Toyota Ft86 A Sports Car Revolution

The 2012 Toyota FT-86 First Owners Who Got It Right

The FT-86 launched in 2012 as a joint Toyota-Subaru project, and the whole idea was simple: a lightweight rear-wheel-drive car that a normal person could actually drive on a track without needing a finance degree. They called it the FT-86 back then — Front-engine, Mid-position, 86mm bore — and later sold it as the Toyota 86, Scion FR-S in North America, and Subaru BRZ across the pond. Same chassis, same boxer engine, different badges and minor trim changes. The platform stayed nearly identical through 2020 when the second generation arrived. I bought a 2013 FR-S with 62,000 miles on it in 2018. The previous owner had tracked it for two seasons and never changed the front differential fluid. That was my first red flag, but also the most important lesson I learned early: this car’s weak spots are not the engine, they’re the things nobody thinks about until something breaks. The FA20 flat-four itself is basically bulletproof if you keep it at temperature and don’t redline it cold. The real issues are in the cooling, the drivetrain maintenance schedule, and the fact that the factory suspension geometry was tuned for comfort, not driver feedback.

Toyota Ft86 A Sports Car Revolution

People call it a revolution because before the FT-86, the only affordable RWD sports cars were either Japanese imports with sketchy reliability histories — like the older Supras and RX-7s — or European cars that cost twice as much to fix. Toyota finally made a credible, simple, lightweight sports coupe that anyone could buy new from a dealership. The revolution wasn’t in performance numbers. It was in accessibility. A base FR-S was around $26,000 when it launched. You could drive it hard, modify it, and still afford to fix it. That shifted the whole used sports car market. The engine produces 205 horsepower and 151 lb-ft of torque from a 2.0-liter naturally aspirated flat-four. It revs to 7,000 RPM, which feels fast because the car only weighs about 2,800 pounds empty. The gearbox is a six-speed manual as standard, with a four-piston Brembo brake option on higher trims. It’s not quick in a straight line — zero to 60 takes roughly 6.1 seconds — but it feels nimble because the weight is low and centered, and the steering communicates enough to make cornering feel engaging.

What Actually Breaks and How I Fixed It

Here’s the thing nobody puts in the marketing material: the FA20 engine has a known issue with the crankshaft position sensor located near the transmission bellhousing. On my car, it started failing intermittently around 58,000 miles. The symptom was a no-start condition after the engine warmed up, sometimes only after driving for twenty minutes. I swapped the sensor and the O-ring, and the problem disappeared for good. This is a cheap fix — maybe $40 in parts and an hour of labor if you do it yourself — but if you don’t know about it, you’re stranded. The second issue I encountered was more frustrating. The rear subframe bushings on early models degrade faster than they should. After about 40,000 miles, you start feeling a vague, disconnected sensation when turning quickly, almost like the rear end is drifting independently. I replaced the rear subframe bushings with polyurethane units and the difference was immediate. The car felt tighter, more responsive, and the rear grip became predictable again. It’s not covered under warranty in most cases unless there’s a visible crack, so check these early if you’re buying a used one. The third issue is less common but worth knowing about: the oil cooler line on the FA20 can develop a slow leak near the adapter on the passenger side of the engine. I noticed oil dripping near the transmission tunnel during an inspection. The fix involves removing the exhaust heat shield, disconnecting the line, and replacing the o-rings and the line itself. It took about two hours on a lift, or three if you’re working under the car on jack stands. Not a major repair, but again, something that will surprise an owner who hasn’t heard about it.

Suspension and Handling Tuning

The factory suspension is soft. I understand why — Toyota wanted this car to be comfortable for daily driving — but if you want to drive it like the reviews claimed, you need to upgrade something. I started with a set of 14% stiffer coil springs from STI and upgraded the dampers to Bilstein B12 coilovers. The ride quality dropped slightly, but the body control improved dramatically. Cornering became sharper, and the car stayed flatter through medium-speed sweeps. If you’re on a budget, just replacing the factory sway bars helps more than you’d expect. The front bar is small and the rear bar is equally small. Upgrading to thicker units — say 24mm front and 19mm rear — reduces understeer without making the car nervous. That’s the counter-intuitive part: most people think stiffer suspension means less grip. On the FT-86, the factory setup is so compliant that the suspension bottoms out before the tires lose traction. Stiffening the bars lets the tires work better instead of letting the chassis twist. I also learned that tire choice matters more than horsepower. Stock 205/50R17 tires are adequate, but 225/45R17 sticky rubber makes the car feel 20 percent faster through corners. The engine doesn’t make more power, but the car rotates better, brakes shorter, and exits corners with confidence. I switched to Michelin Pilot Sport 4S and never went back to cheaper tires.

