Does the mk2 MR2 handle as badly as I've heard?

[Bibbs]

Gazboy said:

I'd only go larger than a 16" to cover big brakes or if they were Toyota Technocrafts.

I had 16" Enkei's, they were good, but my 17" BBS were 99% the same for handling and looked so much better.

The 18" I had were because they were cheap, came with rubber and would get me through an MOT cheaper than re-shodding my old tyres.

[Mr E]

Mid engined RWD car in "bit twitchy when you do something stupid in it" shocker.

[Marf]

Mr E said:

Mid engined RWD car in "bit twitchy when you do something stupid in it" shocker.

[Andeh]

I would suggest that a 2.2 VTEC Prelude will be quicker than an MX-5, more economical than an Impreza and not as 'twitchy' to drive as a merde.

You should keep your eyes open for a JDM 4th gen BB4 2.2 VTEC auto with a l.s.d. Some even come with traction control and surround sound speaker systems.

Having said that, the Prelude isn't very practical and out of the cars you've already suggested it's also wrong wheel drive. The engines are fairly bullet proof and by choosing an auto you'll be avoiding any syncro issues known to plague the manual boxes.

Any other Prelude queries, just ask.

HTH

[groomi]

Andeh said:

I would suggest that a 2.2 VTEC Prelude will be quicker than an MX-5, more economical than an Impreza and not as 'twitchy' to drive as a merde.

You should keep your eyes open for a JDM 4th gen BB4 2.2 VTEC auto with a l.s.d. Some even come with traction control and surround sound speaker systems.

Having said that, the Prelude isn't very practical and out of the cars you've already suggested it's also wrong wheel drive. The engines are fairly bullet proof and by choosing an auto you'll be avoiding any syncro issues known to plague the manual boxes.

Any other Prelude queries, just ask.

HTH

All well and good, but it's wrong wheel drive and not French.

[GravelBen]

Andeh said:

I would suggest that a 2.2 VTEC Prelude will be less economical than an MX-5, much slower than an Impreza and far duller to drive than an MR2.

You should keep your eyes open for (to help you avoid) a JDM 4th gen BB4 2.2 VTEC auto with a l.s.d. Some even come with anti-fun control and surround sound speaker systems.

Having said that, the Prelude isn't very practical and out of the cars you've already suggested it's also wrong wheel drive. The engines are fairly bullet proof as long as they're kept topped up with oil and by choosing an auto you'll be avoiding any syncro issues known to plague the manual boxes as well as reducing the risk of encountering any driving involvement.

Any other Prelude queries, just ask.

HTH

Edited for clarity

HTH

Edited by GravelBen on Monday 22 October 08:13

[f1fx]

I love the MR2 . it one of them cars where you will love it after your first drive. it will corner well . and give you lots of confidence .. and then one day it will gust not feel like playing . not that the handling is a problem .. its the idiot behind the wheel .
the only thing to watch for . is the " drifting action " they dont drift to well, the point of no return is not much. less than 45 deg i would say. i think only the professionals would be able to maintain a good slide drift. you have to ask yourself "why dont they use the mr2's that often in drifting "
go get one .. rev 1 2 or 3, you will love it.
i have one for a daily drive .. and one as a track car. take it on the track you will be amazed. they do hold there own .. i had a bit of a "race" with a Honda s2000 the other week at pembury. and i know the guy that owns the car. he has done lots of track days compared to my 3.
but he could not keep up in corners. only on the straight he would catch me up ! and both cars were standard. and we were on budget tyres

[Bibbs]

f1fx said:

i had a bit of a "race" with a Honda s2000 the other week at pembury. and i know the guy that owns the car. he has done lots of track days compared to my 3.
but he could not keep up in corners. only on the straight he would catch me up ! and both cars were standard. and we were on budget tyres

I'd suggest he needs to grow a pair then (only joking). Assuming he's had the geo done. The S is a bit sensitive to cack geometry.

The in wheel double wishbones and better weight balance means the S will corner so much better then the MR2 (I drove the two cars back-to-back for a year) and when you go over the limit, the S is a lt easier to bring back in.

[f1fx]

Bibbs said:

f1fx said:

i had a bit of a "race" with a Honda s2000 the other week at pembury. and i know the guy that owns the car. he has done lots of track days compared to my 3.
but he could not keep up in corners. only on the straight he would catch me up ! and both cars were standard. and we were on budget tyres

I'd suggest he needs to grow a pair then (only joking). Assuming he's had the geo done. The S is a bit sensitive to cack geometry.

The in wheel double wishbones and better weight balance means the S will corner so much better then the MR2 (I drove the two cars back-to-back for a year) and when you go over the limit, the S is a lt easier to bring back in.

