Low Mileage Toyota MR2 MK2.
Discussion
TwigtheWonderkid said:
Rich135 said:
no harm in having a nice classy set of aftermarkets
Rich
Not convinced such a thing exists. Maybe Minilites on some cars, but every non standard wheel I've ever seen on any MR2, Mk1 - 3, has been crap. Rich
TwigtheWonderkid said:
Not convinced such a thing exists. Maybe Minilites on some cars, but every non standard wheel I've ever seen on any MR2, Mk1 - 3, has been crap.
It's not easy and there is a lot of poor fitting/dodgy styles but it can be done.I loved my period correct double staggered LMs
Thanks once again for all the kind comments, advice, opinions, pictures and past tales of ownership!
I didn't know aftermarket alloys would divide opinion so much, I appreciate that standard is often better, but wheels can be changed in 30 minutes and once the car is complete, I'll need something to do, so refurbishing a set of split rims appeals!
Here are some Enkei wheels I noticed advertised today, with polished lip with matching to the paintwork centres, might look ok! Would be very much a Gran Turismo on the PS1 look.
Anyhow, I mentioned previously that I'd taken most of the tailgate fixings/ lights out so here is what greeted me.
Dirt, as expected on a 25 year old car....Oh, and I did it with only one plastic retaining clip for the carpet breaking...but will add some to my shopping list as that would seriously bug me.
With everything else removed...I gave it a good wipe down, clay bar to get the stubborn dirt marks off and will wax it in due time...
So, now the lights and tailgate panel were out, I got to work.
Life was breathed into this using forever black, basically a black dye that turns discoloured black plastics, back to their original colour.
...and then it was on to the tail lights. I have basically dismantled them at the rear, washed them to get rid of all the dirt and used forever black on the rears to make them look like new again. Pointless as no one will ever see this and I could have just wiped them down, but I think its best to do things properly.
On to the lenses, the dual action polisher came out and I used Meguiars polishing compound and I am happy with the results, no more swirls and they have a lovely deep shine now they are sealed with wax.
Before...
and after...
Job well done, so on to the next one tomorrow!
I didn't know aftermarket alloys would divide opinion so much, I appreciate that standard is often better, but wheels can be changed in 30 minutes and once the car is complete, I'll need something to do, so refurbishing a set of split rims appeals!
Here are some Enkei wheels I noticed advertised today, with polished lip with matching to the paintwork centres, might look ok! Would be very much a Gran Turismo on the PS1 look.
Anyhow, I mentioned previously that I'd taken most of the tailgate fixings/ lights out so here is what greeted me.
Dirt, as expected on a 25 year old car....Oh, and I did it with only one plastic retaining clip for the carpet breaking...but will add some to my shopping list as that would seriously bug me.
With everything else removed...I gave it a good wipe down, clay bar to get the stubborn dirt marks off and will wax it in due time...
So, now the lights and tailgate panel were out, I got to work.
Life was breathed into this using forever black, basically a black dye that turns discoloured black plastics, back to their original colour.
...and then it was on to the tail lights. I have basically dismantled them at the rear, washed them to get rid of all the dirt and used forever black on the rears to make them look like new again. Pointless as no one will ever see this and I could have just wiped them down, but I think its best to do things properly.
On to the lenses, the dual action polisher came out and I used Meguiars polishing compound and I am happy with the results, no more swirls and they have a lovely deep shine now they are sealed with wax.
Before...
and after...
Job well done, so on to the next one tomorrow!
Rich135 said:
TwigtheWonderkid said:
Rich135 said:
no harm in having a nice classy set of aftermarkets
Rich
Not convinced such a thing exists. Maybe Minilites on some cars, but every non standard wheel I've ever seen on any MR2, Mk1 - 3, has been crap. Rich
Uggers said:
TwigtheWonderkid said:
Not convinced such a thing exists. Maybe Minilites on some cars, but every non standard wheel I've ever seen on any MR2, Mk1 - 3, has been crap.
It's not easy and there is a lot of poor fitting/dodgy styles but it can be done.I loved my period correct double staggered LMs
The factory wheels are made to a price from simple cheap materials. Those wheels on the silver car above are two piece with very lightweight centres and spun rims. They will be significantly lighter.
Having lighter wheels brings many benefits because they are unsprung mass - cornering, acceleration and braking are all improved.
In addition, the owner gets to choose a style. You will notice that many manufacturers offer the customer a choice of style - it’s just personal preference. I think people can sometimes do better from a style perspective, but that’s a personal view, obviously. From a performance standpoint you empirically CAN do better - it just depends on how much cash you want to spend!
(Lovely MR2 by the way!)
Having lighter wheels brings many benefits because they are unsprung mass - cornering, acceleration and braking are all improved.
