Yep. On the Dunlop Star Spec 215/45-17 87W it got .94g -- up from stock .89 on the Michelin Primacy with the same specs.

When they went up a size and a couple of widths (Dunlop Star Spec 235/40-18-91W), it slowed the car down a bit on the track, but the skidpad went up to .96. I think that's just too big for the car ... not worth the minimal increase in grip.

Of course, this is just one magazine's test so take it with a grain of salt, but it looks pretty clear you can wring some additional performance out of slightly stickier than stock tires -- the Dunlop's were cheaper than OEM too.

At low speed (low rpm as well), the Z does feel a bit "heavy". My sense is the 86 would feel "faster" when accelerating cuz it's light. For some reason (I know it's actually fast), the Z doesn't really give me that "busting out" kinda feel even when I push it hard. Even my mom's VW Tiguan "feels" faster. Maybe cuz the grip and weight of the Z that make it more steady.

Having driven both, the frs felt MUCH slower when accelerating.

I love my Z, but it's no fun in my commute with the traffic in Austin. Plus, I've got the 'vert and I don't like to leave my car out in the sun all day.

About halfway through the first tank of gas in the BRZ and I'm getting 26.6 MPG with the air conditioning on full -- around 100 degrees today. This is pretty damn close to the 28.x I got with the Mazda with the air on.

One break-in period is over, it might be a different story though .. hehe

Roger that. No comparison. Now I haven't been able to wind it out yet, but I definitely feel the lack of torque at a stop light at the bottom of a hill.

I don't feel much of torque <3000 rpm from the Z accelerating from a stop light either. Or maybe I'm just used to it and got spoiled.

Maybe just used to it. I've got a stop light at the bottom of a long steep hill that leads to a merge with another highway. Speed limit is 55. Always a good place for a moderately fast 0-60 run up the hill. Z never felt sluggish going up the hill

The BRZ felt slow doing the same thing today -- but bear in mind I didn't take it over 4k so it's not quite apples to apples. Still it was much better than the same run in my Mazda 3 -- damn I felt that old 2.3 inline was gonna pop every time I took that hill.

That's exactly why you need the power of 332-hp V6!! I did once smoke a Maserati pulling into the highway. The guy was tailgating me at the ramp, and once we both cleared the ramp, he immediately blasted it and cut into the left lane, but not before I cut in front of him first lol

I finally saw one today, it didn't look bad at first glance. It was white and moving the other way so I didn't get too good a look, seemed bigger than I expected.

It actually looks super small when you stand next to one. Although size-wise it's close to the Z, it feels much smaller standing next to it (for me at least). The car looks slick, but I would love to see thicker wheels and bigger exhaust tips.

Here's what I think it needs, sitting comfortably from my arm chair:

1. MUCH stickier tires

2. Better brakes (at least pads and lines)

3. Further gutting to reduce weight.

4. FI

The first three alone should get it from "close but no cigar" to "holy ****, this car rocks".

Boost would make this car legendary.

It's actually a tad bit longer that the Z, but a couple of inches shorter and less wide.

1. You can get much better tires than OEM for less money. Dunlop Star Specs with the same exact specs get .94 in the skidpad according to Road and Track's latest issue.

2. I've got no complaints about the brakes so far. But I agree if you were gonna track, you'd want to upgrade.

3. Gutting it too much would ruin the DD livability, but you could probably safely do a rear seat delete with out losing any comfort. I fit in the back seats, but I wouldn't want to be in there for more than 5 miles or so.

4. This would completely change the car's class. Losing a couple of hundred pounds and bumping the HP to 240-250 would make it totally scream, but if it came out of the factory that way, the insurance costs would soar. It would be a Lotus killer! But it would cost 35k and I would have bought a BMW 1 series instead

I know, but I don't know why I just felt it seemed smaller than Z when I stood next to it today.

It's because it aint got the hips the Z has :tup: