Best use of £500 on performance mods (Stage 1)

[Kool PT]

My current plan with the MR2 is not to go over the top with mods, so I'm trying to figure out what the best use of about half a grand would be for performance and noise benefits.

Car is a 2000 model with gutted stock manifold.

Anyone got an opinion of my list?

Breast plate - £purchased (£70)
Che front member brace - £purchased (£64)
PPE cold air intake - £purchased (£100 - £20 'trade in' for K&N filter)
Cusco FSTB - £purchased (£92)
Tein S.Tech Springs - £purchased (£108)
Twosrus Drop Links - £88
= £502

[Wabbitkilla]

I've seen the front member braces on flebay for good prices and they're possibly better than the Toyota ones.
I think Che might actually sell them too.

You're heading in the right direction imho with what you're suggesting.

[uktotty]

dont forget the unichip!

[Liz]

I've seen the front member braces on flebay for good prices and they're possibly better than the Toyota ones.
I think Che might actually sell them too.

You're heading in the right direction imho with what you're suggesting.

One for sale on here at a bargain price at the moment - a very worthwhile mod

[Anonymous]

Anyone got an opinion of my list?

Breast plate - £75
Che Front & Rear member Braces - £125
Markiii Pipe - £65
Che Manifold - £130
Tein S.Tech Springs - £105

Quality list and well thought out, but drop the Che manifold as you really don't need it, put the money towards a front strut brace instead. Will make the world of difference and you'll be able to drive that much quicker, too.

[spit]

+1 on the FSB.

Thats a solid list you've worked up. Having driven both pre- and post-03 the biggie is in the bracing. Adding member and FSB to my '99 made a mountain of difference.

Personal preference is for the STechs over TTE aswell.

Whats your mileage? It may push you over budget, but ball/socket topmounts (no steering flibble!) and possibly new shocks could be good while you're fitting springs?

Less expensive.... I can also recommend the TwosRUs bushing kits (or equivalent) to replace tired rubber mounts. Droplinks make a big difference too (Whiteline or TwosRUs are common makes) .... but hang fire on TwosRUs ones until they've had a chance to appraise Nic's faulty one.

[ChrisGB]

My current plan with the MR2 is not to go over the top with mods, so I'm trying to figure out what the best use of about half a grand would be for performance and noise benefits.

Car is a 2000 model with K&N air filter and gutted stock manifold.

Anyone got an opinion of my list?

Breast plate - £75
Che Front & Rear member Braces - £125
Markiii Pipe - £65
Che Manifold - £130
Tein S.Tech Springs - £105

?

- Che manifold & markiii pipe along with my current air filter to give about 145-146 bhp, and make a nice noise. Lightness of Che manifold should offset any weight gains from bracing. I have been told that Che can be a bit restrictive in fully modifying airflow but the general concensus is that on its own it's a pretty sound investment.

- S.Tech springs because they are the cheapest ones that people recommend, don't lower too crazily and will improve the look and handling of the beast.

Other possibilities = FSTB, short shifter, exhaust (would probably have to be 2nd hand)

I think you are expecting way too much from the Che manifold. The people who have got that level of power with one have had an ECU piggyback and remap + an aftermarket exhaust. People with similar setup on gutted stock manifold have made more power. The weight loss is noticeable if subtle.

How about ditching the manifold idea and getting the front and rear sway bars (or as we in the UK call them anti roll bars) from Che instead? As the springs you are going for are not stiff, the anti roll bar upgrade could make a big difference. You will almost definitely find the car much quicker A to B with the anti roll bar upgrade, but will be hard pushed to feel any difference at all with the manifold.

Front strut brace is a definite yes. Short shifter, having tried two, I would suggest the TRD one is well worth the money and the Ebay cheapy ones are not.

Chris

[evileye_wrx]

+1 on the manifold. The main reason for buying a che is to get rid of the precats. If you already had them gutted then not much point.

I'd definitely look at unichip if your looking for tangible speed increase. There is always Apexi or emanage as well if you want to play with tuning yourself. Unichip's failing being that a dastek licensed Garage have to tune it.

Phil

[Kool PT]

How hard is it to tune it myself? Are there 'maps' out there that I can download from other users etc?

Would a 2nd hand exhaust be a better mod? I think ecu management might be out of my budget

[Kool PT]

+1 on the FSB.

Thats a solid list you've worked up. Having driven both pre- and post-03 the biggie is in the bracing. Adding member and FSB to my '99 made a mountain of difference.

Personal preference is for the STechs over TTE aswell.

Whats your mileage? It may push you over budget, but ball/socket topmounts (no steering flibble!) and possibly new shocks could be good while you're fitting springs?

Less expensive.... I can also recommend the TwosRUs bushing kits (or equivalent) to replace tired rubber mounts. Droplinks make a big difference too (Whiteline or TwosRUs are common makes) .... but hang fire on TwosRUs ones until they've had a chance to appraise Nic's faulty one.

MIleage is 86k...did consider new shocks but the cost is about 250 quid...add the price of the springs and you're getting pretty close to the price of coilovers...are aaron's still for sale?   s:D s:D

[markiii]

if you have to ask how hard it is to tune then your not capable, at least yet

[Kool PT]

My current plan with the MR2 is not to go over the top with mods, so I'm trying to figure out what the best use of about half a grand would be for performance and noise benefits.

Car is a 2000 model with K&N air filter and gutted stock manifold.

Anyone got an opinion of my list?

Breast plate - £75
Che Front & Rear member Braces - £125
Markiii Pipe - £65
Che Manifold - £130
Tein S.Tech Springs - £105

?

- Che manifold & markiii pipe along with my current air filter to give about 145-146 bhp, and make a nice noise. Lightness of Che manifold should offset any weight gains from bracing. I have been told that Che can be a bit restrictive in fully modifying airflow but the general concensus is that on its own it's a pretty sound investment.

- S.Tech springs because they are the cheapest ones that people recommend, don't lower too crazily and will improve the look and handling of the beast.

Other possibilities = FSTB, short shifter, exhaust (would probably have to be 2nd hand)

I think you are expecting way too much from the Che manifold. The people who have got that level of power with one have had an ECU piggyback and remap + an aftermarket exhaust. People with similar setup on gutted stock manifold have made more power. The weight loss is noticeable if subtle.

How about ditching the manifold idea and getting the front and rear sway bars (or as we in the UK call them anti roll bars) from Che instead? As the springs you are going for are not stiff, the anti roll bar upgrade could make a big difference. You will almost definitely find the car much quicker A to B with the anti roll bar upgrade, but will be hard pushed to feel any difference at all with the manifold.

Front strut brace is a definite yes. Short shifter, having tried two, I would suggest the TRD one is well worth the money and the Ebay cheapy ones are not.

Chris

anti-roll bars you say? Sounds interesting - will check Che's prices out. front strut brace is now on the list, and I was definitely thinking that the TRD over the Che/Ebay short shifters would be my choice.

[Kool PT]

if you have to ask how hard it is to tune then your not capable, at least yet

In that case it's a no-no

[kanujunkie]

if you have to ask how hard it is to tune then your not capable, at least yet

In that case it's a no-no

definatley a no no, you'll need to tie info like AFR to fuel loads in a table that looks somewhat like an excel spreadsheet, get it right then you get more power, get it wrong and the engine goes bang and you scrap it

[Kool PT]

 m http://www.prolex-uk.com/store/product_ ... cts_id=335 m



Would this be a better option than the che front brace?



looks like it'd be a bit stiffer with the diagonal braces, similar price and no worries about import duty. Have been sort of put off ordering from Prolex though - worth a try?

[kanujunkie]

got the Toms version of that, works a treat  s8) s8)

[Kool PT]

it's out of stock on prolex and delivery's 25 quid, which makes it a fair bit more expensive than che. will defo consider it if prolex can get it in pronto though.

[Jaik]

Bear in mind the possible insurance premium increase when you declare the mods. Just a bit of a cost to factor in  s:) s:)

What tyres are you on at the moment? A good set can make a world of difference.

[Kool PT]

2 month old full set of Toyo T1-Rs, pretty happy with them and grip seems excellent in the rain which Aberdeen gets a lot of

[Jaik]

Good stuff, was just trying to spend your money for you  s;) s;)

[Kool PT]

Trust me, there is no money to spend  s:wink: :wink: s:wink:  even the pathetic sum in this thread is going to have to be spread over a few months...

[Kool PT]

Less expensive.... I can also recommend the TwosRUs bushing kits (or equivalent) to replace tired rubber mounts. Droplinks make a big difference too (Whiteline or TwosRUs are common makes) .... but hang fire on TwosRUs ones until they've had a chance to appraise Nic's faulty one.

Are these easy for a garage to replace when new springs are fitted? If not, how much longer would it take to fit them to the strut mounts?

 m http://www.twosrus.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=23_82 m

also, which ones am I supposed to be looking at?

[Anonymous]

By no means an original idea, came from someone on here, but some racing school lessons (I don't mean to imply racing on the road) may give a significant benefit. I did a Silverstone thing (birthday present) which changed the way I drove cars.

[Kool PT]

Fitted markiii pipe on Sunday. No big results but engine/exhaust noise seems slightly more bassy.

[Kool PT]

Update! got a good price on a PPE CAI as you might have seen on another thread, so have sold the markiii pipe & filter to claw back some funds.

I've been considering an intake for a while as a quick route to decent noise without splashing out on a new exhaust (250-300 quid for 2bhp & some nice noise could be much better spent on bracing for my car), but didn't want to compromise the stock power any more. The PPE by all accounts is supposed to sound awesome, and as it is one of the few models which gives power gains (+4bhp I read somewhere) it's perfect for my needs.

£415 remains to be spent on my little project. I've got my eye on Rachelle's Cusco FSTB but she's not responded to PMs etc so maybe it's no longer for sale.