Should you supercharge your BRZ?

[@iManual6peed]

supercharging my 86 this summer i believe this car doesn't need much due to the purpose and nature of the car but it seems like a very fun upgrade to a car with already 90 percent of what you will ever need in a proper sports car.

[@davidgoliath5901]

Spot on, thats why I did mine and it has taken the overall driving experience to another level. Most noticeably effortless passing without the need to downshift and pull out of corners without having to wring its neck!

[@Thisisthe86]

which supercharger? I’m stuck between supercharger and turbo on my gr86. Just not really wanting to spend 8 grand on a JDL kit

[@iManual6peed]

@@Thisisthe86 HKS

[@Showmetheevidence-]

Did it to my old 86 and it was very worth it!

[@boywonderrr71]

​@@Thisisthe86Check out Harop & HKS.

[@StockySnail]

Yes it's worth it. I've had mine supercharged for 11 years. Recently hit 100k miles and still going strong. Feel free to check out my channel's supercharger videos. My area has limited access to e85 so I didn't bother with that even though it would have given extra hp. Definitely like the supercharger over the turbo as torque down low is more important to me since I drive on the street in addition to racing. Mine gave +80hp/50tq.

[@Chickentenddies]

what PSI of boost were you running?

[@davidgoliath5901]

James last week I got my 2023 supercharged by Harrop. A safe 300whp and 235.4 ftlb (against about 198 whp and 165 ftlb stock) with a super neat factory looking install. Its simply put the icing on the cake of an already great platform. Its now comfortably fast. Re oil issues; 0w20 @ 15,000km will kill a hard working alloy engine. Plain crazy, simply meant for sales/enviro kudos... not longevity for the owner. IMO better to go with 5w30 at say 5000km. Great review!

[@JamesMotorsport]

Yes agreed! We actually both run 5w30 motul before a track day. Thanks you for watching.

[@AstroZombie1]

How much RWTQ?

[@JamesMotorsport]

@@AstroZombie1 haven’t had it on a dyno so can’t say really

[@davidgoliath5901]

@@AstroZombie1 235.4 ftlb wheel @ 5330rpm (against about 165 ftlb wheel stock) which you can certainly feel. :)

[@WakeMtz]

Nice! I am super interested on the Harrop supercharger too, have you made any 0-60 tests after the power upgrade?

[@invertedv12powerhouse77]

The car has an oil scavenging issue on one side of the engine in the timing cover. A pocket of oil large enough gets trapped to create a lack of oil in the pan at high rpm on right turns as the pump sends oil through faster. Overfill by 500mL, oil accumulator, short shifting on turns are all ways to help with the issue. Baffle pan actually doesnt actually fix a scavenging issue.

[@JupiterxBlues]

Accusump: I recommend checking the update video on the accusump's effectiveness on GRZ's(BRZ/GR86). They didnt fix the issue and it was an inefficient way to mitigate the issue as well, they just dump more oil in the engine and it doesnt return the oil back. The large issue is that the oilpan doesn hold enough oil. It was cheaper and more effective(and better for your engine) to manually do a 0.5L overfill and use a thicker oil. Ofcourse, an overfill isnt ideal, but its not actually that bad for the car either since its just a small amount.

[@JamesMotorsport]

@@JupiterxBlues Yea that’s what I’ve been doing with my car motul 5w30 and overfill

[@hypergram.]

Do you have a link to this?

[@KillaZamii]

@@hypergram.he might be referring to testing that was made by the channel 900brz. They have a whole series on testing ways to fix the oil starvation problem and he’s even testing new pickup tubes and oil pans that have been made by different companies.

[@hypergram.]

@@KillaZamii I’ve been looking up his videos too. I’m waiting for the verus oil pan to drop once they finalize the design and they start selling them

[@bretta3]

Yes, you should supercharge your BRZ. And you should do it with a Harrup supercharger.

[@Coolmaninmotion]

I'm just enjoying the stock power at least until the engine is at 40k miles. In the meantime I will also pay attention to the different power boosting options and how reliable they are. As of now, I think I am blessed to be able to own this GR86 and an Integra Type S. What is missing in my garage is an AWD car so I can compare the driving dynamics of a FWD, RWD and AWD cars. I will need to work harder to afford the AWD 😅

[@JamesMotorsport]

Evo’s are so fun. I can’t recommend them enough. But yes sounds like you have an awesome two car solution.

[@FretMillen10]

It's not oil starvation, it's the filter being clogged. Get it taken care of before it causes issues.

[@JewelRunner007]

I just got myself a 17 BRZ last week. It's my first stick car and I'm picking it up pretty quick. I'm lucky enough to live on the west coast where twisty roads are abundant, which is where it comes alive. For my model, I believe it has around 30 less HP than the new ones, but I can feel the lack of immediate power. I feel like even if I were pushing 50 more hp, it would be enough. Then again it's already a 10/10 car for me.

[@JamesMotorsport]

@@JewelRunner007 Yea man there awesome I had a 17 as well. Learn the chassis get better and better at driving and then up the power incrementally

[@Showmetheevidence-]

1. It ain’t worth the money, but 2. It’s absolutely worth doing 😊😊😊 3. Based on supercharging my previous gen 86 - it was totally reliable, but depends on maintenance and how you drive!

[@kaine880]

I pray to god i could get this as my first car. Im 15 and im gonna try to do my best to save enough

[@I_have_Aquestion]

Good luck my man. Keep the dream alive. 🫡🤟

[@kaine880]

@@I_have_Aquestion Thank u bro

[@doodlexrage8225]

Good luck brother I bet u can do it

[@PINGPONGBANDIT]

Discipline man, apply it, you'll get it, looking forward to YOUR youtube video about

[@JayPimen]

They go for pretty cheap on Copart 8-15k,I had a new 2018 brz and it was an awesome fun car but not really worth the price,this time I’m getting a GR86 from Copart as a toy and adding a turbo kit or supercharger as soon as I get it

[@j.c.isking2165]

Why would this kits longevity be rated for only 5 years / 60,000 miles?

[@tylerflicks7335]

I’m kinda curious what the 0-60 is now with the supercharger? Do you happen to know?

[@lucasceleste4743]

I'm curious as well

[@2ZH]

Super cool, if I were to boost a gr86 I would do a supercharger also. I would think it compliment car nicely. And give it a nice lower end torque

[@sshah2545]

I love driving my BRZ so damn much. The only thing I need is more power.. but it’s such a hassle.

[@markrobinson1291]

I would fit a well sized turbo, and I did when I had my 2017 86 As for heat, that's a easy fix with some coating and sheilding Talking about heat, the heat soak from a blower with a PD and WTA cooler can be a issue for IAT, my LS has a Harrop PD and the IAT was so bad I fitted a interchiller TL;DR. Monitor your IAT, high IAT can lead to detonation and lunched pistons and rods

[@patthonsirilim5739]

the supercharger adn the acumsump sure makes the brz a front heavy car the car itself is relativly quite front heavy from the start.

[@JamesMotorsport]

The accusump is pretty far back in the engine bay. And I’ll take the weight penalty if it means the engine will last longer and not oil starve LOL. But you do have a good point if I was looking for more negatives.

[@patthonsirilim5739]

@@JamesMotorsport no question the car is better off with the acusump but like i said the car was 54-46 weight balance from the factory which aint that good in the first place.

[@PocketDrummer]

@@patthonsirilim5739 Just put a spare tire back in ;-)

[@HugeDike]

lol makes a bit front heavy i love people who arent smart enough to understand a front engine car with rear wheel drive and no ass is front heavy no matter what. if you dont own the car and arent doing anything to it just go back to bed

[@BPEKSupraInteractive]

I LOVE the World Rally blue with the GR86 front bumper. Did you order the gr86 bumper unpainted? I'm curious how much it would cost to do this job. Were there any fitment issues or clips that don't match up?

[@JamesMotorsport]

Yes unpainted and whatever you can find a local body shop to charge. This one was around $600 I believe but looks really good. No fitment issues.

[@gcjproductions9380]

Sick vid man. Looks like good power for the chassis

[@jackhiggs269]

What duckbill spoiler are you using there?

[@JamesMotorsport]

HKS

[@Neptune7133]

Im really interested in buying a BRZ but I cant drive stick (yet). Should I learn on a brand new BRZ or buy a junk car and learn on that first?

[@JamesMotorsport]

It’s a great car to learn on man life is too short

[@Rob165x]

I learned the basics on two quick drives but ultimately this is my first manual right off the lot. Stalled it a few times, felt some remorse going to bed, but in no time was fully comfortable in my skill. It makes driving a lot more fun and engaging. I can kick the rear end out pretty easily and with confidence. It is a bit frustrating at first, but once you understand the controls it's all about feeling what the car is doing.

[@braydoncoate]

If you know the basics it's all just seat time just buy the car

[@Rianuary]

I want to hear the whine

[@matthewwain9958]

Only certain types of supercharger whine.

[@tejamunagala5138]

How much did the big brake kit cost you? I want to get better brake setup for mine

[@JamesMotorsport]

He got them used I think it was less than 1K bucks shipped

[@OEMPlus]

man seems like if toyota made a supercharged factory version with like 40 more factory ponies it'd sell like hotcakes. these cars don't need much. i drove one when my mustang was in the shop and i think the gen 3 coyote spoiled me but with a little more power this would be a lot more fun.

