Disclaimer: This information is presented as is with no claim of accuracy. However, every precaution has been taken to ensure accuracy. Because there are so many different ways to setup the MR2 for autocross, this FAQ is intended to be a general guide only to setting up the MKII MR2 for stock autocrossing. Your setup may differ based on expected course speeds, surface type, weather, and driver preference.

Differences in 91-92/93-95 cars and turbo/NA cars will be noted

Special thanks to Randy Chase who was a primary contributor. Brad Burns, David Hillman, and Bill Stockton also made significant contributions..

If you have anything to add or correct, please contact me at nathan@mitsi.com

Suspension

• Alignment

  Crash Bolts are used to help get lots of negative camber in the front.   Four crash bolts are used for the front, two per side. Crash bolts are SCCA Stock class legal on the FRONT of the car ONLY, per Toyota Technical Document Volume 10, number 007. Vehicle alignment procedure. Toyota sells three sizes, but for autocross, the smallest one should be used to obtain maximum negative camber. (Installation Picture)

  When you install crash bolts make sure they are very tight.  MR2's are notorious for loosing their negative camber if these are not tight enough.   You should tighten the crash bolts to 180-200 ft/lbs to keep them from slipping.  Part number for the nut that goes on the crash bolts is 90179-15001. It is recommended that you replace those when you replace the bolts

  	Toyota Part Number	Size (mm)	Degrees of Change
  Big size	90105-15004	13.9	+/- 0.25
  Middle	90105-15005	13.3	+/-0.50
  Small	90105-15006	12.8?	+/-0.75

  Ball Joints on the MR2 seem to wear out quickly. Worn out ball joints may cause alignment problems. They are approximately $35 each from Toyota. A number of people have had them replace at about 90K miles or before.

  Properly aligning your car is one of the first things you should do. Having 1/8" toe-in in the rear will greatly reduce the snap oversteer characteristics of the 91-92 cars.  This is recommended for street only cars as well.

  91-92 Alignment Specs
  Front
  Camber	-2.5 or greater (some people have gotten as much a -3.0)
  Caster	5.0 degrees
  Toe (per side)	(0" to 1/8" toe OUT) (0.0 to 0.3 deg toe OUT) 1/16" may be a good starting point.
  Rear
  Camber	-1.5
  Toe (per side)	(1/8" toe IN) or as much as 3/16" (0.3 deg toe IN)

   

  93+ Alignment Specs
  Front
  Camber	-2.5 or greater
  Caster	Not Adjustable
  Toe (per side)	1/16 to 1/8 toe OUT (0.15 to 0.3 deg)
  Rear
  Camber	-1.5
  Toe (per side)	(0" to 1/16" toe IN) (0.0 to 0.15 deg)

   

• Struts

  When you install new struts don't for get to replace the strut boots. They are called bumpers by Toyota
  since they have the bump stops built in to them. They cost about $15 new each. Give yourself a few days to get these shipped in by Toyota, because chances are good they won't be in stock.

  • Tokico Illumina 5-way adjustable

    The Illumina 5-ways have an externally adjustable five position dial that is easily adjusted with a screwdriver. The dial adjusts both compression and rebound modes. An L shaped screwdriver is needed to adjust the rear, because the rear side covers restrict direct access. Most people recommend these for autocross. These are available from RD Enterprises.

  • Koni Adjustable

    The Koni struts provide rebound damping adjustment with a fixed compression damping setting. The downside is the rears can not be EASILY changed without loosening up the rear side covers. Visual feedback on the Konis as to how stiff they are set can also be challenging. You have to dial it back to zero setting and count turns, you can't just look down like a Tokico and see it's set on 4. This is also an advantage, making these struts infinitely adjustable. These are available from RD Enterprises.

  • GAB 8-way adjustable

    These are available for 1993 and newer MR2's. These GAB units are a complete strut assembly, not a cartridge. They are externally adjustable on the bottom end of the strut. Eight way adjustment provides the widest range of suspension tuning available for the MR2. These are VERY expensive. These are available from RD Enterprises.

  • KYB AGX

    These are four-way adjustable inserts.

• Front Sway Bar

  The end links on the 91/92 car have been know to bend.  The 93+ end links are much thicker and stronger and can be legally used on the 91/92 cars. The 93+ end links are about $80 list price each from Toyota.  Twos R Us has started making an adjustable end link for much less.

  The mounting point where the end link connects to strut housing has been know to break when using a bar that is stiffer than stock. It seems to take a few years of driving and autocrossing to actually break the mounting point. Some people have successfully re-enforced the mounting point by welding additional metal to it.

  • TRD

    This bar is great on lower speed courses.  This seems to be the best choice unless you go with some sort of custom made bar.  The TRD bar comes with new U shaped support brackets which are thicker than the stock ones and they look like the distribute the force of the bar better. This means you are less likely to rip them out of the frame. The ST bar seems to rip the stockers right out after a few years.
    

  • Suspension Techniques

    Most people feel that this is much to stiff and causes too much understeer, especially on low speed courses.  However, on a high speed course this may be the bar to use if you are having problems keeping the rear end in line. Because this bar is so stiff, it may eventually bend your end links or rip the U shaped support brackets out of the frame.

  • Custom Modified Suspension Techniques

    The ST bar may be modified to reduce its strength by removing metal from the center section of the bar. This may be accomplished by using a milling machine, file, or disk sander. Be careful to modify only the section between the two bushings.

  • Custom Adjustable TRD

    The standard TRD bar can be modified to make an adjustable bar. Mine has three attachment holes at approx. 38%, 70%, and 112% stiffer than stock.

  • Adjustable GAB

    An adjustable would seem to be the ultimate bar. However, the GAB bar is only available in Japan and, it is quite expensive. The specs are also unknown.  The GAB bar is available from www.speedlab.com. As of 11/30/98 the price was about 650 USD including shipping from Japan

Engine and Drive Train

• Drop-in air filter

  You may use any drop-in air filter as long as it fits in the stock air box.  Popular choices seem to be K&N and AMSoil. Some people claim that they can tell the difference, but I have yet to see a dyno sheet showing any. I personally have used the stock, the K&N, and the AMSoil and have noticed no difference. I'm currently sticking with the AMSoil because I feel it filters better. The stock paper filter has very tall pleats which increase surface area for better air flow. Whatever you decide on, just make sure it stays clean for maximum air flow.

• Exhaust

  The HKS and GReddy are both heavier that the stock exhaust and offer marginal improvements at best. If you use a custom pipe or muffler, make sure it sticks out far enough. The exhaust gases come out hot enough to melt the rear plastic bumper.
  

  Turbo - A straight pipe of some sort seems to be the best way to go. Some people notice a small decrease in low end power, a slight decrease in spool up time, and a slight increase in top end. Others claim no difference. However, the greatest advantage seems to be loosing the weight of the stock exhaust from the extreme rear of the car. Mr.2 Performance Products (Mr2PP) offers a custom stainless steel straight pipe kit complete with mounting hardware. (Note: Mr2PP seems to have gone out of business)

  NA - Supertrapp 4" glasspak has the advantage of being "tunable" by installing or removing plates. Cost is about $110+.  Mr2PP also sells a custom exhaust with variable back pressure. This exhaust has a spring loaded flapper that opens under wide open throttle. (Note: Mr2PP seems to have gone out of business)

  For even more opinions check out the Exhaust Summary on www.mr2.com.

  For Supertrapp details see Randy's writeup and David Hillman's writeup.

   

• Ignition

  According to SCCA "The make of spark plugs, points, ignition coil and high tension wires is unrestricted including spark plug wires having an in-line capacitors."

  Mr2PP recommends triple ground NGKs along with the Nology capacitive wires and ground straps. Actual performance gains from these have yet to be proven or shown on the MR2.

