Tt supra, too fast for uk roads??

[fastphil666]

I have been thinking about this a lot lately, my tt supra was my "poster on the wall" car growing up, or gran turismo garage car of choice. 

 

Having owned it for coming up to 2 years ive realised a few things, it really is a fast car still!! 

Mine is a bpu tuned auto, so around 400hp at the flywheel. Its a third car so only comes out for a play now an again. I live in north wales, so my route of choice is twisty A and B roads.

The supra tt isnt really made for these roads in my oppinion.

Great visibility and ride/handling withstanding, power delivery isnt really suited. If you want the 2nd turbo rush you need to be on it, so 100mph by the time you look down. Your then on the brakes because your going too fast for the next corner. 

Conversely if your on the first turbo only, 8-10psi, its not very quick/exciting at all. 

Obviously with traffic etc, you hardly ever get to push on.

With winter here, any decent prod of the throttle and we have tc cutting in. 

 

I love the car and owning my dream car but for the roads i use, i cant help feeling a 90's/00's evo/impreza would suit me better. 

I have a mk3 mr2 track car which is shit slow but you can wring its neck all the time and barely creep past the national speed limit!!

Am i crazy? Any similar thoughts on this...

 

 

Edited December 10, 2020 by fastphil666 (see edit history)

[rider]

I knew the car was fast enough when I would force BMW M3's of the era to move aside on the Autobahn, something they often appeared reluctant to do. But that's BMW drivers for you.

[fastphil666]

On that type of road, bypass or motorway, she is a beast! Ive had a play, obviously on private land, with a friends r33 gtr. Up to 100mph he had the edge after that i reeled him in an passed him with ease, saw an indicated 175mph before i shut off. 

[Mr2kyle]

175mph on a bpu auto? Jesus. Didn’t realise that it could get to that but then I have the jap restrictor still on mine .

I see what your getting at though. Would imagine the Mr2 would be more suited to backroads giving the size ect. Get a mk2 Mr2 turbo and see how you feel then around the twisties 

[chaoticentity]

Can also recommend a Celica GT4 ST205 for the twisties if you want something else 90's and Toyota, with slightly less worry of the rear end going for a walk 

[fastphil666]

52 minutes ago, Mr2kyle said:

175mph on a bpu auto? Jesus. Didn’t realise that it could get to that but then I have the jap restrictor still on mine .

I see what your getting at though. Would imagine the Mr2 would be more suited to backroads giving the size ect. Get a mk2 Mr2 turbo and see how you feel then around the twisties 

Ive owned a mk2 mr2 na, rev 1. Slow but no abs or power steering. It was a daily and winter was an experience. Ace cars though with a sense of occasion. 

 

18 minutes ago, chaoticentity said:

Can also recommend a Celica GT4 ST205 for the twisties if you want something else 90's and Toyota, with slightly less worry of the rear end going for a walk 

I actually looked for them before i bought this supra, always liked them. Im not bothered about rear end going for a walk, majority of cars ive owner have been rwd, (e92 m3, supra na/5spd, vx220 turbo, mx5, mr2's, e30 325i) just in the frame of mind that maybe the power delivery is a bit much for the roads i drive. The m3 was 400hp but it was all revs, a smile at any speed with the v8 wailing!

[Style]

The Supra was built to eat up motorway miles in comfort with enough power to overtake anything it needs to. So as soon as you introduce a twisty road, it's out of it's comfort zone and you're straight into the realms of your Evo's, Impreza's, MR2's etc.

The Supra isn't that great when it comes to handling so when you've got the power to boot, I certainly find myself having to take it a bit easier until the cars pointing straight again. So yeah, the amazing twisties of north Wales are a place the Supra will really struggle to have fun on compared to driving a rally focused car or even a hot hatch if you ask me

[evinX]

You either need a non turbo auto for a nice drive on UK roads or a V8 engine dropped into it for the kind of roads you describe. Honestly for me i cant see the point of going TT. The NA is more than enough unless i want to get banned from driving

[fastphil666]

26 minutes ago, evinX said:

You either need a non turbo auto for a nice drive on UK roads or a V8 engine dropped into it for the kind of roads you describe. Honestly for me i cant see the point of going TT. The NA is more than enough unless i want to get banned from driving

I owned an n/a 5 speed szr when i worked for ifor williams trailers, 2 years as a daily and i could give it a squeeze on the same roads without worrying about firing off into the undergrowth. 

 

57 minutes ago, Style said:

The Supra was built to eat up motorway miles in comfort with enough power to overtake anything it needs to. So as soon as you introduce a twisty road, it's out of it's comfort zone and you're straight into the realms of your Evo's, Impreza's, MR2's etc.

The Supra isn't that great when it comes to handling so when you've got the power to boot, I certainly find myself having to take it a bit easier until the cars pointing straight again. So yeah, the amazing twisties of north Wales are a place the Supra will really struggle to have fun on compared to driving a rally focused car or even a hot hatch if you ask me

I believe that the supra handles well for the type of car it is (gt car) suprised me tbh. Mine has kw version 3 coilovers and trd anti roll bars, just the car doesnt feel exciting until its delivering its all, you cant do that on the roads i like. 

[mattdavies]

1 hour ago, Style said:

The Supra was built to eat up motorway miles in comfort with enough power to overtake anything it needs to. So as soon as you introduce a twisty road, it's out of it's comfort zone and you're straight into the realms of your Evo's, Impreza's, MR2's etc.

The Supra isn't that great when it comes to handling so when you've got the power to boot, I certainly find myself having to take it a bit easier until the cars pointing straight again. So yeah, the amazing twisties of north Wales are a place the Supra will really struggle to have fun on compared to driving a rally focused car or even a hot hatch if you ask me

What this man said, the supra is a GT car and i find it great at covering good distances at speed in relative comfort. Anything smaller then an A-Road is not what the car is built for. I have been to Wales in my supra and it was fun but not as fun as doing Motorway+ speeds down A-roads. 

