How far to Mod my Tubby?

Discussion and technical advice the SW20 MR2. 3S-GTE, 3S-GE, 3S-FE etc
Anything and everything to do with maintenance, modifications and electrical is in here for the Mk2.

Moderators: IMOC Moderators, IMOC Committee Members

Post Reply
Valentino MR2
Posts: 345
Joined: Mon Jan 17, 2005 9:29 am
Location: London

How far to Mod my Tubby?

Post by Valentino MR2 »

I'm having a but of trouble deciding how far to take my Tubby in terms of modifying
I'll start with what i currently have

Rev 2 Turbo
HKS Intercooler
Blitz Decat
Apexi Hayabusa Exhaust
Apexi Induction
MBC set at 14psi
Unknown Techtom boarded ECU
17" Volk GT-P's

All bought for the grand old sum of £800

added a set of clear indicators and some MK3 seats and it looks like this

Image
Image

Being an oldish car I then decided to put it on the rollers to make sure everything was running smoothly.
This is the resulting graphs

Image
Image

As you can see it's running very rich after 5000rpm, what could be the cause? I'm thinking it's the ECU (who knows what car it's mapped for??)
could there be any other reason? i've got a stock ECU coming next week to see if i can rule this out.
So this brings me on to the original question, How far do I take this car
I've had a few NA MR2's before this and my last jap car was an S14a but i've never had a Tubby before so i'm reading alot of threads trying to work out my best options.

Ideally i'm after a fast road everyday usable MR2 which is still reliable enough not to worry about breaking it on a daily basis
I'm not looking for a certain BHP figure, just something thats happy to trot around town but then blows you away when you open it up!
I don't have moutains to spend so a forged build is going to be out of reach (sadly)
so what are my options based on the mods i have so far, and whats achievable within reason? At what point do these become too focused to drive everyday?
Any input would be great

p.s Sorry its a long post!
BenF
Premium Member
Posts: 10764
Joined: Mon Dec 13, 2004 4:04 pm
Location: Ipswich
Contact:

Re: How far to Mod my Tubby?

Post by BenF »

If you keep your Rev2 below or upto around 280bhp, and take care of it will remain reliable. More than that you need to tune carefully to avoid damage.

Surprised though that if you're running a standard rev2 turbo you're not seeing more torque lower down at around 3k rpms.

At 15psi I'd expect a sorted Rev2 to be making 260-270bhp at the flywheel, with a similar amount of torque so 244 at 14psi is a little lower than I'd expect but OK.

What's the condition like of your dizzy cap, rotor arm and plugs? How old are the HT leads ?
Tiny
Posts: 3111
Joined: Fri Sep 21, 2007 7:00 pm
Location: Bordon

Re: How far to Mod my Tubby?

Post by Tiny »

Definetly get them Ignition components changed if you dont know when they were last done!

i think you can pick up a complete set for about £100 delivered from the states through a Toyota dealership in Dallas that advertise on Ebay

Not bad at £800 :thumleft:
skipp123
Posts: 2536
Joined: Fri Jan 06, 2006 9:11 am
Contact:

Re: How far to Mod my Tubby?

Post by skipp123 »

its worth more than that in bits! nice buy bud....

id change ignition bits,
dizzy
leads
sparkies

ct20b turbo upgrade from the rev3+ would supply a little more bhp and hold to redline

and maybe a power fc and a 2bartuning map... that would be fairly reliable if looked after imo

then maybe look at suspension upgrade/rev3+ brake conversion ???
Valentino MR2
Posts: 345
Joined: Mon Jan 17, 2005 9:29 am
Location: London

Re: How far to Mod my Tubby?

Post by Valentino MR2 »

Thanks for the input guys, i've had a look through the paperwork and as far as i can tell the last work done on the car was a cambelt change at 3S back in July 06
So first things first, full service! what plugs/oil do you recommend? also wheres the best place to get replacement HT leads from?
jimGTS
Posts: 14024
Joined: Tue Dec 14, 2004 1:40 pm
Location: North Kent

Re: How far to Mod my Tubby?

Post by jimGTS »

I'd say that's a very respectable result considering the mods. Especially on a dyno dynamics dyno. What did it put at the wheels? 200-210ish? Perfectly within all rev1/2s I've seen with those mods, if anything, above average.
(you won't be seeing 260/270)

That ecu chip, piggyback or whtever you have is doing absolutely sweet FA for your fueling.

Sort the fueling with an ecu upgrade, you could gain another 10-15 I'd guess.

Or maybe pop on a ct20b then get tuned up with the ecu and aim for 280ish.
Post Reply

Return to “MR2 MK2 1990 - 1999 NA & Turbo”