[@BulliKid]

How much can this handle on stock engine and trans

[@davidgoliath5901]

According to all the research I did plenty more than a 5-8lb S/C boost. But flog it like a moron and you'll perhaps kill it earlier than stock .... but with sensible use and maintenance its not an issue. HOWEVER when its all said and done Bullikid the added enjoyment is completely worth it!!!

[@BulliKid]

@@davidgoliath5901 I see guys running 350 on gas and 400-450 on e85 on stock. Seems promising so far.

[@omarawilson2853]

When you say increase in rpm, how much do you mean? Like 7,500? 7,800?

[@JamesMotorsport]

Yes I think the limiter was set to 7K

[@acarenthusiast3036]

Have you performance tested it? Dyno? 0-60 and quarter mile?

[@JamesMotorsport]

I haven’t but that’s a good idea for a video !

[@ExpresslyVPNed]

Love the review! Which tune was used for this build?

[@JamesMotorsport]

It was from counterspace garage using ecutek

[@kirillholt2329]

Gonna be interesting to see an update 20k miles in

[@metachat7431]

I don’t know if I should turbocharge or supercharge

[@JamesMotorsport]

Did you see HKS just released the turbo kits ? I think the power potential is higher with the turbo and it will sound more exciting but it may be more finicky with the additional plumbing and engine bay heat management.

[@dontknowagoodnameatm]

Awesome video James! does this kit also work with the Automatics?

[@JamesMotorsport]

From what I’ve read it does yes !

[@dontknowagoodnameatm]

@@JamesMotorsport Thank you so much for the response!

[@Scene.Gallery]

Good dang video zaddy

[@victorcano4997]

Love it man. Got a ‘22 that I’ve been looking at the HKS kit for. Did you notice if you’ll have to upgrade the fuel pump to feel the bigger injectors?

[@JamesMotorsport]

Stock fuel pump works fine.

[@Cats_Are_Scary]

I had put a Jackson Racing Suoercharger Kit on my 2020 BRZ. It was pretty fun driving it around but it only produced 228 WHP. I sold it and got an STI that I’m currently modding. Anyway, great video, awesome car man!

[@JamesMotorsport]

Thanks brotha! What year STi?

[@Cats_Are_Scary]

@@JamesMotorsport 2020

[@Cats_Are_Scary]

@@JamesMotorsport how much WHP and Torque does your supercharged BRZ have?

[@acarenthusiast3036]

What exhaust? Sounds really nice

[@JamesMotorsport]

HKS spec L

[@ClarkJoseph-mq8ui]

Nice video, did u get cel with the hks supercharger kit?

[@JamesMotorsport]

The owner did have one at first until the uprated map sensor and tune was revised. Now there is no check engine light and the driveability is great.

[@LucasHuang]

What duckbill is that 😮

[@JamesMotorsport]

@@LucasHuang HKS carbon

[@Beefcake_HD]

Why the fake badges on the front tho

[@JamesMotorsport]

It’s a Toyota GR86 bumper and the Subaru badge didn’t fit

[@Beefcake_HD]

@@JamesMotorsport that just brings more questions lol but cool bro

[@andyl2991]

what's the hp?

[@JamesMotorsport]

Haven't had it dynoed yet but feels like 300ish HP

[@artblackwood7936]

Supercharger. Yes.

[@boost331]

HKS is the cheapest kit on the market by a wide margin for a good reason. That "great fit" mentioned in the video is deceiving. It is a poorly engineered kit that requires a whole bunch of cutting and hacking on factory parts. You have to permanently chop up parts of a new car to make this kit fit. That tells me HKS didnt engineer anything. They grabbed a bunch of parts off the shelf and made them fit by having people hack up their cars. You wont find any other manufacturers selling a halfway cobbled together kit like that.

[@JamesMotorsport]

While I didn’t install this kit, the owner didn’t mention having any of these issues you state and actually had the job done in the matter of a day. I’ll ask and confirm. Is it possible there are multiple versions of the kit ?

[@boost331]

@@JamesMotorsport Not that I am aware of. I had considered purchasing it myself when it was on sale through a JDM site for $3k. I being a DIY guy myself I downloaded the instructions off the HKS site to get an idea what to expect. While none of it was hard or intimidating, I just couldnt bring myself to do all the chopping and cutting the instructions called for. I have done supercharger as well as turbo installs on a several cars and the HKS kit was more of "make the car fit our kit" than "we made a kit that fits your car". Its been a long wait, but I am talks with Jackson Racing, who should have their kit out soon. That is looking like the route I will take.

