MR2 Mk1 modding

[the2112]

Hey everyone , Im looking to get an mk1 mr2. i found an 87 with 160k miles for 1800. My question is what can i do to get more power and handling performance out of it? I wanna get around 150-180hp out of it. Its not gonna be a track car or anything, and I have a 08 camry as my daily, so it would just be used on nice days. I dont really have a budget or a time frame, but i want to do most the work myself. What mods should i do to get it to that 150-180 range, and what suspension parts should i invest in? thanks

[toyotaspeed90]

150-180HP s a lot to ask of the stock motor....

swapping is in order if that's what you realy want.

[not12listen]

with a very healthy 20v, you could possibly turbo it (small turbo at that) then get it dyno tuned. that would have the relatively easiest way to get to that power level.

per suspension... that all depends on how you drive. if you enjoy the twisty stuff, then 180hp might be too much power in such a small/light chassis. regardless... first off. brakes. LOTS of brake work. pads and braided steel lines. slotted rotors at the most - drilled are pretty much useless.

adjustable struts with springs that complement the setup (ie. NOT the lowest spring, but the one with the best spring rate to lowering level for what you intend on doing).

front and rear sway bars (matched set) with upgraded end links (front and rear as well). Suspension Techniques makes a nice matched set.

brake fluid that has a higher boiling point than standard DOT3 (350 F), look into ATE Super Blue fluid.

TIRES... sticky, soft tires! there is no need to go massively wide IF you get the proper softness/compound.

oh, and most importantly, before adding power, head to your local AutoX event and actually drive the car there. you might find that the car is well set up already, or that it has enough power already.

[mgd_only]

150-180HP s a lot to ask of the stock motor.... is not a lot for the stock 4age motor

brakes are easy and not to costly mk2 turbo calipers mated to mk1 carriers work very nicely

if your gonna go the swap route visit twobrutal.uk.com or mr2oc.com

[mgd_only]

oh and koni struts the adjustable kind

[toyotaspeed90]

Originally Posted by mgd_only

150-180HP s a lot to ask of the stock motor.... is not a lot for the stock 4age motor

brakes are easy and not to costly mk2 turbo calipers mated to mk1 carriers work very nicely

if your gonna go the swap route visit twobrutal.uk.com or mr2oc.com

uh-huh.... show me a 16V 4age bigport that makes 150whp that didn't cost much to get it there.....

I think you need to do some more research.

[mgd_only]

i didn't say it was cheap i said it was not alot to ask of the 4age.
you said it was a lot to ask in your first post to this thread reread what you wrote.

the 4age is strong and will handle up to 200hp getting it there may not be cheap but that was not asked now was it?

3sgte is the way i went with my 2 sorry for slow reply i forget about t.n. its not the greatest for info on mr2's

[obeythepeople]

i know this isnt really the place for this but i was wondering if you could run 4agze without the afm installed?

mr2 noob sorry...

[toyotaspeed90]

Originally Posted by mgd_only

i didn't say it was cheap i said it was not alot to ask of the 4age.
you said it was a lot to ask in your first post to this thread reread what you wrote.

the 4age is strong and will handle up to 200hp getting it there may not be cheap but that was not asked now was it?

3sgte is the way i went with my 2 sorry for slow reply i forget about t.n. its not the greatest for info on mr2's

I know what I wrote. and where do you get this magical 200hp figure from?

You can get a 4age to 150hp... it won't be all that reliable.

In order to get close to 150whp in a bigport this will require:

appropriate port & polish with O/S valves
big cams (at least 272)
adjustable cam gears
High compression pistons (I'm thinking around 11.0:1 or higher)

In order to reach the power you'll need an aftermarket ECU to rev up where the engine has been built to. You should also have crankwork done (lighten) along with having the rotating assembly balanced.

Anytime you set an engine up to rev high, above 8500 (which an n/a bigport would need) you drastically reduce it's reliability.

So.... I'll say it again. 150-180hp out of a bigport 4age is asking a lot.

Maybe I should re-iterate? Lots of people turbo/sc the stock motors as well but they usually don't last all that long... even on the MR2 boards you'll find people all over the place barely making 200hp out of a 4age and it didn't last that long.

So.... I'll say it again. 150-180hp out of a bigport 4age is asking a lot.

[toyotaspeed90]

Originally Posted by obeythepeople

i know this isnt really the place for this but i was wondering if you could run 4agze without the afm installed?

mr2 noob sorry...

the engine mounted in the car has nothing to do with the electronics running it.

In the future just create a new thread with your question.

[obeythepeople]

i know the engine in it dosnt matter and that really didnt help but thanks anyway.

[toyotaspeed90]

well then ask a better question next time (which I see you did in your new thread)

[mgd_only]

nice red herring, pissing matches arn't my thing but the op said 180 hp i said the 4age could handle 200. nothing magical just my opinon

[toyotaspeed90]

and your opinion is based on what?