I regularly get " how do you do that i could not carry that much speed " etc etc. on the big long left hander at pembury . i was pulling 4-5 car lenths on the s2000. i was loving that corner ! from the hair pin to the exit of the left hand bend "dibeni bend" to the start of the esses i would not lift . it was flat !!!! and a 1:14.5 ish lap

But your right .. it should have gone !! and left me .

Edited by f1fx on Monday 22 October 10:05

[Bibbs]

Sounds like you have bigger stones than the S driver then Fair play.

[gofasterrosssco]

MR2's are great cars. I have just bought another mk2 (Rev4 G-limited) after I sold my previous Rev5 G-Limited (the one with the VVTi BEAMS engine installed). They are both excellent cars standard or modified.

If you want the most 'driver focused' version, then go for the Rev5 BEAMS if you can find one. I only say that as it will be as quick down most roads as a turbo, but will be a bit easier when it comes to cornering etc. - no on/off boost problems, lighter, Helical LSD. Quite hard to find though, and do tend to hold their value.

The only real 'catches', and the main reason they are performance bargains is that they just don't offer enough practicality compared to more traditional 'coupes'. if you can live with that, then it's ideal...

Bit tired when I wrote this so sorry if there is much drivel included....

[Andeh]

GravelBen said:

Andeh said:

I would suggest that a 2.2 VTEC Prelude will be less economical than an MX-5, much slower than an Impreza and far duller to drive than an MR2.

You should keep your eyes open for (to help you avoid) a JDM 4th gen BB4 2.2 VTEC auto with a l.s.d. Some even come with anti-fun control and surround sound speaker systems.

Having said that, the Prelude isn't very practical and out of the cars you've already suggested it's also wrong wheel drive. The engines are fairly bullet proof as long as they're kept topped up with oil and by choosing an auto you'll be avoiding any syncro issues known to plague the manual boxes as well as reducing the risk of encountering any driving involvement.

Any other Prelude queries, just ask.

HTH

Edited for clarity

HTH

Edited by GravelBen on Monday 22 October 08:13

Well said!

[Rob_F]

I've got a Rev2 with Nankangs on the rear which are too narrow (205s versus standard spec 225s - i intend to sort it out as soon as payday comes) and decent Avons on the front. It's wondefully neutral and the rear rarely lets go without prior warning. In the wet at low speed it can switch from understeer (which is scarier, actually) to oversteer fairly rapidly, but the car actually feels alive and involving because you know you have to pay attention.

After reading all these stories before buying my car i thought every time it rained i'd be facing backwards in an armco, but the reality couldn't be more different

Cheers,
Rob.

Edited by Rob_F on Thursday 25th October 20:37

[Blue Meanie]

gofasterrosssco said:

MR2's are great cars. I have just bought another mk2 (Rev4 G-limited) after I sold my previous Rev5 G-Limited (the one with the VVTi BEAMS engine installed). Th

The only real 'catches', and the main reason they are performance bargains is that they just don't offer enough practicality compared to more traditional 'coupes'. if you can live with that, then it's ideal...

I thought the rear boot on my old tubby was damn good! Never really got to the point where I couldn't get anything in it. Weekly shops, golf clubs, etc, plus the front tyrs can be removed, and you have a nice wee space for extra luggage! I thought it was damn good for a 2 seater mid-engined car.

[Mr E]

f1fx said:

you have to ask yourself "why dont they use the mr2's that often in drifting "
go get one .. rev 1 2 or 3, you will love it.

Because it's mid engined. Drifters don't use anything but front-rear layout. For obvious reasons.

[Wadeski]

also, Drifting doesnt necessarily require great handling. right drivetrain, good power, and rock hard suspension often do the trick.

look at the popularity of big heavy beasts like Soarers and Chaser Vs etc...not exatcly competitors to an Elise for handling are they!

But they have the power to get sideways and a suspension setup to stay that way.

[Mr2Mike]

Blue Meanie said:

I thought the rear boot on my old tubby was damn good! Never really got to the point where I couldn't get anything in it. Weekly shops, golf clubs, etc, plus the front tyrs can be removed, and you have a nice wee space for extra luggage! I thought it was damn good for a 2 seater mid-engined car.

Boot is not too bad really, but you are stuffed if you ever need to carry a tyre in it

[jon-]

f1fx said:

Bibbs said:

f1fx said:

i had a bit of a "race" with a Honda s2000 the other week at pembury. and i know the guy that owns the car. he has done lots of track days compared to my 3.
but he could not keep up in corners. only on the straight he would catch me up ! and both cars were standard. and we were on budget tyres

I'd suggest he needs to grow a pair then (only joking). Assuming he's had the geo done. The S is a bit sensitive to cack geometry.

