Suspension Upgrades

A well-tuned suspension system is the single most impactful upgrade you can make for track-day performance. The Toyota 86 already features a front MacPherson strut and rear double-wishbone setup that offers excellent potential, but production compromises for ride comfort and cost leave room for improvement. Dialing in your suspension transforms the car from a playful street coupe into a precise track tool.

Coilover Kits

Coilover kits replace your factory struts and springs with a single adjustable unit, giving you control over ride height, compression damping, and rebound damping. This adjustability allows you to lower the center of gravity, reduce body roll, and fine-tune the suspension response to specific track conditions. For a dedicated track car, look for a coilover system with independent high-speed and low-speed compression adjustment, which lets you dial in both initial bump compliance and overall chassis control.

Entry-level coilovers from brands like BC Racing and Tein offer a great balance of performance and value. Mid-range options from KW Suspension provide more refined damping curves and long-term durability. Top-tier systems from HKS and Öhlins deliver race-proven technology with separate reservoir designs that resist heat fade during extended sessions. Expect to pay between $1,000 and $3,500 for a quality set, with installation labor adding roughly $400 to $600.

Sway Bars

Sway bars, also called anti-roll bars, connect the left and right sides of the suspension to control body roll during cornering. The factory bars on the Toyota 86 are designed for understeer-biased street driving. Upgrading to thicker, adjustable sway bars lets you shift the balance of the car toward neutrality or even a touch of oversteer for faster rotation through corners.

A common starting point is a 22 mm front bar paired with an 18 mm rear bar, both with multiple adjustment holes so you can fine-tune stiffness. Installing adjustable end links alongside the sway bars removes any preload in the suspension and ensures the bars act precisely as intended. Brands like Whiteline, Eibach, and Cusco offer proven options that bolt directly onto the 86 without modification.

Strut Braces

Chassis flex is an enemy of precise handling. The Toyota 86 unibody structure is stiff for its class, but adding strut braces ties the suspension mounting points together, reducing deflection during hard cornering. A front strut brace connects the tops of the front strut towers, while a rear strut brace or a lower brace stiffens the rear subframe.

The best gains come from a triangulated front strut brace that also connects to the firewall. For the rear, a multi-point brace that ties the strut towers to the rear seat area provides noticeable improvements in steering response and rear-end stability. Carbon fiber braces save weight but cost more; aluminum or steel braces offer the same stiffness at a lower price. Cusco, TRD, and Carbing are solid choices.

Camber Plates

Proper tire contact patch is everything on track. The factory suspension offers limited camber adjustment, leaving the front tires with too little negative camber for aggressive cornering. Adjustable camber plates replace the top mounts of your front struts, giving you several degrees of additional negative camber. This keeps the tire tread flat against the pavement during cornering, increasing grip and reducing edge wear.

A track alignment typically calls for -2.5 to -3.5 degrees of front camber with about 0.5 degrees less in the rear to balance rotation. Pair camber plates with a quality alignment and corner balance session for the best results. Vorshlag, SPC, and Ground Control offer camber plates specifically designed for the 86 platform.

Start with a good coilover kit and sway bars, then add camber plates and strut braces as your skills progress. Here is a short list of brands and a sample setup for a dedicated track car:

  • Coilovers: BC Racing BR Series ($1,050) or KW V3 ($2,500) for street/track balance
  • Sway Bars: Whiteline adjustable 22 mm front, 18 mm rear ($450)
  • Camber Plates: Vorshlag camber plates ($450)
  • Strut Brace: Cusco front and rear braces ($350)

With this setup, expect to drop lap times by two to four seconds on a two-minute circuit compared to the stock suspension, depending on driver skill and tire choice. Visit the MotorTrend suspension upgrade guide for additional testing data and real-world comparisons.

Brake Upgrades

Brakes are the second most critical system on a track car. The Toyota 86 stops adequately from street speeds, but repeated heavy braking from triple-digit speeds quickly overwhelms the factory components. Brake fade, pedal softness, and inconsistent stopping distances are common complaints during track sessions. Upgrading the braking system addresses heat management, friction consistency, and pedal feel.

Performance Brake Pads

The friction material in your brake pads determines how much stopping force you get and how the brakes behave under heat. Street pads work well in daily driving because they bite quickly when cold, but they glaze over and fade when pushed to track temperatures. Track-focused pads, also called endurance or severe-duty pads, maintain consistent friction from 200°F to over 1,000°F.

