Toyota MR2 Turbo
My friend J_____'s MR2 is a testament to how the right used car, tuned, can be a great deal of fun and in this case a sort of timeless classic. He's had nearly every bolt of this thing off, cleaned, and fixed. These cars were hand built and the fit and finish is vastly superior to most Japanese cars and most cars in general.
The ride is quite unreal in the hands of the right driver. Commit to a corner and it is seriously planted. Boost comes on fast and pushes you into the seat in earnest.
The stock sized brakes work quite with good pads. These are the smallest brakes to come on a Gen 2 MR2 along with the smallest master cylinder. The 93+ brakes are a bit larger and there are quite a few larger master cylinders that fit from other toyotas. The above photo was taken after J____ rebuilt and painted his calipers and installed stainless brake lines.
Meticulous mods
On top of modifications he's replaced about 1/2 of the stock parts on the car with factory new. It is immaculately taken care of. I hope he sells it to me for cheap. Big things are in the works, J____'s apartment is begining to look like a toyota parts department. These are the things that he has done so far.
- SSR Integral 16x7 R 16x8 R (Forged)
- BFG G-Force KDW's
- TRD Plug wires
- Porterfield R4S pads/ stainless lines
- Brass shifter cable bushings and solid shifter base bushings
- JDM CT26 turbo
- Full exhaust
- Urethane suspension bushings
- Stabilizer bar end links
- Valve shim adjustment
- Shocks / Springs
- New Leather seat covers
- 94+ Tail lights
- amsoil all around
- heim joint stabilizer bar links
Far more impressive is the list of uninstalled parts, haha!
J____ rebuilt the MR2's rear brakes with russel stainless lines, NAPA rotors, Porterfield R4s pads and AutoZone remanufactured calipers. The calipers didn't come with the sliders, had a pitted caliper piston and were missing a vital washer so we had to rebuild them more or less. The "sliders" on the old 200k mile calipers were seized solid. We had to press/hammer them out with great difficulty. The braking on this car now throws you into the seat belts with authority. Not bad at all for stock 1991 brakes! If the warping rotors continue upgraded aftermarket brakes or stock 1993+ MR2 Turbo units will likely be in order.
The bushings and strut tops have now been replaced as well making a night and day difference. That makes the brakes front and rear, the suspension and bushings, and the tires all in a newly refreshed state.
Everywhere but the engine and cooling system on this car the repairs and modifications are quick and easy. Three bolts per side to do the rear bushings! The strut tops take a mere 2 hour partially because the strut tops are keyed for the strut piston. On most cars you have to use air tools to tighten that top nut but on this car its merely a torque wrench!. Another exception may be the stock anti-roll bar end links, they can be corroded and tricky to get off.
My favorite modification is going into the MR2 at some point. A lightweight flywheel! Anything that helps a small turbo engine rev faster is going to make a big difference.
