you will need.
 
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If I recall @Lauren , @TorqueOfTheDevil , @ninjin and @mackie all have gone to the track at some point.
There is also some information from @Will300 either on this forum or the gt86 one about mods for tracking the car.

Ideally you should change to better brake pads if you want to do more than a few minutes of hot laps.
Oil cooler if you are doing stings longer than 10 minutes I'd say, otherwise you will have to do cool down laps.
Oil weight as @ZN8 said

Nothing stopping you hitting the track in OEM spec, just don't expect to do hot lap after hot lap
Agreed on stock pads really not being up to the task. The car already has an oil cooler, which is adequate. Didn't see temps go over 123C they seemed to really stabilise at 120C, so it did seem to work. You should always do cool down laps I would say, that saw a 20C drop in oil temp. I want to upgrade my brakes like I did on my old GT86 to AP or Brembo 4 pots on 330mm discs. Other than that the car was really very capable in stock form.
 
Brakes will be the main thing but take your time, don't rush into trying to do quali laps straight away. Do some cool laps I think it will be fine. Hoping to do Anglesey next year. I have MX72 pads just in case they came up on service but I've done 15k and there's still plenty. But on the road I don't tend to overuse my brakes. An AP Racing or Brembo setup I'd like to go for too, possibly leaning more Brembo as it will look a bit more OEM. I'd like the genuine set Toyota did for the Club GT86 but it's expensive.
 
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Thanks all - some brilliant tips there - particularly on the oil and pads. I always do warm up and cool down laps and don't stay out for extended periods. Good to know that OEM spec is do-able.
 
As I've been tagged by @Grblue86, I'll throw in my 2 pence.

Hi All, potentially looking at taking the GR86 on track sometime next year - just wondered if any forum members have any feedback / gotchas to be aware of in advance?

E.g., How do the standard brakes hold up?, any recommended tyre pressures? Did your tyres hold up OK?

Track Day advice:
Depending on your track knowledge/experience level, adjust as appropriate

Warm the car up slowly for a couple of laps, i.e. don't go out and buzz it off the limiter immediately.
Start the day off in normal mode, get use to the balance of the car, i.e. get a feeling for the grip level, brake pedal feel, when the traction control kicks in, etc
Check the oil temp during the session (I can't remember if this only shows up in track mode) - Anywhere between 80°c-115°c is good, 120°c getting close to the limit, think about taking it easy, 125°c time to back off.
Do a 15 minutes session
Cool the car down, for a minimum of 1 full lap (if your at a short circuit, Brands Indy, Blyton, Mallory, do atleast 2 laps)
Check your tire pressures throughout the day, try to aim between 30-32psi hot. (This is massively weather / condition dependant, 30-32 psi is normally a safe bet on PS4's)
Once your happy/confident turn on track mode.
Book tuition. - I've been doing trackdays for 10 years now, I still get tuition from time to time.
Most importantly have fun. 😁

Also consider buying trackday insurance, its a relatively rare and expensive car and at £150~ for some piece of mind goes a long way. Track insurance doesn't cover mechanical breakdowns though, only accidental (get hit by another car, crash into a tyre wall, etc)


Car setup:

Out of the box, the GR86 is fairly well setup for basic/limited/beginner track use. There are a few things I'd change before heading out on track though.

1. Good tyres - OE Michelin PS4's are fine, just make sure they are in good condition, i.e. not down to 2mm tread. You don't need trackday tyres (semi-slicks), unless you want a spare dedicated track setup.