Brake Upgrades and Why They Matter

The stock brakes are fine for street use but fade badly under track conditions. I ran a track day in my first year with the original pads and fluid, and by the end of session two, the pedal felt spongy and stopping distances increased noticeably. The fluid boiled. That’s the real issue: the stock brake fluid is DOT 3, which has a relatively low wet boil point. Switching to a high-temperature racing fluid like Motul RBF 600 raised the threshold significantly and restored pedal feel immediately. For pad upgrades, I used StopTech Street performance pads. They handle moderate heat better than the stock compounds without requiring frequent bedding or generating excessive dust. The rotors stayed original and showed minimal wear after three track days. If you’re planning regular track use, upgraded rotors and braided lines make sense, but for occasional canyon driving or a single track event per year, fluid and pads are enough.

Engine Work and Reliability Notes

The FA20 is a DOHC four-cylinder with direct injection and a chain-driven timing system. There is no timing belt to replace, which saves money long-term. The chain tensioners are hydraulic and tend to rattle on cold starts if the oil has been sludged or if you skip changes. I useMobil 1 0W-20 and change the oil every 5,000 miles. The factory interval is longer, but these engines run hot and the small oil passages in the piston cooling jets can clog over time. I did notice carbon buildup on the intake valves after about 60,000 miles. Direct injection engines always do this because fuel never washes over the valves. I performed an walnut media blast and the intake tract looked close to new afterward. Power didn’t change perceptibly, but the throttle response felt cleaner and idle settled down. It’s a maintenance item, not a repair, but worth budgeting for around 70,000 to 80,000 miles. The turbocharged version never made it to the North American market in the first generation, so you won’t find a factory supercharged FR-S. Aftermarket turbo kits exist but are expensive and require significant supporting work. Most people stick with the naturally aspirated engine and tune the handling instead. That’s probably the smarter path unless you have serious budget for forced induction conversion.

Buying a Used FT-86: What to Check

If you’re shopping for one, ask about the crank sensor replacement history. If the owner doesn’t know what that is, assume it hasn’t been done. Check for oil leaks around the oil cooler line on the passenger side. Look under the rear subframe for signs of bushing deterioration — any cracking or separation means the rear end may feel vague. Inspect the brake fluid condition and see if it’s been flushed recently. These three items catch most of the common failures before they become expensive surprises. Also verify that the clutch master cylinder hasn’t been leaking internally. I saw one example where the fluid seeped into the bellhousing area and degraded the release bearing. The fix involves dropping the transmission, which is labor-intensive. A dry clutch pedal and a clean bellhousing area are good signs.

Track Use and Daily Driving Balance

I’ve owned my FR-S for six years now, and I’ve used it for both daily driving and occasional track days. The car handles both roles adequately if you accept that it’s not a luxury vehicle. The interior is basic, the seats don’t support aggressive cornering without a harness, and the cabin noise from the boxer engine is louder than most modern cars. None of that matters if you’re driving it the way it was designed. On track, the car is predictable and forgiving. It understeers before it steps out, which gives you time to correct. The limited-slip differential on the Traction Special edition models is far better than the open diff on base cars. If you’re considering a track build, start by securing the LSD before adding big power or steep gearing changes. The open diff will spin a tire immediately under hard acceleration out of corners. The second generation launched in 2021 with a larger 2.4-liter engine and more power. It’s a different car — heavier, more powerful, and less playful. Some enthusiasts prefer the first gen because it required more driver input and felt raw. Others like the second gen for its easier daily usability and improved interior. Both are valid choices depending on what you want from a sports coupe.

Overall, the FT-86 platform delivers exactly what Toyota promised: a simple, affordable, rear-wheel-drive car that rewards driver engagement and mechanical sympathy. It doesn’t hide its limitations. It asks you to maintain it properly and drive it intentionally. If you do that, it will give you years of honest fun without costing a fortune to keep running.