mr2-digest Sunday, January 4 1998 Volume 02 : Number 057 RE: MR2 TOP SPEED (autobahn,highway) MR2 OVERDRIVE RE: MR2 Turbo VSV Operation MR2 Furniture ! MR2 Re: MKII: Heater MR2 MKII Body Kit?? Re: MR2 TOP SPEED (autobahn,highway) RE: MR2 Turbo VSV Operation MR2 RE: Turbo VSV LED Mod MR2 Tires for 91 NA Re: MR2 TOP SPEED (autobahn,highway) MR2 NOS in MKII Turbos Re: MR2 Tires for 91 NA Re: MR2 MKII-T 91/92 vs. 93 Re: MR2 Tires for 91 NA RE: MR2 TOP SPEED (autobahn,highway) Re: MR2 MKII-T 91/92 vs. 93 RE: MR2 - "Trunking" communications devices ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 04 Jan 1998 16:11:38 +0100 From: Falco Zeidler Subject: RE: MR2 TOP SPEED (autobahn,highway) Hi, I followed the top speed topic and I would like to add my own expirience and what I have heard from others. My MR2 does 225 km/h(140mph) (that's what Toyota says)and it is a stock n/a 95 with 175hp. On the autobahn the speedometer showed 240 km/h (150mph)but I think this isn't correct. And I have not reached the rev lim yet. The speedometer record for euro n/a here is 250 km/h (156mph). People with a Turbo told me that they go esaliy up to 240-250km/h(150-156mph) and more, but you shouldn't do that over a long period of time.You'll kill your engine.A few month ago someone said that the Turbo manual says not to travel on high boost to long,do it only temporarly.Except you have big oil cooler and other stuff to reduce engine heat.That's maybe why Toyota have never sold MR2 Turbo's to germany and a engine modification is maybe to expensive and would make the MR2 a opponent for the older style Supra. BTW: Steve- How long to you plan to be at top speed? Think the Mr2 is not the right car for top speed.To noisy and not enough power,except the turbo, but with a turbo you'll kill your engine if doing it regulary. Maybe the new VVTi engine is the right choise-much power,no turbo. Does somebody know how fast the n/a US MR2 is(MKII)? I have heard that some US states removed speed limits in some areas(Montana????) and that you are allowed to drive faster with a BMW than with a Ford,for example.I was told tt depends on how secure the car is (local Sherifs opinion)? Is that right or I'm totaly wrong about this.If I'm right, how fast is it allowed to go with a MR2? Have fun Falco - -------------------------------------* Hiroshima 45 * Falco Zeidler,Germany * Tshernobyl 86 * falco@zedat.fu-berlin.de * WINDOWS 95 * http://userpage.fu-berlin.de/~falco/ * * `95 euro MR2 n/a 180hp T-Bar - ------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 29 Dec 1997 10:16:59 -0500 From: "BW-10" Subject: MR2 OVERDRIVE I have an '86 model mr2 with all the toys (automatic,a/c, leather, sunroof, etc). I seem to be having a problem with the transmission not shifting into overdrive. It will eventually shift but it takes about fifteen to twenty minutes before it does so. Is this a common problem? I know that the car has to reach a temp of at least 122 degrees before the transmission willl shift but it warms up pretty quick and I don't believe that is the problem. Could it be that the sensor that keeps the transmission from shifting at a low temp has gone bad? Is there even a sensor that controls that? Please let me know if you have experienced the same problem! Barry Hart elixir@athens.net ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 4 Jan 1998 10:27:58 -0500 From: "Burns, James B." Subject: RE: MR2 Turbo VSV Operation If you look on FI-165 of BGB 1991, the turbo VSV shows up as a resistor in the circuit diagram. The turbo VSV always has +12V, so the engine ECU allows the ground. Hence, the strange activity of the light. That makes sense. It is strange, though, that the ECU only allows the ground when there is positive manifold pressure. You'd think that they would just keep it enabled unless there were some reason to limit boost. Why disable it whenever there is manifold vacuum? Probably to keep air from getting sucked in the opposite direction. i.e. an electronically operated check valve? If you use another relay, you could probably reverse the behavior of the light to a more intuitive one (i.e. light on -- turbo VSV working) Sounds too hard. I'd have to wire a power source for the relay, find a place to mount the relay, etc. I'll just learn the backwards operation of the light. It's pretty warm here this weekend, but when the weather gets cold again I should see the light stay on at positive boost and my boost limited to around 7 psi. vice its normal 11.5 psi. This should be a good test. Another way of connecting the LED that may work is to wire it in parallel with the VSV solenoid. Then the ECU ground should both energize the solenoid and light the LED. It looks to me like this would work. What do you think? Of course, this would mean taking apart my interior again and running another wire back to the engine compartment. >BTW, in case anyone is interested