1991 MR2 Turbo

[DnDs00GTS]

Hey everybody, does anybody know anything about this car besides what engine it has? I'm thinking about selling my 2000 gts and getting a 91 MR2 turbo and building it up. Do you guys know if certain model years are better than others? Or if there has been any known problems with this car? Please help!!!

[DGibb]

www.mr2faq.com

[RevHappyGTS]

Wassup bro, I use to own a 91 MR2 Turbo T top. The 91-92's have a scary suspension setup, it's VERY easy to bring the tail out witout warning. The 93+ are the best to buy, they have redesigned rear suspension to make them less prone to uncorrectable oversteer. They also upgraded to 15" wheels and bigger brakes, I think the rear tires were 225/50/15, wider contact patch to help with the oversteer. The 93+ also comes with better syncros and a better shifter than the 91-92 which was problematic and difficult to shift sometimes. I think there was an option for LSD on the 92 and up. So GET A 93+ if you can, those are the best and pretty rare now so you'll prolly end up paying more but it's worth it!

I think the biggest bottle neck on the the MR2 Turbo is the Intake Manifold, pretty restrictive when you start modding a lot, get rid of it and you'll fly!!!

[DnDs00GTS]

Hey thanks a lot for the info!!! You mentioned that the suspension setup on the pre 93's weren't as good. Could it be cured with a good strut/spring setup? Also, did you have any problems with your transmission when you had your car? How many miles did you have when you got rid of it? Thanks again man.

[Fiero]

I know a lot of guys who prefer the 91 and 92's before they were "simplified" for American drivers in 93. Any Mid-engine car can be tossed into over-steer in the hands of a bad driver. My Fiero is very easy to get loose if you don't know what your doing. In the right hands though, they are quite capable. The MR2, probably more so.

Best advice, practice driving. Take it to a parking lot and push it. Go to a driving school if you can afford it.


Edit: needed to clerify.

[RevHappyGTS]

Originally posted by DnDs00GTS
Hey thanks a lot for the info!!! You mentioned that the suspension setup on the pre 93's weren't as good. Could it be cured with a good strut/spring setup? Also, did you have any problems with your transmission when you had your car? How many miles did you have when you got rid of it? Thanks again man.

I think it can be cured with a suspension upgrade most definitely. I blew one transmission while chasing my buddies 93 Supra TT. I sold the MR2 when it had 108K miles along with my 95 GS-R for the downpayment on my 03' Celica. For some reason I was always paranoid to take fast corners in the MR2..

[x-factorWRX]

yea try to avoid the 91, 92 mr2's. if u want the car to handle then by the N/A model, but if u want a dragger then get the turbo model. revhappy's car almost hit me one day when we were racing as we were going into a corner. he spun out the car and i just missed him.

[Tikked Again]

Or you could just autox the vehicle to find it's limits :)

Some kind of driving school is a great idea too
(previously meantioned be Fiero)

[ArchangelX]

Hey..just outta curiosity..just how fast ARE Fieros? I loved them when I was in highschool...but now..I hear they're pieces of crap?

What's the dealio?

[RevHappyGTS]

Originally posted by x-factorWRX
revhappy's car almost hit me one day when we were racing as we were going into a corner. he spun out the car and i just missed him.

Yup, I remember that day. Were were heading through a slight bend at 80+ MPH when the rear just stepped out and I tried to correct but then it swung wide the other way and I did about 2 360's into oncoming traffic! That was a nightmarish experience, thats why I never took fast corners with that MR2...EVER! :)

[x-factorWRX]

i was like, oh sh!t

[DnDs00GTS]

Originally posted by RevHappyGTS


Yup, I remember that day. Were were heading through a slight bend at 80+ MPH when the rear just stepped out and I tried to correct but then it swung wide the other way and I did about 2 360's into oncoming traffic! That was a nightmarish experience, thats why I never took fast corners with that MR2...EVER! :)

What exactly do you mean by a slight bend? Do the 91 - 92 turbos really handle like sh*t or something???

[TRD StreetRacing]

i think any1 going from a fwd car has to learn how to drive a rwd car b4 they try and push it. i'v only driven a acouple(not even a hand full) rwd cars and they are a totally different feeling to it.

[x-factorWRX]

naw, its just that the mr2 91 to 92 handles like SH!T.

