I currently own a 1991 MR2 Turbo but am seriously contemplating getting an SC.

I'm thinking I want the SC400, with plans to swap a six speed tranny in and possibly later a supercharger.

Are there any years better than others? Should one stay away from VVTI?

Your opinions would be appreciated.

Cheers

 

Welcome to CL! Those sound like some pretty big but good plans. I can promise you that you will not regret an Sc. I love mine. I tried selling it like three times but couldnt!

 

I love my vvti but my engine is not moded.

 

VVT-i is great unless you are turboing a SC300. That would limit you to anything that is a 98 or newer. As far as doing a tranny swap on a SC400, I think you would be putting more money and time into it that it's worth.

in my opinion that is.

 

I still want your sc Chris

 

Get a JZZ30 TT model! That will please you no doubt.

 

Good luck with your plans. But be warned that your ideas are going to cost some serious $$$. 10-15 thousand by most estimates for the S/C and 6 speed. That's in addition to the cost of the car.

Search the site as one member recently finished his S/C project. He would be a valuable insight as to what is truly involved.

 

Very true about having some serious cash flow. All this talk about the 6speed swap reminds me to this day of all of the threads started by people recently purchasing their car with HUGE plans of boost, 2jz swaps, and now more recently 6speed swaps. Sad fact is, maybe .07% of members actually finish their project.

Keep in mind, you gotta pay to play. Seeing threads about why things are so expensive gets on my nerves. This 6speed project is gonna cost more than my car.... blah blah blah... the body kit is more than my car... the rims cost more than my car... blah blah blah... you guys get the idea...

 

So true!!! Exactly the reason why I try to post some information about the difficulty or complexity of what they are proposing.

Sometimes it seems negative, but I agree that there seems to be an influx of somewhat uninformed new SC owners with visions of grandeur. I would rather them be a bit ticked at me in the beginning for a post then to hear that down the road the car is now being sold as scrap because the project was too expensive and needed to be tossed.

 

No worries...I don't see the comments as negative at all. Every time you mod a car it's expensive.

I've picked the SC as the next project car because I think the car is damn good looking, it has a great reliability reputation and I'm a bit of a Toyota freak.

I like superchargers and I don't like automatic transmissions. These are my personal preferences.

My only concern is if VVTI is going to limit engine modifications in the future or limit the level of modifications available.

 

Welcome aboard! I hope my post didn't seem too negative, but it was based on my personal opinion. Lovin' the way you take constructive criticism! I hope your project goes well, and what you said above is true... "everytime you mod a car, it's expensive!" I always say, you gotta pay to play!

Also, get one without VVTi.

 

What is it about VVTi that is negative?

 

You want to put these questions in this forum.

Nothing wrong with VVTI, it's higher HP and a better engine. The backyard DIY guy's don't like it because you can't just sit there in your shed and build one. Take a look at the Turbo powered IS300's to see some VVTI in action.

They are monsters and well worth the effort.

 

Excellent attitude my man!!!!

I'm not a boost pro, but everything I hear indicates that the VVTI system is not really boost friendly. Now most of this is with regards to turbos, but I would be inclined to believe the same holds true with supercharging.

www.planetsoarer.com is an excellent resource since those Aussies are just crazy about supercharging their 1UZ's!!!!!

I'm sure that looking around there you'll find someone that supercharged a VVTI engine.

Best of luck to you and your project!

Keep us posted! My goal is to also supercharge my 1UZ (plans don't allow that until next year though. And I would like to use a Procharger!)

 

The gains of VVT-I are it's efficiency. The vavle timing is constanly being adjusted for power and efficiency. They're lower maintenance engines, (no more cap and rotor). Ignitions are direct feed current to the ignitors and then sparks. There are other positive tidbits, but these engines are great.



The downside is the -i, i for Intelligence.
The intelligence in the engine is designed to spite you. You do a mod, get great gains for a day or two, then the engine adjusts the timing taking that gain away. They're a nightmare for tuners, but done right you got a beast. "I'm sorry Dave, I cannot do that"