Kevin's A90 Supra: More Playful Than Its Predecessor

After a few years spent sorting out a never-ending list of issues with his BRZ, Kevin Schweigert had had enough. Every additional go-fast goody made his once understated BRZ increasingly single-purpose and exponentially less reliable. “After I put the supercharger on it, I went through more axles and gearboxes than I’d like to mention. I lifted a few heads, too,” Kevin laughed.

“The BRZ had gotten to be too much. I wanted to treat track days like a vacation, not a job.”

And so after stripping the pricier parts from the BRZ and recouping some of the costs, he drove to the Toyota dealership for a new car. He’d heard good things about the platform and how it would likely complement his tail-out driving style. It was also spacious enough to carry a few extra tires to the track day. If it was as reliable as he’d heard, he’d get to enjoy trailer-free weekends at the track in a sturdy, potent car that didn’t snap axles or pop gearboxes on a regular basis.

A short wheelbase and the right suspension geometry gives Kevin, a guy who depends on a strong front end, plenty of confidence in this car.

Reliability was paramount in his decision making, but there wouldn’t be much sense in selling the BRZ and dishing out a lot more money if its replacement wasn’t just as fun—or agile. Few cars in the price range rotate quite like a well-sorted BRZ, so nothing but a very pointy car would do. Perhaps as a surprise to some, Toyota’s new Supra belies its weight and changes direction in a much more playful way than its size would suggest.

The bump steer and toe changes help the short-wheelbased Supra pivot into the corner and settle as the throttle is released and applied again. “When you get the weight off the rear axle at corner entry, it toes out. When you get back on the throttle, it toes in and neutralizes a little. This suits my driving style; I’m most comfortable with a little oversteer.

One week after buying his new car, he was off to Chuckwalla for a shakedown. With pads and fluid being the only modifications he made, he wasn’t expecting it to impress him the way it did. “Honestly, the reputation didn’t prepare me. I was shocked at the way it rotated right out of the box—I guess 1.8° of camber up front helps. The only issue was that it was a little soft, but the damping made it trustworthy over the bumps and berms.”

After a thorough shakedown and an assessment of the car’s factory shortcomings, out came the credit card. The first purchase, a set of SPL front lower control arms, helped him nearly double the factory camber for a confidence inspiring front end. As long as the front axle did what it was was told, he could deal with the rear snaking a bit through the middle of the corner.

Then came a couple engine modifications. The B58 motor is fairly stout, but tracking in Southern California heat is always cause for some concern. “The engine is known to heat soak, so I upgraded the turbo with a Pure P800 turbo. This is basically a hybrid bolt-on, but because it flows a little more air, it doesn’t have to work quite as hard. On track, there’s no noticeable trade off in lag.”

With a Zach Tucker (CSG) tune, a downpipe, and the removal of the catalytic converter yielded a usable 450 horsepower at the rear wheels. Considering that’s achieved with California 91-octane swill, that bump in power is testament to the potential of this intriguing new powerplant.

The next few goodies to adorn the Supra were as follows: a set of JRZ RS Pro 2 coilovers, AFE swaybars, Apex EC7-R wheels measuring 18x10.5”, and nearly the entire SPL suspension catalog. To make the most of the new arms and links, Kevin decided to fit all of them with spherical bushings. In fact, there aren’t any rubber bits in the suspension any longer—save for those in the subframe.

“The SPL kit and the removal of all that slop transformed the Supra into something I could completely trust. It makes it so much more communicative and predictable. In fact, it’s what allows me to drive the car in the way I like to.” Kevin adds.

With nearly a dozen hassle-free events under its belt, the A90 Supra has proven to be a stout platform that needed only a little tweaking to meet Kevin’s exacting standards. Though the focus is now on seat time, which was always was the plan, that doesn’t mean there aren’t a few aerodynamic additions on the horizon. But for now, he’s just planning on enjoying way this playful car complements his tail-out driving style and setting some new personal records.

Sonoma: 01:45.822

Buttonwillow 13CW: 1:53.072

Thunderhill West: 1:20.653

Laguna Seca: 1:36.044