[TRD StreetRacing]

what really makes them handle like that??

[Deaks2]

The 91-92 is designed for an experienced driver. Problem is most NA drivers are used to FWD econo-boxes, and when they lose the rear they slam the brakes, a big nono in a mid-rear car.

The 93 was dumbed down for NA drivers, in Japan and in Europe they kept the 91-92 suspension setup.

91-92's do NOT handle like ****, they are simply setup at the extreme of the performance enveloppe, which in the hands of an UNEXPERIENCED driver will lead to a loss of control.

The people who have said that the 91-92 handle like **** would hate ANY mid-rear Ferrari or other exotic, they would most probably lose control all too easily.

[TRD StreetRacing]

can some1 please explain to me what exactly the difference is?? :confused:

[Deaks2]

This site lists the parts that are different between the 91-92 and the later models:
http://www.mr2.com/TEXT/SuspensionUpgrade.html

[TRD StreetRacing]

thanx alot:thumbup:

(*) 48830-17040 (x2) Link assy rear stabilizer
2. (*) 90201-10005 (x4) Washers
3. (*) 90179-10054 (x4) Nuts
4. 48780-17040 (x2) Rod assy strut rear
5. (*) 90119-12146 (x2) Bolt for strut rod
6. (*) 48787-17020 (x2) Cushion strut bar FR
7. (*) 48787-17030 (x2) Cushion strut bar RR
8. (*) 90387-18018 (x2) Coller for strut bar
9. (*) 90948-02138 (x4) Retainer cushion
10. (*) 90179-12094 (x2) Nut body side
11. (*) 90179-18014 (x2) Nut carrier side
12. 48703-17030 (x1) Arm assy rear susp No.1 RH
13. 48707-17020 (x1) Arm assy rear susp No.1 LH
14. (*) 90101-12169 (x4) Bolt rear susp arm
15. (*) 90101-14043 (x2) Bolt rear susp arm
16. 90201-14026 (x2) Spacer
17. 90201-20019 (x2) Spacer
18. 90105-12059 (x4) Bolts
19. 43330-39345 (x2) Joint assy lower ball rear
20. 48730-17040 (x1) Arm assy rear susp No.2 RH
21. 48730-17040 (x1) Arm assy rear susp No.2 LH
22. 90201-12066 (x2) Spacer
23. 90179-12093 (x2) Nut
24. 51206-17020 (x1) Member sub-assy rear susp (bridge)

damn. even tough most of them are pretty small, the list adds up

[icyjaws]

the 91-92 don't handle that bad hell w/ bald front tires i was running like a sec of the times i was running in my gt-s. Yes the 93+ is deff a better car but you'll also pay alot more for it. There are other minor changes in the 93+ don't recall them all so i don't want to give the wrong info. but go to the 2 board on http://www.mr2faq.com/ and do some reshearch ;)

[Kenshi]

Originally posted by Deaks2
The 91-92 is designed for an experienced driver. Problem is most NA drivers are used to FWD econo-boxes, and when they lose the rear they slam the brakes, a big nono in a mid-rear car.

The 93 was dumbed down for NA drivers, in Japan and in Europe they kept the 91-92 suspension setup.

91-92's do NOT handle like ****, they are simply setup at the extreme of the performance enveloppe, which in the hands of an UNEXPERIENCED driver will lead to a loss of control.

The people who have said that the 91-92 handle like **** would hate ANY mid-rear Ferrari or other exotic, they would most probably lose control all too easily.

:werd: If you have little to no experience driving a RWD car (much less one in a mid-engine configuration), then the MR2 is a very poor choice for the novice. Serious road racers and autoxers seem to prefer the '91-'92 suspension as the '93+ was "dumbed down" and has a tad too much understeer dialed in.

The best advice was already mentioned earlier in this thread: go to a driving school or at least a few autoxs to find how the car handles at the limit. You do not want to experience a newbie mistake such as lift throttle oversteer while driving residential streets.

[ishido]

If you just want engine (3sgte)... you could always get the all-trac Celica :)

[Deaks2]

Yeah, if you can find one...

[DnDs00GTS]

Originally posted by ishido
If you just want engine (3sgte)... you could always get the all-trac Celica :)

That's true, but i like the way the mr2 looks with a body kit!!! it's bad ass!

[Jesse IL]

Good luck finding an MR2 Turbo other than a '91 model...the rest are pretty rare. Also keep in mind that you are buying an OLD car that will be pretty tired and worn out. My friend is having to sink a ton of money into a '91 turbo just to fix worn out ****. Also, many parts are VERY expensive for this car.

[Jesse IL]

Originally posted by DnDs00GTS


That's true, but i like the way the mr2 looks with a body kit!!! it's bad ass!

Body kits are VERY expensive:

My friend is putting this on his car:

Bomex front bumper (actually cheap)
Garage SPL replica splitters (cheap)
TOMS side skirts ($$$)
TOMS rear bumper ($$$)
TOMS aero intake ($$$)
JDM TRD widebody rear spoiler ($$$)

Watch out for replica bodykits for this car, they have the reputation for being very low quality and having terrible fitment. My friend says there are people literally giving away replica bodykits, that's why he went authentic for every part but the splitters. All the TOMS stuff had to be imported from Taka Kaira and the wing through a different importer.

[143hawaii]

I'd say out of all the years of MR2s the MkIIT is probably a bit more on the downside of things but I still wouldn't say it's horrible. There's just some things you need to watch out for. Like others have suggested, take it to autox or a road coarse. Also, watch out for the rain!!!!!!!!! TRUST ME!

[Dealer Xing]

I have a 93 NA, its handling is very neutral I think. Unless you are very dumb the car is pretty safe for cornering(Except wet traction). I used to drive a BMW E36 and yes it was easier to correct oversteering with the BMW, but the MR2 is not that scary.

[Fiero]

Originally posted by ArchangelX
Hey..just outta curiosity..just how fast ARE Fieros? I loved them when I was in highschool...but now..I hear they're pieces of crap?

What's the dealio?

Depends. If you run into an old Iron Duke 2.5L 4cyl Fiero, you can probably take them with a base civic. Lack of power was a huge complaint until they introduced the V6.

With the 2.8L V6, and a very capable driver, you could see low 15's. ONE guy made high 14's. Most avg high 15s. It's not an easy car to drag. It was really designed to carve corners.

Back in it's heyday, a 2.8L V6 was actually really competetive with other cars. Infact, it could beat some super cars up until about 30 mph. It also, keep in mind with crappy 1988 tires, pulled .86G on the skid pad. The other years did about .83 give or take a hundreth.

The problem tends to come from the fact the car has no real top end. It has 170lb tq and 135 or 140 hp depending on year. Put that on top of gearing similar in nature to the new Sentra SE-R Spec V.

The Celica, all things being equal, should be able to take a Fiero in a close match. In the corners, the Celica should come out on top providing the Fiero is unmodified, but not by much. Mod to mod, it would be a good contest. One guy using a Koni set-up pulled 1.17G on the skid pad, has an L98 Vette engine, and was driven by Carrol Shelby who said it was awesome.

So stock, they aren't that fast. But many of them are no longer stock. You can find a lot of people pushing 300hp or more using either Small Block Chevy engines (LS1, LT1, LT4, 350s) or the Supercharged 3800 V6. In fact one guy is putting in a DSM Turbo setup. These cars are pretty darn fast. The previously mentioned L98 Vette powered car pulled a 12.2 in the 1/4, and his car is designed for road racing not dragging! Several guys are running 11s. Keep in mind, you can build a Fiero up to this speed for about $15K including getting the car if you watch your budget and work on it yourself.

As for being pieces of crap? Well, any old car that isn't maintained will be a piece of crap. The car will be 20 years old this year so pretty much the only good ones left on the road are driven by enthusiasts. The ones that aren't are usually on their death bed. It is an old car after all.

As far as fires went, it was blown way out of proportion, and all of the cars were recalled. Truth be told, current Fords are bursting into flames more then Fieros did. If a Fiero burns today, it is poor maintenance.

As for safety, it was the second safest car in the USA at the time of its production, being topped only by the Volvo. Underneath the plastic shell, is a steel space frame. It's VERY strong. I have seen pics of Fieros that got rearend by a F250 and had little visible damage, whereas the Ford was obviously damaged.

If you want to put the money into it, and accept that like all old cars it will have issues, then it can be a great car. Put $10,000 into it and you will be racing Z06s with ease. Treat it like crap and it will treat you the same way, but then again, you can say the same for any car.

