Scion FR-S vs. Subaru BRZ (drag coefficient 0.27 - 0.29)

[Gasoline Fumes]

The following comes from the 2013 brochures.

The Scion FR-S has a Cd of .27 and no rear spoiler.



The Subaru BRZ Premium has a Cd of .29 and no rear spoiler.



The Subaru BRZ Limited has a Cd of .28 and comes with a rear spoiler.



Is it the difference in the front ends, or something else? The numbers don't make sense to me. Same EPA ratings.

[MetroMPG]

Same tire size across all 3 models?

[user removed]

Antenna.

regards
Mech

[Allch Chcar]

The FRS does not have a .27 CoeF, it is .29. The GT86 sold in Japan with the belly pans and spoiler has the advertised .27 CoeF. The USDM BRZ limited doesn't have the belly pan so it's .28 CoeF. If you look at the brochure for the JDM GT86 you'll see the spoiler is worth 10 points and the belly pan is worth 10 points. Which gives it the sleek .27 CoeF.

Edit: My mistake, it's not in the brochure. It was in another technical article I read. I'll look for it later.

[Gasoline Fumes]

I was suspicious of that .27 Cd. The Scion brochure does show the belly pans being present, so they weren't totally lying, just had the wrong spec and photo.

Those pans are really worth a .01 decrease in Cd? The first picture is apparently the US version. Just a few center panels makes that much of a difference? I might have to reconsider a belly pan!




Tires are all too-big 215/45-17s. Same antennas too. I think the black car's antenna was a victim of Photoshop.

[Allch Chcar]

You mean the JDM car right? One of the things they cut from the FRS was those belly pans.
Eg: Aerodynamics discussion - Scion FR-S Forum | Subaru BRZ Forum | Toyota 86 GT 86 Forum | AS1 Forum - FT86CLUB
I'm not 100% sure on the BRZ Premium or Limited. It's been a few months since I've seen the pictures.


The tires are actually from the Performance package for the Prius, (not available in the US). So even though they are a bit wide, they are LRR. Which is good enough for me.

[Gasoline Fumes]

Originally Posted by Allch Chcar

You mean the JDM car right? One of the things they cut from the FRS was those belly pans.

No, it's the US Scion FR-S brochure that shows the underbody panels. I'm just assuming they copied the wrong info.

Since it's such a good photo of the panels, I'll post it here:

[Blue Angel]

Originally Posted by Gasoline Fumes

Tires are all too-big 215/45-17s.

? This is a sports car and you think 215's are too wide? My Cruze Eco has 215/55-17's... a much taller tire for sure but still a 215, and it's an eco-machine. Since my Cruze uses the same size wheel as the FR-S (17x7), my tires are actually wider when measured at their widest point. The Cruze Eco's wheels are much lighter though.

The first thing this car needs for better fuel economy is a taller top gear (or a 7th gear), not narrower tires... a manual FR-S is only rated at 30 MPG highway, and a Corvette is rated at 26!

I suppose you could replace those 215's with 185/65-15's and take all the "sports" out of the "car"... assuming a 15" wheel even fits over the brake calipers.

[Gasoline Fumes]

Originally Posted by Blue Angel

? This is a sports car and you think 215's are too wide?

I actually meant wheel/tire size. I like wide tires and grip around corners. I'd just rather have something like 215/50/15s. Is it wrong to want them on a diesel BRZ?

[Blue Angel]

Originally Posted by Gasoline Fumes

I'd just rather have something like 215/50/15s. Is it wrong to want them on a diesel BRZ?

A 215/50-15 is only 23.5" tall, that's 1.1" shorter than the already small (by today's standards) 215/45-17 that's on the car. IMO, it wouldn't look very "sports-car like", and isn't that a big part of starting with a FR-S in the first place - the sports car looks?

RE: Diesel BRZ

My personal opinion: It's not healthy to lust after things that we know for sure will never exist!