[@JamesMotorsport]

@@boost331 so to follow up with this… the bumper support which is a bolt on part has to be cut for the intercooler which is pretty common for any aftermarket intercooler kit for a car what was originally naturally aspirated. The radiator support has to be cut slightly and we are talking millimeters. The alternator bracket has to be modified. But over all no substantial cutting and everything that needs to be modified is a bolt on part.

[@monarizza]

not hating but i think your wheel fitment is off

[@JamesMotorsport]

Appreciate the feedback brotha! These are just the daily driver wheels the track wheels have a much better fitment.

[@Staticbrain]

​@@JamesMotorsportdaily the track wheels 😊

[@jordankelly4684]

​@@Staticbraintrack tires are expensive, no.

[@tyrantrex734]

RIP lifetime Toyota warrantee

[@OscarOmarPosadaSanchez]

❤

[@jdub6909]

Supercharger kits are the same price as a LS3 swap.

[@JamesMotorsport]

No waaayy

[@SnowWolf9999]

Nah not for the full swap, the full conversion kit (kit only) runs from $3500 to $5000, and a decent LS3 longblock can run up to $7 or 8k for a new or low mileage engine, unless you can find a super deal from a junkyard for a wrecked Camaro/Vette, plus you also need a new trans if properly doing a LS3 swap, and depending on the power you want to put down you also need a new Diff, driveshaft, clutch and axles. The last BRZ/86 gen LS1 swaps were costing roughly around $10K to 15k, so for a full LS3 swap I would estimate around $25k, if you have the shop and skills to fabricate it yourself then you can cut the costs, but the average backyard mechanic won't be able to do a proper swap w/o the kits. While the full HKS kit is $5500 - $6500 and you can easily do it over a weekend or two in your garage.

[@jdub6909]

@SnowWolf9999 And down the rabit-hole we go.........

[@jamalhill2470]

I’m going with a turbo

[@JamesMotorsport]

Nice what kit ?

[@josephpepper3087]

What are you doing, man?! NEVER play music over car sounds when the subject is performance! It's as cringy as vertical video! BAD! As if that weren't enough the music terrible! You don't play jazzy Yacht Rock in a performance car video! You arent mixing drinks or teaching slow-dance, dude. That aside, I appreciate your thoughts on the supercharged BRZ as I'm considering the same. I do wish there was a positive-displacement type available. (Twin screw/Eaton/TVS). I'm interested in updates...without inappropriate music covering exhaust notes. Have a good weekend.

[@JamesMotorsport]

I play jazzy yacht rock while sword fighting ninjas

[@FastFrank1408]

They have supercharger for 4 cylinders cars?

[@JamesMotorsport]

yes indeed! They have even come on 4 cylinder cars from the factory since the 1980s. With VW and their G60 engine, Toyota with the MR2 4agze engine, and toyota previa minivans. Probably a ton more as well.

[@FastFrank1408]

@@JamesMotorsport I was just wondering if there was one I can stick into my car if I had the chance

[@Boinks]

Just slap a supercharger kit on it and melt your 4th cylinder piston and rings. This guy claims this kit should last 5 years. I would suggest selling your GR or BRZ at 3 years of ownership at this rate. This guys has way to much faith in Subaru motors

[@waynestopka7551]

Please stop saying "umm"

[@JamesMotorsport]

@@waynestopka7551 Dude I’m trying it’s hard lol

[@waynestopka7551]

@JamesMotorsport no worries bro. Went thru some "composition" classes some years ago. I'm very self conscious about that stuff now.

[@JamesMotorsport]

@@waynestopka7551 Thanks for the feedback man definitely working on it

[@jredmartinz]

No, turbo is much better. One of my best friends brz has had a turbo for the last 10 years and it's still solid. Makes 350 wheel

[@brucetumblinjr7980]

No you should LS swap your BRZ, now you have a natural aspirated pushrod V8!

[@digiland2984]

the ai musik bro💀

[@JamesMotorsport]

Hahaha hey I didn’t get copyright striked with it though

[@skyhookspirits]

Personally, I would never put a turbo/supercharger on my GR unless I intended to race it. They will shorten the engine life.

[@HashMaster1776]

AI For The Culture ;)

[@fearlessknight1343]

Just buy a Porsche. Mid / Rear engine. All the power you'll ever need. :)

[@JamesMotorsport]

@@fearlessknight1343 that’s a higher price point with more expensive consumables though. The closest equivalent I’ve seen is a boxster or cayman I’ve been track with plenty and none have been as fast as my bone stock GR86

[@kellyaustin7487]

No just buy a faster car.