Toyota Supra - Turbo or Non Turbo - Auto or Manual ???
Toyota Supra - Turbo or Non Turbo - Auto or Manual ???
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antsav

Original Poster:

24 posts

217 months

Friday 20th March 2009
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Can anyone advise me, I'm looking at buying a 93 onwards Supra, Whats the difference between the Turbo and non Turbo models ? do i go for Manual or Auto ? Can soemone give me the plus's and minus's on this car and any other buying advice appreciated. Cheers.

300bhp/ton

41,030 posts

219 months

Friday 20th March 2009
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The main difference is the turbo is fast while the non turbo isn't.

Go for the turbo if you want performance, if its just for cruising and looks then it don't matter.

As for auto or not, well manual is more sporty and more involving, aka more fun. But a good auto can work very well too. Depends on your driving style and intentions with the vehicle more than anything.

Manual is probably the quicker but if you plan on drag racing an auto may be a better option.

AJI

5,180 posts

246 months

Friday 20th March 2009
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What is the difference between the Turbo and non-Turbo?

ONE OF THEM HAS A TUBRO AND THE OTHER HASN'T. ;-)


Ok, as mentioned already...totally depends on what you want to use the car for and what you are expecting from it.

The NA Supras are not really what a Supra is all about IMO. They are just nice looking cars that can sound good and go well on motorways and drive you in comfort for long distance.

The TT Supras are where you get value for money. And you also get the option of finding a UK-spec model instead of having to chance a Jap-spec (in car history that is).

A well serviced and not too modified TT Supra is quite a reliable car. And if you are not wanting to pay for unreliability then stay away from cars that have over 450bhp.
(Although there are some big bhp cars that are proving to be reliable...but generally big bhp cars spend a LOT of time in the garage).


Get yourself onto the MkivSupra.net where you will find out all you need to know. Before asking questions and no doubt getting some biassed opinions, then look through the technical section and search over some previous posts....hopefully you will find them helpful.


As for auto vs manual.... again this depends heavily on your preference. Manual gives you FULL control over your car and Auto is for lazy cruising etc. (just joking)
Try both and see which you prefer.
It is worth mentioning that the 6-speed manual box is VERY reliable and can handle a lot of torque output from the engine.

I have had a UK-spec 6-speed manual twin turbo for about 10 years....always proved to be a reliable car.
Only real problem I had was with a dead battery one winter time which caused problems with the alarm. (Had to fit a new alarm - which was no bad thing really, as the new one has more security with it and brings down the insurance premium a little).

300bhp/ton

41,030 posts

219 months

Friday 20th March 2009
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If you're thinking of a Supra it might also be worth looking at some of the cars the Supra was designed to compete against, namely Camaro, Firebird and Mustang.

I also have a softpot for the Skyline (R32) although I don't like the look of the R33.

Bungleaio

6,585 posts

231 months

Saturday 21st March 2009
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I should imagine a NA auto isn't too exciting to drive.

AJI

5,180 posts

246 months

Saturday 21st March 2009
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Bungleaio said:
I should imagine a NA auto isn't too exciting to drive.
You got that wright !
smile

Twincharged

1,851 posts

234 months

Saturday 21st March 2009
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The UK TT has more power and better brakes than the Jap version- possibly the only instance of a Jap manufacturer doing this ever. They also have a bonnet vent as standard, which is an easy way to tell if it's not stated in the advert whether it is a UK car or not.

Twincharged

1,851 posts

234 months

Saturday 21st March 2009
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Gazboy said:
Twincharged said:
The UK TT has more power and better brakes than the Jap version- possibly the only instance of a Jap manufacturer doing this ever. They also have a bonnet vent as standard, which is an easy way to tell if it's not stated in the advert whether it is a UK car or not.
Dyno and RWYB's have dispelled that myth quite comprehensively.

A lot of JDM owners have the UK brakes fitted and some had them as a factory option.
Ah, so just another case of the "lie for the gentleman's agreement" job, or were the UK cars less powerful than expected?

Wayney

626 posts

235 months

Monday 23rd March 2009
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Mate as a fellow Supra owner, there are some very useful posts above.

Get on MKIVSUPRA.NET, you'll find out all you need to know about Supra's, some very knowlegable chaps.

