Feels like motor is twisting?

[Medusa]

I don't know, mine are still stock. I am going to make some solid motor mounts for my car though, but the vibration issue doesn't concern me.

There are quite a few members on this board who are running solid mounts, hopefully one of them can chime in.

[mr3]

I had poly mounts on my mk1 for over 6 months. I liked them at first but they were just annoying. It's my daily car and the poly mounts would just make everything loud. It made the exhaust sound loud and then the radio had to get turned way up so I couldn't hear my passenger at all. After a while, I took them off and went with stock mounts off of my other car and put the poly mounts on that one because that was going to be my "racer" of the 2. Since going back to the regular mounts, I've noticed that everything is much nicer for a daily car. It's easier to drive and it's much less noisy. Before I had to have my radio set at 20 just to hear it, now I can have it set at 10 and hear it plenty. The solid mounts give you no play at all so when you drive you cant roll out the clutch, I guess thats the easiest way to describe it. The stock mounts give you enough play to let the clutch out a little more then give it gas. Poly mounts have no play at all.

From what I read in your first post, it sounds like you are running first out to about 5-6k then letting off the gas thinking it'll coast like an automatic car. Stick shift cars are not like that. First gear is rough when you let off the gas. If you want to drive smoother, bring it up to 3-3.5k then shift to second. When traffic in front of you stops, push in the clutch and then put it in neutral. When traffic goes, put it in gear and keep your shift points around 3500 rpms for around town driving. The smoother you are, the longer your car will last. I dont think it's your motor mounts at all. I just think you need to learn how to drive stick a little better.

[nitrofreak06]

i'm sure i wouldn't poly mounts then.. Cause it's loud enough as it is, to me, inside the cabin as it is haha. Well this is my first manual car. I'm pretty new to it all, so i'm learning. I shift around 3500 rpm when i'm driving around though. I got into the habit of doing that. Sometimes a little lower if i just want to take it easy and not rush around.

[Medusa]

It seems like the best shift point for normal daily driving is around 3-3.5K RPMs. So it's good that you got that down. But you did say this is your first manual car - did you learn to drive on an automatic? I did, but I got used to driving the manual in about 4 hours. Including starts on hills, considering I lived on a 30 degree or greater incline hill, and the area I lived in was very hilly.

Anyways, if you did learn to drive auto before manual, and are having problems transitioning, it's just going to take practice with an experienced stick shift driver.

[nitrofreak06]

Yes, i drove an automatic before this. I drive, Okay, i guess for a beginner. I've been driving it for about 3 months now. So i'm definitely a lot better than i was when i first got it, haha. I can take off on hills, but with a slight roll back. Haven't had much practice on a hill yet. The only time i stalled the car was when i was accidentally in the wrong gear when i take off, like being in 3'rd.

[Denz]

Mine does this, only if im not smooth tho, or dont use the clutch.

[nitrofreak06]

The whole reason why i brought this up is because, when i'm in my dad's 87 fiero gt. It doesn't buck like my mr2 does. I guess it's cause the v6 in his or something. I'm not sure.

[Medusa]

A V6 has more torque and engine braking. That effect should be more pronounced in it.

[como]

It might just be because the mr2 is so darn light.
I've never felt any car do it quite so bad as my mr2 does, but its very bouncy engine braking in 1st/2nd. and of course, if you give it any gas at all, it immediately goes from slowing down rapidly to speeding up rapidly. Gonna break my neck one of these days.

[nitrofreak06]

Originally Posted by como

and of course, if you give it any gas at all, it immediately goes from slowing down rapidly to speeding up rapidly. Gonna break my neck one of these days.

Yeah, that's 100% truth. It doesn't really bother me, kinda makes it feel like the car has a ton of power in a sense. This is really the only manual car that i drove. So i guess it just seems normal to me.

[como]

only manual I've ever driven, too. But I'm still eventually going to need a solution to that. I dont like a harsh ride.

[nitrofreak06]

Well, if you do find one, please let us know.

[Medusa]

I have no problem with it. In fact, it's very smooth in 1st even, but I'm just smooth with my throttle input. Maybe you need to work on your right foot motor skills.

[como]

heh, perhaps.
Although even adjusting the throttle input at the engine on mine it's impossible to rev somewhere between 1k (idle) and 2.5k. anywhere inbetween is nomans land. Sometimes with the throttle set at a certain point it'll rev up to 2 and then fall back to 1.5, and bounce between the two.
best I can figure, all engines (even identical ones) will have a different personality.

[nitrofreak06]

Originally Posted by Medusa

I have no problem with it. In fact, it's very smooth in 1st even, but I'm just smooth with my throttle input. Maybe you need to work on your right foot motor skills.

Well that might be possible if the pedal wasn't so hard to press down. It's not super hard to press but it takes a lot of pressure. That brings me to this question: Is it possible to adjust the stiffness? Or anyway to make it easier to press down?

[como]

mine isnt super stiff, but its still stiffer than you might expect from a newer car.

The problem there is your throttle cable is LONG. it goes into the frunk, under the car, I think up over the gas tank, then around the rear firewall, up ontop of the engine where it bolts to some convoluted bracket thing, and then to the throttle control.
I'd start back there- is it stiff to adjust the throttle from the engine bay, at the bracket? lube it up. Might be possible to put a lighter spring on there, but you want that spring to be able to pull that cable back through the entire car, so it has to be pretty stiff.

[David]

Yeah, I've noticed that throttles on MR2s are pretty stiff. I like it though.

[nitrofreak06]

Yah i didn't think about the length of the cable having an affect on the stiffness. But it makes good sense though. I'm sure it wouldn't hurt to lub it up though.

[muffinman]

So did you ever check the motor mounts?

[nitrofreak06]

Originally Posted by muffinman

So did you ever check the motor mounts?

Yes i looked at them. And they look like there isn't anything wrong with them.