2. A set of track capable brake pads. A good, cheap and readily available option are EBC Bluestuff
Front: https://ebcbrakesdirect.com/ebc-bluestuff-race-brake-pads-dp51884ndx
Rear: https://ebcbrakesdirect.com/ebc-bluestuff-race-brake-pad-set-dp51584ndx

Lots of other choice available, take a look in the brake upgrade guide:
https://www.gr-zoo.com/threads/gr86-brake-upgrade-guide.1507/


3. A high quality brake fluid. I personally use Millers Race 300, another option is Motul RBF600

Those are the "essentials", once you've done the above then I'd start looking to add some camber to the front suspension, either via fixed/adjustable top mounts, camber bolts or coilovers.
Oil weight/overfill is an option, although its not something we've done on my brothers car and thats done a few days this year.
Oil cooler could probably be the next option after that, although that starts to get into a grey area with engine warranty.
BBK isn't a requirement, but a good option if you start doing half a dozen or so days a year. Or you could consider it a requirement if you find the OE brake calipers visibly challenging - Why Toyota didn't you offer us Brembo's as a option? :ROFLMAO:

Hope that helps.

Here's a couple of photos of my brothers GR at a recent trackday:

54132430556_7c82c239a4_o.webp54132440016_5977e433ab_o.webp54132740478_1f665877a9_o.webp54132869790_98b07b6da9_o.webp54132892995_a07fdb4915_o.webp
 
Seems to cover it. I've also heard the standard brakes get hot very quickly, but depends on the track I guess also.

Oil starvation on right turns also, so a heavier oil and overfill it before the track seems wise.
Watch some of the early Misha Charoudin YouTube videos when he first got his GR86.

But don't watch the ones where his engine blows up. Tbh he was caning it for lap after lap, on track tyres also, so I expect he exacerbated the oil starvation.
 
I did some track running this time last year. I used to track my 350z a lot but hadn't done a track day for for about 10 years!

It will likely be cold and damp so you're not going to be on the worst tyre for the situations but you may still overheat them.
I ended up having to drop a lot of pressure from the tyres, especially the front left (clockwise circuit).

There's quite a bit of weight transfer with the stock suspension so be as smooth as you can.

I stuck to a strict outlap, 3 laps, in lap rule to keep the brakes and tyres from getting too hot and she help up OK, but it was a damp day. You may want to do just 2 flying laps.

Track mode is great for stopping a high speed swapper, but Annoyingly you can't see the tyre pressures. Something to bear in mind.

Most importantly PUT YOUR PHONE IN FLIGHT MODE! People kept ringing me while I was on track and having your phone blaring at you through the speakers is VERY distracting.
 
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Been using mine on track and would suggest the following:
As well as oil over-fill, avoid the temptation of switching to track day tyres. Std PS4s will limit lateral g and the risk of oil starvation.
Oil temperature limits the number of laps you can do in a session but short shifting helps control the temp. I'm planning to try a low temp thermostat which helps (since the oil is cooled by the water), but may go for a normal radiator if that's not enough.
Standard brakes are not up to hard track day use (even on the GT86 I previous ran which needed some lift and coast using EBC Bluestuff). On the GR, I've fitted AP calipers on the front with 330mm discs (std. rears) and it just about copes using DS2500 pads. Cool-down laps are important to avoid lots of heat soak back into the caliper and fluid (I've had no problems with standard fluid).
Car seems sensitive to rear toe setting - was initially very snappy on track until doing a geometry check and setting the right amount of toe-in.
Camber bolts on the front help stop understeer on long fast corners (and reduce scrubbing the outside edges of the tyres).
Standard suspension feels OK to me. A bit soft on track but I wouldn't want a firmer setup on the road. I've fitted a thicker front anti-roll bar and a strut brace. Turn-in response and balance on track feel good with no noticable negative effect on ride quality.
Apart from the brakes, these are all cheap mods.
 
I do track days but haven't done my GR86 yet. Myself I am going to wait for the enlarged oil pan to come out then at least then I know I can beat on the car without too much of a worry.

This car is very good out of the factory. Even the brakes are not bad. Some decent pads, good fluid and some camber bolt for the front is all 99% of people will need and still not use the limits of the car.
 
Just out of interest, by what amount do people overfill oil by, and any science behind that particular figure?
 
Just out of interest, by what amount do people overfill oil by, and any science behind that particular figure?

There was research on it by the American owners who track the GR86 and data showed there was less oil starvation compared to accurate fill.

What swayed me is that the GR86 Cup cars in SE Asia also over fill, good enough for them, good enough for me.
 
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