![[Car Image]](./GRAPHICS/BigImage.gif)
Location: SINGAPORE
Car: 1988, MkI Supercharged, WHITE
Tag: FLI N BY
Mileage: 80,000 km
I'M from Wellington, New Zealand, on a three year posting to Asia.
Have owned the above MR2 for 2 years. The car was bought in desparation after
having to put a with driving a "regular vehicle" for so long. I'm sure you
know what i mean when i say regular vehicle. A regular vehicle sort of rolls
around corners, has as much go as a BMW powered by a Morris Minor engine ,
and the appeal of soap opera.
Well no more Goeff. After evaluating a 1.6L normally aspired vehicle, a 1.6L
supercharger and a 2.0L normally aspired vehicle the conclusion was the
supercharger. Why didn't i evaluate the 2.0L turbo you might ask? Two main
reasons, Price and handling.
The early model MR2 Turbo was decried by motoring magazines and the Press as
being "uncontrollable" in the wet. Things were corrected by Toyota Japan in
1993 by improving the rear suspension (almost complete re-vamp) revised
chassis and increasing both front and rear wheel & tire diameters. Even the
1990 normally aspired MR2 came under criticism for its handling. The UK
"CAR" magazine said the 2.0L MR2 was an improvement in the straight line
performance but a backward step from its predecessor in cornering. The
problem was the increased weight at the rear end causing the car to be
"tale happy". Having given a 1990 MR2 a really hard test drive in twisty
outback roads in New Zealand i can certainly testify to the "nervious and
twitchy" nature of the 2.0L MR2.
Not having enough budget to climb into a 1993 or later MR2, the Supercharger
was for me the choice. The Original normally aspired MR2 for all its cute looks
just doesn't have enough go. Jump on a twisty road with a mate sitting next to
you , with the air conditioner unit on, and er.. sorry, not enough horse power
folks. The 1990 MR2 was not alot better. What it gained in horse power it
almost lost in increased weight. Performance wise, the 1990 MR2 was no match
for the late 80's supercharger. The Supercharger offered a superior power to
weight ratio, being lighter than the 2.0L but with almost the same power output.
The Original MR2 also had one other significant advantage. Unknown to many,
Toyota commissioned "LOTUS" sportcars of the UK to refine the suspension design.
LOTUS, with years of design experience with vehicles such as the Elite, Elan
and more importantly the Espirit (a mid engined rear drive vehicle) waved their
wand over the Original MR2 and produced , by even todays standards one of the
finest handling sports vehicles around. The latter MR2 was not so fortunate.
Since owning my vehicle it has undergone several modifications to improve
performance. First was a free flow exhaust, which gave me another 5 Hp on the
road. Second was an over sized pulley for the supercharger, which provided another
10 hp on the road. The two mods together give me around 160 Hp at the flywheel
and approx 130 Hp on the deck. This is good enough (due to lower weight and
faster power application by the supercharger) to challenge the later model
Turbo. I have an extensive data base on the performance of all versions of the
MR2 collected from Motoring magazines around the world. A quick comparison
between a modified Supercharger and an unmodified Turbo is not recommended
reading for a Turbo owner.
Although now looking a little dated, the original MR2 was at least distintive.
You can't say the same for the smooth shapely curves of the latter model.
Although a good looker, many a latter model MR2 owner has treated his pride
and joy to a revised spoiler and aerodynamic kit. This is generally not to
improve performance but an effort to look different. The Original MR2
doesn't need bits tacked on to look different because it already is.
Another difference between the two generations is visibility. The MKII while
offering fantastic visibility (by mid engine standards) was a backward step
from the original. You see more from a MKI.
The MR2 Supercharger must rank as one of the "best bangs, for your buck" as
far as sportcars are concerned. What other vehicle can you buy for 10 grand
that gives you a mid engineed , rear drive layout?
Bought two years ago, the following upgrade and maintenance work has been done.
2.5 inch Freeflow exhaust designed by TOTAL PERFORMANCE,Lower Hutt.
Oversized Supercharger Pulley by TOTAL PERFORMANCE, Lower Hutt.
Replaced Cam Belt, KING TOYOTA, Lower Hutt.
Replaced Supercharger belt,(was slipping) KING TOYOTA, Lower Hutt.
Heavy duty clutch Kit, Flywheel grind, KING TOYOTA, Lower Hutt.
Replaced Both Rear Wheel bearers.
Above resulted in around a 15 Bhp difference at the rear wheels and a good
increase in performance.
0-50 Km/h 3.2 sec
0-80 Km/h 5.0 sec
0-100 Km/h 6.7 sec
The real winning department however is the in gear acceleration times which are
better in some areas than the 2000 cc Turbo (due to the quicker response of the
supercharger and max torque at 4000 rpm,plus weight advantage). Certainly the car
is far quicker than 2000 cc normally aspired version.
I would like to hear from others on the success or otherwise of modifications
undertaken, in particular the following:-
a) HKS Power flow air filter
b) TRD Cams ie 256'
c) TRD ignition
d) Enlarged Throttle body
e) Reprogrammed Computer (state make and difference noticed)
Enough of my rambling. As you can no doubt tell i'm a MR2 addict. Whether it be
a MKI or II, i like most owners hope that Toyota doesn't give up on the MR2 concept.
The MR2 is the vehicle of choice, to real people who can't afford ferrari's, but
want to experience the joys of sports car motoring
Ralph W Ede
SINGAPORE
Tel +65 332 4811
Fax +64 332 3033
E-Mail massin@singnet.com.sg or macleod@singnet.com.sg.
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Geoff Seeley (geoff@mr2.com)