For the Toyota 86, a dual-use car that sees both street and track miles, consider a pad compound like Hawk HP Plus or Ferodo DS2500. These pads offer decent cold bite for street driving while handling moderate track duty. For dedicated track cars, step up to a race compound like Hawk DTC-60 or Pagid RSL-29. These pads require some heat to work on the street but deliver exceptional stopping power on track. Expect to pay $100 to $250 per axle for a quality set.

Slotted or Drilled Rotors

Brake rotors manage heat through mass and airflow. Slotted rotors use shallow channels cut into the friction surface to wipe away gas and debris that build up between the pad and rotor. Drilled rotors use holes for the same purpose but are prone to cracking under extreme track heat. For the 86, a slotted or slotted-and-drilled rotor offers the best balance of performance and durability.

Replace your factory rotors with a two-piece floating design when budget allows. The aluminum hat on a two-piece rotor reduces unsprung weight and allows the iron friction ring to expand and contract independently, reducing warping. StopTech and DBA (Disc Brakes Australia) offer excellent bolt-on options for the 86. Rotors generally last two to four track weekends, depending on pad compound and driving style.

Stainless Steel Brake Lines

Rubber brake lines expand under pressure, softening the pedal feel and delaying brake response. Stainless steel braided lines eliminate expansion, giving you a firmer pedal and more precise brake modulation. This upgrade is relatively inexpensive and straightforward to install, but pay attention to the routing to avoid contact with suspension components.

Many aftermarket lines include a Teflon inner liner that resists fluid absorption, keeping your brake fluid boiling point higher for longer. Goodridge and StopTech offer vehicle-specific kits that bolt directly onto the 86. Budget around $120 to $180 for a full set of four lines.

Big Brake Kits

For serious track enthusiasts, a big brake kit (BBK) replaces the factory calipers and rotors with larger components that offer dramatically more stopping power and heat capacity. A typical BBK for the 86 uses four-piston or six-piston fixed calipers clamping oversized rotors that measure 330 mm to 355 mm in diameter. The increased rotor surface area and caliper rigidity translate to consistent braking lap after lap.

ESR, AP Racing, and Brembo produce big brake kits specifically for the 86 platform. These kits often require 17-inch or larger wheels to clear the calipers, so factor wheel compatibility into your decision. A quality BBK ranges from $2,000 to $5,000, but the cost is justified if you plan to run more than six track days per year.

  • Street/Track Pads: Hawk HP Plus, Ferodo DS2500, EBC Yellowstuff
  • Race Pads: Hawk DTC-70, Pagid RSL-29, Carbotech XP12
  • Rotors: StopTech slotted, DBA 4000 Series slotted
  • Brake Lines: Goodridge G-Stop stainless steel
  • Big Brake Kits: Brembo GT-Series, AP Racing CP9660

Always flush your brake fluid with a high-temperature DOT 4 fluid such as Motul RBF 660 or Castrol SRF before each track event. Brake fluid is the most overlooked component in track braking, and fresh fluid with a dry boiling point above 590°F is essential for consistent performance. For comprehensive brake upgrade data, check the Road & Track brake upgrade guide for real-world dyno testing and temperature measurements.

Power Modifications

The Toyota 86's 2.0-liter FA20 naturally aspirated engine produces 205 horsepower in its stock form. That number is adequate for fun back-road driving, but track sessions reveal the need for more top-end pull and faster throttle response. Power modifications for the 86 range from simple intake and exhaust changes to forced induction systems that double the factory output.

Cold Air Intake

A cold air intake replaces the restrictive factory airbox and piping with a free-flowing system that draws cooler air from outside the engine bay. The FA20 engine responds well to increased airflow, especially in the mid-range and at high RPM. A quality intake system adds 8 to 12 horsepower at the wheels with a corresponding improvement in throttle response. The sound improvement alone makes the car feel more alive.

Look for an intake that includes a heat shield to separate the filter from engine heat. Open-element intakes without shielding can actually lose power because they pull in hot air from the engine bay. Brands like AEM, Injen, and Grimmspeed offer CARB-legal cold air intakes for the 86 that pass visual inspection in regulated states. Expect to pay $250 to $500 for a well-designed system.

Performance Exhaust System

The factory exhaust system on the 86 is heavy and restrictive, with multiple catalytic converters and mufflers that strangle the engine. A performance exhaust system reduces back pressure, allowing the engine to expel exhaust gases more efficiently. This alone is worth 8 to 15 horsepower at the wheels, plus a weight savings of 15 to 25 pounds compared to the stock system.