Mine wz a Jap Spec TT, Manual, 280 bhp, out of the factory. With a budget of £1,500, I took it to Full BPU (Basic Performance Upgrade) Stage 1. Dyno the car at 420 BHP & 440 FP Torque!!

The car was a serious supercar beater, ripped up a 996 Turbo.

Pros
Cracking value for money, considering the money your paying for them
Very reliable, if you buy a nice one not one thats been ragged
Fantastic handelling

Con
Allot of dogs about, so do your research, loads about, better off buying one off the Supra Forum as you'll know the history of the car
Jucy, does like to drink, but then again which Ferrari & Lambo dones not?

Overall, excellent car, sold mine to fund a business venture, which has taken off, next car I've got my eye on is the new GTR ;-)

Happy hunting, and feel free to PM me any question I'll do my up most best to answer them, or will def point you in the right direction.

pjavon

43 posts

234 months

Tuesday 24th March 2009
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Basically as already mentioned the only way for real power is the TT approx 330Bhp standard but around 400Bhp is quite easily obtained.
The N/A is rated in books as 225Bhp but with a decat pipe and good exhaust, which a lot of import already have, and a reasonable induction system there are NA's with approx 245 Bhp on the MKIV owners forum(with dyno sheets) which i wouldn't call slow but certainly not fast in terms of a TT.
The TT is also a lot more expensive than the NA to buy(which are easier to find in manual form) and a TT conversion can be done for you for around £2000 which would probably bring the overall price to about the same, but you would have a manual if thats what you want although what power this gearbox can handle is open to debat(safely about 350Bhp i'd GUESS). If you want an auto then just buy a TT if you can afford it.
It's really down to what budget you have because some of the face lift model have a six speed manual box which is the one to have if your budget will allow.
Hope this helps a bit. I looked for one for a long time and ended up buying an NA because it was the only decent one i'd seen out of about 15 within a 100mile radius, but now i'm already thinking of a TT conversion for more power so don't rush like me.

indianlarry

3 posts

210 months

Friday 27th March 2009
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i had a 93 n/a auto, which i was more than happy with. the auto gear box is very good holding gears well on twisty lanes, you can knock it down to 2nd to get abit of engine braking for the corners, performance was good and pulled strong with good mpg even when giving it some boot. for me i choose the n/a for reliabilaty cheap running cost and looks, i've had cars a lot faster but for a good all round package you cant go wrong with a n/a auto

Edited by indianlarry on Saturday 28th March 11:35

indianlarry

3 posts

210 months

Saturday 28th March 2009
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Gazboy said:
indianlarry said:
for me i choose the n/a for reliabilaty chaep running cost
Shame really as there is no difference in reliability or running costs.
having owned both a n/a and a modified single turbo, i found a definate differance in running cost and every day reliabitaty

AJI

5,180 posts

246 months

Saturday 28th March 2009
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Yep, have to agree with Gaz, there is a huge difference between a modified single turbo and an auto NA when it comes to running costs, insurance etc. etc.
Might as well be talking about a Porsche and a Citreon.


indianlarry

3 posts

210 months

Saturday 28th March 2009
quotequote all
what im trying to say is i think there is a big differance in running cost between an n/a and a tt (my single started out as a tt when i bought it)my tt was fine when i had to chuck at it, eg before wife and children, after that i found n/a to be better, as i used it as a daily driver i found insurance cheaper plus better mpg.

chriis

859 posts

211 months

Saturday 28th March 2009
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Gazboy said:
indianlarry said:
Gazboy said:
indianlarry said:
for me i choose the n/a for reliabilaty chaep running cost
Shame really as there is no difference in reliability or running costs.
having owned both a n/a and a modified single turbo, i found a definate differance in running cost and every day reliabitaty
Do you think this chap is choosing between a modified single turbo and a NA or is it more likely he's thinking about TTs vs NAs?