In addition, the owner gets to choose a style. You will notice that many manufacturers offer the customer a choice of style - it’s just personal preference. I think people can sometimes do better from a style perspective, but that’s a personal view, obviously. From a performance standpoint you empirically CAN do better - it just depends on how much cash you want to spend!
(Lovely MR2 by the way!)
TwigtheWonderkid said:
Worse than dreadful. Just why? Toyota must've agonised for hours looking at hundreds of designs to come up with the right thing. What makes anyone think they can come up with something better?
Yeah, what were BBS thinking, as if they could design a wheel that would be light, strong and good looking...they'll not be around for long, that's for sure...and more fool anyone that thinks they look better than something a Toyota designer/engineer could dream up 
roboxm3 said:
TwigtheWonderkid said:
Worse than dreadful. Just why? Toyota must've agonised for hours looking at hundreds of designs to come up with the right thing. What makes anyone think they can come up with something better?
Yeah, what were BBS thinking, as if they could design a wheel that would be light, strong and good looking...they'll not be around for long, that's for sure...and more fool anyone that thinks they look better than something a Toyota designer/engineer could dream up So, today I got handy with the dual action polisher on the rear quarter panels, back. This is the first time i have ever used one!
The one I used was made by "Guild" and from Argos. It is the cheapest dual action polisher you can buy (£40), but it seems to have perfectly ok reviews and I cannot fault it one bit.
Without boring you with to much details...here are the steps.
1. Clay bar and detailer, as the last thing you want is trapped dirt on a rotating pad.
2. Meguiars cutting compound. (firm pad)
3. Meguairs polish. (soft pad)
4 Meguairs liquid wax (very soft pad).
I took my time so I didn't mess up and was a little nervous at first, but there really isn't nothing to worry about. You read stories about people ruining/ burning through paintwork, but you'd have to be doing something seriously wrong for this to happen.
I think one tip I'd give is that best results will come from not applying too much pressure. Literally let the polisher sit flat on the paintwork and simply guide it along allowing the pad to rotate at will.
Here are the results below...I'm chuffed. The paint is now a very vibrant red and there are no swirl marks whatsoever.
And in this last photo you can see the difference between the boot lid and the engine cover which has yet to be done.
The one I used was made by "Guild" and from Argos. It is the cheapest dual action polisher you can buy (£40), but it seems to have perfectly ok reviews and I cannot fault it one bit.
Without boring you with to much details...here are the steps.
1. Clay bar and detailer, as the last thing you want is trapped dirt on a rotating pad.
2. Meguiars cutting compound. (firm pad)
3. Meguairs polish. (soft pad)
4 Meguairs liquid wax (very soft pad).
I took my time so I didn't mess up and was a little nervous at first, but there really isn't nothing to worry about. You read stories about people ruining/ burning through paintwork, but you'd have to be doing something seriously wrong for this to happen.
I think one tip I'd give is that best results will come from not applying too much pressure. Literally let the polisher sit flat on the paintwork and simply guide it along allowing the pad to rotate at will.
Here are the results below...I'm chuffed. The paint is now a very vibrant red and there are no swirl marks whatsoever.
And in this last photo you can see the difference between the boot lid and the engine cover which has yet to be done.
TwigtheWonderkid said:
roboxm3 said:
TwigtheWonderkid said:
Worse than dreadful. Just why? Toyota must've agonised for hours looking at hundreds of designs to come up with the right thing. What makes anyone think they can come up with something better?
Yeah, what were BBS thinking, as if they could design a wheel that would be light, strong and good looking...they'll not be around for long, that's for sure...and more fool anyone that thinks they look better than something a Toyota designer/engineer could dream up Curious what you do when you want to get more performance out of your car. Do you limit yourself only to tyres that fit the standard wheels? Do you ignore the performance benefits of lighter wheels?
On the SW20 specifically, rear tyre size is very limiting with tyre choices in stock size. Many owners change to 16's or 17's just so they can run a decent tyre without paying silly money or waiting months for stock to be available.
You'll hate mine:
And the other spec:
MattsCar said:
Here are some Enkei wheels I noticed advertised today, with polished lip with matching to the paintwork centres, might look ok! Would be very much a Gran Turismo on the PS1 look.
These are fantastic. My friend had a set on his years ago, but in 17inch, they looked great. Progress has been slow, but steady over the past couple of days, but all in all very satisfying.
I have been working my way from the front to the back of the car cleaning hinges and other places where dirt builds up.
Sunroof surround was nice and easy as it just pops out (you can even store it in the front boot) and the same goes for the fuel filler, which can be removed with just 2 bolts.
While the sunroof was out, I noticed a tiny little bit of surface rust on the edge of the surround, so sanded this back to bare metal and touched it up.
So, we went from this....
to this...
and this...
to this...
I have also continued with the dual action polisher on the engine cover and the roof, both have come up really well.
and under a cool white light, it shows just how good 25 year old paint can look with a bit of love.
Previously someone asked me for a picture of the interior, I will post more once I get round to it, but here is a teaser...or not...
...talk about a complete lack of inspiration on behalf of the designer. Still, it is functional I guess and a nice place to sit and everything falls to hand nicely, including the gear lever which rests at the end of the transmission tunnel where you rest your arm.
You can also probably spot something that is really bugging me...an all singing, all dancing Pioneer stereo, which does not look right. It's actually quite a high end model, so this will be sold and with the money, I will look at sourcing a period CD player from Alpine. I do have the original stereo, but it is cassette only...
Something like this would be perfect.
I have been working my way from the front to the back of the car cleaning hinges and other places where dirt builds up.
Sunroof surround was nice and easy as it just pops out (you can even store it in the front boot) and the same goes for the fuel filler, which can be removed with just 2 bolts.
While the sunroof was out, I noticed a tiny little bit of surface rust on the edge of the surround, so sanded this back to bare metal and touched it up.
So, we went from this....
to this...
and this...
to this...
I have also continued with the dual action polisher on the engine cover and the roof, both have come up really well.
and under a cool white light, it shows just how good 25 year old paint can look with a bit of love.
Previously someone asked me for a picture of the interior, I will post more once I get round to it, but here is a teaser...or not...
...talk about a complete lack of inspiration on behalf of the designer. Still, it is functional I guess and a nice place to sit and everything falls to hand nicely, including the gear lever which rests at the end of the transmission tunnel where you rest your arm.
You can also probably spot something that is really bugging me...an all singing, all dancing Pioneer stereo, which does not look right. It's actually quite a high end model, so this will be sold and with the money, I will look at sourcing a period CD player from Alpine. I do have the original stereo, but it is cassette only...
Something like this would be perfect.
Looks good.
A spot to check, I am not sure if sunroof models suffer from this as much as T tops. There is a piece of foam down in the sill cavity, assumed to be a bit of noise / vibration control. Problem is, it traps moisture, and is the reason the sills rust from the inside out.
Super easy to get to it though, just remove the interior panel behind the seat that covers the seatbelt. From here, you can reach into the cavity and pull the foam out Once removed you can see inside the cavity pretty well just to check its all OK in there.
A spot to check, I am not sure if sunroof models suffer from this as much as T tops. There is a piece of foam down in the sill cavity, assumed to be a bit of noise / vibration control. Problem is, it traps moisture, and is the reason the sills rust from the inside out.
Super easy to get to it though, just remove the interior panel behind the seat that covers the seatbelt. From here, you can reach into the cavity and pull the foam out Once removed you can see inside the cavity pretty well just to check its all OK in there.
Love the thread.
Speaking as someone who bought one of these new in 1990, I remember the interior design being rather good. Plastics and buttons had a nice feel to them, ergonomically very neat and logical, and , as you say, the gear lever was nice and stubby and just to hand on the high central tunnel. When I got mine, I loved it!
The original Toyota stereo was pretty good too, and the buttons and screen matched everything else, so personally I’d be looking for one of those rather than a period aftermarket unit that doesn’t match (but I am a bit purist like that).
Speaking as someone who bought one of these new in 1990, I remember the interior design being rather good. Plastics and buttons had a nice feel to them, ergonomically very neat and logical, and , as you say, the gear lever was nice and stubby and just to hand on the high central tunnel. When I got mine, I loved it!
The original Toyota stereo was pretty good too, and the buttons and screen matched everything else, so personally I’d be looking for one of those rather than a period aftermarket unit that doesn’t match (but I am a bit purist like that).
Thanks! Sill foam has been mentioned by a number of helpful people including the seller himself who has left it in for purposes of originality.
And Dino, I totally agree regarding the originality side of things, but the only tape cassette I own is NOW28. lol.
I wonder if they did an original upgrade CD player... car was made in 1993 and I don't think CD players in cars became popular until the very late 90's.
And Dino, I totally agree regarding the originality side of things, but the only tape cassette I own is NOW28. lol.
I wonder if they did an original upgrade CD player... car was made in 1993 and I don't think CD players in cars became popular until the very late 90's.
Edited by MattsCar on Monday 2nd September 19:08
MattsCar said:
. And Dino, I totally agree regarding the originality side of things, but the only tape cassette I own is NOW28. lol.
I wonder if they did an original upgrade CD player... car was made in 1993 and I don't think CD players in cars became popular until the very late 90's.
There was definitely a CD option because I remember I couldn’t afford it...I wonder if they did an original upgrade CD player... car was made in 1993 and I don't think CD players in cars became popular until the very late 90's.
Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff