The Perfect Drift Setup for Your Gen 2 Subaru BRZ

Why the Gen 2 BRZ is the Perfect Drift Platform

If you've been around the drift scene long enough, you remember when the 240SX was the go-to chassis. Affordable, rear-wheel drive, easy to modify, and forgiving enough to learn on while still being capable at a competitive level. The Gen 2 Subaru BRZ is shaping up to be exactly that for a new generation of drivers.

Out of the box, the BRZ gives you everything you need to start: a balanced chassis, rear-wheel drive, a responsive naturally aspirated engine, and modern reliability that older platforms simply can't match. It's a motorsports Swiss Army knife—equally at home on a road course, at an autocross, or sliding sideways at a drift event.

Real Seat Time at Lock City Drift and Gridlife

We didn't just build this car in a shop and call it done. The Subimods BRZ spent the entire 2025 season at Lock City Drift and Gridlife events, racking up 5,000 drift miles in competition and practice. That's not highway cruising—that's clutch kicks, full-lock entries, wall rides, and the kind of abuse that exposes every weakness in a build.

What did we learn? This platform is tough. With the right setup, it's predictable. And unlike hunting down a clean S-chassis with unknown history and 200,000 miles, you can buy a Gen 2 BRZ right now with a warranty, modern safety features, and parts availability that actually makes sense.

Nick's OnStar Moment

If you want proof that we actually drive this thing hard, ask Nick about the time he hit the wall hard enough to trigger the car's emergency response system. Mid-session, the car's connected services kicked in asking if he needed assistance. He didn't—but the car kept going. That's the kind of durability story that matters more than any spec sheet.

The Gen 2 BRZ isn't just capable. It's approachable, reliable, and ready to be the next grassroots drift icon. The 240SX defined an era. The BRZ is ready to define the next one.

Suspension & Steering: Dialing In the Chassis

Before you add power, before you worry about aero or aesthetics, suspension and steering are where a drift build lives or dies. The Gen 2 BRZ has a solid foundation from the factory, but to drift competitively—and consistently—you need adjustability, angle, and a differential that actually locks.

FEAL Coilovers: The Foundation

Our BRZ runs FEAL coilovers, and for good reason. Drifting demands a suspension setup that can handle repeated abuse while giving you the adjustability to dial in your ride height, damping, and spring rates for different tracks and conditions. Cheap coilovers blow out. Quality units like FEALs keep working event after event.

The ability to fine-tune compression and rebound means you can set the car up differently for a tight technical track versus a high-speed sweeper course. That adjustability isn't a luxury in drifting—it's a requirement.

GKTech Angle Kit and Arms

If you've ever tried to drift a stock BRZ, you know the steering lock runs out fast. The factory geometry simply isn't designed for sustained slides at full lock. That's where the GKTech angle kit and arms come in.

The GKTech setup gives us the steering angle needed to hold deep entries and extend drifts without running out of lock. It also corrects the suspension geometry to keep the tires planted at extreme angles, reducing the unpredictable snap-back that can catch drivers off guard. More angle means more control, and more control means faster progression as a driver.

Cusco LSD: Consistency When It Counts

The OEM differential on the BRZ is fine for spirited street driving, but when you're trying to extend a drift or link multiple corners, it becomes unpredictable. We experienced this firsthand early in the build—mid-drift, the open diff behavior would cause inconsistent wheelspin, making it difficult to modulate throttle and maintain a smooth line.

Swapping to a Cusco LSD transformed the car's behavior. With a proper limited-slip differential, both rear wheels stay locked together under power, giving you predictable rotation and the ability to control the slide with throttle input. It's one of those upgrades that immediately changes how the car feels, and once you've driven with a real LSD, you'll never go back.

Power & Drivetrain: 370 WHP on Pump Gas, Stock Bottom End

Here's the stat that matters: 5,000 drift miles on a stock bottom end, making 370 WHP and 350 TQ on pump gas. No rebuilt transmission. No upgraded axles. No forged internals. Just smart tuning, quality parts, and knowing where the reliable limit actually is.

The HKS Turbo Setup

The Gen 2 BRZ's FA24 engine responds incredibly well to forced induction, and we went with an HKS turbo kit to add the power needed for competitive drifting. The FA24's 2.4-liter displacement gives you a torque curve that the old FA20 couldn't match, and with a properly sized turbo, the power delivery is smooth and predictable—exactly what you want when you're modulating throttle at full lock.