My TT was 100% reliable over four years so how could a NA imporve on that?
Almost two years with my auto tt and not a problem , some small niggles but nothing worse than a cracked hose . Puts the euro crap that the rest of my family drive to shame .

jimpson

307 posts

255 months

Thursday 2nd April 2009
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Only big Queens drive N/A auto Supra's

RFSA180

54 posts

218 months

Sunday 5th April 2009
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indianlarry said:
Gazboy said:
indianlarry said:
for me i choose the n/a for reliabilaty chaep running cost
Shame really as there is no difference in reliability or running costs.
having owned both a n/a and a modified single turbo, i found a definate differance in running cost and every day reliabitaty
Also be careful with non-turbo, auto versions. They have been known to give the owner horrendous spelling and grammar.

mashhead

86 posts

264 months

Monday 11th May 2009
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OK Guys,

I bought a Toyota supra tt AUTO, after selling my house from splitting up with my wife. It has a full decat exhaust, its boosting around 1 bar and makes about 400 BHP. I can verify that it is VERY VERY fast, as only owning the car for 2 days, I lost control of the car and caused about £4k worth of damage to her frown Note to new supra owners.....treat the car with respect or it will turn round and bit you!!

Suffice to say, I had loads of dosh to play with in the bank, so I repaired her out of my own pocket. I love her to bits, she has had a few other issues, reliability wise, but to be honest she is a toy as I have a van I use for work so I don’t mind when things go wrong with it as it gives me something to tinker with.

One thing you will notice with the TT is the suddenness of the power delivery on full boost. Off boost, its actually slower than some other cars I have owned, but when boost comes into full swing, you can end up doing 150 mph without a sweat breaking, the issue I found was judging how much road you have available once you have planted your foot down, and the way you get thrown back into your seat when this thing goes is amazing. Everyone I have taken out in the car are blown away from the midrange acceleration, (especially in 2nd gear with the traction off).

Personally I think that the supra tt is better as an auto option, I will tell you why:

1st gear on the auto takes you to about 44 mph. (with traction off, and in manu mode this is a laugh)
2nd gear takes you to about 95 mph
3rd gear, you will top out about 135 ish mph
and fourth gear, well I got up to 182mph on one occasion (legally of course) and there was still 1700 rpm to go but I need more power to top out the ratio which I have heard on the autos is somewhere around the 215-220 mph region and you would need around 900 bhp to get there..

The auto can be used as a manual, on winding roads, stick her into manu mode and O/D override (this activates the torque converter lock, and stops the overdrive planet gear from engaging).

All you need is second gear, and nothing keeps up with you at all, so so so fun, the engine will rev up to 7500 rpm too if you want. When you get to the limit of 2nd gear (around 95 mph) plop it into 3rd (drive) and boost it on the straights, I tell you if you think autos are slow, I’ll take you out in mine, it will change your mind trust me smile If you do allot of driving like this you will HAVE to upgrade your cooling system though, which I have done! Oh and expect to fill up again in around 150 miles eeek!!

Finally, the 6 speed manual requires more gear changes, the auto is seamless, for example you can leave it in 3rd gear if you want, and it will pull off in third gear from a standstill. Turn it into a 800 bhp monster add some kind of launch control system and you’ll be spinning the wheels from a standing start in third all the way to 135 mph and no gear changing..... (You will need to uprate your transmission oil cooler though for that! a lot of heat is generated form the torque converter when doing this)

If you are really into drag racing, you can get a two speed auto box which is even more extreme, and you’ll need at least 1100 bhp or so to make use of it.

To end my little comments, if I wanted a car that I wanted to make manual gear changes, I would have gone for an rx-7 perhaps. But the Auto suits the supra so so well, and I don’t regret choosing the auto at all. And on a final note, you can get a paddle shift kit for the auto, and adjust things like gear change speed, etc etc, and you have the best of both worlds then.

Manual? Who needs a manual with the auto does a much better job for this car!









Edited by mashhead on Monday 11th May 22:14

300bhp/ton

41,030 posts

219 months

Tuesday 12th May 2009
quotequote all
Gazboy said:
Off boost? how can you be off boost in a TT? Is yours in TTC mode with the turbos boosting together instead of sequentialy? The redline of the standard car is 6800rpm so yours may have been played with.
I know some guys in the US run huge singles on the them instead.

AJI

5,180 posts

246 months

Tuesday 12th May 2009
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The Auto vs Manual preference has been done a few times before and always comes down to personal choice.

For purist drivers then the manual always wins over, but if you're happy with a pre-programmed computer telling the gearbox what it should be doing then an auto is your choice ;-)

(j/k)


Seriously though, the advice given to all prospective Supra owners is to test drive both versions before making a purchase.