2024 Toyota GR86 Sharpens Its Tool Kit Ever So Slightly

Given the precision required to drive on a racetrack, small tweaks can make a big difference. Toyota hopes the new Performance package for the 2024 GR86 sports car will appeal to owners who regularly take their cars to track days and autocross events. The new upgrades, which will also be offered as retrofits for existing 2022 and 2023 models, include larger brakes and upgraded Sachs dampers aimed at improving the rear-wheel-drive coupe’s response.

We recently got the chance to run a few laps in the GR86 with this package in the form of the new Trueno Edition for 2024, with a few back-to-back laps in the standard GR86 providing a contrast. A similar package was offered on the previous generation 86 in TRD models that were added late in the car’s journey.

The upgraded brake rotors—measuring 12.8 inches in the front and 12.4 inches in the rear—are 1.2 inches and 1.0 inches larger, respectively, compared to the standard car. Brembo calipers—four pistons in the front and two pistons in the rear—tie these rotors, and the pads offer more surface area, too. We felt a bit more bite from the pedals in the Performance package car, but it wasn’t a transformative effect. We’re looking forward to testing the upgraded GR86 at our Lightning Lap event, as we’ve previously found the stock brakes in both the GR86 and its Subaru BRZ twin to be weak after repeated laps. (It’s important to note that the brake fluid you use can also make a difference, as the stock BRZ brakes show less fade with high temperature brake fluid.)

The effect of the Sachs dampers is also subtle, and Toyota says that these are intended to improve stability rather than increase stiffness over stock. We haven’t had a chance to drive the 2024 GR86 on public roads, but we doubt there’s much of a difference in the Performance pack’s ride quality. Rest assured that the upgraded chassis does nothing to dilute or interfere with the GR86’s playful nature, and we had a lot of fun tearing the little coupe apart.

Toyota offers this package as a dealer-installed option. It will be standard on the limited-run Trueno Edition, which features an AE86-inspired graphics package and special badging. The larger brakes only fit the Premium trim level’s 18-inch wheels, so you’ll either have to buy this more expensive trim level or use your own tires for the Performance pack to be compatible.

Existing GR86 owners who want these upgraded brakes and dampers will be able to retrofit them, and a Toyota representative told us that dealers may sell the parts themselves if you want to install them yourself or use a third-party shop for installation (although this will likely void the warranty ). Pricing for the package isn’t out yet—and we’re curious if Subaru offers equivalent upgrades for the BRZ—but on the surface, these new Performance upgrades look like a worthwhile purchase.

Senior Editor

Despite growing up on a steady diet of Honda and Toyota base models—or maybe because of it—Joey Capparella cultivated an obsession for the automotive industry throughout his childhood in Nashville, Tennessee. He found a way to write about cars for the school newspaper during his college years at Rice University, which eventually led him to move to Ann Arbor, Michigan, for his first professional auto-writing gig at Automobile Magazine. He has been a part of Car and Driver team since 2016 and currently resides in New York City.