mr2-digest Monday, 23 October 1995 Volume 01 : Number 009 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "KeNdRiCk W." Date: Sat, 21 Oct 1995 10:26:07 -0700 (PDT) Subject: sticker I like Paul Thomas's sticker design alot! I found myself going into the website just to look at it. It'llbe great to have it on the car =) KeNdRiCk {White 93 Turbo @49k K} ------------------------------ From: uunet!Rt66.com!carpilot (W. Amai) Date: Sat, 21 Oct 1995 14:29:28 -0600 (MDT) Subject: Angel T01 -- MR2 bits reappear The November 1995 issue of Car and Driver has a two-column article on the Angel T01, made by TOM's, a Japanese racing garage. What caught my attention besides the photo of a red example and the fact the T01 is a mid-engined, rear-wheel-drive two-seater, is that it uses the drivetrain and brakes from the MR2. I guess the Japanese MR2 has another engine choice besides our familiar 5SFE, 3SGTE, and 3SGE: DOHC 20-valve 1.6L 4cyl, making 158hp @ 7400rpm. Additional T01 specs: Est. price US$42,000 Curb weight 1720 lb Est. 0-60mph 5.5 sec Length 130.8 in Wheelbase 85.7 in Transmission 5-speed Brakes Disc all around, non-power assisted Body struct. Center monocoque tub made of fiberglass-reinforced plastic w/ carbon fiber (no doors, you enter through the window) Instruments Tach, LCD display for speedo, water temp, oil temp and pressure. Bonus feature Detachable steering wheel I imagine you would have to work hard to get one, and even then I don't know if it would be legal on our streets. Pure racing fun only, I suppose. Regards, Wendy '91NA, red Jenny ------------------------------ From: uunet!aol.com!Casey7970 Date: Sat, 21 Oct 1995 20:15:53 -0400 Subject: Sticker Design I vote for the Paul Thomas design with the change from "Club Member" to "Group Member". Very nice. ------------------------------ From: James Walsh Date: Sun, 22 Oct 1995 13:23:08 -0400 Subject: Misc questions and Mr2 Sound Config. Hello Mr2ers, I have a 91NA MR2. Ive had it for about 3 months and have put about 13,000 miles on it in that time. (I drove from Pennsylvania to Oregon to get some Summer snowboarding in) Any way I love it of course. It was even great to drive across county in. Two people, our snowboards and a months worth of clothes and stuff fit perfectly, we didnt even have to use the front trunk. Now that the Winter is coming and I am a snowboarder, Im considering getting another car just for the winter. Im also thinking of starting a bunch of modifications to this alread super-fun car. Probably the normal stuff... suspension, rims, exhaust. First off, can you reccommend from experience the most effective changes I can make? For instance, I know the suspension was upgraded between 91 and 93 to help the "problem" of the way the car corners. (Seems to make driving more interesting to me. :) What exactly was changed and how would I go about improving the suspension? As for rims Im considering either 15" or 16" with something like 225x45 and 215x45 tires. Any reccomendations as to 15" or 16". (I think those Momo Ferrari design rims would look great on an mr2.. Split Spoke with the red center... cant wait) Now for the sound. The stock system in this car isnt that bad for a stock system but I want to pack a whole lot more sound into it, especially for driving down the higway with the tops off.. I actually want to still hear the music. My car has the base system, anf I know you can get mr2's with a better stock system. I hear the better system comes woth stock subs.. My question is: Where in the world would they fit? Theres no room for an actual box, unless you put it in the rear trunk, behind the engine.. which wouldnt make for the best sound quality :) There is a little room behind the seats, but the T-tops have to go there too. Could I free up some space behind the seats by somehow storing the tops in the front trunk? or am I asking for broken glass by putting them up there? How tough is it to install new speakers etc? Do I even need to replace all the speakers? Id be real grateful for any help here.. Thanks Alot! BTW, are there any upcoming mr2 events in the Pocono area? I didnt have mine for the last thing at Pocono raceway. Thanks, Jamie Walsh ------------------------------ From: "KeNdRiCk W." Date: Sun, 22 Oct 1995 18:20:49 -0700 (PDT) Subject: hi what's the function behind a resonator? What's the benefit of removing it and what could be the possible negative affect? ------------------------------ From: dgh (David G. Hough at validgh) Date: Sun, 22 Oct 95 20:56:46 PDT Subject: success for majordomo! I'd like to draw your attention to the following valuable item which majordomo referred to me for approval. I sincerely regret that I was unable to approve it, but I'd like you to know so nobody on this list makes the same mistake. But don't set the perpetrators wise! > Date: Sat, 21 Oct 95 19:15:43 PDT > To: owner-mr2 > From: owner-mr2 > Subject: BOUNCE mr2: Header line too long (>128) > > >From uunet!If.you.do.not.have.a.fax.smail.is.ok!For.a.prompter.reply.please.fax Sat Oct 21 19:14:59 1995 > Return-Path: > Received: from uunet.UUCP by validgh.com (4.1/SMI-4.1) > id AA00410; Sat, 21 Oct 95 19:14:59 PDT > Received: from cornell.edu by relay1.UU.NET with SMTP > id QQzmlo21500; Sat, 21 Oct 1995 17:01:43 -0400 (EDT) > Received: from [205.230.67.30] (pm1-41.ixc.net [198.70.48.41]) by cornell.edu (8.6.12/8.6.12) with SMTP id QAA01200; Sat, 21 Oct 1995 16:12:29 -0400 > X-Sender: For.a.prompter.reply.please.fax@If.you.do.not.have.a.fax.smail.is.ok (Unverified) > Message-Id: > Mime-Version: 1.0 > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" > X-Priority: 1 (Highest) > Date: Sat, 21 Oct 1995 16:48:12 -0500 > To: uunet!If.you.do.not.have.a.fax.smail.is.ok!For.a.prompter.reply.please.fax (Patricia Eng, President, Association of International Students, Australia-New Zealand Chapter) > From: uunet!If.you.do.not.have.a.fax.smail.is.ok!For.a.prompter.reply.please.fax (Patricia > Eng, President, Association of International Students, Australia-New > Zealand Chapter) > Subject: *** ===>> World's *Cheapest* Way to get USA Magazine Subscriptions delivered to > *any* country (1,500+ USA titles to choose from). > ------------------------------ From: uunet!sitka.triumf.ca!solu (Richard Soluk) Date: Sat, 21 Oct 1995 13:43:57 -0700 (PDT) Subject: accident safety ratings > > Local news listed the Top three cars found by the nat. hiway board, > and the WORST three cars (all cars got rated, I don't know where the > MR2 fell. > > Top three (I hope I'm getting this close to right) > 1) Volvo 840 > 2) Saab (somethingorother, sorry) > 3) Mercedes 190 D/E > > Worst three (#1 is the WORST, #3 is the BEST of the three, for safety) > 1) Geo Tracker > 2) Chevy Corvette > 3) Amigo (I think... I was laughing too hard by this time) > > The ratings were in deaths per accident, I think. > As much as I hate to defend US made cars you have to remember that these stats are heavily skewed by the drivers of the cars. Rarely do you see a Volvo that isn't a rolling roadblock, while corvettes are generally driven more aggressively. Far more young people drive geo trackers then drive Saabs or Mercedes. Of course the top three cars ARE intrinsically safer, but the difference is exaggerated by driving styles. On the other hand if you look at which cars were most often stolen between 92-94: Mitsubishi Montero (18 times the average theft rate) Toyota Land Cruiser SL and S class Mercedes GMC Jimmy Acura Legend Lexus GS 300 Nissan 300zx Nissan Pathfinder The car thieves wanted least (if the owners can't start them what chance do thieves have? :-) Saturn station wagon Plymouth colt vista Buick LeSabre Buick regal sedan Saturn SL sedan Mercury Topaz coupe just about any station wagon ...Richard ------------------------------ From: uunet!qni.com.!rande Date: Thu, 19 Oct 1995 17:11:01 -0500 Subject: California Emissions I recently bought an '85 MR2. After I got it home I noticed a tag that says it meets the California emissions standards. I know their standards are stricter than other states but what is different about them? Can I remove the extra elements required for California? And how? Would this be possible or feasible? Can I change them to only meet my states (Missouri) requirements? Also, what are some upgrades I should look into for this car? The first things I'm doing is normal engine maintainence (plugs, wires, etc.). Next will be K&N filter, less restrictive exhaust, and adjustable