Warm MR2 turbo - effortlessly fast but ......boring?

[Blacklightning66]

I Have had my MR2 for 6 years now, warm mods, bout 260 odd HP.
Just got it back on the road after doing a rebuild, car goes so fast with so little effort that its felling a little boring to drive!

I have even turned the boost down to 7psi just so that I have to actully rev it and drive it to have some on road fun!

If I run round on a BAR of boost, the slightest touch of the throttle and Im in three figures so quick and on a wave of linear torque that most gear changers dont need to go past 5k rpm.


I read day in and day out of people building silly power MR2s - I beeieve that on the road they crap to drive and way to much power for the chassis or doing everythign so fast that there is no real fun.

I also have a golf mk 2 8v gti, its far more fun on the road for the very reason it has bu88er all power - you really have to drive it to get the most from it, this is why ive lowered the boost on the Mr2 so I can actually rev it out and drive it to ge the most from it.

Might just have to try a NA mr2 and do a swap!
anyone else know where Im comming from?

[Ryan S]

i know what you mean but i disagree, my missus has a rev3 n/a and i hate driving it!!!!

you really really have to kick it's b4lls in to get it going anywhere, constantly having to change gears too, i like the fact that if i want to overtake in my tubby i don't have to even change gears, just press the go pedal

[Blacklightning66]

in my tubby i don't have to even change gears, just press the go pedal

Yeah I love that aswell, I just seem to run out of road or be at licence losing speeds before I can enjoy the rush! Im a BOOSTJUNKIE! but the buzz ends too soon! aarrggh !

[Kongaroo]

260BHP isn't really enough to give you a decent impression of raw acceleration in an MR2. Try one with say a GT3071r turbo and say another 100+BHP and you'll be hooked.

MR2 chassis has no problems handling that sort of power with just simple changes to suspension and tyres so long as you don't expect it to handle like a low powered FWD N/A

[steve b]

anyone else know where Im comming from?

Of all my MR2's my favourite was the '88 mk1 shame that it was a rust bucket, then followed my most recent rev3 n/a especially with the J.Mec ECU, 8000rpm is great , then the rev2 turbo, the rev2 n/a was so long ago I hardly remember but I don't think it ever felt as if it wanted to be thrashed like the rev3.

[Quigonjay]

I Have had my MR2 for 6 years now, warm mods, bout 260 odd HP.
Just got it back on the road after doing a rebuild, car goes so fast with so little effort that its felling a little boring to drive!

I have even turned the boost down to 7psi just so that I have to actully rev it and drive it to have some on road fun!

If I run round on a BAR of boost, the slightest touch of the throttle and Im in three figures so quick and on a wave of linear torque that most gear changers dont need to go past 5k rpm.


I read day in and day out of people building silly power MR2s - I beeieve that on the road they crap to drive and way to much power for the chassis or doing everythign so fast that there is no real fun.

I also have a golf mk 2 8v gti, its far more fun on the road for the very reason it has bu88er all power - you really have to drive it to get the most from it, this is why ive lowered the boost on the Mr2 so I can actually rev it out and drive it to ge the most from it.

Might just have to try a NA mr2 and do a swap!
anyone else know where Im comming from?

for the same reasons, i'd love to get a drive n a beams engined car someday just for a comparison

[Blacklightning66]

260BHP isn't really enough to give you a decent impression of raw acceleration in an MR2. Try one with say a GT3071r turbo and say another 100+BHP and you'll be hooked.

MR2 chassis has no problems handling that sort of power with just simple changes to suspension and tyres so long as you don't expect it to handle like a low powered FWD N/A

I think you kinda missing my point, the MR2 will be doing the same speeds with little or no throttle that in the Golf you would be hooning around at WOT and having to "drive" it. - basically Im more invloved in getting the Golf to go fast rather than just tapping the throttle a few millimeters in the MR2..


Id love ago in the BEAMS powered one.

Maybe im just having one of those days, I spent ages rebuilding my lump to get back and boosting , and now I am, I missed the power but at the same time its shown me how much fun low power can be. I can go so quick in the 2 round corners, apexes etc but never really have to give it beans to do it.
I dunno its late, doubt I will ever get rid of the 2 love it too much, but just noticing the differences in driving style more so now!

[JJ]

How old are you ??!!

I have a love hate relationship with mine.. I throw my X5 about like a hot hatch... it is fun for what it is and I can do that in all weathers...... but absolutely boring as hell...

What I've found as Im getting older and twistier, I'm still hooked by the power, acceleration and handling of the MR2.... but I've got to appreciate its an old car old handling and commands a little respect.

Its possible you prefer the golf as its more manageble... easier to chuck about... a more safe car to throw about... I've never driven a quicker car in bad weather as I have a subaru.. and for that I give it the thumbs up !

