GR86 Supercharging

[Reeves999999]

Hey guys. I love my 86 but would love it more if it went as fast as it looks. I also prefer forced induction cars.

I have been waiting to see what happens with the rumoured Celica/MR2 but it seems we won’t even see a prototype until Jan 2027. This is all just too far off. So I have been toying with the idea of a Fensport installed HKS supercharger. Thing is, I had a Rotrex one installed on my Civic FD2 and it was a disaster. A mixture of misaligned pulleys, limited under bonnet space and general issues around mapping. This was all done by TDI North before I took ownership. The car’s extensive history showed more replacement charger drive belts than oil changes. Does seem it was all wrong from the get go. Terminal failure occurred on my watch, on the M5, in rush hour. Scarred for life. But there is no denying that having 370bhp in a 1200kg cars that revved to 9500 is an experience.

The cost to do this installation is affordable to me. As the car is almost two years old, I’m not that precious about the warranty either. My main concern is reselling in the future. Whilst I never expect to recoup the cost of any mods, and usually just remove and resell separately, I do not want to spend ~£7k and lose money on top of that through fear of a modified car. A concern I hold myself given the Civic story. I cannot easily remove a supercharger and certainly wouldn’t lie to a potential buyer about its existence if I did. Not how I roll.
Whilst I appreciate the many in this group love NA and bought their 86 to fulfil that need, there are those that think as I do also. So whilst not interested in the “you’ve missed the point mate” comments, I am interested in others’ views on buying such a car in a year or so, should I decide to sell it. Would it be a total no way, or a wow, that seems great? Besides, gives us in this forum something to think about. All common stuff in the States but aside from the odd GT86 here and there, not seeing much take up here for forced induction.

 

[Grblue86]

You will lose money. I am one of those that will be interested in buying a modified car but because no one pays top money and practically everyone low ball modified cars I would do the same to limit my losses.
That's the market we are in and it is not going to change so be prepared to lose a chunk of money if you go down that route.
Also I would not go with HKS, for me it is either Harrop or Vortech

 

[Hachi-roku]

Another vote for Harrop if you decide to go the SC route. Based on nothing but the discussions and media I’ve come across comparing them to other offerings.

 

[ZN8]

Forced induction was popular on the GT86, the difference in resale values was negligible.

HKS super chargers had a shaky reputation on the GT86 due to them failing, it was a bit of a roulette, many were left bitter when theirs failed outside of warranty. The most popular were Cosworth and Harrop (roots type charger), Sprintex (screw) were popular in the early days as was the TD turbo.

 

[GRistopher]

Speak to Abbey motorsport about getting a Harrop supercharger installed. this will be the most OEM like forced induction route you can go.

Or if you would rather a turbo, speak to Tuning developments or Fensport. I've been out in tuning developments' turbo 86 and it's a good sales pitch if nothing else.

 

[Will300]

Unfortunately all F/I options are basically dead money, I wouldn't fit one and then expect it to increase the value of the car when it comes to resale. The best option is to remove it and sell it seperately, unless your going to pay to have the unit removed, then there is less value in it.

Honestly I wouldn't look into the future too much, just do it for the enjoyment your going to get from it now and the next year('s).

Pricing up a HKS setup on Fensport and your looking at about £6k fitted. I also wouldn't have any hesitation in recommending the HKS S/C, yes the early Gen 1 kits had problems, but these were all resolved with the GT2 supercharger, which is whats now included in the HKS kit.

Harrop on the other hand, will be about £~7K just for the supercharger (based on Gen 1 prices - the Gen 1 kit is also cheaper), then you'll need to add EcuTek (license/mapping), map sensor and fuelling mods (I've been told these are required).

My personal preference based on the supercharger Gen 1's that I've driven would be to go for the Harrop.
Either way, I don''t think they'll be any disappointment with either kit.

 

[Stonehorsw]

On first gen Jackson Racing (Rotrex) and Vortech were the best performers on the track conditions. JR did not launch for 2nd gen yet and Vortech just launched, not sure what would take to import to EU.

Harrop is a good choice too and the updates done for better cooling may be enough to make it better than the others and would be my choice at this point.

 

[GRistopher]

My personal preference based on the supercharger Gen 1's that I've driven would be to go for the HaHarrop.

Have you driven any turbo cars? If so do you have a preference or mind elaborating on which you would prefer for a road car and why?

 

[Will300]

Have you driven any turbo cars? If so do you have a preference or mind elaborating on which you would prefer for a road car and why?

Yes, here's the list of FI setups I've driven on the Gen 1 cars. These were all on the road, expect for one which was on track.
To keep keep this short, I won't go too much into the reasons why I don't like 90% of them.

AVO Turbo (Stage 2) - Manual - Good overall power, very linear, some turbo lag, turbo spools from around 3.5K - 4K, minor throttle lag.
AVO Turbo (Stage 3 I think) - Automatic - (On Track) - Good power delivery, if kept in the power, felt like a proper race car. Really enjoyed this.
Cosworth Supercharger - Manual - Best all round setup, best power delivery, no lag, instance throttle response, can feel it very early 2.5K - 5K. Would recommend.
HKS Supercharger (OG Spec) - Manual - Nice power delivery, very linear, still has a tiny delay in power delivery, kicks in from about 3.5K.
HKS GT2 Supercharger V3 - Automatic - Like the above, with abit more delay (setup had poor mapping, wasn't optimised - owner has fixed this, with a smaller pulley and a remap, need to meet up with him and test it again - on the Gen 1 cars this kit needs a built engine)
Rogue Motorsport Turbo kit - Best driving turbo kit, no lag, kicks in from about 3K, unless you do something stupid, like trying to floor it at 20mph in 5th. Kit is brand new, so could have some teething issues.
Tuning Developments Turbo - Manual - Too much lag, turbo doesn't really kick in until 4.5K rpm, throttle delay. Makes good power and is linear when on power.

I drove the AVO Turbo (Stage 2 - Manual) & HKS SC (OG - Manual) back to back, and they were nearly identical in performance and power. Both cars were mapped by Adrian at Fensport.

Sprintex - Manual - I've possibly drive a car with this kit fitted, however it would have been back in 2013/2014 during a 4 day show, so can't really remember. I can definitely remember going to McDonalds in it though.

 

[MartinT]

On the performance side, my Gen 1 2017 BRZ had a Harrop supercharger and it was superb. Fast, reliable and a really solid installation. 300 bhp on tap and it felt great. I would highly recommend the Harrop and can only imagine how it would perform with the FA24.

As to future value, you really need to be prepared to take a hit. No matter how well modified, you will never see a return and the used value will be at the low end of expectation for its age. I took the view that I had had my money's worth in putting 130k miles on it and wasn't expecting much back. I didn't get much.

 

[Reeves999999]

Thanks to all those that replied. Having taken it all on board I have decided to leave as is. I’m really interested in the next special out of Toyota and can just wait given how little time I get to ever take any car out these days. The upcoming Corolla will be too common for me so that’s probably a no go. I’ve already had the Yaris and, whilst capable, the odd-shaped car it’s based on is not for me either. I really could not understand what the hype was all about, personally. Let’s see what GR cooks up for next gen Celica, MR2, or Supra. Thanks again guys.