[Mk2] [Generic] Scared of Mk2s -how to make them safer

[vishpish]

hey just read another horrer story about spinnning an mr2 writing off your car even the death of a passenger and this just scares me completely!

ive driven my mr2 only once properly and it was mainly motorways in the dry....rev1 na 158bhp standard all and toyos on front cheap tread on rear

jus so shocked of the number of people that have spun and how easy it is...ie 20mph!!!! oversteer absolutely crazy

so i ask you people of imoc to tell us how to make this car safer cus ive never driven rear wheel drive properly and it doesnt seem that you need to be a boy racer to spin an mr2, just unlucky on a bumpy road...

ideas i have are tyres lsd coilys etc etc....but which work which are good scary stuff...

[Greddy-Matt]

I dont get it, I just dont, the only time I've had "issues" with an MR2 was driving to hard for the conditions. Even when i got the tubby I was scared stiff I'd have to nanny it round every corner in the wet, and you dont its just dandy!

As long as you have decent tyres, your car is set up properly and you drive normally ie dont go attacking corners or go mad with the loud pedal on slip roads etc I cant see why you would have a problem?

[skipp123]

agreed with matt ^^

iv spun once and that was due to being a compleet idiot and not driving to the rd conditions it was very very late ie 3am so no harm done but u just need to treat the car with the respect it deserves!

i use eagle f1's and they imo are a great all round tyre
also on coil overs and dont use the car in the wet

best thing to do imo is go to a track day or a air field and learn where the limit is

[Olly P]

I don't know why people keep banging on about MR2s being oversteer crazy and dangerous in the wet. Especially an n/a... I mean jesus, it's just a normal 160bhp car - it's nothing in terms of power. Mazda 6s put out 260bhp nowadays for god sake.

Even a standard tubby is p1ss easy to drive. It's not like you're driving a 1000bhp nitous skyline on the limit round a track.

Like Matt said, you only get into trouble when you drive it like a sports car in the wrong conditions. I can't even remember the last time my 300bhp tubby stepped out of line unprovoked.

[skipp123]

i get the odd fish tail from exiting roundabouts in 2nd at full boost but nothing to really worrie about

just makes ur passenger go a bit

[Tiamat]

Most accidents are caused by driver error more than anything. You need to learn the limits of your car - if you drive sensibly and have decent tyres on the car then it is likely that you will be ok.

I have had pretty much 50/50 rearwheel drive vehicles and front wheel drive vehicles and only ever spun the MK2 - and that was entirely my fault. I pushed it too hard in the wet on fairly new tyres when tired.

Driver error.

Of course you will hear the hooro stories on here, but its probably no worse - think how many Escorts there are in the UK, I bet more of them get crashed than MR2s. You are on an MR2 site so will see more about MR2 crashes on here because they are relevant to the membership and normally involve a member.

One thing I will say from reading your thread - get some decent rubber ont he rear. You got Toyos on the front which depending on tyre size and type should be good. But you want the grip on the back - get rid of the cheap tyres and get something decent.

Its the back end that will go so increase your grip there more than anything.

[mav]

At the end of the day its how you drive the car and tyre choice.
Worn tyres will cause a car to spin out easily as will driving too hard for the conditions.
Ive just driven to Oxford and back and it was the first time ive driven my car in the wet, now im not exactlyt known for being gentle with the loud pedal (these cars are just too much fun) and I only had one very slight hint of a wobble and that was on a roundabout so if I HAD spun it would have been my fault, however a slight lift of the pedal and it came back and behaved itself.

Its like when I had my old Astra GTE's, the amount of people that told me that they do not handle well. What a crock, you just need to know how to handle them and the MR2 is exactly the same in those trems.

Get out there, do a track day inthe wet or the dry and find YOUR driving limits in the car aswell as the limits of the car itself, once youve learnt that and you dont go beyond that then you will have no problems.

[Greddy-Matt]

i get the odd fish tail from exiting roundabouts in 2nd at full boost..

Nutter I usually find waiting till your straight before mashing the loud pedal is wise...

Other thing to consider is making sure your car is aligned and set up properly, this make a real difference to how the car behaves, or not if you catch my drift

[skipp123]

not really a nutter..... just comftable with the car and i know my limit i know if i over done it it wouldnt be pretty but i know how far i can push it,

on the test drive bry demonstrated how it went sideways and i was a bit all good fun

[skipp123]

me old mucker bry in my car {hes old one as u all know}

http://youtube.com/watch?v=WZOwGwD9mDY

[liamc]

Roadcraft. Its not just for the cops. Its the textbook for both IAM and RoSPA advanced driving.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Roadcraft-Great ... 0113408587

Its more important when your in a rear wheel drive car.