struts. Any other suggestions? Randy Eickhoff rande@qni.com Kansas City, MO '91T 37k 64 AS '85 119k current project ------------------------------ From: uunet!mda.ca!PKK Date: Sun, 22 Oct 95 15:20:36 PDT Subject: TECH: oil filter change interval?? Is is 'REALLY' necessary to change out the oil filter at every oil change? The owners manual recommends a new filter at every second oil change (8000km or 6 months for turbo models) although I would replaced mine every 3 months. According to the Mitsu.3000GT/Stealth FAQ, someone there suggested this change interval is there for a reason (besides the obvious cost benefit). A partially used/clogged oil filter will trapped smaller micron stuff better than a new filter would, and therefore it is more beneficial to the overall cleaniness of the engine by following this schedule. Does this sound too extreme or it holds some truth to it? Like a dirty air filter will collect tiny stuff better but fuel economy hurts as a result? One last note, is the Toyota MR2 oil filter of the anti-drain valve design? and some of the aftermarket don't offer such a feature in their filters? I think this question has been asked before here but I don't recall seeing any feedback on this. Thanks! Peter '93T Turquoise ------------------------------ From: uunet!cco.caltech.edu!charlesg (Charles Grosjean) Date: 23 Oct 1995 01:22:04 GMT Subject: more speaker stuff After reading Brad Burns' article on speaker upgrading, I decided to replace the door speakers in my 91T. The whole size is a little over 5.1" so just about any of the 6.5" speakers should fit given that the basket isn't too large. There is a vertical metal brace that may interfere with a huge magnet assembly driver. Clearance to the window is over 2.75" although I wouldn't get a driver that deep. I ended up with a pair of Boston Acoustic Rally speakers which just fit as long as you orient the terminals away from the metal brace. You won't need a spacer kit, but I did use some 3/8" thick foam weatherstripping to insure a reasonable seal between the driver and the door as the mounting surface isn't completely flat. Haven't had a chance to really listen to them, but they are nicer than the factory speakers. As for the rear drivers, Boston makes a cute little 3.5" (the 703) and Vifa and Seas make some inexpensive cone midranges in similar sizes for around $20/each. Maybe some other weekend. Charles ------------------------------ From: dgh (David G. Hough at validgh) Date: Sun, 22 Oct 95 21:37:52 PDT Subject: stickers I accidentally messed this one up; respond to Gary: From: "Gary Friedman" Date: Sun, 22 Oct 1995 00:18:59 +0000 Subject: stickers I like Lee Grove and Paul Thomas designs for the group sticker. IMO, the "Genuine Non-Skid" part of Lee's is incredibly cool. The inset and official pace car part makes it for me! Just one suggestion: Lee- what would you think of a clear background behind the tread pattern (rather than white)? While it may make the tread pattern too subtle to see from a distance, it could lend a floating appearance to the sticker and better focus the viewer's attention (for that quick, fleeting glance!). I hope that the group will consider an outside sticker. If you have tinted windows (hello South Florida) an internally attached sticker won't be visible. If it uses adhesive it won't come off without tint, rear defogger wire, etc. A "decal" type sticker with adhesive on the back would be quite visible, even with tinted windows, and would be easily removeable with a razor blade (from glass at least!).. Personally, I'd prefer if the sticker doesn't have to have a group, web, or other address on it. Those that want to get to the webpage or this list can easily do so by asking or searching Infosearch, Yahoo, Webcrawler, etc. But enough of my opinions....... Gary............ ------------------------------ From: Derek Motloch Date: Mon, 23 Oct 95 00:19:43 -0400 Subject: My Homepage is up! This is an invitation to invite YOU to checkout my new home page. the URL is : http://www.serix.com/~dmotloch/main.html Please check it out and let me know what you think. Derek Motloch - London, Ontario, Canada dmotloch@serix.com 91 NA ------------------------------ End of mr2-digest V1 #9