Rally spec suspension?

[Kit]

Hi, i'm thinking about buying an mr2 to turn into an amateur rally car because I think it's got what it takes.

I'm trying to research more about the car and I happened upon this place, I was hoping someone could point me in the direction of some forest/gravel spec inserts (basic stuff no remote reservoir ohlins please!).

The car i'm interested in is a 1990 MR2 UK N/A, what can I have out of the toyota parts bin to uprate this model, i'm assuming allot of the components belonging to the the turbo model will be bigger/better/stronger?

Are the turbo gearbox/drive shafts a straight swap and how much tougher is it?

[hmmmmm]

Welcome to TB!

Yes the gearbox and driveshafts are much tougher than the NA ones. But if youre thinking about upgrading the engine/suspension etc, you might want to consider getting a rev2 or rev 3 turbo. They have the stronger gearbox (e153), bigger brakes, better suspension, and a lot more power potential!

[Jim-SR]

youre very unlikely to find anything that is specifically valved for gravel rally on an MR2. especially not at the lower end of the price scale.

if you want to run cheap(ish) inserts, then in terms of valving youre going to be limited. stock road car stuff will be too soft in high speed damping. Konis will be too stiff in low speed damping when adjusted up. bump damping becomes fairly important on rally cars as youre wanting to run fairly soft on spring rates. youre really going to be limited and whatever you go for will be compromised somewhere.

if the stock damper inserts can handle the abuse then the damping curves would probably be somewhere close in shape, but would lack force. maybe KYB or Tokicos might offer a better balance. ideally you want something that is a significant upgrade from stock without being digressive in bump damping (which Konis are, and probably Tokicos as well).

you could possibly look out for some used sor Ohlins. they are inverted macpherson struts so theyre a lot stronger (not all Bilsteins are, youd specifically want the inverted insert version). strength is going to be your biggest issue. you can get by with stock damping, but they are going to destroy themselves regularly. personally id start out with stock dampers and see what happens before you spend any money on uprated inserts though. if you start to get serious then dampers are probably the first place to spend the money after youve sorted the chassis and safety aspects of the car. damping is responsible for grip, without which you cant take corners fast, you cant put power down and you cant slow down. so everything else in the car pretty much depends upon it (and the tyres).

[PaulM]

WOuld the by KW variant three's be any good with adjustable damping and rebound, or are they too set up for road use ?

[Jim-SR]

KW's could be an option. theyll be valved digressively in bump but they can also be revalved in the UK. strength will be an issue though. KW's are a conventional Macpherson with a shaft out the top. if youre going to spend KW money then youd probably be better trying to find a used inverted setup. and if youre going to do that then you might as well get Bilstein or Ohlins because both can be revalved easily. i paid £170 for my Ohlins in perfect condition.