The in wheel double wishbones and better weight balance means the S will corner so much better then the MR2 (I drove the two cars back-to-back for a year) and when you go over the limit, the S is a lt easier to bring back in.

I regularly get " how do you do that i could not carry that much speed " etc etc. on the big long left hander at pembury . i was pulling 4-5 car lenths on the s2000. i was loving that corner ! from the hair pin to the exit of the left hand bend "dibeni bend" to the start of the esses i would not lift . it was flat !!!! and a 1:14.5 ish lap

But your right .. it should have gone !! and left me .

Edited by f1fx on Monday 22 October 10:05

I've not found a NA S2000 that's been faster than my track mr2 on circuit yet. Even Peters monster track s2000 runs slower than me at both Rockingham and Donington when he's on track rubber and I'm on crappy road tyres.

The S2000 will not "corner so much better then the MR2" just because it has double wishbone suspension, you can get the MR2 setup rather nicely if you know what you're doing and don't mind compromising road driving. The MR engine layout will give you a far greater corner exit speed too resulting in a better laptime. The S2000 does handle better than the MR2, however handling does not equal road holding.

[f1fx]

jon- said:

f1fx said:

Bibbs said:

f1fx said:

i had a bit of a "race" with a Honda s2000 the other week at pembury. and i know the guy that owns the car. he has done lots of track days compared to my 3.
but he could not keep up in corners. only on the straight he would catch me up ! and both cars were standard. and we were on budget tyres

I'd suggest he needs to grow a pair then (only joking). Assuming he's had the geo done. The S is a bit sensitive to cack geometry.

The in wheel double wishbones and better weight balance means the S will corner so much better then the MR2 (I drove the two cars back-to-back for a year) and when you go over the limit, the S is a lt easier to bring back in.

I regularly get " how do you do that i could not carry that much speed " etc etc. on the big long left hander at pembury . i was pulling 4-5 car lenths on the s2000. i was loving that corner ! from the hair pin to the exit of the left hand bend "dibeni bend" to the start of the esses i would not lift . it was flat !!!! and a 1:14.5 ish lap

But your right .. it should have gone !! and left me .

Edited by f1fx on Monday 22 October 10:05

I've not found a NA S2000 that's been faster than my track mr2 on circuit yet. Even Peters monster track s2000 runs slower than me at both Rockingham and Donington when he's on track rubber and I'm on crappy road tyres.

The S2000 will not "corner so much better then the MR2" just because it has double wishbone suspension, you can get the MR2 setup rather nicely if you know what you're doing and don't mind compromising road driving. The MR engine layout will give you a far greater corner exit speed too resulting in a better laptime. The S2000 does handle better than the MR2, however handling does not equal road holding.

Both my MR2's are N/A .. not the turbo .. this is why i thought the s2000 would be quicker.

[jon-]

f1fx said:

jon- said:

f1fx said:

Bibbs said:

f1fx said:

i had a bit of a "race" with a Honda s2000 the other week at pembury. and i know the guy that owns the car. he has done lots of track days compared to my 3.
but he could not keep up in corners. only on the straight he would catch me up ! and both cars were standard. and we were on budget tyres

I'd suggest he needs to grow a pair then (only joking). Assuming he's had the geo done. The S is a bit sensitive to cack geometry.

The in wheel double wishbones and better weight balance means the S will corner so much better then the MR2 (I drove the two cars back-to-back for a year) and when you go over the limit, the S is a lt easier to bring back in.

I regularly get " how do you do that i could not carry that much speed " etc etc. on the big long left hander at pembury . i was pulling 4-5 car lenths on the s2000. i was loving that corner ! from the hair pin to the exit of the left hand bend "dibeni bend" to the start of the esses i would not lift . it was flat !!!! and a 1:14.5 ish lap

But your right .. it should have gone !! and left me .

Edited by f1fx on Monday 22 October 10:05

I've not found a NA S2000 that's been faster than my track mr2 on circuit yet. Even Peters monster track s2000 runs slower than me at both Rockingham and Donington when he's on track rubber and I'm on crappy road tyres.

The S2000 will not "corner so much better then the MR2" just because it has double wishbone suspension, you can get the MR2 setup rather nicely if you know what you're doing and don't mind compromising road driving. The MR engine layout will give you a far greater corner exit speed too resulting in a better laptime. The S2000 does handle better than the MR2, however handling does not equal road holding.

Both my MR2's are N/A .. not the turbo .. this is why i thought the s2000 would be quicker.

Ah, then :nod: