New MK1 owner saying hi........

[Scooter]

Just a proper hello now i've actually got a 2.

Sold my supra last week and immediately looked at all the local mk1's that were avaliable.

1) dealer 'G' T-bar - £1590 very tatty interior, rusty rear arches and sill by the A pillar
2) Private 'E' reg Sunroof model £1200, rusty bubbling up through previously repaired arches, a few welded in plates (not tidy!) but drove very well (sold me on getting one just not that one!)
3) Private 1990 'G' T-bar, instantly noticeably cleaner than the others, only initial sign of rust was on the passenger side rear arch but even this is only on the flat folded over section. T-bar bags, tool kit standard stereo etc.....
I did the deal there and then, picked it up Saturday evening and gave it a good run down to the coast and back sunday. Love the way it drives, rattle and clunk free, cabin noise is up on what i'm used to but getting used to it!
Overall very impressed, obviously lacking the punch of the supra but still made me smile with its nimble nature. looking forward to many happy miles in it.

If anyone is local to Guildford that would be up for a chat etc let me know, as i'm up for learning more about the car and know from my time with supra's that a hour or so chat with a current owner can save hours of surfing and accumilating info.

In the meantime i do have a specific question regarding wheels / tyres.
What is the optimum setup for handling, is it advisable to stick with the 14" wheels and just use quality rubber or are aftermarket 15/16's 'better'?
Also re tyres i'm quite interested in trying out some semi slick road legal tyres like Kumho V70A etc has anyone any experiences of these or are they overkill?

oh and will post pic's at some point but it needs a good wash and polish....

[prezjamin]

Welcome to the club Scooter

[LimeyMk1]

Hi Scooter

Welcome to the club, I'm just down the road from you (Liphook).

I'd say that 15/16 inch wheels would be better as far as handling goes, 15s tend to have the better range of tyres available from what I've seen.

Chris

[Scooter]

Cheers chaps, Chris i'm in Liphook every so often at the pub (name escapes me but they do nice grub!) by the two mini roundabouts.

[LimeyMk1]

That'll be the Royal Anchor methinks! Personally prefer the Links.

[BenF]

Just a proper hello now i've actually got a 2.

Sold my supra last week and immediately looked at all the local mk1's that were avaliable.

<snip>

In the meantime i do have a specific question regarding wheels / tyres.
What is the optimum setup for handling, is it advisable to stick with the 14" wheels and just use quality rubber or are aftermarket 15/16's 'better'?
Also re tyres i'm quite interested in trying out some semi slick road legal tyres like Kumho V70A etc has anyone any experiences of these or are they overkill?

oh and will post pic's at some point but it needs a good wash and polish....

Heh , going from a Supra to a Mk1 is quite a change - but there are plenty of people selling (eg Mk2 turbos ...!) and keeping Mk1s as fun cars. I can highly recommend picking up a cone filter as the engine sounds fantastic over 4k - just watch your speedo too

As for tyres, it depends what you're looking for - overall grip, or 'progressiveness' ?

I'm still on the standard 14" rims, and am using Yoko A539s - very cheap at around £33 each. Dry grip is fine and very progressive, wet grip is middling but still progressive.

Goodyear F1s would be a top of the range choice (in 195/50R15's - ?) if you've got the alloys to suit. I'm fairly sure there are some nice lightweight alloys you can get in a 15" size (superleggas?) but they're likely to cost a few quid ..

[Scooter]

[quote="BenF"]

Heh , going from a Supra to a Mk1 is quite a change - but there are plenty of people selling (eg Mk2 turbos ...!) and keeping Mk1s as fun cars. I can highly recommend picking up a cone filter as the engine sounds fantastic over 4k - just watch your speedo too

As for tyres, it depends what you're looking for - overall grip, or 'progressiveness' ?

I'm still on the standard 14" rims, and am using Yoko A539s - very cheap at around £33 each. Dry grip is fine and very progressive, wet grip is middling but still progressive.

quote]

It certainly is a change but its eased by the fact that i have an old 'E' plate polo commuting sh*tter that makes anything seem quick!
I may dabble with the air filter side of things but to be honest at the moment the noise is taking some getting used to when i'm used to a whisper quiet straight six engine! Its only a period of adjustment thats needed i think, as i've had a few mini's in my time that were pretty noisy.

I did consider a Mk2 turbo but thought the running costs (which lets face it are the killer costs) would be about the same as the Supra.

I saw a thread on those Yoko's and for the money they seem a good choice. F1's were the weapons of choice on the Supra but i'm not sure outright grip is going to be as important with 2.

cheers for the recommendations.....

[Lauren]

For tyres/wheels:

Don't go bigger than 15s on 195/50s as otherwise you'll simply end up with all grip and no handling. Plus it will tramline with 205s on and this is total overkill.

If you go 15s best tyres are Yoko Advan Neovas basically elise S1 fronts.

In all honesty for an NA i'd keep the stock rims and run F1s or A539s (if you like it to move about a bit more). I think the fun in a MK1 is letting the car move a bit, so you don't really want a surplus of grip. Put F1s on if you like good grip wet or dry. Put A539s on if you want to have less grip, but more fun.

Even with 15s you'll end up with more grip than handling.

[Scooter]

Thanks Lauren, definitely don't want to stiffle its playfulness so will go for the A539's on the stock rims, i may even try a short spell with just these on the front to see how that liven things up in combination with the 'no name' economy tyres on it at the moment.

[Lauren]

Thanks Lauren, definitely don't want to stiffle its playfulness so will go for the A539's on the stock rims, i may even try a short spell with just these on the front to see how that liven things up in combination with the 'no name' economy tyres on it at the moment.

Yep do it, after all stock size A539s are pretty cheap. You'll have a lot of fun, wet or dry.

One other thing, getting a 4-wheel alignment done would be a good idea. I'd go for TRD settings. Its bound to be out unless the previous owner was vigilant with such things. As if!

The MK1 is fairly sensitive to alignment changes and there is a world of difference between a well set-up car and one that isn't.

[PW@Woodsport]

welcome to imoc scooter! good to see another mk1 owner who has "upgraded" from a supra.....sorry mr canny!

If you need to know anything about your new pride and joy this is the place to ask.

[Scooter]

Thanks, i'll try and settle in gradually to driving it (its still very new to me at the moment) and then sort the tyres and alignment out in one go i think.

Need to jack it up and have a real good look around her first, do a quick oil/filter change etc.

All good fun!

must go home now, might just go the long way tonight.....

[Scooter]

welcome to imoc scooter! good to see another mk1 owner who has "upgraded" from a supra.....sorry mr canny!

If you need to know anything about your new pride and joy this is the place to ask.

thanks Paul the 'discovery' of the 2 has certainly eased the loss of the Supra, and i'm pleasantly suprised by the drive. I seem to have got myself a nice enough rot free one too (on the surface at least!)
I've looked at the maintenance / repair pages on the Mk1 site and look forward to getting my hands dirty on the 2. I got 'hands on' to a degree with the supra but its a bit of a monster for the home mechanic!

[craig]

Welcome to IMOC-UK dude!

[crazylegs]

welcome mate anytime you need something give me a shout.i`m in knaphill so only a couple of miles away.nice to have another mk1 around.
if you want help/servicing tips let me know.i`ve had about every bit of it apart at some time.i`m not an expert but i can get most thing sorted in the end.

[Scooter]

cheers Crazylegs, i actually viewed one local to you right near Knaphill Sainburys.

Do you find Toyota the best (only?) place for the routine servicing bits, i'm used to problems with main dealers when asking for bits for a jap import, but am hoping it will be different with the uk mk1, although i suspect out of stock/ stocking delays may be an issue.

Filters, brake pads etc i assume are readily available?

[Lauren]

Toyota are good for things like oil filters. Brake pads and other related stuff i find you can shop online and get better prices.

Obviously for other parts they can be good if a tad expensive at times. For example; Yesterday i picked up a replacement aerial (roof mounted) for £40 which is okay I think.

I also asked about getting some rear mudflaps in black. Wait for it, - £60 each!!! So i'll wait till i can find some secondhand first i think!

So best to check prices first.

[LimeyMk1]

Scooter if you do need to get stuff from the Toyota garage in Slyfield Ind estate see if you can get to talk to Steve Pearse he knows Mk1s pretty well and is a nice bloke. No discounts unfortunately!

Lauren I'll ask Eddie about some black mudflaps if you like, I know he's got at least one black Mk1 in at the moment.

Chris

[Scooter]

Scooter if you do need to get stuff from the Toyota garage in Slyfield Ind estate see if you can get to talk to Steve Pearse he knows Mk1s pretty well and is a nice bloke. No discounts unfortunately!

Chris

cheers will do.

BTW the car was covered in salt from the weekend driving so i washed the car last night.........in the dark........whilst it was snowing (new car enthusiasm at its best!). I've penciled in saturday for the first real good look around and tinker.......should result in another few more questions of the technical (with a healthy dose of paranoia) nature.

Thanks to all for the friendly welcome........

[lurcher10]

I`ll just add my welcome, Scooter..I`ve just joined the club myself.
Isn`t everyone so helpful?
Interested re the tyre discussion, I`ll soon need two on the front.
At the moment I`ve got a bit of a mixed bag, 3 Continentals and one Firehawk 700??.
The A539`s sound a good bet, the price is right too , don`t know about F1 prices, but they sound more expensive!