Things I've Learned About My MR2

"Nauraushaun" (nauraushaun12)
11/06/2015 at 19:41 • Filed to: MR2

I had a chance to take the MR2 on some good roads recently while on holiday and I learned a few things. It’s a good car to learn from, it has many nuances and subtle differences to my old 300ZX. I’m glad to say I’m still getting to know it.

When accelerating the steering becomes a bit light, it stops doing what you tell it to do. I thought I’d felt this before, I confirmed it recently. I suppose with the engine in the middle, much of the weight is transferred rearward giving the trade off that...

When accelerating there’s lots of grip from the rear. It can’t be shaken. Not like the 300ZX, because...

It’s a very balanced car. The 300ZX had more weight - it cornered well but you could feel the heft. To overcome the weight it had more power, which meant it would try to break traction when launching out of a slower corner in second. I miss that, but I can’t fault the MR2’s balance - it’s light and nimble and grips where you need it to without being overpowered.

The brakes aren’t great. No shocks there I guess. It’s a light car, but after a long and fast downhill section they got spongey. I think the Z had a higher threshold for this, I didn’t experience it much.

It’s not as happy revving high as the Z. None of the corners were especially slow, so when I went to second gear it was mostly the top half of the gear. This meant I was tempted to hold it longer, but around 6500 RPM it just gives up. This is despite the rev limiter being somewhere around 7000. Again, probably no surprises given the smaller engine, but the V6 in the Z capped at 7500 and felt pretty strong all the way there.

You can’t mount my camera (which is actually an old phone) on the rear window and have it face forward, the mount doesn’t bend that way. But you can mount it on the removable roof panel - hanging down when the roof is on, sitting upright with the roof off. This is very convenient, and not possible in the Z since the roof is in the boot, though the Z’s rear window is more cooperative.

Heel-and-toe shifts are too easy. The pedals are set up just so. I learned this the hard way, by unintentionally revving the car while braking a heap of times when I first got it. But it all blended perfectly on these twisty roads.

I didn’t experience many mid-engined antics yet, something I’m yet to brush up against in the dry. I braked in a straight line and was careful not to change direction too fast. Probably for the best.

DISCUSSION (15)

Opposite Locksmith > Nauraushaun
11/06/2015 at 19:50

Mr2s are good fun! I didn't mind the turbo models brakes, and the engine isn't a high winder like you said, but their balance is fun, although I didn't have a hard time inducing a bit of slide in 1st or 2nd in the one I drove

Nauraushaun > Opposite Locksmith
11/06/2015 at 20:50

Maybe the turbo has better brakes. Also mine is a very early SW20, the later ones probably had some sort of upgrade.

Also, of course the turbo models would get over any concerns about lack of power.

Was that in a turbo? Maybe in a slower corner I could get a slide going, but it was not this day.

Opposite Locksmith > Nauraushaun
11/06/2015 at 20:53

The turbo does have better brakes, and it had some nice pads. Friend sold the car a lil while ago, gorgeous car

itranthelasttimeiparkedit > Nauraushaun
11/06/2015 at 22:13

I had an NA for a few, glorious months (dream car since I was 16. engine threw a rod very quickly). I thought it was just fast enough to be fun, but thats it...

Nauraushaun > itranthelasttimeiparkedit
11/06/2015 at 23:09

Aww that’s a shame. That’s pretty much how I feel. It’s not overpowered at all, so it’s just fast enough to be good. It’s the same deal with the size - the boot is big enough to make the car usable, but not much more. It’s almost like the whole car is “good enough”.

But as we all know, overpowered is fun as well.

beardsbynelly - Rikerbeard > Nauraushaun
11/07/2015 at 09:06

when it doubt, flat out is the mantra you need to stick to. You can get away with some braking in the corners but just be prepared to throttle out of any slide.

and some good pads and new fluid will help with the brake fade.

I found my old na revved happily to 7k rpm but it was a ‘95 so had the later revision 3SGE... where my ‘90 Turbo has nothing but hot air above 6500.