in doing this mod, I got the idea from >http://alabanza.com/tsnet/ledmod/howto.htm. Well that hurts, I suppose I won't give you anymore ideas in the future! :) Sorry! I knew someone on this list pointed me to that site, but I forgot who it was. Thanks for the idea, Jeffrey. The site is for a knock sensor LED on a Diamond Star turbo, but it immediately gave me the idea for a VSV LED since I was having intermittent boost loss problems on the track. I don't road race the car any more, so I'll probably never see the problem again, but I now have the indicator in case it does. Thanks again for your help Jeffrey, Brad ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 04 Jan 1998 10:57:55 -0500 From: Tony Kern Subject: MR2 Furniture ! Date: Sat, 03 Jan 1998 20:44:23 -0800 From: Steve N Subject: MR2 Re: mkii convertable; page update w/ mki and mkii > Now that I've gotten the roof off, I wonder what a > MKII would look like as a ragtop. Take a look: http://www2.msstate.edu/~sgn1/MR2/mr2.htm I have just updated my page, and scanned in the pics I told you all that I would one day. I've got mki rally cars, a Sard MC8, Jim Griffin's 93T, and a pic of a MR2 conertable. Just click on "Miscellaneous MR2 pictures" Steve N. He-he, can I get a couple of chairs to go with that 'cornertable' ? LOL, I needed the humor this morning especially after getting called in to work last night at midnight just to reset the crappy ol' Mac that provides remote surveillance on the network. Steve, the pictures are great; very high lust factor for the SARD race car in particular. Just don't forget to click on the spell check icon tho' cornertable is a valid word. :->. Tony Sunny and smiling in the 60 degrees of Baltimore winter, take that Terry ! ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 05 Jan 1998 00:01:49 +0800 From: Ivan Wong Subject: MR2 Re: MKII: Heater Thanks for all those who helped on my heater problem, I had it checked by the mechanics and initially we found out that it might be the problem with the A/C switch. Thanks again Regards, iVan ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 04 Jan 1998 11:12:39 -0500 From: "Ardell L. Simon" Subject: MR2 MKII Body Kit?? In this months issue of Turbo Mag there are 2 MR2's(ONE ORANGE!) with the same body kit on. The sides look like aeroware but the front is different?? Anyone know where that front end comes from?? ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 04 Jan 1998 08:39:15 +0800 From: sirmike Subject: Re: MR2 TOP SPEED (autobahn,highway) Falco Zeidler wrote: > Hi, > > I followed the top speed topic and I would like to add my own expirience and > what I have heard from others. > > My MR2 does 225 km/h(140mph) (that's what Toyota says)and it is a stock n/a > 95 with 175hp. > > Does somebody know how fast the n/a US MR2 is(MKII)? > Well fastest I've gotten upto is 120..maybe 125 but I can't remember..Of course I was on cruise control and was lucky I didn't get nay tickets THAT day. And of course my engine was losing a quart per 3000 miles sometime around 12k miles..(And 120 was with passenger, 125 maybe was definitely without passenger) And my car had some other stuf in there. Hmm you guys are lucky you have a higher redline too.. mike c ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 04 Jan 1998 09:26:56 -0800 From: Karen or Jeffrey Subject: RE: MR2 Turbo VSV Operation At 10:27 AM 1/4/98 -0500, Burns, James B. wrote: >Why disable it whenever there is manifold vacuum? Probably to keep air >from getting sucked in the opposite direction. i.e. an electronically >operated check valve? Sounds reasonable to me. >Another way of connecting the LED that may work is to wire it in >parallel with the VSV solenoid. Then the ECU ground should both >energize the solenoid and light the LED. It looks to me like this would >work. What do you think? Of course, this would mean taking apart my >interior again and running another wire back to the engine compartment. Yeah that would work. Doesn't look like the turbo VSV is sensitive to varying amounts of currents etc. - - Jeffrey ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 4 Jan 1998 12:34:58 -0500 From: "Burns, James B." Subject: MR2 RE: Turbo VSV LED Mod >Another way of connecting the LED that may work is to wire it in >parallel with the VSV solenoid. Then the ECU ground should both >energize the solenoid and light the LED. It looks to me like this would >work. What do you think? Of course, this would mean taking apart my >interior again and running another wire back to the engine compartment. Yeah that would work. Doesn't look like the turbo VSV is sensitive to varying amounts of currents etc. - Jeffrey I just did this (connected the LED in parallel with the VSV solenoid), and yes it does work. Now the LED only lights for positive boost. At first it didn't light at all, and I thought I had hooked it up wrong, then when