Litchfield launches new handling package for BRZ, GT86 and FR-S
Award-winning Subaru tuner Litchfield has launched a stunning new suspension enhancement kit for the ‘Toyobaru’ that it has developed exclusively with the market-leading suspension manufacturer, Eibach. In an industry first, the British tuner has worked extensively with Eibach’s technical teams in Germany, The UK and America to create a truly world-class upgrade consisting of uprated springs and adjustable anti-roll bars.
The new kit has been designed to be fully compatible with all variants of the BRZ, GT86 and FR-S, offering an easy and direct replacement for the factory parts. With a brief to enhance handling performance without trashing ride quality, Litchfield’s design team has managed to deliver a kit which offers a stunning compromise between the two. In fact, thanks to many hours and miles of careful testing and prototyping, Litchfield’s designers have managed to maintain almost factory levels of ride quality under normal driving thanks to clever use of Eibach’s market-leading progressive winding technology. This leaves a softer portion of the spring to ride around on under normal motorway cruising, transferring into a stiffer section as the car shifts its mass under harder cornering.
Offering enhanced body control, allied to an impressively aggressive stance and rake change, the Litchfield kit, once correctly fitted and aligned, will give the car a benign and controllable shift from neutrality to oversteer, whilst simultaneously transforming steering feel and accuracy. The lower stance and superior surface damping not only appeal visually and dynamically, but also offer increased high-speed stability on both road and track.
The kit is a true technical tour de force, thanks to Litchfield unparalleled access to Eibach’s global design and technical teams throughout the process. The springs have been through an extensive development process, with the R&D being undertaken by the same design team that is responsible for Eibach’s F1 and WRC programmes. Both front and rear springs have been produced by Eibach’s Special Projects division as bespoke items and differ from Eibach’s own UK and US spec kits.
Springs and Adjustable Anti-Roll Bar Kit
Although the new spring kit can be fitted in isolation, owners looking for the ultimate handling package will also opt for Litchfield’s custom front and rear anti-roll bar set up. Once again, these has been produced exclusively for Litchfield, by Eibach, and benefits from extensive testing in all manner of road and track conditions including several days at both Spa Francorchamps and the famous Nordschleife. The bar features innovative new geometry developed by Litchfield’s engineers and is fully adjustable with 2 individual settings to allow owners to set the car up to suit prevailing weather or track conditions – or indeed, personal preference.
The thicker rear bar reduces body roll through increased design stiffness over the OEM part. Developed on Eibach’s motorsport production line, they are manufactured from cold-formed, high-strength aircraft-grade steel for precision performance, and finished with the long lasting ‘Litchfield Blue’ powder coat finish to match the springs. The anti-roll bar comes complete with all new bushes to further improve response and precision.
The Litchfield Handling Kit has taken months of development, including comprehensive back to back testing of several prototypes as well as comparisons against the leading aftermarket solutions. The result of this hard work is that the kit benefits from a comprehensive 5 year warranty on all components.
The Litchfield kit offers much more accurate ‘telegraphing’ of information between the chassis and the driver, increasing driver confidence, increasing turn-in, ensuring a perfect transition from neutrality to oversteer and creating a more stable high-speed platform, particularly over undulating surfaces. The springs are priced at £204.35 + VAT and the pair of adjustable anti-roll bars are £329.00 + VAT.
No ‘Toyobaru’ is complete without it. For more information, visit litchfieldimports.co.uk.
