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Mike's AW11 MR2 Autocrosser

FOR SALE: My CSP MR2 is for sale at the end of the 2007 seaon: See "ad" below or click on this link

[Car Info | Mods: Current & Future | Photos | Project Plans | FOR SALE 2007 ]


Car Info

BODY/EXTERIOR

1986 Toyota MR2 (MK I), Sunroof, Light Blue Metallic (Color Code 8B8) exterior paint, Black Leather interior with blue/black cloth (velour) seats from 1985 MR2

ENGINE/TRANSMISSION

Normally Aspirated 1.6L 16-valve 4-cylinder (Engine 4AGE-LC), 5-speed manual transmission (C50 gearbox) (well, 5th gear pops out; so it's 4 forward gears and 1 reverse = 5 speed. LOL)

Other Info

Current Mods

BODY/EXTERIOR

ENGINE/DRIVETRAIN

BRAKES/SUSPENSION

INTERIOR/SAFETY

OTHER

Future/Planned Mods

BODY/EXTERIOR

ENGINE/DRIVETRAIN

BRAKES/SUSPENSION

INTERIOR/SAFETY

OTHER

Photos


My MR2 Photos (meets, installaitons)

Photos of my Head Gasket Replacement job
Photos of Momo Race steering wheel in my car
Photos of Rear Suspension Upgrade (High and Tight Bushings/Anti-Sways/Endlinks, strut tops, etc.)

DIY

Radar Dectector Hardwiring, using standard phone line cable (RJ-11)

Why buy a "hardwire kit" for $20+ when you can do it for under $2 with regular phone line?
DIY Steps and photos here.

MOMO Steering Wheel Installation

(write-up is coming soon. photos are posted, though: view them here)

Project Plans

2002

2002 was a fairly good autocross racing season with this car. Starting off with a trip down to Philly for a "winter autocross" which ended with a blown head gasket. Being the first time ever working on a car, that job took a few months, and the MR2 was ready for the 2002 autocross season. Acquired a set of 14x6" borbet wheels and tires which was definitely better than the crappy mismatched street tires that were on the the car when i bought it.

I got used to the way the car drives, and really found it enjoyable, fun, tossible, rotate-able, and I started to post better times with it in CSP. Made the decision to start modding up the car a bit, so I got springs, replaced the blown rear shocks, put on the LOUDASS straight-pipe exhaust, and finally did the intake mod, and got myself a harness because the stock seat belts annoyed me how it comes loose in the middle of the course.

There was 2-day back-to-back event where I fried my clutch, and Tim and I went to his house after the event and dropped the tranny and put in a used replacement clutch in about 5 hours and came back the next day to compete again-- that was truly a memorable weekend... My search for a C52 tranny continues, and I decided I should just go with a lightweight flywheel and racing clutch when I do the swap... I ended up finishing up the season in 2nd place in CSP, behind a MKIII MR2 Sppyder.

I got set of 15x7" kosei wheels with falken azenis as street tires, but ended up running a few events with those and was very impressed with the grip, and the advantage of a wider wheel/tire. I ran my deuce for the first time at Lime Rock, and realized that the car is definitely underpowered for the straights (and I needed an alignment really badly), compared to my BMW which I thought was a bit underpowered. haha. I decided that I like the feel of a bigger car on a road track, and the small, go-kart feeling of my AW11 was what I liked for an autocross course. Incidentally, a MKII MR2 was up for sale, and that seemed like a good candidate for a road track car, so I snatched it up, planning to work on it for next year's track events. [more about that car here]

At the end of 2002, around my last event of the year, at Reading, PA, I started having starter issues. Part of it had to do with my kill switch. But part of it had to do with my solenoid as well. So my car's been sitting for a few months out in the driveway and only now (late January 2003), did I drop the starter and started to rebuild it so I can drive that car again, because I miss driving it.

PLANS FOR 2003 SEASON
Financially, I am trying to do what I can to have a drivable track car (the 91 MR2), so that leaves not much money for this car. My plans are to find a C52 tranny, get a lightweight flywheel and race clutch, and swap those in the car. I should replace the blown front struts with Konis to match the rears, and my big plan for next year is to try running 13x8" wheels and tires. the shorter height and increased width should make my car go faster around an autocross course... Other than that, I don't have any other plans for the car; just hoping nothing else breaks...
-mike, 1/26/2003

2003

2003 was a good learning season, and i honed my driving skills a lot. driving on street tires with my BMW was big help. the evolution school was also a big help, as was going to a lot of events and me becoming an instructor and sitting with different drivers in different cars. helps to articulate things to students, making me aware of things i should keep in mind as well. biggest lessons learned this season is: attack back side of slalom cones, slow in fast out always, shortest line is usually the fastest line, when car is understeering allow tires to straighten out... went to the SCCA national tour in D.C. which was eye-opening: need to watch things like stamina and concentration-- and walking the course is very important, as is watching your competitors. ran my 13"s at the national event. ran it a few times locally, but trying to save up the tires for important events. didn't do anything drastic to the car. changed out the shocks so that i have koni's all around now, and installed high and tight bushings all around, replaced all endlinks (no more clunk!!!), replaced my air filter with a bigger cone K&N, moved battery to the front...

plans for this winter for 2004 season is to finally do that transmission swap and get an alignment (for the first time since i got the car!). i bought a winter car ('88 alltrac turbo) and have been working on that lately. need to get crackin' on the AW11 so that i have a solid CSP-prepped car for 2004 and have a go at a few national tour events (planning on D.C. and ohio at the least). i might even consider the nationals at topeka, depending on how much my driving skill improves. i still don't think the MKI MR2 is gonna make it in CSP on a national level, but i wanna take it as far as it can go... i wish i had an extra $30K lying around so i can get me a MKIII MR2 Spyder... :)
-mike, 12/15/2003

2004

2004 was the last year that I will be doing intensive autocrossing at least for the time being. I started school in the fall, and went on extended vacations this year, so I missed a lot of events. I did, however, finish up all the major work on the MKI-- I replaced the tranny with a C52, put in a new clutch and flywheel. I replaced the badly worn Falkens with a new set (they lasted exactly one season/year). The stock muffler now has a hole, but I'm riding around with that because the loud exhaust is tiring. I have a SpinTech muffler that I'm going to use in its place for street use. I bet my driving skills have declined a lot...
-mike, 5/19/2005

2007

After a 2-year break, I am returning to autocross again in a big way. I plan on doing every event I can, twice a weekend if available. I'm going to go back to the National Tour and Divisional events and re-take the Evo School. I miss driving. And more so, I miss driving my MR2. I am planning on buying a Lotus Elise/Exige this year, so maybe I'll have to sell the MR2. I'm in the process of trimming down my fleet and have already sold my Previa AllTrac Supercharged van and my SW20 MR2 track car...
-mike, 1/2007

In the interest of space at the house, I am going to have to let my MR2 go. My Exige S is here and it's a worthy replacement for this car, probably the only car out there that could replace my MR2. Nothing else even comes close in terms of fun, rawness, feedback, soul, character, personality, etc... See my "for sale" spiel below if you are interested in this amazing car.
-mike, 7/1/2007

P.S. Here is a photo showing the two distant cousins, both Toyota 4-cylinder-powered midengined 2-seaters, separated by 21 years:


FOR SALE 2007

Well, I guess this is really happening... My dear, beloved MR2, which served me well and you know I loved so much, is on the market. My only consolation is that it will go to another autocrosser and will be enjoyed by someone and reward him/her with smiles and driving pleasure that this car has given me. So here is my "for sale" spiel:

I am selling my CSP MR2 at the end of this season. It is going to be replaced by a Lotus Exige S that I just bought. Car is ready to race as-is with no more wrenching necessary for SCCA Solo2 CSP. With multiple cars amongst my family, I need the space at my house more than the money. It's a great cheap way to get started autocrossing, and it is an incredibly fun car to drive.

I am going to drive it for the rest of the season (NE Divisionals event, few more local SCCA events, and few more local PCA events, and possibly one more NASA HPDE event)-- you are welcome to co-drive the car at any of those events if you want to "test drive" the car.

Again, it is prepped to run CSP in SCCA Solo2. There is still a few things you can do to fully max out the class rules (like EMS/tuning and header/exhaust) that I didn't do. I also run it in non-SCCA events like M-Club, Porsche Club, etc. and the occasional HPDE/track days.

MORE INFO
Mod list is listed above, and it is current as of July 9, 2007

BADS
Here are some notable "bads" of this car:
  1. RUST: The rear quarters have rust along the wheel arches. The front valence piece has surface rust and it's been bent out of shape from hitting one too many cones. I think the driver side rear quarter has been hit/bondo'd/painted cos the paint there looks much newer compared to the rest of the car. The driver side footwell area had a nice little rusted hole that I patched with fiberglass so it's all dandy now. I think that covers all the rust areas...
  2. Thing that don't work / things I ripped out:
    1. Air conditioner has been removed. It wasn't working when I got the car-- I have most of the parts in my garage somehwere. Heater is weak too.
    2. Cruise control stopped working, so I took out all the cruise control modules/cables in the engine bay. I have the components in a bag so you can diagnose/fix if inclined to do so)
    3. I ripped out the door buzzer. Drove me insane. Esp. while on grid at autocross where I like to leave my door open.
    4. I removed the third brake light on the spoiler (so it has the '85 look). Oh, the rear bumper of this car is from an '85 (black). Originally the car had leather seats (doors still have leather in them), but replaced with blue/black ones that you see now from the same '85 parts car (Scott, 2 owners ago, did that).
  3. When it rains really hard, water drops around the left foot rest area (left of clutch pedal area). Maybe like 1 tsp of water after a really hard thunderstorm. This is the reason why I took out my carpeting cos I didn't want the soggy smell. Car is stored under a car cover when not driven, lessening the effect.
I think that covers it.

