Please don't start any hate mail for this....but could someone explain to me what makes the AE86 so good? Its not a stellar looking car, its not overaly fast, its just a cheap FR car. Atleast as far as I know. The only reason people use them in Japan so much is because its about the cheapest car that you can buy performance parts for that is, its FR, and its light...the next biggest car is the 180sx, and they like it for the same reasons. I'm not trying to start a flame, but I have just found this board recently and it seems like most of the guys in the drift section are uppsessed with it and I hope its not just because of Initial D. I even saw one guy posting about paying big bucks to find one...which I really couldn't understand because the only appeal I see to them is the price tag being so low...in Japan that is.
Why do you guys like the AE86 so much??
- Thread starter SiRDelSol
- 65 comments
- 26,689 views
- 1,032
- Osillion
its because of Initial D..there are quite a few fanboys in here who think the AE86 is god. before initial D it was mad famous by the Drift King as he showed the drift capabilities of the car...the car itself shares some characteristics with sports cars like the RX-7. it has 50/50 weight distribution, an FR layout, and a pretty tough engine.
i personally don't like the car that much..it looks top heavy.
i personally don't like the car that much..it looks top heavy.
- 489
well y do u c them in D1GP, ppl buy them b/c they r like a Ford Model T to us, they're old cars that were revolutionary for their time, and plus its the perfect drifting car, there r many reasons as to y though, jsut b/c its cheap now, i mean in Japan, those cars r modded and put on the track, ehre in the US, its a grocery getter for grandma, but either way, japanese ppl have a diff perspective on cars in general, and yeah it is b/c of InitialD in the US, but b4 ID, the AE was still famous
- 1,032
- Osillion
the AE86 was not revolutionary in any way. FR layout used to be the norm, plus it's engine/looks are old technology. when you compare it to an RX-7 of the same year, the RX-7 is truely ahead of its time. other cars are far better than the AE86, but that doesn't mean people don't still use them for drift.
They are the seminal drift car ... they have had a cult following even before Initial D and have been raced in one form or another since day one ... they used to compete at bathurst (major australian motor race) in the regular Sprinter form (not the Trueno which has the pop up headlights) with a great deal of success in their class .. they are still highly sought after in Asutralia for rallying and club racing
My friends just picked his up, with a HKS and Cusco tuned engine, full roll cage. It's almost identical to the '86 in Initial D.
My friends just picked his up, with a HKS and Cusco tuned engine, full roll cage. It's almost identical to the '86 in Initial D.
- 1,093
- GTP_Pergatory
Speak for yourself. The AE86 was not just revolutionary but evolutionary. There's still never been a car made that was as well-balanced as the 86, at least none that I've ever been in. I don't know how Toyota did it, they just got lucky and the car came together really well. It's just something you have to experience, once you go for a ride in an 86 in real life, you will understand. I'm not saying it's a supercar, I'm saying that it has better feel than any other car I've ever been in. This includes Corvette Z06, Ferrari 348, Porsche 911, 944, Lancer Evo, Miata, RX-7, Silvia, etc.
Also, the engine was not "old technology" in fact it was quite new at the time. When did Honda release VTEC? The AE86 had VVTI, which is the same thing. Also, DOHC and 7500 RPM redline stock? For an '85? That's pretty impressive if you ask me.
My mates has a really advanced version of the 4A-GE engine, heavily tunes with HKS cam's and cam gears, really hefty twin carby's, and some really insane fuel pump, the car just manages to start with all the power the pump is sucking.
It is a strict track car, he's having trouble getting it registered here in Australia. I've ridden in it many times, and it might not be a rocket in a straight line, and give you that feeling a powerful turbo can, but is drives like its on rails, or, with the jerk of the wheek, and a stab of the throttle, slides sideways effortlessly, it was built for this. Also, it sounds great on it's way to the 11k rev limiter
It is a strict track car, he's having trouble getting it registered here in Australia. I've ridden in it many times, and it might not be a rocket in a straight line, and give you that feeling a powerful turbo can, but is drives like its on rails, or, with the jerk of the wheek, and a stab of the throttle, slides sideways effortlessly, it was built for this. Also, it sounds great on it's way to the 11k rev limiter
- 2,987
i believe that the trueno is loved for several reaons... the most appraent being that with very few modifications ( probably only suspension mods) the car can be tuned to the drivers liking and become the easiest car to drift in becuase of its steering response...
however... for those who believe that this makes it hte god of all cars you are dearly mistaken... its an old car and if you try to put more than 140 hp into the engine... with either a turbo or new engine... i have heard that the apparent stiffness of the car is shattered... it is stiffness after all that makes a cars chassis brilliant... well that and lightness...
however while in its intended limit of hp and therefor speed... the trueno is one of the best handling cars produced by toyota... that is another reason y people flock to it...
basically its stiff... light... and has average power for the 80's...
this is also something the first gen rx-7 had and the third gen had as well... both of these cars both of these cars have similar weight distribution... but were designed as real sports cars and thus designed for grip...
anyways... you cannot insult the 944's handling... which many consider some of hte best handling cars of the 80's... including me...
and you can not compare it to the 911 of any generation other than the 996... because these cars are notorius for being tough on there driver... they require a perfection of skill... while the fr layout of the trueno does not... and rather trains you as has been said by so many people everywhere...
however... for those who believe that this makes it hte god of all cars you are dearly mistaken... its an old car and if you try to put more than 140 hp into the engine... with either a turbo or new engine... i have heard that the apparent stiffness of the car is shattered... it is stiffness after all that makes a cars chassis brilliant... well that and lightness...
however while in its intended limit of hp and therefor speed... the trueno is one of the best handling cars produced by toyota... that is another reason y people flock to it...
basically its stiff... light... and has average power for the 80's...
this is also something the first gen rx-7 had and the third gen had as well... both of these cars both of these cars have similar weight distribution... but were designed as real sports cars and thus designed for grip...
anyways... you cannot insult the 944's handling... which many consider some of hte best handling cars of the 80's... including me...
and you can not compare it to the 911 of any generation other than the 996... because these cars are notorius for being tough on there driver... they require a perfection of skill... while the fr layout of the trueno does not... and rather trains you as has been said by so many people everywhere...
- 1,032
- Osillion
other companies did try to produce rotaries, including american companies. but they couldn't get it right. Mazda was the only company that could develop a useable variation of the rotary that compares and exceeds normal piston engine specifications. when people talk about hondas having horsepower per liter...did they forget the 276hp FD3S only uses 1.3 liters??? also the rotary has no reciprocating parts, making it much smoother. the power delivery is also smooth, offering the same kick at 3,000 as it does at 6,000(something my honda prelude deffinatly can't do) considering the piston engine has been around much longer than the rotary..the rotary is coming along just fine. mazda's latest "Renesis" is a very well tuned engine. (250hp n/a from 1.3 liters)
- 489
how can i eat my words, if i wrote them down they hey y not, i like paper, but its online, what do u want me to do eat my monitor? heh, anywho, i know the potential is great with a rotory but ive yet to see any other company other than Mazda to make use of it and make a decent car like Mazda, they have fine tuned the rotory technology, but i doubt many companies would risk a big loss in profits to try and make a new engine
Those are some good reasons why people like it. Like I said I just found this website, great web site at that, and most of the people on here know their stuff pretty good which is why i was hoping that initial D wasn't the main reason that people liked the AE86. I have personally never been in one but I saw a lot of them while I was in Japan and asking someone there why they liked the AE86 was like asking a ricer here why he likes a honda "Because they are cool". They are a fun car to drift in the game and they are easy to drift too but as far as the looks go, i personally don't care for them. But to each his own...
Anyways, thanks for the information guys.
Anyways, thanks for the information guys.
it's because they're balanced, it's because their easy to modify, it's because their engine bay is huge, i's because you can put a 2jZ-GTE under the hood, a RB26DETT under the hood, a SR20DET under the hood a SR22DET under the hood a 4AGELU under the hood a 13B-REW under the hood or a 20B under the hood. Limitless possibilities. Not to mention that stock it's weight distribution is 50/50
Here's some nice Trueno's
http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/t84585-1.html
http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/t84585-1.html
CudaMan
Premium
- 308
- California
Ever driven an S2000?
I just did over the weekend. The feel of that car is amazing. Better than the AE86 IMO by a decent amount. The S2k is a phenominal track car.Well, the AE86 never had VVTi from the factory. That didn't come around until later. It did have T-VIS, which was a two-stage intake system that had a similar goal and effect to VTEC. But yeah, the engine was pretty hot stuff for its time, being an aluminum head, 16 valve powerplant with a high redline and high degree of reliability.
- 430
OK, I can't add anything that makes the AE86 a great car because everybody already said why it's such a great car. I've had mine since 1995 and I have installed the AE-101 4A-GELU engine from a Levin. It makes 165ps stock. I work at Toyota so I get parts for this engine fairly cheap. You can do more things to this car than you can with a Honda Civic. My dad and my best friend have AE86's too. One with a 3S-GTE, and the other with Toyota's Formula Atlantic 4A-G. In the U.S., I can understand why you would think that the AE86 isn't the BEST car to own. Like you said:
-Tom
It doesn't look good... complete opinion. I love the hatch-back, not to thrilled about the coupe, but I still respect the car greatly. It isn't fast if you leave it stock. When you get one, it's wise to start on the suspension than the engine. Mine is pushing approx. 210ps, which is high for the engine I have. Here in Japan, this car is considered a classic. If you cannot drive one well, you aren't respected by other drivers. My dad's AE86 has never been beaten by anything, most likely due to his engine, but my dad is a really good driver. I don't really want to explain EVERY detail on why it's considered a "good" car. Everyone else did...
-Tom
- 3,024
Ok... I didn't even bother reading this entire thread cause I think it's stupid. People go on and on about what this AE86 is this and that and revolutionary and stuff.
The car became popular in Japan because it's light, RWD, cheap, and has perfect weight distribution. Period, plain and simple. It got more and more popular from there. And Initial D just exploded it's popularity.
The car became popular in Japan because it's light, RWD, cheap, and has perfect weight distribution. Period, plain and simple. It got more and more popular from there. And Initial D just exploded it's popularity.
