Radiator

[Anonymous]

That ad would be so easy to fix! Bit of lead and you could do any car.
Its from the age of fiddled ads too. Remember the ad with two cylinder heads side by side, one clean the other dirty, suggesting that one fuel or oil was better than the other?
If you looked closely it was two pics of THE SAME HEAD!

[Capvermell]

Are Japspeed a brand name or some cheepo Ebay tosh that should be avoided?

The main radiator sellers on Ebay with the highest feedback are selling you the same OEM radiator as was originally fitted in the car at a fraction of the Toyota price.  The one I got on Ebay was the same as the one removed from the car down to the very last fin.

The radiators weren't made by Toyota but some independent Japanese radiator manufacturer.  This is why the OEM spare radiators are available fairly cheaply through EBay parts sellers.

Same principle as Mr T charging you £160 for the Oxygen sensors but OEM Denso sensors of the same spec being available at £60 through  w www.sparkplugs.co.uk w

You are making a big mistake to think everything sold on Ebay is dodgy.  Good stuff sold on Ebay will be sold by sellers with either 100% or no worse than 99.9% feedback ratings (100% is best but if the firm has sold 20,000 items on Ebay the odd insane customer is bound to give them bad feedback no matter how good they are so 99.9% is usually ok).  Don't buy from any with seller a feedback score like 99.2% as only some buyers are willing to give a negative feedback rating however poor the service so this is actually a very bad feedback score.

[Lippy]

cheers for the info capvermell

I get what your saying and agree, what I really want to know is has anyone got one and was it direct fitment without adding blead nipples etc...?

[Anonymous]

Just for info janspeed is a good aftermarket parts supplier

[Capvermell]

Ebay item number 150561877372 from Cospares at £89 delivered looks like the OEM radiator to me from the picture.  They also have 100% feedback on a large number of sales and offer a 2 year warranty on the product.  It is also sold as a new and unused item.

Despite the lack of photo from the description I would suspect that Ebay item number 320727290038 at only £59.90 with free delivery is the OEM part too.  99.9% positive feedback on 4571 transactions is still an acceptable score in my opinion.  It also comes with a 2 year warranty.

As long as the seller takes payment by PayPal if it isn't the proper radiator you just put the item in dispute with PayPal and they refund you after a few days or weeks.  If the seller is active on Ebay they won't want to mess up their feedback score by refusing to take a return on a relatively low value item.   It is also stated in the advert to be "OEM Quality"

I only paid £59 for my replacement radiator three years ago and it was identical to the radiator that is in the vehicle (except that it was new and unused) and clearly came from the same manufacturer.

[dj2k21]

I know alot of people in the jap tuning scene with anything from a 700bhp civic type R (yes that's right) to big power supras to mr2s and we all agree koyo are good value, jap speed are a well known brand as said but after seeing how they throw together there drift car I am sceptical as to the quality of their parts lol. I use 2 full size c-one radiators which are brilliant but not cheap at all to be honest. You could always just get your own re cored. A place near me does it for £40 and it's like new again.

[Capvermell]

You could always just get your own re cored. A place near me does it for £40 and it's like new again.

Hardly seems worth it when you can get a brand new one for £59 delivered, especially when I assume this means having no radiator in the car and being unable to drive it for several days while it is done.

[Anonymous]

i think this going a bit all over the place. the question you really need to ask yourself is what is it your after. big power like 300+ BHP then you want to look at a bigger aftermarket rad to aid the cooling. if your just running small figures then best to just buy a new stock rad like what has been shown as the stock is good for at least 250 BHP

[Capvermell]

Lippy previously said:-

I generally never buy OEM parts and thought this would be a nice upgrade, although even boosted my car doesnt go above the half way mark on the temp (if thats normal)...

I just found an ad for the supplier of the one I bought three years ago under Ebay item number 290661310330 for £54 +£6 delivery.  This shows a clear picture of the rad unlike the other cheaper supplier and I can vouch that the one I bought from this firm runs fine three years after it was fitted.