Here are some links:

http://www.fiero.nl This is the NC.org of the Fiero community.

http://www.v8archie.com Builds V8 Fieros. Check out The Stinger.

http://www.fiero.nl/gallery/ Pics of various cars.

http://www.mudukkwan.com/fiero/images/Pictures/mycar/left.jpg

My car.

[nomel]

the 91 and 92 suspension *is* flawed. toyota admitted this. during a hard corner, with a loss of traction (bump, too fast, or *not smooth*), the suspension decompresses and the outside wheel goes to toe out, slamming you back the other direction...not in a way that can be caught. you CAN catch it if you're not going too far over the limit (you sit there and wiggle a while)...but that has to mean you're not close to 100% cornering force when you loose control...meaning you better be going slower than everyone else! Problem is, you don't know if you're going to hit a bump...and trying to catch a snap oversteer is MUCH different than normal oversteer...one is predictable with the car scrubbing off speed somewhat sideways and straightening out after correction...not literally jumping from a left to right and repeating.

the 93+ cars were overly tamed, true, but that's because they modified the back to not have the toe problem (which was a must, cause even the drift king couldn't tame it) AND the front AND put huge tires on the back bringing it from a car with neutral handling at mid speeds and some oversteer at high (which is fine!, as long as it's predictable...porsche for instance), to a car that understeered more. I have a feeling a 91-92 with the 93 rear suspension ($$$ from a toyota dealership I went to about a half hour ago).

ever time i've encountered snap oversteer, I wasn't going all that fast (just sharp corners brought be to the limit) so the compression wasn't all that bad (i've spun it twice, caught it twice...now I'm *slow* in fast out sorta guy). but it goes like this, you turn into the corner hot, so you want to scrub off some speed so you let off the gas to get the back out a little to not go off the road...this is what you should do and usually this is fine...countersteer, scrub the speed, push the gas, four wheel drift for a sec, straighten out, floor it and smile..but wait...the car isn't doing what it usually does...you countersteer like normal ready to start drifting a little, then BOOM you get slammed (literally feels like it even on wet road) the other direction not expecting it so now you have to turn the wheel the other way,...this repeats for sometime until you give up (so you don't crash into something) and spin or finally scrub off enough speed after the back and fourth motion to not snap oversteer. again..it's not predictable and the back and fourth motion is surprisingly fast. snap oversteer isn't what usually happens so you're not ready for it! of course..i'm sure with enough practice you could catch it *sometimes* (based on what i've read from die hard autocrossers), and, with some toe in on the back and some lowered springs you can help relieve it and catch it more of the time (again, based on what i've read from people who do it a lot)...but still...it's flawed.

I love my near the limits...it's a blast...very predictable with awsome handling with speed scrubbing on the oversteer side (which I prefer over understeer)...but i'm scared to death to drive it at the limits cause I've experienced the unpredictability many times...which is why I'm looking VERY hard for a 93+ mr2 in any auto yard in CA...if the oversteer was made so I could always catch it, then it would be so damn fun.

even as it was, it was damn fun on the track...but...it was thunderhill and I didn't have anything to smash into. :)

snap oversteer is NOT the same as oversteer. one is bad...the other is fun and catching it becomes second nature.

I wrote too much like always.

[Blue Bomber]

:moved:

This thread is older than dirt...

[Zero]

^It is old but very useful. I am looking into buying a 93+ MR2 and I hope you guys could keep this thread open for some further questions. :thumbup:

[Blue Bomber]

I have a 93. Ask away. ;)

[DnDs00GTS]

Man, this thread is old!!! I sold my first 00 GTS to buy a 91 turbo... then sold that a year and a half down the road to get another 00 GTS! Wasn't practical in Michigan... plus I needed a backseat and a trunk!

[cool2miketlu]

Hey..just outta curiosity..just how fast ARE Fieros? I loved them when I was in highschool...but now..I hear they're pieces of crap?
What's the dealio?


They are all turned into Lambo-Lite and Ferarri-Lite.



I would probably get the 91 and do a tranny conversion with 93+ MR2. 93+ has LSD and pre-93 does not. It is fun little car, easy to slide your back out just on damp road taking a corner... All you have to remember is turn your steering wheel toward where you are sliding until your traction catches.