Depends on the use case, and what do you mean "beat"? Some frame of reference is where the cars differ.

 

I've been wandering for years. Recently I wondered if lighter wheels, slotted and drilled rotors, and Hawk 5.0 brakes might help. Yep, made the car look even better than my neighbor's VW (and it stops better too).

 

By "beat" I am guessing you mean "make faster than." In which case the answer is: no mods can get you there, reasonably. You're on the wrong track all together.

If you want a really fun car to drive and live with, many would agree you might have him beat already.

For your next mod, I would suggest getting car insurance in case you don't already have

 

Thanks For the info! Yes you are correct, I mean faster and better than by "beat". And yea, I really should get car insurance.

 

Very much depends on what do you mean by "better" and "beat".
Performance? Unless you engine swap or put some serious forced induction, the Supra will always have much higher straight line performance (and mod-for-mod would probably still be well ahead).
Looks? Purely subjective. I like how both cars look, and don't like cosmetic mods.
Track times? Assuming the same driver and tire compound, the Supra has a big power advantage and wider tires stock. Both modded the Supra will probably still out-corner a Twin thanks to more rubber, but it's hard to say as the Twin's lower weight does help, and specific suspension geometries, mods and alignment can have an impact as well. The Twin would be cheaper to mod to the same level, though, so for the same budget the Supra might be behind (except for power).
Street fun? Again subjective, but I would argue that you can't get around 500 extra pounds on the Supra, nor the BMW origins (that used to be a compliment, not any more, though). The Twins excel at driver enjoyment in twisty roads. If you are looking for that shove in the back or winning red light drag races, the Supra will be more fun.
Budget? You got him beat here. Half the price to buy, probably half the price to mod.
Reliability? Tough call, Subaru vs BMW. I'd guess the Twins would be more reliable and cheaper to maintain.

Disclaimer - I never drove a Supra, all impressions on the Supra are based on online reviews and community discussions.

 

You bought the wrong car for straight line speed. Don't get me wrong, the GR86/BRZ aren't slow by any means (high 13's stock), but the engine in the Supra is an absolute unit. The moment your friend decides to get serious, the B58 will take him places you just can't follow.

 

A stock motor will grenade if you modify it to makes enough power to beat a B58 powered car with down pipes and a flex fuel tune.

 

not true. I have Dynoed at 480 and have driven the car boosted for over a year now. I drove normally 50% of the times at 7psi. Then when I went to be proud. I bump it up to 15+ psi on E85. Will it be at a modded Supra, I doubt it but it depends on what was done to the Supra. I have 255 wide tires in the back and I struggle with wheel spin at times. It has been reliable for over 12k miles with the exception of a broken spark plug. ( The ceramic part broke outside the motor). It's a lot of fun and cost me less than a 3 .0 Supra.

 

I've been racing for decades, but only recently cars. I find that trying find "better" is futile when the market has so many good offerings. Think of the "platform" that fits your use case, and go with it. Whats a few hp's or an extra cup holder really worth to you vs a holistic look at a vehicle?

 

Very different setup.
Only Chance to get a supra is on a very tricky circuit where agility makes the difference.

 

My suggestion is to spend your money on driver training. I've "beaten" 911s, F-Types and M3s on track with a Mazda 3. This is not to say how great of a driver I am, but rather illustrate that the driver makes a huge difference.

 

I used to do Karting in New Jersey at NJMP (New Jersey Motorsports park) and I have a decent amount of driver experience, I'm not to worried about the driver part, but still very many things I need to improve on my skills

 

I considered a new 2.0 Supra, a used 6 cylinder Supra and a new GR86. What caught my attention is that even the base 2.0 Supra was $17000 more(no matter what) than a base GR86. Yes, for $17000 you get more power, a very good transmission and more of a premium sports car but the GR86 is just a heck of a sports car on its price range. On bigger tracks perhaps the Supra 2.0 has a little bit more advantage but on smaller track I believe that the GR86 chasi is simply better and well balanced. Maybe if the price gap was $8000 or even $10000 I would have picked the Supra but $17000 is just too much although like I said you also get the extra power, very nice transmission and a little better premium car.

 

In my opinion, the GR86 is better, mainly because the Supra is a BMW.

BMW used to make good cars but that was a long time ago. With the Supra expect to pay top dollar for a piece of junk that you definitely do not want to own out of warranty.

 

Do you feel the same way with the GR86 being a Subaru?

I definitely understand the BMW reliability reputation, but the B58 is no joke, even with reliability. Same for the B48.