Only time I've had slight slips is when I haven't setup the car for the corner and driven it round. Without a little power to the rear wheels the rear of the car goes light and the rear tyres aren't getting pushed into the ground

Never back off or brake mid corner - always drive it round.

[RST]

Think I'd generally agree it's more about the driver than the car, I'm really surprised how well they handle if they're well maintained and on good tires. I've had a few fish tales and I have to watch if I'm breaking hard but I never really had a problem with the stock car although mine's nothing like the stock N/A looking back now.

I told someone I'd bought an MR2 and got the reply -you'll not have that for long then, the handling's awful. I think at the time I just told them to stop making daft comments.

[vishpish]

aye btw i didnt mean to offend anyone at all the mr2 is from what ive heard and felt in my short drive a really nice low grippy car compared to cars ive driven...i mean my mate in his eg civic 1.3 with coilys says he could beat me around the twisty Expressway i glasgow...if i had the car set up and did know my limits i believe an mr2 standard would outmanouvere his car...its just that fear factor...

do wish id taken my car to a car park when i had the chance....its one thing ive been really wanting to do...

[lockys96]

i can drive around a roundabout in 2nd at full wot,

only due to i have lag,

i would never consider booting it unless straight,

not until i get the chance to go on a airfield

[Greddy-Matt]

aye btw i didnt mean to offend anyone..

Dont think you have offended anyone mate

[Leon.]

I think the main thing is the behaviour of the car when it looses traction, and the fact that many go from FWD to the MR2 - totally different behaviour.

If you give it too much beans in a FWD car on a corner, you will most probably understeer so you let off the gas and you regain traction, that's it.

If you give it too much beans in a mid/rear-engined RWD car on a corner, as most people here know, the rear end steps out. If you're not quick enough with the steering wheel, or come off the gas, you WILL spin. You need to be progressive with the power, not on/off, this way you can ease off as soon as you begin to get into trouble. You'll eventually learn the limit of the car anyway, but take care in doing this!!

Like others, I never hit full boost coming off a corner, just feather it until it straightens up - not worth pushing it on the road IMO. Certain road conditions exacerbate these characteristics like just recently where its damp and mucky with no decent rain to wash the cr@p off the road - I've had too little moments just recently - need to switch to winter driving mode

[blue2]

Didnt have time to read all the posts (at work skiving). I agree with the second post, unless you are driving recklessly, on crap tires or both, you will have great difficulty spinning an NA mr2. I have spun mine once on a roundabout and it was down to me stuck in moron mode.
Na's lack power compared to the turbos, of course. However they handle a lot better then standard cars. So you may start to push them a bit in corners, the car will stick to the road nicely and turn well in the corner but if you apply too much power (in moron mode) the car will start to understeer slightly and then oversteer and oversteer a lot and quickly, you wont have much time, if any, to save it.
You don't even need amazing tires. I have driven mine on budget rears and have had no problems (except the roundabout incident). Its more about the driver than the car. Drive sensibly for the conditions and you will be fine.
If you are still concerned do a trackday

[dawolf]

Decent tyres are a must, as with most performance cars.
You should drive to the conditions, as with all other cars.
Don't be too aggressive when cornering, as with all other cars.

The main difference is the fact it has the engine in the rear and is rear wheel drive. I actually think the mk2 is a great all round car with very good balanced handling. It's when people take corners in the wet too fast that there are problems as once the back end goes that's it, unless you are highly skilled at getting it back.

[star_gazer]

I find posts like this hilarious

The original poster wanted to know how to make the car safer, and to answer his question;
1. Full 6 point roll cage with side impact protection and fully insulated with FIA standard padding
2. Strengthened floorpan and foot wells to prevent intrusion
3. Polycarbonate replacement for all glasses
4. strengthened seat
5. Reinforced seat belt mounts and conversion to 6 point system and additional attachment points for a HANS device
6. High visibility, bubble type crash helmet with HANS attachment points
7. Fire suppression system
8. Self sealing, rupture and explosion proof fuel cell
9. Master electrical isolation system
....


or drive like a man

[Munnsy]

what i have learnt from my recent accident is solely tyres, my tyres were by far not the best and unfortunately it took my cars life,
the mr2 is a very safe car, as mentioned above its just hard to control when out of control ( if you know what i mean)
Definately treat it with respect in the wet and dont go hell for leather down slip roads lol ( i didnt by the way)
Its all part of learning what the car can and cant do