HKS engineered this kit specifically for the platform, which means proper fitment, good heat management, and supporting hardware that works together. When you're putting serious miles on a car in competition, that integrated engineering matters.

Tuned by Calvin at Dotson Tuning, Built by EFI Performance

Power numbers mean nothing without a tune you can trust. Calvin at Dotson Tuning handled the calibration on our BRZ, and EFI Performance built the setup. These aren't just names in the credits—they're the reason this car survived a full season of abuse.

The 370 WHP / 350 TQ tune on pump gas was the sweet spot. Reliable, repeatable, and strong enough to break the tires loose whenever we needed. We pushed the car as high as 390 WHP on ethanol, but at that level we started experiencing valve float. Rather than chase headlines, we dialed it back to a number we knew would hold up event after event.

That's the real lesson here: finding the reliable limit is more important than chasing max dyno numbers. A 370 WHP car that finishes every event beats a 400 WHP car sitting on a trailer.

HKS Clutch: The One Drivetrain Upgrade

The only drivetrain modification we made beyond the turbo kit was an HKS clutch. The stock clutch simply can't handle the added torque and the abuse of repeated clutch kicks. The HKS unit gives us the holding capacity we need while maintaining a pedal feel that's streetable—important when you're driving to and from events.

Stock Transmission, Stock Axles, Zero Failures

This is the part that surprises people. The transmission is stock. The axles are stock. The internals are stock. And after 5,000 miles of drifting—not street driving, drifting—nothing has broken.

The FA24 in the Gen 2 BRZ is a strong platform from the factory. Subaru built this engine with good internals, and when paired with a conservative tune and quality supporting mods, it holds up. We're not saying you'll never break anything, but we are saying that OEM+ durability is real when the tune is right and the parts work together.

What's Next: Building on a Proven Platform

After a full season of competition, we're not starting over—we're building on what works. The Gen 2 BRZ has proven itself as a durable, capable drift platform, and now we're confident pushing it further.

The HKS Partnership Continues

We've got more HKS parts coming for 2026. The turbo kit laid the foundation, but there's room to grow. With the lessons learned from valve float at 390 WHP, we know exactly where the stock valvetrain needs support. Expect upgrades that address that ceiling while maintaining the reliability-first approach that got us through 5,000 miles without a failure.

HKS has been a true partner in this build, and their commitment to developing parts specifically for the Gen 2 platform means we're not guinea pigs—we're running proven hardware designed for exactly this kind of use.

Why the Gen 2 BRZ Could Define the Next Era

The 240SX didn't become an icon because it was the most powerful car at the track. It became an icon because it was accessible, reliable, and rewarding to drive. The Gen 2 BRZ checks all the same boxes—but with modern engineering, available parts, and a support network that's growing every year.

You can buy one today with a clean title. You can get parts without scouring forums for unobtainium. You can build it with confidence knowing the platform has been tested in real competition by real drivers. That's the formula for a grassroots legend.

Advice for Newcomers: Start Simple, Build Smart

If you're looking to get into drifting with a Gen 2 BRZ, here's the honest advice from a season of seat time:

1. Start with suspension and an LSD. You'll learn more from a predictable chassis than from extra horsepower you can't control.
2. Get seat time before you add power. The stock FA24 has enough grunt to learn on. Master throttle control and car placement first.
3. When you add power, tune conservatively. Find your reliable limit and stay there. Finishing events is how you improve.
4. Work with people who know the platform. A good tuner and a good shop are worth more than any single part.

Drifting rewards consistency, not just aggression. Build a car you can trust, put miles on it, and the results will follow.

Final Thoughts

The Subimods Gen 2 BRZ made it through an entire season at Lock City Drift and Gridlife—5,000 drift miles on a stock bottom end, making 370 WHP on pump gas. It took wall hits hard enough to trigger emergency services. It ran event after event without a mechanical failure. And it proved that the Gen 2 BRZ isn't just a capable drift platform—it might be the most approachable one since the S-chassis era.

That success didn't happen by accident. It happened because of quality parts from HKS, suspension from FEAL, angle and arms from GKTech, and a Cusco LSD that made the car predictable. It happened because Calvin at Dotson Tuning found the reliable limit and EFI Performance built it right. And it happened because we prioritized seat time over spec sheets.

If you're thinking about building a drift BRZ, now's the time. The platform is proven. The parts are available. And the community is growing. Browse our BRZ collection to start your build, or reach out to our team if you have questions. We've been there—literally sideways, into walls, and back for more.