New to mr2's

[jdmoakes]

I want to buy a mr2 aw11 , I want to make it my daily driver / project. My goals would be 190-220 hp ,I take it that a s/c would be needed , I don't want a turbo , I do want to autocross on weekends . I been looking around the web site I would like other input as well. Whats a good way to do this ? I want a hardtop as well , so no 88-89 s/c cars, thanks for the input thanks

[espguitarist33]

if i understand right theres no hardtop sc cars. You could swap in a gze if you really want a s/c i suppose

[garveykp]

i have an 89 s/c for sale. it has quite a bit of rust over the quarters. but its fixable. 160xxx on it, runs good. need to get rid of it and not needing that much out of it

[jimmer411]

Your going to hit a glass ceiling around 150whp on a usdm/jdm bigport gze. Around 175whp on the smallport gze. Add roughly 15whp if you run the sc14.


For your goals your going to need higher compression since you will already be spinning the supercharger to its limits.


Cams are an option, but no one runs cams in the gze and talks about it, much less dynos it.


I say drive the car first and see what you want from there. If your looking to drag race your going to be sorely, sorely dissapointed. Any decently swapped civic will keep up or beat an sc mr2 in the 1/4.

[jdmoakes]

No way a drag car, daily driver 1st for the most part, i want a car thats fun to drive,I have heard aw11 are a blast to drive, whats a good hp for a aw11 n/a or s/c . Ive had a civic hatchback with a b18 , how would a aw11 n/a or s/c compair? Thanks Ron

[jimmer411]

Its hard to say, a stock high mileage mk1 na might only put down 90whp, but can still be fun. I would be happy with 140-150whp NA, I dont care about having gobs of torque since I dont tow things and I dont drag race.

Find an AW11 and take it for a drive, make sure its on some curvy roads and go from there, that is where the fun is in this car.


Im not a big fan of the SC, but it all comes down to driving styles. I like my mr2s as light as possible.

[jdmoakes]

How light is your mr2?

[jimmer411]

2150> est. My last weight in was 2250 when the car was bone stock with a tank of gas. Ive since removed quite a bit of weight over the years.

[traintech86]

this car isn't about mad amounts of HP. to get the HP you're talking about, you'd be putting in the 3s-gte or something else thats insane. imo, get the SC if you want, and just strip out anything thats un needed. i have an N/A and its pretty heavy atm but still a blast to drive. its not about how much power, but how the car handles the power it has. just go drive one before you start getting power hungry haha. and if its a wet day out, you'll buy one for sure

[328FTW]

Originally Posted by espguitarist33

if i understand right theres no hardtop sc cars. You could swap in a gze if you really want a s/c i suppose

Ummm what? I have 2 both orginal and 88's dunno about the US but we got them here.

Find a cheap 2 and try it out and if you don't like it no loss sell it on it's not everyones cup of tea they are fun though just don't expect huge hp from the little 4 banger although a late gen 3sge or gte swap will kick it in the pants

[jdmoakes]

200 hp is huge ? Thanks Ron

[jimmer411]

Ive never seen a factory SC that wasnt a T-Top.

200whp in an MR2 is huge, especially when you look at tire choices. There isnt alot of room for fat tires in the rear of the mk1, and usually with an 8 inch wide rim your rubbing and sticking out past the arches.

The C series transmission isnt very strong, nor are the NA axles, and SC axles are near impossible to find and discontinued from the dealer.

[mr3]

You'll be able to get a decent size 16" rim/tire combo. You'll be able to fit 215/40/16 or so without worrying about rubbing. The c52 is a pretty strong transmission. It'll holds up to the 20v silvertop that is putting around 150 to the wheels NA. I just did the Bear Mountain run in my stock 87 and it had plenty of power for what I had as far as tires. Next year when I go with my silvertop I'm going to have some 15's or 16's with lower profile tires with actual tread. My car was pushing through turns which was scary so hopefully next year I'll have the 20v with more power and better tires. I'm voting for 20v Blacktop with a small turbo if you want to run 175 or so horses.

[jimmer411]

Got a dyno to that 150whp 20v ST?

[jdmoakes]

150whp hard to make ? Swap or not ? 150whp in a 1200 lbs is not that slow of a car , that's what a stock gsr puts down. And the gsr is heavyer then an aw11- Ron

[jimmer411]

Its quite a bit of work to make. a BT20v can make it pretty easily, an ST normally tops out at 130~ even on BT electronics, and average around 120whp.

1200lbs is impossible to get to in an mr2 without a sawzall, you mean 2200 right?


with the 16v its a hell of alot of work to make.

This might shed a bit of light on things.
The DEFINITIVE Built 16v vs STOCK 20v Thread... - Hachiroku.net | Forums

[jdmoakes]

2200 lbs, Im in Ca, can you smog a bt 20v ?

[jimmer411]

Originally Posted by jdmoakes

2200 lbs, Im in Ca, can you smog a bt 20v ?

Not without paying off a smog ref.




Have you considered moving? After 25 years all cars are smog exempt in WA, and in the area I live there is no smog regardless of vehicle age

[jdmoakes]

So it looks like a s/c 88-89 car is the best I can make hp and pass smog?

[jimmer411]

More or less, yes. 3sgte swap will pass as well. 20v wasnt sold in america so it wont pass.