Best e30 is?

[WarHammer 2/1]

Dont stock mr2s have like 90hp? The ones ive been in were pretty damn slow

I think it was around 115 hp.

[wolkersdorfer2]

I dont think an 89 is the only desireable year. The main difference is the ellipsoids, and 24 year old lights are going to be pitted to hell and the reflectors oxidised.

Id look for the best condition car you can find. Also, a 325is is not faster than a 325i, the main differences are pretty much cosmetic. Things like lip spoilers are a couple hundred bucks. 20+ year old suspension will need replaced anyway, and an old worn out lsd wont do you much good either (plus, these cars being as old as they are, the chances of it being swapped out are high)

Basically, if you are building a track car, any 325i or 325is, 2 door or 4, will do just fine. Condition is what matters most.

Also, there were no E30 coupes! ;)

Thank you, This is pretty much what i was thinking.

You're asking two different questions. Best E30 is different from best E30 for the track. Excluding M3s and FI/swapped cars, no E30 is going to be much faster than your MR2.
So it's not an all-out track car, but how stock are you going to keep it? Is it more stock street car that will go to the track on occasion, or track car that will occasional be driven on the street? Full interior? Race seats? Cage?

I would consider it roughly 50/50. I dont want to strip it, so full interior, keeping all options and accessories. I am a novice driver, and only drive for fun, not competitively. I would modify suspension, tires, and depending on what i can handle, engine mods + LSD if i dont get an IS.
In my experience ive never been able to keep up with an e30 in a straight line with my 1st gen MR2. Cages are not required for the SCCA autoX.

Dont stock mr2s have like 90hp? The ones ive been in were pretty damn slow

The 87-89 MR2 N/A came stock with 115 HP!!!
Which is why i cant believe everyone says the e30 wont be faster? didnt they have roughly 150hp in their straight 6's?



Another thing is this, my MR2 is considered one of the cleanest in spokane, and fellow MR2 enthusiasts love it! But ask any non-enthusiast, and they have no idea what it is and hate the way it looks, and value it at about $600.
It gets tiring having to explain things to people.
In my experience, everyone and their grandmothers loves the look of the e30 cars, including myself!

How is aftermarket support for these? I have extremely little options with my MR2 and having a more broad aftermarket field to fall back on would be very nice.

[lukeADE335i]

Aftermarket support for e30s is massive - you have pretty much anything you want - Engine swap kits, forced induction kits, lowering springs / shocks / coil over kits, stand alone engine management, Big Brake Kits etc. etc.

Have a look at the members rides section + engine swap sections of the forum and you'll get an idea of the scope of what's possible.

The main reason I'd pick a post '88 is they have galvanised body panels (actually from some time in '87), and as such rust much less than the early models.

You won't look back to the MR2 (although I've also been intrigued by the possibility of the series 2 MR2 - the little ferrari one - with a 200kW Camry V6 wedged in the back!) :)

[Hooffenstein HD]

I've never heard of any wiring harness issues on early models... anyone want to chime in on that?

Early cars can be plagued with electrical gremlins that can usually be traced back to frayed/messed with wiring. Maybe not so much engine/wiring harness related and usually not the case if you buy a mint, thoroughly maintained example.

[einhander]

The best E30 is one that has been maintained well and has a working odometer.

You can deal with anything else.

[lambo]

Early cars can be plagued with electrical gremlins that can usually be traced back to frayed/messed with wiring. Maybe not so much engine/wiring harness related and usually not the case if you buy a mint, thoroughly maintained example.

But that's a problem strictly related to age and upkeep, not a problem related to early models versus late models.

[MR E30 325is]

To answer your original question....

Mine.

[Hooffenstein HD]

But that's a problem strictly related to age and upkeep, not a problem related to early models versus late models.

That's correct but if you inspect an early and late model side by side you will see why it's more common on the early chassis.

Everything on the late model is better quality. Better wiring, better plugs, better sensors, simpler tail light/headlight assemblies etc.

[wolkersdorfer2]

Best e30 is?

Aftermarket support for e30s is massive - you have pretty much anything you want - Engine swap kits, forced induction kits, lowering springs / shocks / coil over kits, stand alone engine management, Big Brake Kits etc. etc.

Have a look at the members rides section + engine swap sections of the forum and you'll get an idea of the scope of what's possible.

The main reason I'd pick a post '88 is they have galvanised body panels (actually from some time in '87), and as such rust much less than the early models.

You won't look back to the MR2 (although I've also been intrigued by the possibility of the series 2 MR2 - the little ferrari one - with a 200kW Camry V6 wedged in the back!) :)

That is good to hear, I figured mr2's would have lots of aftermarket support, I was wrong, especially the 80's ones like mine.
I don't think I would look back to it if I got a nice e30, but I don't know if I can let my MR2 go, with everything I put into it!!!

Here's a picture of my prized possession,



Non edited photo...

To answer your original question....