  No matter what you decide to use, make sure the cap, rotor, wires, and plugs are in great shape.  This is especially important on the MR2 Turbo where the cap seems to wear out quickly.

Brakes

• Pads

  Most people recommend all stock pads or stock pads on the front and Carbotech "mean greens" on the rear.  Having Carbotech pads on the rear shifts the braking bias toward the rear more. The Carbotech pads tend to squeal and give off a lot of dust. However, Carbotech has come out with a new pad called the Panther which seems to have great potential as an street/autocross/track day pad. If you want to improve your braking, be sure and talk to Larry at Carbotech. They have three different compounds that are suitable for autocross.

  Carbotech
  1080 NW 53 ST.
  Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33309
  (954) 493-9668
  www.carbotecheng.com

• Rotors

  Only stock Toyota rotors are recommended.  Cross drilled or slotted rotors are not legal in stock classes.

• Stainless Steel Brake Lines

  These are only SCCA Stock class legal for the 91 MR2. For autocross, this may not make much of a difference.  So far I have heard mixed reviews.  If you have experience with these please let me know.  They are available from TRD, Stillen/Goodridge, and Russell.

• Brake Fluid

  Use a high quality DOT 3 or 4 brake fluid such as Motul 600, Motorcraft High Performance (was Ford HD), or Valvoline Synthetic. It's important to flush the brake system and bleed the brakes well for optimal performance.  This can mean the difference between ok braking and excellent braking.

  For more information on brake fluid see: http://www.bira.org/fluids.html

Wheels and Tires

• Tires
  • Kumho Victoracer V700

    Brian Priebe and Mike Eckert (fast drivers,  in case you don't know who they are) have been running 205's in the rear and 195's in the front. Priebe said he did testing of all combo's and that on fast courses this was about .2 faster than 205's all the way around. For slow courses, he said it made no difference.

    Brian Priebe recommends the following setup:

    195/55/14 35 psi on front
    205/55/14 37 psi on rear

    According to Kumho the 195/55R14 and 205/55R14 are about the same width even though the spec sheet lists the 205 as 0.16" wider.

    This Tire is well sized for the 93+ stock MR2, as they make a 225-50/15 for the rear. The 225s just barely fit on the front, and you may experience minor rubbing.  However, most people recommend using the 205s in the front.  Good starting pressures are 30psi front and 33 rear. Kumhos seem to last very long. You can buy Kumhos from CUT at (217) 583-3244.

    Tire Rack is now selling these as well.

  • Kumho ECSTA V700

    Finally, there is a 225/50R14, but what happened to the 205/55R14?

    Let me know if you have any info about this tire as it relates to the MR2.

  • Toyo Proxes RA-1

    Available shaved and shipped from GT International Motors. A club Racer there named John Norris owns the shop and gives good service.  His phone is (310) 575-4249. Randy Chase ran these tires for 3 years and really liked them. They do not pay trophy money for SCCA autocross events though. Good starting pressures are around 48psi front and 50-52psi rear. They like a lot of pressure in them to stick well. Last long, like the Kumhos, and are very consistent. Very fast when cold.

  • Hoosier

    This seems to be the tire of choice for wining serious events.  However, they are expensive, and don't last long compared to the other options.

    The good Hoosiers for the 91/92 is the 205/50-14 fronts and the 225/50-14 rears, using either A3-S03 or R3-S02. The A=autocross and the R=roadracing.

    For the 93+ MR2, most people are using 205/50-15 fronts and 225/45-15 in the rear.

    Hoosiers are a very light tire and may lock up easy under braking or spin easy under acceleration. Tire life may also not be as long as some other tire choices, and they are more costly.

    Hoosiers require heat cycling, but tire rack will do this for $15/tire if you have cash to burn, or logistics force this to be your only option. I have used Tire Racks heat cycling and shaving service and have been very happy. You may need to experiment with tire pressures on the Hoosiers.

