With the 17×8 wheel/215 tire combo, the BRZ offered a faster turn-in and allowed the rear to rotate with ease. It’s not all good news, though, as the drivers felt the car wasn’t as balanced as before. Despite the improvements, it still doesn’t exceed the baseline. The 17×9/215 tire combo gets slightly closer but fails to cut the mustard.
This setup exceeds the recommended rim width range for a 215/45R17 tire, so this is a track-only setup. Unsurprisingly, this was the favorite of all the 215 setups, with a sharp and direct steering feel. The sports coupe also felt more lively at the rear but didn’t lose any composure. However, it was also described as the least forgiving of all the 215 setups.
The 225/45R17 fitted with 17×7 wheels was the first combo faster than the control tire. Testers commented that the rear felt stable, but, again, understeer was present.