The typical upgrade path starts with a cat-back exhaust that replaces everything from the catalytic converter rearward. From there, a header (or header-back system) replaces the factory exhaust manifold, which is the most restrictive part of the stock system. A good set of equal-length headers designed for the FA20 picks up another 12 to 18 horsepower, though you will need a tune to fully realize the gains. Borla, Greddy, Perrin, and JDL Auto Design offer exhaust components that bolt onto the 86 without cutting or welding.

Engine Tuning and ECU Remapping

Tuning is the single most effective power modification for a naturally aspirated 86. The factory ECU runs conservative fuel and ignition maps to meet emissions and reliability targets. An aftermarket tune from a reputable calibrator optimizes these maps for the specific mods on your car, improving power across the entire RPM range. A well-executed tune on a car with intake and exhaust modifications typically yields 20 to 30 wheel horsepower, bringing the car close to 200 horsepower at the wheels.

The go-to platform for the 86 is the ECUTek suite, which offers remote tuning through a handheld programmer and data-logging capability. OpenFlash Tablet is a more budget-friendly option with a library of off-the-shelf maps. For the most aggressive naturally aspirated builds, a flex-fuel tune using E85 adds another 15 to 25 horsepower through the higher octane and cooling properties of ethanol. Expect to pay $400 to $800 for an off-the-shelf tune and $600 to $1,200 for a custom dyno tune.

Forced Induction

For drivers who want track-level power without compromise, forced induction delivers a transformative experience. A supercharger or turbocharger system pressurizes the intake charge, effectively increasing engine displacement and allowing the engine to burn more fuel-air mixture per cycle. With boost, the FA20 can produce 280 to 350 wheel horsepower on a conservative tune, transforming the 86 from a momentum car into a genuine threat in any straight-line situation.

Supercharger systems, specifically centrifugal units like the Edelbrock or Harrop kits, offer linear power delivery that retains the character of the naturally aspirated engine while adding significant top-end punch. Roots-type superchargers from Jackson Racing and Vortech deliver torque earlier but require careful intake tuning to avoid heat soak. Turbocharging offers the highest peak power potential, with precision turbo kits from Greddy and Full-Race supporting 400-plus wheel horsepower on built engines.

Forced induction does not come cheap. Complete kits range from $4,500 to $8,000, and you should budget another $1,500 to $2,500 for supporting modifications including a higher-capacity radiator, larger fuel injectors, a high-flow fuel pump, and an oil cooler. The stock FA20 engine is reliable up to about 350 wheel horsepower with proper tuning, but above that level, forged pistons and rods become necessary to prevent failure. For reliable track use with forced induction, an oil cooler is mandatory to manage the additional heat generated by high-boost operation. Consider the FT86 Club forced induction discussion thread for extensive owner reviews and reliability data before committing to a specific kit.

  • Cold Air Intake: AEM, Injen, Grimmspeed
  • Exhaust: Borla cat-back, JDL Auto Design header, Greddy Revolution RS
  • Engine Tune: ECUTek, OpenFlash Tablet
  • Supercharger Kits: Edelbrock Stage 1, Harrop HTV1320
  • Turbocharger Kits: Greddy TD06-SL25G, Full-Race twin-scroll

For a balanced track car that retains reliability, start with intake and exhaust modifications plus a tune. This combination costs around $2,000 installed and yields about 30 to 35 wheel horsepower over stock, giving you a car that pulls strongly to 7,500 RPM. If you want more power after a season of track driving, consider a supercharger kit with proper cooling. The result will be a Toyota 86 that keeps pace with cars costing three times as much. For additional FA20 tuning data, refer to the EngineLabs FA20 tuning guide for detailed mapping strategies and reliability benchmarks.

Conclusion

Building a track-ready Toyota 86 requires a systematic approach that prioritizes chassis, brakes, and then power in that order. Suspension upgrades give you the foundation to carry speed through corners, which is where lap times are made. Brake improvements ensure you can shed that speed repeatedly without fade, allowing you to brake later and more confidently. Power modifications come last, but they reward you with straight-line acceleration that completes the performance package.

Start with a quality coilover kit and a track alignment if your budget only covers one major upgrade. Add sway bars and brake pads for your second season. A tune with intake and exhaust modifications is a third-season goal that transforms the car without requiring a credit card. Forced induction is the final step for the dedicated enthusiast who has already addressed every other system.

Remember that handling and braking improvements will lower your lap times far more than an extra 20 horsepower, especially on tight circuits where the 86 excels. Invest in driver education and track time as much as you invest in parts. With the right modifications, the Toyota 86 becomes one of the most rewarding track cars available at any price. Always have a professional perform installation and tuning for critical safety components such as coilovers, brake lines, and forced induction systems. Enjoy the process, and drive the car hard, because that is what it was built for.