    Tire Rack has some Hoosier Tire Care Tips

  • Yokohama Advan A032R

    In tests by Grassroots Motorsports Magazine (??/19??) this tire compared poorly to the Kumho V700 in the dry. This tire is more of a driving school and rain tire. It wears very well, but is not as sticky as the other tires listed here. This tire is not recommended for the serious autocrosser.

  					Tread Depth
  Manufacturer	Name	Size	Starting Pressure	Tread Width	Full	Shaved	UTQG Tread- wear
  Kumho	Victoracer V700	195/55VR14	35-37	7.48	6/32	4/32	50
  	Victoracer V700	205/55VR14	35-37	7.64	6/32	4/32	50
  	Victoracer V700	205/50ZR15		7.84	6/32	4/32	50
  	Victoracer V700	225/50ZR15		8.66	6/32	4/32	50
  	Ecsta V700	195/55VR14		7.4	6/32		50
  	Ecsta V700	225/50WR14		8.9	6/32		50
  Toyo	Proxes RA-1	205/55VR14	47-50		8/32	4/32	40
  	Proxes RA-1	225/50VR14			8/32	4/32	40
  	Proxes RA-1	205/50ZR15			8/32	4/32	40
  	Proxes RA-1	225/50ZR15			8/32	4/32	40
  Hoosier	A3S03	205/55ZR14		8	4/32		40
  	A3S03	225/50ZR14		8.8	4/32		40
  	A3S03	205/50ZR15		8	4/32		40
  	A3S03	225/45ZR15		8.6	4/32		40
  Yokohama	Advan A032R	205/50VR15		8	8/32		60
  	Advan A032R	225/50VR15		8.3	8/32		60

  
  

• Wheels

  The stock alloy wheels are generally what most people use.   Custom made wheels, which would be very expensive, are the only other option. Wheels can be bought for the 93+ cars from various companies such as
  Panasport, but NONE are made to fit both front and back legally for the 91/92 cars. Used stock wheels, in reasonable shape, can be purchased for $100-$200 a set, sometimes much lower. The XCars.com Classifieds is a great place to find stock wheels and anything else MR2 related for sale. Stock wheels may also be found in your local classifieds, or if you are desperate you could always try Acker Wheel in Northern California. There business is buying and selling stock rims. (800) 994-3357 or (408) 275-1218
  

  Wheel Weight Table:

  Year	Material	Size	Weight
  91-92	Steel	14x6	?
  91-92	Steel	14x7	?
  91-92	Alloy	14x6	16.5 lbs
  91-92	Alloy	14x7	19.3 lbs
  93+	Alloy	15x6	?
  93+	Alloy	15x7	?

Miscellaneous

• Driver Restraints

  Schroth Rallye 3

• Things to remove from the car

  Take out the spare tire and jack from the front trunk. Don't forget the floor mats, wheel center caps, and all those CDs stuffed in the center console.

  If your car has t-tops, they should be removed prior to autocrossing. They don't seem to provide any extra rigidity to the chassis and autocross speeds are generally low enough that there is no aerodynamic advantage.  Removing them gets rid of the extra weight and gives your helmet plenty of room.

  If you want to go through a lot of trouble, the rear wing may be removed on the NA cars only.

  Legal Options on the MR2 to be SCCA stock legal can be found at:
  http://planet-torque.com/mk2/options.html
  

• Trailer Hitch

  Bailey Hitch by Twos R Us - Designed by Randy Chase, this hitch was inspired by the hitch that is used by National Autocross Champion and MR2 driver Kevin Bailey. This hitch is easy to install (no drilling or modification to the vehicle is necessary) and the bulk of its weight is off the car with the removal of 4 easily accessible bolts.

• Driving Instruction
  • Evolution Performance Driving School - Knowledge, preparation, and practice is the way most champions achieve their success in any activity. If you want the knowledge and skills to win in the sport of autocrossing you should consider the courses that many national autocross champions have attended.
  • Secrets of Solo Racing, by Henry A. Watts. Grassroots Motorsports says that this is "the best book on autocrossing ever written." If you can't find it at your local book store, it's available at Amazon.com.