SPARES/OPTIONAL STUFF - I can include/exclude dpending on what you want and the price of the deal
WHEELS
  1. Four 15x7 Kosei K1 Racing, White - Tires = Falken Azenis RT-215s 205/50/15 ((Currently on car in street trim))
  2. Four 13x7.5 Lenso VPD, Gunmetal - Tires = Kumho ECSTA V700s 235/45/13
  3. Three (or four? I'll have to check) stock triangles 14x5.5 - Tires = assorted Dunlops and winter tires and stuff, old, got from previous owner.
EXHAUST
  1. Custom-built straight-pipe exhaust w/cat. Muffler is an adjustable Hooker.
    Photo: http://www.we-todd-did-racing.com/w...DEzZGZkMzF5NTQx
  2. Pieces to make a stock-like 2.25" mandrel bent exhaust with Spintech muffler. Just need to be welded up and fitted. Has flex pipe, 180 degree bend, 90 degree bend, Magnaflow high-flow cat, SpinTech Sportsman XL muffler (3221XL), and stock 2-to-1 collector for the manifold.
  3. Stock exhaust system (from anicetyguy:here) ((Currently on car))
STOCK PARTS
Also I have almost all the parts I took off/replaced on this car; i.e. stock parts like the stock airbox and snorkel/piping, stock steering wheel, hell even the old tranny with popout which I am junking since no one wants it, bottom part of front valence (rubberized thing), hidden hitch trailer receiver (only for towing a tire trailer, nothing heavier!) (photo of it removed here), cruise control stuff, front trunk carpeting and metal trim (no plastic cover), etc.

OTHER
I keep the car under a car cover when not driven, Covercraft Evolution Block-It fabric, 3-layer. It's been torn up by my neighbor's cat, but does a great job of keeping out leaves, tree dropping, bird doodoo, dust/pollen, dirt, etc. off the car. Can include/exclude.

Location:
Long Island, NY

Sale Date:
End of 2007 Autocross Season (~October, 2007)

Price:
$3000 ?? 2500?? I dunno, whatever it's worth to you and fair to me. I don't need the money as much as I need the space.

Buyer Criteria:
I really hope it goes to someone who wants to autocross this car. The previous two owners were also local (NYR SCCA) autocrossers [Scott/Bonnie Bittner & Rich Wayne]. It's been to Topeka (as an ES car) too, so the car knows what it's made to do... It's a great, cheap car to autocross and kick ass locally. And it's a true "turn-key" car:

Since the car is all sorted out, I literally park it, turn the key, drive to event, autocross, drive back, park, and it's good to go. In the winters, I take out the battery and months later in the spring, I put battery back in, turn key, change oil, drive to event, autocross, come back, park, repeat. Does not need any more wrenching, good to go as-is.

PHOTO HIGHLIGHTS (note: go to my photo website for many many more photos)
Some photo highlights of my baby:

At Devens National Tour, June 2007:


Great action shot:


Another action shot:


Recent photo showing the Kosei wheels (street wheel w/Falken Azenis) that I had washed:


...and the rest are here in various pages (meets, installation photos, etc.):

http://www.mchoi.com/go/carpix/



QUESTIONS/VIEWINGS/TEST DRIVES
Post questions here. If serious about buying, please make offer, schedule a time to see it, etc. Again, not transferring ownership until end of this season since I want to finish this season with this car.

Best place to check out the car is during any weekend at local autocross around here (Meadowlands, Nassau Coliseum on weekends; plus Warminster, PA for SCCA NE Divisionals (July 6-8) for the PA folks), since that's where it'll be. plus a few track days here and there if i find the time (e.g. Lime Rock, Poconos, Watkins Glen).

If you wish to "test drive" I am willing to let you co-drive the car at any autocross where I will be entering.

Thanks for reading!

-mike, 7/9/2007

Links

My Other Car, 2001 BMW 325Ci

Mike Choi / MR2@325ci.com

since 1/22/2002 (new server)