The alloy racing one is about £138 delivered but the main question mark is how much work it will be to get it to fit as its almost certainly not a radiator specifcally for the MR2 Roadster but just one of roughly the right size and right cooling capacity.

The stock rad seems to be fine in terms of cooling.  The only question mark is its durability but supposedly these alloy rads can also be subject to some kind of nasty corrosion phenomenon over several years.  If you were talking the stock battery in the car then that really needs upgrading in as much as it doesn't stand up to the battery drain if the car isn't driven for just a couple of weeks.  On the other hand Mr T does the standard battery at such an excellent price (£43 inc VAT with my 5% parts discount on an older car compared to about £75 at Halfords for a basic battery) that in the end I cheapskated and just got another standard one (one of the reasons the battery is so cheap at a Toyota dealer is that they then charge customers 25 minutes labour if you ask them to also fit it so it has to be cheap to make the fitted price seem bearable compared to Kwikfit etc).  As this Toyota one is made in Spain and the last one was made in France and the one before it in Japan this one might even turn out to have a better spec than the previous two.

[Lippy]

Janspeed I have heard of and I believe my old manifold was made by them but the company is jaPspeed, here is the link

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/140583510790?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649

I didnt want to buy an OEM standard radiator, I figures as mine is boosted and the temps might get higher when I get it mapped to 240bhp in the summer then it would be a good idea if im replacing mine to get a higher cooling efficiency one...

Anyone know of any big radiators anyone sells for our cars? someone must have done a boosted conversion of some thought and uprated the rad surely?...

[Anonymous]

Janspeed I have heard of and I believe my old manifold was made by them but the company is jaPspeed, here is the link

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/140583510790?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649

I didnt want to buy an OEM standard radiator, I figures as mine is boosted and the temps might get higher when I get it mapped to 240bhp in the summer then it would be a good idea if I'm replacing mine to get a higher cooling efficiency one...

Anyone know of any big radiators anyone sells for our cars? someone must have done a boosted conversion of some thought and uprated the rad surely?...

turning the boost back up to where andy had it and the stock will be fine mate. lots of people have run more power than that and kept everything fine with a stock rad. if its fins are short and it starts leaking then best just get a new stock rad it be fine. and i dont know if i would trust japspeed seems like the made their name to confuse you to think it janspeed

[Capvermell]

The picture makes the Japspeed rad look identical in dimensions and fit to the standard unit.  Only the materials used or internal core design seem to have changed.  So at least it ought to fit your car.

But 99.3% is a very bad Ebay feedback score.  I would personally avoid dealing with such a firm and definitely make sure to look at what people are saying in all the negative feedback scores they have received before I even thought about going ahead with buying it.

[Wabbitkilla]

But 99.3% is a very bad Ebay feedback score.  I would personally avoid dealing with such a firm and definitely make sure to look at what people are saying in all the negative feedback scores they have received before I even thought about going ahead with buying it.

I don't think you can really say that's a very bad score, you don't earn over 99% by being crap!
But as you say it's worth researching the reasons for the black marks and think for yourself if they were deserved ... of the two bad feedback in the last 12 months I can see their point. Of the mediocre feedbacks every problem was resolved, and some were down to slow delivery. Imho slow delivery is subjective, people seem to think they will receive everything the next day nowadays.

Saying all that you really have to be careful with these aluminium rads, they don't always put the bleed points in the right place and you'll never get them filled properly as Uktotty discovered.

[Lippy]

i sware my posts keep deleting themselves and im writing things twice lol

I want to be running 240bhp+ eventually, there is loads of stuff to do first and finish off paying the rest of the car yet but hopefully not too long away...

Maybe il just get an OEM rad until such times as im closer to raising the boost and fitting other performance parts.

Cheers for the input all  s:) s:)

[MattPerformance]

i sware my posts keep deleting themselves and I'm writing things twice lol

I want to be running 240bhp+ eventually, there is loads of stuff to do first and finish off paying the rest of the car yet but hopefully not too long away...

Maybe il just get an OEM rad until such times as I'm closer to raising the boost and fitting other performance parts.

Cheers for the input all  s:) s:)

The only time you'll need a bigger rad is if you build the engine and start running big power (in which case you'll also need to uprate the gearbox, fit a bigger turbo and convert to a chargecooler set-up, not to mention the engine build!).  The kit that's on there will make a little shy of 240bhp and the rad is more than capable of keeping things under control even on track days (my car took multiple poundings on track at 240bhp and never, ever had a problem with coolant temps).

[Lippy]

Sweet cheers matt thats exactly what i wanted to hear! when you say gearbox upgrades do you mean swapping the box alltogether or having mine worked on? Whats involved in that past 240 bhp

[MattPerformance]

Sweet cheers matt thats exactly what i wanted to hear! when you say gearbox upgrades do you mean swapping the box alltogether or having mine worked on? Whats involved in that past 240 bhp

The easiest and cheapest gearbox upgrade is to go for a Jubu Racing 3rd and 4th gear set (they're actually Lotus ratios but they work fine) in your existing 'box.  Probably worth renewing all the bearings at the same time.  The clutch that you have won't be up to the job of 280+ftlb so you'd need to uprate it when you did the engine.  The engine will need forged con rod, forged low comp pistons, ARP studs (top and bottom) and then you have the option of Darton liners (and oversize bores - 1.93l conversion?) plus the head will need some work: s/s valves, titanium collets and uprated springs plus cams (all of these engine bits come from MWR) and, ideally, a bit of porting work.  Standalone ECU is essential and apart from the obvious pipe changes required for an uprated turbo (GT30...) you'll need to modify the exhaust/ cat pipe joint to remove the 2" restriction.
You need to be VERY committed to go down this path.  Personally, I'd recommend getting Redline to get you back on the high output set-up and see how you feel about things then.  The only parts of what you currently have that will be re-useable in a bigger turbo upgrade are the manifold and the induction pipe, so if you decided you wanted to go to 260-ish bhp you'd be better switching to something like a Hass kit, or a custom kit with all the associated upgrades if you wanted 300+bhp.  The SP turbo kit that's on there would yield more towards a custom install if you took it off and sold it than it would save you by re-using bits of it.

[Anonymous]

If I remember correctly the stock box can take a max of 280. Also on a note the gear set wine.

[Capvermell]

Where on earth do you guys find insurers willing to cover all this in terms of these massive power upgrades?

Wouldn't it just be easier and cheaper in terms of both car upgrade costs and insurance costs to buy a 10 year old 3.2 Porsche Boxster?

[nathanMR2]

More than likely. But what you'll find is a lot of people around here spend a lot of time working on their car and do the mods over a long period gradually.

With all the blood, sweat and tears that goes into our pride and joy its very easy to grow fairly attached to it given the money and time spent over the period of ownership. Thats why a lot of people spend more money on what they have.

Anyway wheres the fun in buying a car thats already perfect for you!   s:wink: :wink: s:wink:

[Dyn-Evo]

I have the KoyoRad racing rad in my V6.....  s:D s:D  

It has a 53mm core, was really easy to fit...and DOES have a bleed valve (unlike some of the cheaper Ebay jobbies..!  s:roll: :roll: s:roll:  

Downside..?

Well, it cost the best part of £400, all in (when you add Parcelforce rip off fees, VAT, customs, etc!!!)   s:shock: :shock: s:shock:  

...and as it came from Canada, it took around 5 bloody weeks to get to my door...!!!   s:evil: :evil: s:evil:  

..but its a great rad: I'd recommend one for anyone with a turbo / SC setup.....in fact its almost TOO good...

Temps can be down in the 80's on a cold day, doing 70+ on the m'way....fans have only ever kicked in when I've been replacing coolant, etc, whilst stationary on the driveway....  s8) s8)

[Lippy]

Cheers Matt, I love having you to answer questions about where to go next! Your an absolute wealth of knowledge!

It wont be for a while that I seriously look into 240+ bhp, but its good to have an idea on what needs doing before I think im going down a certain route!
Having removed the frunk liner today and the bin im seriously tempted after I have rust proofed the entire engine bay to plumb in my Nitrous system and mount the botted in the bonnet area, it cost me the best part of £800 with all the optional extras and its just sitting in my garage and I love the kick in the teeth nos gives its so much more than any turbo/supercharged car that ive been in!

Is the inlet manifold alloy on the MR2's?
Is the fuel pipe 8mm same as most other cars? (thinking on getting s/s braided lines when I plumb in my fuel pressure gauge)

@ Capvermell : On most of the cars ive owned ive been with Adrian Flux as they are one of the only companies that will insure road going cars with Nitrous, you can fit almost any performance part without an increase in insurance price unless it raises the bhp. I fitted a carbon bonnet to my saxo which made it lighter and more appealing to steal and there was no increase in cost  s:) s:)

Own a porshe... nah not for me thanks, id rather drive an MR2 that shouldnt be quick but surprises people! same as with my saxo it wasnt expected that it had a gas system installed in it and thats what made it fun half of the time!

@ Dyn-evo : Cheers for the heads up on the radiator, I expected to pay that if not more for a decent one anyway and thats why I was curious about the £149 one on Ebay :/
Having seen under the bonnet covers today I noticed that there is a filling tube up high above the radiator so in theory with a bit of patience you shouldnt need a bleed valve in the rad and mine doesnt seem to have one anyway, possably a facelift addition either that or I didnt see the valve in rad and im wrong  s:) s:)

[ChrisGB]

Cheers Matt, I love having you to answer questions about where to go next! Your an absolute wealth of knowledge!

It wont be for a while that I seriously look into 240+ bhp, but its good to have an idea on what needs doing before I think I'm going down a certain route!
Having removed the frunk liner today and the bin I'm seriously tempted after I have rust proofed the entire engine bay to plumb in my Nitrous system and mount the botted in the bonnet area, it cost me the best part of £800 with all the optional extras and its just sitting in my garage and I love the kick in the teeth nos gives its so much more than any turbo/supercharged car that ive been in!

Is the inlet manifold alloy on the MR2's?

The inlet manifold is plastic. I know you are looking to get value for money out of your nitrous kit, but honestly, in your position, the most cost effective interim stage upgrade would be to get the 440cc injectors back in and have it mapped to the high output spec. The difference is very noticeable. In my N/A MR2 with a few choice mods, I used to be able to work hard and mostly keep up with cars running the 6psi setups, but the high output setup is in a different league. The closed loop map Richard at Redline did for my car is very smooth, none of that double hump as the boost comes in. I just get the feeling that adding nitrous to a turbo is asking for bother. For a start, you need to consider the con rods wont be happy much above 240lb/ft and also that adding nitrous can lead to huge boost creep, so even with the wastegate wide open, boost can get very out of hand. Going the high output turbo route, you get a very driveable car that should be reliable.

Chris

[ChrisGB]

Where on earth do you guys find insurers willing to cover all this in terms of these massive power upgrades?

Wouldn't it just be easier and cheaper in terms of both car upgrade costs and insurance costs to buy a 10 year old 3.2 Porsche Boxster?

Hmm

3.2 Boxster S  from around 2000 will not live with the boosted MR2 in raw acceleration terms. Its 300 extra Kgs sees to that. You can buy a late low miles MR2 and turbo it within a £10K budget. Anything with a Porsche badge on it that costs £10K will be considerably more of a money pit to run. Plus, the Boxster, good though it is, did not make me grin like the MR2 did.

Chris

[nathanMR2]

Just had my New Rad delivered yesterday as per Capvermell recommendation however its arrived with some damage. I assume damage in transit

Ive messaged the company through ebay to confirm theres damage to the fins. They havent seen these photos yet but they suggest that bent fins are not a problem as you are likely to bend fins with fitting.

Whats peoples thoughts?