Nauraushaun > beardsbynelly - Rikerbeard
11/07/2015 at 09:27

I managed to get it to slide today in the dry. I turned into it too briskly, it snapped back into line like a thing possessed! People weren’t wrong about the snappy reputation of the earlier cars.

Good advice. I should do the fluid at least soon, as I’m unsure of its condition due to only buying the car recently.

That’s interesting. I wonder if the revision is the difference?

beardsbynelly - Rikerbeard > Nauraushaun
11/07/2015 at 17:40

yeah theyre good fun, at least with the original skinny 14”s on there the snap will happen at a low enough speed that it won’t be too dangerous :P I’ve just upgraded to R32 GTR and GTST wheels and combined with some Bridgestone RE003’s it’s a whole new car.

I need to do my brake fluid soon too, as well as a very looong list of 25 year old rubber things that need replacing. nearly every bushing and mount will be getting a refresh when I have a few days off over christmas.

The later rev engines had a bit more power too, maybe another 10-15kw? I’m not sure what all the changes were but I know they use a different ECU and they moved the oil filter down to near the oil pan. and that the JDM and AUDM ones had different EGR systems so we had less power.

Nauraushaun > beardsbynelly - Rikerbeard
11/08/2015 at 05:15

I do have the originals. You’re right, when it snapped it wasn’t the sort of thing that would throw me off the road. It just wasn’t quite expected.

Oh let me know how the rubber replacing goes! I get a lot of squeaking from something in mine, probably a bushing somewhere.

You mean the Americans had less power? Mine’s a JDM in Australia. Shame, I bet those extra 10-15kw on the later cars would really make a difference.

beardsbynelly - Rikerbeard > Nauraushaun
11/08/2015 at 06:03

Will do, I bought a poly bushing kit from twosrus and should be here in a couple of weeks.. but then finding a full weekend to pull everything apart and replace it all is another thing.. so probably over the Christmas break.

Nah I mean the 93+ Euro and Aussie MR2’s had less power than the JDM 3SGE’s of the same years, they ran a different EGR system so were 125kW vs 132kW. The 89-92 cars were all the same @ 115kW.

The American NA’s are all 2.2 5SFE’s with only ~100kw.

Mine was a 6M1 Green Bathurst, which is the same as a G-limited as far as I can tell, except it had a neat Bathurst decal on the boot.

Nauraushaun > beardsbynelly - Rikerbeard
11/08/2015 at 21:42

Wow. Very depressing. On all fronts! US cars were painfully underpowered, and everything was less than JDM. I think it’s common for the US to restrict their cars, but often the AU/EU ones get away untouched.

Yours is 6M1? Mine’s 6M1! Mine’s an actual G-Limited. You know, there’s another 6M1 near me, where abouts are you from?

beardsbynelly - Rikerbeard > Nauraushaun
11/08/2015 at 22:25

Yours looks 742 in the photos? They’re very close but the 742 is bluer.

My current one is just a plain old black turbo. I miss the green but the only options I had when I bought it were red and black. Poor greeny went to the wreckers in the sky after a big rear ender.

I’m up in Canberra. Don’t have photos on my phone of the old green girl, but I took some of my current one on the weekend.

Kinja'd!!!

Nauraushaun > beardsbynelly - Rikerbeard
11/09/2015 at 21:02

Looks very nice. Paint looks much better than mine. It’s hard to find a good one when they’re so old.

You’re probably right about the color, I don’t know much about MR2 color codes. Haven’t gotten that deep yet. I’m all over it for the 300ZXs.

beardsbynelly - Rikerbeard > Nauraushaun
11/10/2015 at 02:51

I’m lucky that the previous owner kept it garaged for 8 years. Theres a few issues with the paint but nothing major.

You’ll probably be surprised how well your paint will come up with a good polish. So long as the clear coat itself isn’t flaking off.

Nauraushaun > beardsbynelly - Rikerbeard
11/10/2015 at 20:13

I think you’re right. It’s a matter of finding a good polisher. I wish more people garaged their cars like that. Most people in this country that have garages seem to fill them with useless shit.