 

The Supra can make stupid power very easily...the one thing (IMHO) that is has over the twins. Handling, twins. Consumables, twins. Fun on track, twins. PLUS, when you start modding the Supra, you aren't modding a Toyota...you are modding a BMW and it starts getting pissed and throwing codes for all kinds of stupid things. Enjoy your track time in our slower twins while the faster Supra is figuring out why its in limp mode.

 

You got a point and I LOVE that point

 

You could go straight to a C8 Corvette and laugh as you 'beat' him at almost every metric 😁

 

Or a C6 Z06 and any version of C7 since we're at it.

 

How about a brand new car with warranty that does 0-60 in 2.9, quarter mile in 11 flat at 125mph, and starts at $56k? model 3 Performance

 

What car is that?

 

Whenever people say "what do I need to do to the BRZ/86 to beat x car in straightline", it always makes me chuckle. I often wonder what's more enjoyable? Having constant straightline acceleration at 0.4G or holding a sustained 1.2G through the corners? Mind you, c8 z06 does 0.5G constant acceleration max; there isn't a reliable solution for our cars to do that.

I guess my real question is that, do you want to be a better driver or do you want a better machine? 🤷‍♂️

 

No modded Supra comes close to a stock GR86, let alone a modded GR86 when it comes to the amount of cartons of milk and eggs you can haul in the trunk. Just make sure the cartons of milk don't explode and the eggs don't break on the way home from the grocery because these cars have a tendency to cause that.

 

the op did not specify which supra. stock for stock the 4 cyl cars are not much faster, but are a flash tune away from gap city.

obviously the 6 cyl cars are lightyears faster stock and eons away with mods.

not a good comparison imho, different cars with much different ceilings for power.

anyone buying a twin for straight line performance also bought a jaguar for its reliability.

 

The supra I meant was a MK5

 

$5 says the OP never returns to clarify his question. Who wants to bet me?!

 

Nah he’ll be back when he blows his engine.

 

The best mod to make the GR86 better than a Supra is a nice winding road.

Second would likely be driver training. A skilled drive would likely be faster on a winding road than an untrained driver in a Supra.

Edit: I got carried away. Only two mods needed. I slipped into the advantages of the BRZ over the Supra. End Edit.

Third would be in looks, however, that is subjective.

Fourth would be the stack of cash that would remain from buying a GR86 instead of a Supra.

Fifth, is the smile on the small children who were able to come along for the ride in the GR86 and the utter disappointment of the children left on the roadside as dad abandoned them to enjoy his ride.

Sixth, and this is totally subjective is the superior looks of the GR86 which puts the Supra with all of its fake vents to shame.

Seventh, … the heck with this … I am going for a ride…

 

You should get loads of expensive bolt-ons that definitely provide the advertised power increase, then a N/A tune from a guy on facebook who sits in the car with you and drives about until it blows up. Then you've truly beaten your mate.

 

The B58 is a superior engine in every measurable sense. Now, if you're talking track times on a track day with 2 equivalently trained drivers? The cars CAN be comparable, with the Supra still coming out on top. But the wording of the original question makes me highly doubt this has anything to do with a proper track day in a safe and legal environment. Supra > GR86 in this case, hands down.

 

With equivalent drivers, the 3.0 Supra will put down much faster laptimes. But I'm with you, it's doubtful OP is talking about track events anyway. Probably just straight line pulls.

 

Nobody else brought this up but a catback exhaust won’t make the car faster

 

 

i believe sg placed those cars (gr86 & supra) almost 4 seconds apart, stock for stock. on a 1:35 lap track. an absolute eternity.

even after thousands of dollars in mods, they ended up with a louder, slower, less comfortable, less valuable car that still couldn't match a stock supra on a small race track that caters to an 86 to begin with.

 

LOL you really hate this car don't you?

Coilovers, brakes/pads, RLCA, and camber plates put's it .86 seconds behind the Supra. A $63k car vs $32k car and a few thousand in parts in and it nearly matches the Supra. It kind of makes the Supra not seem so great until the Supra gets started at modding too which of course drives that $63k up. If a header/tune and flexfuel is added to that list on the 86, what happens then? Probably a $40k GR86 embarrassing the $63k Supra.

 

"The B58 is a superior engine in every measurable sense."

Longevity? Check back when you have 200,000+ miles, WITHOUT catastrophic engine failure. Not to mention the cheap shit plastics, such as used for the cooling system, which fail on prediction about 8-10 years into ownership.

 

The engine is great, all the crap attached to it is terrible then? That's been exactly my experience with the M54.

 

I've always said that the Germans invented plastic, and immediately stopped all further development.