Mine.

Not sure if you mean your exact car, or "mine" being whichever one you own, because it's yours and you own it. If it's the ladder, I agree.

[Hooffenstein HD]

There is plenty of support for the AW11 chassis if you know where to look.

Put an AE111(blacktop) 20v 4AGE in there and you have ~160hp which should move it along nicely.

Supercharged gearbox for the LSD.

Most common aftermarket shock absorber manufacturers make performance oriented dampers. A spring is a spring. Can't find one, get it made. BC also do their gold series coilovers if you want an easy bolt in swap.

4x100 PCD so you can easily find wheels for it.

What more do you want?

[wolkersdorfer2]

There is plenty of support for the AW11 chassis if you know where to look.

Put an AE111(blacktop) 20v 4AGE in there and you have ~160hp which should move it along nicely.

Supercharged gearbox for the LSD.

Most common aftermarket shock absorber manufacturers make performance oriented dampers. A spring is a spring. Can't find one, get it made. BC also do their gold series coilovers if you want an easy bolt in swap.

4x100 PCD so you can easily find wheels for it.

What more do you want?

There are a few problems. The 20V blacktop motor is wonderful, if 160 hp is all you are looking for, and don't want to expand on it. It is a pretty highly tuned motor from the factory so improving it is not efficient. Also getting those engines with the six-speed LSD transmission isn't the easiest, and there was no factory LSD on any supercharged AW11. Modifying the transmission to work is fairly easy just drilling some holes for the shift linkage and mounting the starter correctly. All this seems good IF you can score a good condition one, however getting one that hasn't been thrashed my the japanese while it was over seas is rare, and a rebuild is usually in order anyways.
Turbocharging the car properly (my 16V 7 rib motor already has full long block rebuild) would cost roughly the same, only i would be able to take the power a lot further than i would per dollar than with the black top.
Those are my options for power plant right now. the ladder is seeming much more appealing. Mind you, many months of research have gone into choosing that option, with all things considered. (especially stock replacement parts are getting extremely hard to find, and expensive...)
As far as suspension, I would go BC BR type coilovers, poly bushings all around, enkie prf1's and whiteline sway bars, for that extra oversteer fun. Most MR2 guys would consider the BC's the only logical option we have, short of koni yellows all around with GC springs and sleeves, offering less adjustability.
What more do i want? If that isnt enough i can easily say that there are NO good options for sound systems in AW11's. I have FOUR Hertz speakers, 3-1/2" and 4" speakers in the dash and B pillars, and a JL 8" sub behind the passenger seat, which doesnt suffice, but theres no room for anything more, whithin reasonable costs. Like i said this is NOT an all out race car, its my project car.

All that said, im still figuring out what i want to do, just doing research so i know EVERY option very well before taking a step. You guys have helped a lot! Good to know there would be a forum i can come to if i do get an e30 as well. I love the MR2 forums and appreciated them even more when i got a crx for a gas saver, and had to experience honda forums (wow) haha.

[Hooffenstein HD]

and there was no factory LSD on any supercharged AW11

Is that right? I always thought it was the supercharged box people wanted for the LSD. Maybe I'm thinking of a FWD C56 with the shift linkages converted to RWD fitment.

[wolkersdorfer2]

Is that right? I always thought it was the supercharged box people wanted for the LSD. Maybe I'm thinking of a FWD C56 with the shift linkages converted to RWD fitment.

This is what I was referring to. The fwd transmission, slightly modified works in the aw11. However I believe qualife sells an LSD for it, and you can retro fit a couple others to work. I don't have the machinery to do much like that ATM.

[nando]

There is plenty of support for the AW11 chassis if you know where to look.

Put an AE111(blacktop) 20v 4AGE in there and you have ~160hp which should move it along nicely.

Supercharged gearbox for the LSD.

Most common aftermarket shock absorber manufacturers make performance oriented dampers. A spring is a spring. Can't find one, get it made. BC also do their gold series coilovers if you want an easy bolt in swap.

4x100 PCD so you can easily find wheels for it.

What more do you want?

my buddy tried to do that - bought a front clip from japan, etc. he got it to run, but had no clue what he was doing, so it never ran correctly. it was a complete disaster, I think he ended up selling it non-running for $500. :(

what's an MR2 weigh? 2200lbs or so?

I mean, a similar effort can get you a 200hp+ swap in an E30. the power to weight ratio will be a lot more favorable even though the E30 is a few hundred lbs heavier.

[wolkersdorfer2]

the NA hard top models range between 2200-2300, Tbar/sunroof go upwards 2350-2500 (supercharged).

I am not sure if i said this before but i am a novice driver, eager to become better with seat time + lots of instruction. I am nowhere near the limits of my MR2 right now, close to 6 seconds behind another AW11 and 12 seconds behind an sw20 modified turbo... on a 1 minute autoX track. ouch! i did place 4th in my class though! (only four drivers in the class)