Lowering the boost and hammering it around country roads is what I do too... running mostly one bar I find it soo much fun and still fast... I even leave it down when the odd Civic type R starts to join in...but agreed on the point to point.. the car can be totally out of depth for its handling to performance....again.. I think thats part of the fun though... as roundabouts come soo very soon... it highlights the handling limitations of the original chassis... and thus prompts improvements in the suspension and tyres... which you mainly factor in for that little more reassurance should you get caught out.... Pointing the boost controller to 2 bar is for those run ins with Porsche turbos !

[Kongaroo]

I think you kinda missing my point, the MR2 will be doing the same speeds with little or no throttle that in the Golf you would be hooning around at WOT and having to "drive" it. - basically Im more invloved in getting the Golf to go fast rather than just tapping the throttle a few millimeters in the MR2..


Id love ago in the BEAMS powered one.

Maybe im just having one of those days, I spent ages rebuilding my lump to get back and boosting , and now I am, I missed the power but at the same time its shown me how much fun low power can be. I can go so quick in the 2 round corners, apexes etc but never really have to give it beans to do it.
I dunno its late, doubt I will ever get rid of the 2 love it too much, but just noticing the differences in driving style more so now!

I do understand what you're getting at there. My wife has a C2 VTS and I used to have a Mk1 Mr2 as my daily drive both of which would be considered only 'warm' hatches now. I agree it can be fun to have a lower power car that you can drive full throttle even when it's a little damp or around certain bends without worrying about loss of traction - they can certainly feel fast.

Nowadays you need a lot more than stock tubby power to comfortably pull away from a genuine modern 'hot' hatch as they are all in the 6 to 7 second 0-60mph bracket as standard.

I think it's mostly down to simple changes in suspension and tyres as to whether the car can put the power down reliably or not. A lot of people up the power without taking this into consideration and will of course feel the chassis is not up to it.

A decently set up high powered two has breath taking acceleration and comes with it's own challenges. I'd say they are far from being boring to drive

[matt_mr2t]

Despite what people say, the tubby cant even put all it's standard power down in the twisties, no amount of suspension and tyre changes will fix this. It's a very powerful, rear wheel drive car with no traction control that likes to oversteer.
Where as a Golf GTi, or similar hot hatch, can use every 1 of it's bhp in those situations without fear of epic failure. Both cars use the same kind of power to get round a bend, but one has to be treated with extra special care, the other can be done with your foot welded to the floor.

I've had both types of car, a 137 bhp Clio 16v followed by a 300bhp MR2 turbo. I know that the Clio wouldnt get me into any trouble on demanding roads, it handles superbly and with "only" 137bhp it's not going to cause any mess ups. The downside was that when you were on a wide open road, it felt hopelessly slow, there was little midrange and had to be driven at 7k rpms to feel any kind of power.
The Mr2 would require a delicate right foot in the bends, much more concentration to not spin the rear wheels and ultimately the car. But, if you mastered that and got the power in when you came out of a bend, the feeling of being sucked into your seat and seeing the speeds build at a silly rate was far more exhillerating that getting round the corner quick then feeling like you'd stalled.

[Kongaroo]

sorry repost

[Kongaroo]

Despite what people say, the tubby cant even put all it's standard power down in the twisties, no amount of suspension and tyre changes will fix this.

I would have thought not applying full throttle during a bend would have been common sense in a tubby - stock or modified.

You can however put all your extra horses down coming out of the bend as well as hold just as high or higher cornering speed as a hot hatch with the right tyres and suspension - which is what I was getting at. There's no argument to be had here, lol.

Eg. 285/30/18 R888s can hold about 280whp (about 14psi on my car) pretty well even when the road is slightly damp. A 245/45/16 RS2 can't do that in the damp and will spin up and try to bring the rear around on you. Now at this point I suspect you would stop and say you had reached the power limit of the 'chassis'. Whereas I would say it just needs the simple tyre modification above.

Just don't expect to drive a high powered mid-engined rwd car the same way as a fwd N/A hot hatch

[matt_mr2t]

The whole point of this thread is that although his golf has less power, he can use all of it, all of the time. You cant do that in an MR2 or you'll end up dead. I'm positive sticking a set of 285's on the back will help grip. A lot, but you still aint gonna go round a bend with all 220-245bhp (standard) without a very real chance of going backwards into the nearest obstacle.

If you put a decent little hot hatch, Golf GTi, 205 GTi, Clio 16v/Willaims on a tight, country road with uneven surfaces, nice bends etc it would get from a-b quicker than a tuned up tubby. It would get there quicker than a hell of a lot of cars for that matter.
As soon as you open the roads up and smooth them out a little bit though, they're generally hopeless and cars like the tubby come into their own. Nice firm suspension, wide tyres, lots of power, they'll leave a little hot hatch for dust. It just depends on what your driving preference is. This guy sounds a bit like Lauren who prefers to chuck the car at high speeds into bends and isnt at all bothered if he comes out of the bend needing huge power.

[Lauren]

I also have a golf mk 2 8v gti, its far more fun on the road for the very reason it has bu88er all power - you really have to drive it to get the most from it, this is why ive lowered the boost on the Mr2 so I can actually rev it out and drive it to ge the most from it.

Might just have to try a NA mr2 and do a swap!
anyone else know where Im comming from?

This is exactly why I love my little panda 100hp, because you can really push it and rev the nuts off it and you aren't doing silly speeds. Try that in the Integra and you are just going bonkers speeds before you are near it's limits. I love the integra just because it is just so quick on an A road. But I equally enjoy getting every bit of performance out of the panda simply because i can do it more often.

[summ0004]

The whole point of this thread is that although his golf has less power, he can use all of it, all of the time. You cant do that in an MR2 or you'll end up dead. I'm positive sticking a set of 285's on the back will help grip. A lot, but you still aint gonna go round a bend with all 220-245bhp (standard) without a very real chance of going backwards into the nearest obstacle.

If you put a decent little hot hatch, Golf GTi, 205 GTi, Clio 16v/Willaims on a tight, country road with uneven surfaces, nice bends etc it would get from a-b quicker than a tuned up tubby. It would get there quicker than a hell of a lot of cars for that matter.
As soon as you open the roads up and smooth them out a little bit though, they're generally hopeless and cars like the tubby come into their own. Nice firm suspension, wide tyres, lots of power, they'll leave a little hot hatch for dust. It just depends on what your driving preference is. This guy sounds a bit like Lauren who prefers to chuck the car at high speeds into bends and isnt at all bothered if he comes out of the bend needing huge power.

I think thats the deal with any high powered cars tho. The max horsepower is just that, the "max" power the engine can out out, and you wouldnt be wanting to use all of that everytime.

The less power you have then you can and need to use more of it, and more of the time. If you had a rear wheel drive porsche 911 turbo you wouldnt be using all of its 450 bhp on corners either, whereas on a 60 bhp fiesta you would be using 90% of its power most of the time to keep any level of speed up.

[matt_mr2t]

Thats exactly what I, and the original poster am saying!

[Ekona]

If you had a rear wheel drive porsche 911 turbo

You'd have a GT2

I've found that around 200bhp/ton gives the most fun to power ratio on the roads for me personally. Any more and it's impossible to use, any less and it's all a bit too slow for my taste.

[Kongaroo]

Lol, if you read my posts I understood what the OP was getting at about being able to use full throttle through a bend and it being fun to be able to drive like that. Sometimes there is an advantage to not having much power as you often don't have enough to break traction which is fun - the feeling of being able to come off a roundabout onto a relatively gentle bend and just keep the accelerator planted is great I agree.

I was addressing his automatic assumption in the first post - and it's one that many people seem to make lately - that anything more than stock power is pointless as the chassis can't handle it so why bother modifying your car at all. The reality is most of the time when people make this assumption they have only found the limits of their tyres or they are running too hard a suspension for the road they are traveling on so grip is inconsistent.

My other point was that 260BHP really isn't as fast or effortless as you might think. I guarantee you won't be leaving the vast majority of modern performance cars for dead with that. Hence my suggestion about trying some mods to up the power - if you can still find a 360BHP+ tubby boring to drive then I'd really be impressed

[Kongaroo]

One other thing Matt - was your car the one that Luthor1 bought and posted about recently?

I won't post the link but didn't he mention your car had some serious handling issues that needed to be corrected at Rogue?

I'm not asking to be rude or anything like that. I just noticed when you sold up as you are a regular poster here so you just do tend to notice when a regular puts their car up for sale

If it was your car then that might explain why you were so often posting in this section about the tubby's handling being so poor? I agree the tubby has many faults but it's far from being an awful handling car.

[Lauren]

I agree the tubby has many faults but it's far from being an awful handling car.

It's not got a great balance though and the turbo doesn't help that. I had some fun in Toni's TRD round Angers, it had Tein suspension. The well sorted stock powered MK1 SC I drove shortly thereafter though was far more fun and when I came in I told Toni to swop her car for that one! It was just so much more adjustable and far easier to manipulate mid corner as i didn't have the turbo lag of the TRD.

I agree a lot with what Ekona said in that 200bhp/tonne is ideal. For me that preferably means a car weighing around a ton with 200bhp.