ive always wanted an mr2. You see my miata autoX? having fun on costco tires. I out on RS-2's and my miata wont budge, itll drift for like 3 feet and snap back. i want to put my crappy tires back on









<--on my youtube

 

i have no video of any of my driving, whether it be autox or anything else...

well, when my mr2 runs again (SHOULD be less than a month - but who knows), if you want, i can take you for a drive in it. and, if you like, i can go over every bit of detail of what i've done to the brakes, suspension, engine and wheels/tires if you like. including individual alignment settings. yeah...

 

haha that would be awesome. We should get some footage of that beast too

 

uh yeah... watch out for that whopping 112hp.

but, to give you an idea... brand new falken azenis rt615. 2 1/2 months of daily driving... (ie. no autox, no canyon runs, no off roading, no track) the rears are bald. heh. when i was actively canyon running, every 6 months i'd have to replace all 4 rotors and all my pads.

in a nutshell... me + driving that mr2 = a bit fun/crazy.

 

i have my camber at -1.5 all around and my corners STILL wear faster than the insides! i need like -3 camber! or more !!! HEHEHEHE

ha, i definatley have to ask you what brake setup i should run on my RS...i could use new rotors and need new pads...something light and inexpensive? haha if theres such a thing.

 

the feel that i acquired with my mr2 was perfect for me.

standard blank rotors all around.

EBC Green stuff pads in front, Axxis Metal Master pads in the rear. Goodrich braided steel brake lines. Castrol DOT 4 brake fluid. thats it.

i'm super, super picky with the brake pads, and did tons of reading about brake bias adjusters, etc... its boils down to a very simple truth.

no matter the brake bias front/rear, the only way to change the grip/fade characteristics of your pads... is to change pads.

the EBC Green stuff pads are semi-metallic. their cold grip is nice, and they have a decent heat range. the Axxis Metal Masters take a moment or so longer to bite sufficiently, and their heat range is higher than the Green Stuff.

the point of this setup is to have slightly LESS grip up front, so as to transfer more of the braking duty to the rear. in the Mr2, the fronts lockup with ease - a bad thing. so, i shift a big portion of the braking duty AWAY from the front, thereby allowing me to modulate the brakes more than a stock, or equal (same pads front and rear) setup.

my Mr2 exhibits less understeer if braking before/during a corner is necessary, because the rear is doing more work than the front...

a few have argued that a brake bias adjuster would take care of this. i disagree. here's why... a brake bias adjuster alters the amount of pressure transmitted to your brake pads, not the grip characteristics.

mmyep. so, stock blank rotors, ATE Super Blue brake fluid, EBC Green Stuff front pads, Axxis Metal Master rear pads and some braided steel brake lines.

that would be the minimum. i do have a brake upgrade already in the works for my RS. PM me if you want the details.

 

cool thanks, i''ll pm you.

Im looking for WRX rotors, and pads now.

 

A more important characteristic of our MR2s is in the name itself (I know it's actually Midship Runabout )- Mid-Rear engine layout. Our cars bias is already towards the rear hence our likelyhood to over vs under. If you have done the battery relocation to the front it balances it closer to the 50/50 weight distro that Miatas and S2ks have. As with all MR layouts, beyond limit we have the most unfortunate fun of snap oversteer compared to any other layout; but I'm sure you're aware of this.

 

yep. moved the battery from the engine bay to the front trunk. quite a difference.

btw - the stock brake bias on the mr2 is 70% front. and the 87-89 Mr2s have a re-designed rear suspension to negate the chances of the oversteer situation.

 

minimize is more like it, you can never negate weight bias from the rear unless you move that engine towards the middle or the front.

I always thought the MR2s were the best driver controlled brakes, because w/o abs the driver really determines lockup.

As a previous 89 NA, 85 NA, 89 SC and current 85 SC owner, I do/have felt the differences in the different model revisions of the aw11. I do love the brake upgrade they did on the 87-89 models; hence why my 85 SC runs those larger rotors, pads, brake brackets.

 

yep. i upgraded to those exact brakes as well.

i've only ever had understeer in 87-89 mr2s, unless it was SC. and even then, an oversteer situation was VERY rare.

i hate ABS. i wonder if i could remove it from my RS. heh heh...

 

someone told me how, just a fuse or something...

I hate when you want to enter a wet hairpin sideways and you turn the wheel, load up your G force hit the breaks and the pedal goes clackCLACKCLACKCLACK and you keep going straight lol, ABS really does suck.

but if you get into an accident, insurance will find out it was tampered with and possibly not pay for your damage i've read.

 

well damnit. i'd rather not be caught tampering with my car to that extent...

but, with all the years i've been driving, i've only ever been in 1 accident, and i wasnt at fault.

but, i'd sonner not take my chances with that sorta thing... but, knowing me, i WILL disable my ABS.

 

yeah not sure if my miata has ABS, all i know is you can use the brake pedal like an ebrake, just wait for the turn, turnin brake and slide...im sure your MR2 does that easily too.

then i got RS2 tires and my miata isnt fun anymore actually it is but you know

 

Depends if it was M-Edition or Base model. Base model were optional, standard on M-Editions.

IMHO, Miatas are the most fun on auto-x. Just a very highly tossable car all around. Just put some really good tires and off you go. Not alot of correction or driving involved compared to an MR2. Beyond limit, the MR2 requires alot more attention than the Miata.