the car was properly warmed up it started working, so everything appears to be working as expected now. It's better this way, too, since the LED will be out for normal cruising. If you do this, make sure you have a resistor in series with the LED to keep from shorting out the VSV solenoid. I used a 560 ohm 1/2 watt resistor. The blue LED I used is just right I think. I can see it clearly in daylight, but it isn't obnoxious at night. If the sun is shining directly on it (i.e. sun is over my left shoulder) then it is hard to see, but this is rare, and its location is normally shaded by the A-pillar. The LED lens is clear so it only appears blue when energized. This is about the 8th time I've taken apart my interior in the last week. Installed turbo timer, put '91 shifter back in, installed leather shift boot, swapped out dash trim and clear instrument shield and ignition switch trim with other MR2 (to put nicer ones in the nice car and scratched ones in the race car), installed Japanese accessory cupholder which caused bass tube wires to be too short and separate, fixed that, turbo timer quit working, fixed that, wired in LED, worked backwards, rewired LED. BTW, I hate being the first one to do a mod. Easier to let someone else figure it all out first. Brad Burns '91T with VSV LED indicator '93NA ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 4 Jan 1998 12:34:16 EST From: Mr2toy726 Subject: MR2 Tires for 91 NA So far the consensus on the road noise in my new 91 NA is that it is caused by the tires. I am away from home for a while right now and don't recall exactly what tires are on the car, but I think they are "Road Handlers." Obviously not a high performance tire. What tires do you guys recommend for a 91 with the stock 14" alloys. I guess my tire priorities go in this order: 1. Road noise 2. Price 3. Performance 4. Treadwear Thanks in advance, Aaron 91 NA ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 4 Jan 1998 12:35:31 EST From: FZZR Subject: Re: MR2 TOP SPEED (autobahn,highway) In a message dated 98-01-04 11:40:09 EST, you write: << And 120 was with passenger, 125 maybe was definitely without passenger) And my car had some other stuf in there. Hmm you guys are lucky you have a higher redline too.. >> The weight of another passenger won't affect top speed. It only affects acceleration. ****************************************************** Chuck FZZR@AOL.COM 88 MR2 SC (150,000 miles) 89 Yamaha FZR 1000 (40,000 miles) ******************************************************** ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 04 Jan 1998 11:43:21 -0800 From: Martin Subject: MR2 NOS in MKII Turbos What about NOS in MKII turbos? I haven't seen anything on the list about this... What are the pros/cons? - --Martin 91T >Date: Fri, 02 Jan 1998 09:54:28 -0800 >From: Mike Chou >Subject: Re: MR2 New member intro./MKII NA modifications? > >Mr2toy726 wrote: > >> >> 3. What can I do to get more power out of the 5SFE motor? I have been >> searching the net for mods, but everything I find is for a turbo MR2. I would >> have bought a turbo, but the insurance was much, much higher. So far my only >> plan for modifications is a good tune up, and replacing the complicated air >> filter assembly with a straighter pipe and a K&N cone type air filter, I plan >> to put the K&N as close to the driver side air intake as possible. (Is this >> wise? and will I see much more power?) What else casn I do? Obviously >> aftermarket exhaust, but the car is already pretty loud.... How much power >> can a stock 2.2 engine take? Are there any aftermarket turbo kits or >> superchargers available? What about nitrous oxide? ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 4 Jan 1998 12:42:05 EST From: FZZR Subject: Re: MR2 Tires for 91 NA In a message dated 98-01-04 12:39:31 EST, you write: << What tires do you guys recommend for a 91 with the stock 14" alloys. I guess my tire priorities go in this order: 1. Road noise 2. Price 3. Performance 4. Treadwear Thanks in advance, >> I would recommend Dunlop D40's. Excellent tire for the price. ****************************************************** Chuck FZZR@AOL.COM 88 MR2 SC (150,000 miles) 89 Yamaha FZR 1000 (40,000 miles) ******************************************************** ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 4 Jan 1998 12:36:21 EST From: Daucott Subject: Re: MR2 MKII-T 91/92 vs. 93 In a message dated 98-01-04 05:55:11 EST, you write: > Well, 'kicked the crap' might be a big much. I was producing 158hp (rear > wheel), or about 196hp fly wheel. 