Just bought an MR2, what should i do first?

[Kerpalstaxi]

I just bought a '91 MR2 N/A. I would have gone with a turbo but couldn't find one, insurance would be a lot more, and I got mine at a great price. It already has a new suspension, a K/N intake, and new clutch and new tires. I have about $1600 to spend on the engine now and I'm looking for cheap horsepower and/or torque. What should be the first thing I do? Any sugguestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

[Jay!]

Congratulations, and welcome to AF!

Sorry I don't have any suggestions in particular, but we have some other MR2 owners that'll throw some knowledge your way soon enough.

[entiZ]

intake and exhaust is your basic easy stuff to do...

not too much you can do with an n/a. make sure your ignition is all top notch. i mean you can do header work and intake many work if you got that kinda money....

[TwoSeatTerror]

There is a few things you can do. First would be intake and exhaust. The choices are very limited though. I suggest construction your own intake kit. It will cost you a lot less, and perform just as well, if not better than any of the aftermarket intake kits for the n/a. When it comes to the exhaust, the only real hp maker would be a custom setup, but it's loud and annoying, and expensive. I suggest the Hotshot Header Kit, and the GReddy SP exhaust.

Next I would work on ignition componants and aftermarket clutch. The n/a's ignition components are shitty, and only there to do the job. Jacobs Electronic's ICE PAK ignition system is the way to go, it was dyno tested to gain 15hp on a stock 91 n/a, pretty damn good gains. You will prolly need an aftermarket clutch at this point, the factory clutch can't hold worth a damn. I suggest the ACT street/heavy duty setup.

Next, you can advance timing up to 13 degrees, it will give you some more low end grunt, and a little less high end, but if you have the exhaust and ignition setup that I suggested, you won't see anything but a gain accross the entire power band.

When you really get some money, you can finally do head/intake/throttle body work on the engine. I also suggest at this point Total Seal piston rings, and Gen IV Supra valve springs.

After the engine is built, nitrous is the answer. Zex makes a wet kit that is very simple to install and lets you choose between 50, 65, and 75 shot.

GReddy SP exhaust $500 new $300 used
Hotshot Headers $450 new $375 used
Homemade Intake $100 - 50
Weapon R Intake $150
Injen Intake $150
ACT Clutch $280
Jacobs ICE PAK $400
Zex Nitrous Kit $450

Lowest Price on Performance Parts for the MR2
http://www.HighPerformanceOnline.com

[entiZ]

wo0t!!!

Heheh i figured you could write a book on a N/A!!! ^_^

Man look at all these gooofy faces you can use on this board. :finger: :grey:

[Ammi]

Put in some more $$$ and get a 3SGTE!!!

[BaByPaNdAx409]

save up and get a 3sgte~!!!!! i'm saving up for a 3sgte 2nd gen....since mah 5sfe can't burn any carz

[MR Yasir]

calm down entiZ.
(ooooooh, look at all the smilies :apoke: )

TwoSeatTerror covered all the stuff you need for the all motor setup. You can also turbo the 2.2 if you have the knowledge, drive, resources, time, money, etc.
I know of one guy who built his 2.2 and has 427 hp at the wheels.
He's running 11's on street tires.

[N_E_R_V_EVA01]

first thing i would do to an N/a would intake exhaust to get it breathing well and for the big hp get an aftermarket cam because the originals were made for good gas mileage next would be to get a better ignition system jacobs ice pack then find a dead mr2 turbo and take all the turbo stuff and swap it all into your mr2 the cams alone will get you like
mr2 N/A 130hp
comp.exhaust 15hp
cams 30hp
ignition 10hp
turbo 60hp
=
245hp

um im not sure how much hp the turbo will make so.......

all for about 2.5 Gand???

[MR Yasir]

NA motors do not get huge increases in power with intake/exhaust. The breathing restriction is due to the head. The exhaust system will make increases but only with headers, no cat, hi flow exhaust. cams will make a difference too but you need to properly tune the car to get any meaningful gains. There is a guy on the MR2 board with 467hp at the wheels with a turboed NA 2.2 engine. He's running 10's on street tires.

board.mr2faqs.com for more info.

[nissalineG20]

i suggest you get a jspec 3sgte 2nd gen(225hp)complete engine swap and you wont spend more than $3500.5sfe is not a good motor to modify with and you'll end up spending alot then you wont get a reilable 225hp out of this motor and if you do it'll be loud as hell ! and watch out for the the motor to break down soon but for jspec 2nd gen 3sgte will gives you 225hp on this stock motor and very reliable hp and you just need few minor bolt on modes then you will get up to 265hp easily dude!

[gtr98]

K

I got a as new K & N panel filter, car bra, work shop manuals, and a crazy set of 17" Racing sparco pythonII with new tread if interested.

[Kerpalstaxi]

If speed matters to you (it should), then stay away from NA MR2s. If it does matter, then a turbo is not a bad choice.

For anyone looking at an MR2:

The bad

These suck in rain, snow, sleet, anything not perfect.
As with all cars, let them warm up before you go over 4000rpm.
Repairs are expensive.
They eat tires like nothing else, but will also fishtail like nothing else.
NO trunk space, maybe 2 small suitcases or a couple backpacks.
If you are tall/overweight, you won't fit in this car. Neither will tall hair.
T-tops tend to leak.
Parts are hard to find.
4000+rmp in 5th at 80 mph with a 6250 redline???(this is for the NA, the turbos gearing is better)
Make sure that only 2 seats won't be a problem.

Problems w/ my MR2
Carpet on the passenger side fell apart
Valve job needed at 120k $1200
Oil leak in distributer cap.
Good 6 speaker stereo, but stock cd player sucks.
Sometimes force is need to get in to 1st or reverse.
Difficult downshifting, probably because of miles on transmission

The good

Gas mileage (no that anyone here cares, i don't)
Very light. MR2 Turbo+cheap mods=very fast
Great handling. Little aid from power steering (two hands for most people). This gives you great feeling for the car and will often times stop you from loosing control, which is hard to do unintentionally.

I'm selling it and buying a 95-98 eclipse gsx or a 300zx.

Let me know if any of this helps anyone or if you disagree w/ any of it.

[MR Yasir]

However, if you prefer to autocross, the NA is perfect for you.

Snow is not an issue with the NA. I've driven my car in deep snow without a problem. Engine parts are the same as camry parts. The NA comes with a forged crank and the pistons will take up to 8 psi. It does have problems with wet and slippery conditions (if you're not careful) but find me a rear wheel drive car that isn't a problem in this weather.

[G-Forces]

I'm surprised noone mentioned this.

First thing I'd do is get a good tuneup. Also make a friend with your local dyno shop. That way you can see if any of these (future) mods are doing anything. Also it will be able to tell you if you're down on power before you start tossing mods on.