4hp flywheel loss over 91k miles, and > under non-perfect test condition (but we both suffered from that!), sure > isn't tha bad. I seem to remember you in the 165-170hp range (which is > still darn good), but that sure isn't 25 rear-wheel hp. And we'll argue > this for a long time, but I believe you're running about 1psi more then I > am. But that's another thread... :) Take another look Steve, I was at 172hp, 171 torque and you were at 159hp, 166 torque. That's 13hp and 5 ft-lb of torque for "equivalent" stock engines. I know alot of people that would pay alot for 13hp!! (Including me). More importantly comparing the curves shows mine significantly above yours during the entire powerband, and mine sustains the power longer. I'll send you the curve comparison under private e-mail. I'm not trying to start an argument, and maybe "kick the crap out of" was a little strong, but 13hp is quite a bit of difference for "stock" motors with similar mileage (mine had 75K at the time), and that was the whole point of my post. Oh, and I am NOT running additional boost... yet. Dave A. daucott@aol.com ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 4 Jan 1998 10:11:44 -0008 From: TerrySaltzman@home.com Subject: Re: MR2 Tires for 91 NA > What tires do you guys recommend for a 91 with > the stock 14" alloys. I guess my tire priorities go in this order: Bridgestone RE71s...ckit http://www.tirerack.com/tires/bridgestone/bs_re71.htm > > 1. Road noise pretty quiet > 2. Price $76front;$98rear > 3. Performance OEM for the 92 turbo...bitchin > 4. Treadwear 140 = yoko avsi's and much cheaper and Z rated no less! rots-o-ruck terry ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 4 Jan 1998 10:11:44 -0008 From: TerrySaltzman@home.com Subject: RE: MR2 TOP SPEED (autobahn,highway) terry jumps in... > BTW: Steve- How long to you plan to be at top speed? the nevada challenge/silver state is 90miles long. aver. speed say 140mph = ~<.5 hrs like i said i will run it >/= 110 class check out the urls i posted for rules/regs on the speed and classes. >Think the Mr2 is not > the right car for top speed.To noisy and not enough power,except the turbo, > but with a turbo you'll kill your engine if doing it regulary. Maybe the new > VVTi engine is the right choise-much power,no turbo. > I have heard that some US states removed speed limits in some > areas(Montana????) montana did remove the limit but they lost there federal hiway funds so they (if) enforce the limit (they do at night for saftey reasons) you are fined $5 bucks for speeding. this was as of 4yrs ago (i took a road trip to montana to fish and speed..which both i did) i spoke to a fish and game warden about this speed thingy. this is where my info comes from. the FG folks enforce speed laws too. > and that you are allowed to drive faster with a BMW than > with a Ford,for example.I was told tt depends on how secure the car is > (local Sherifs opinion)? this does not sound correct. i dont think montana or the US has a "sliding scale" for speed limits. paying $1.72 a gal. for this weather - terry ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 4 Jan 1998 10:13:50 -0008 From: TerrySaltzman@home.com Subject: Re: MR2 MKII-T 91/92 vs. 93 > > Well, 'kicked the crap' might be a big much. I was producing 158hp (rear > > wheel), or about 196hp fly wheel. 4hp flywheel loss over 91k miles, and > > under non-perfect test condition (but we both suffered from that!), sure > Take another look Steve, I was at 172hp, 171 torque and you were at 159hp, 166 > torque. That's 13hp and 5 ft-lb of torque for "equivalent" stock engines. I > > I'm not trying to start an argument, and maybe "kick the crap out of" was a > little strong, but 13hp is quite a bit of difference for "stock" motors with > similar mileage (mine had 75K at the time), and that was the whole point of my > sounds like you folks need to go private on this one. terry ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 4 Jan 1998 14:05:14 -0500 From: Chris Conlon Subject: RE: MR2 - "Trunking" communications devices Steve N. wrote: > Trunking systems use up about 30 different > freq. that are used during a conversation. Every system is a little > different, but they are all similar in desgin. The most common is made > ... > I haven't looked in about 2 months, but there is only one scanner that > is a truck tracking capable. It is the Uniden BC235XLT. It is only > able to monitor the motorolla trunking systems. It susposedly works > quite well. It works by reading the data channel and changes the > scanner freq. accordingly. I stopped in Radio Shack yesterday & checked this out. It looks like this one particular scanner also reads the supervisory channel to be able to follow particular groups/conversations. It doesn't say which system it can follow, but if the Motorola is the most common, I'll bet that's it. For all the non-radio geeks, it's worth mentioning that this feature isn't worth anything unless the people you want to listen to use trunking. If they *do* use trunking it's *very* valuable, since using a non-trunking scanner will be frustrating at best when trying to follow their conversations. Chris C. ------------------------------ End of mr2-digest V2 #57