 

I also have a TT auto with a Mines ECU, this has smoothed out the turbo transition but the biggest thing for me is my right foot and good tyre choice. I find mine to have good traction and when in manu mode is a good car in the twisties. 

[mc92]

I too enjoy some twisty roads and I find the NA is fun, but feels sluggish below 4-5000 RPM. Above that in 2nd and 3rd gear is great though. I'm engine swapping mine for a V8 so I can have a bit more torque in the low end, I think that'll be a good balance for both motorway cruising and b-roads without being so powerful as to put myself into the undergrowth. With the amount of speed cameras and traffic here I don't care about pure straight line speed as much.

There are many many cars better for b-roads than a Supra. But none of them are Supras.

[Annabella]

Just leave the na auto in 2nd on the twisties and it's usually in the correct power range/engine braking into corners without trying to spit you out on exit. 

[Scooter]

47 now, and got a recent speeding awareness course 'reminder' of how easy it might be to get caught out, this combined with the price surge has made me question if I want to stick with it. I generally change my mindset to "you just can't sell this" when I have a go in it though, think I just need to do a few jobs and drive it more rebond with it.   

I liked the open Brecon Beacons roads, it's not exactly nimble but still fun, it doesn't matter what sporty car you have really, nothing can be used at 9/10th's be exciting and still legal? 

It's not without risk but I'd recommend the 1st turbo mod to slightly raise the boost on the first turbo, not only does it liven up the lower revs, but it smooths the BPU 2nd turbo transition.  When I had a stock car and this BPU car the BPU car was I'm sure slower in the lower revs (large FMIC), certainly no quicker, it felt like a waste, but the 1st turbo mod massively improved it.

[Scooter]

Page 2 of this thread shows the first turbo mod, £10-15 t piece and some hose. With the adjustment know on the T piece screwed in the system will be just the same as normal, crack it open a tad and the 1st turbo boost will rise, if you have a peak hold boost gauge you can then say cruise on the motorway at 70mph and give it some throttle but not enough to kick down to 3rd and this will give high boost (I'd suggest trying this before on stock boost to figure out a reliable way to record the max boost on the first turbo).

Record and then you can pull up and adjust it out a little more (the t pieces generally have a locking screw to lock in the adjustment), it doesn't take much to up the boost so go careful and don't get greedy, I think mine is 0.85 bar and 1.15bar on the second. Definitely gives more urgency in the rev range that, like you say, you spend 99% of the time in at this time of year. 

[Tyson]

13 hours ago, Mr2kyle said:

175mph on a bpu auto? Jesus. Didn’t realise that it could get to that but then I have the jap restrictor still on mine .

I see what your getting at though. Would imagine the Mr2 would be more suited to backroads giving the size ect. Get a mk2 Mr2 turbo and see how you feel then around the twisties 

With a bit of a gradient and a tail wind it's actually quite easy and effortless to get up to that speed in a stock car or so I've heard, with a long enough road I am sure it would be possible to go faster. Correct me if I am wrong but a stock UK TT6 setup is geared to around 200 mph and the 155mph limiter is either a lie or only fitted to early model cars.

Bear in mind though that when your speedo says your doing 175 you aren't, I don't know if anyone has done proper GPS testing on how much the speedo is out at those speeds.

[raddys]

On 12/10/2020 at 9:49 AM, Mr2kyle said:

175mph on a bpu auto? Jesus. Didn’t realise that it could get to that but then I have the jap restrictor still on mine .

I see what your getting at though. Would imagine the Mr2 would be more suited to backroads giving the size ect. Get a mk2 Mr2 turbo and see how you feel then around the twisties 

I've been upto 165mph and it was still pulling, they do fly 

[j_jza80]

As stock but with the limiter removed, a tt6 will top 170mph. A BPU will knock on the door of 190. I have seen around that, GPS verified, in my first Supra on a trip to Germany (UK TT auto, BPU, 1.4 bar, emanage, FMIC. Dyno printout at Surrey Rolling Road of 455hp at the crank - think it was just under 400 at the wheels, but this was a long time ago)

Edited December 11, 2020 by j_jza80 (see edit history)

[rider]

19 hours ago, Tyson said:

With a bit of a gradient and a tail wind it's actually quite easy and effortless to get up to that speed in a stock car or so I've heard, with a long enough road I am sure it would be possible to go faster. Correct me if I am wrong but a stock UK TT6 setup is geared to around 200 mph and the 155mph limiter is either a lie or only fitted to early model cars.

Bear in mind though that when your speedo says your doing 175 you aren't, I don't know if anyone has done proper GPS testing on how much the speedo is out at those speeds.

My car would cut out at 158mph on the gauge and power would be restored at 155mph. I did a lot of 157mph driving in Germany.

[Celicasaur]

On 12/10/2020 at 8:57 AM, fastphil666 said:

Great visibility and ride/handling withstanding, power delivery isnt really suited. If you want the 2nd turbo rush you need to be on it, so 100mph by the time you look down. Your then on the brakes because your going too fast for the next corner. 

Depends really...what suspension do you have? Mine has HKS Hiper D and all of the bushes are in good health. My personal experience of a supra is outstanding on windy country roads or anything past 2am even in outer London. Feels super composed and very capable of carrying speed through various types of bends. Mind you if you're on roads that have bends at 100mph, then tbh I don't think many cars will be suitable/safe to do that  but hey - at least you're driving and enjoying your car the way it was meant to be driven. Too many nowadays are being babied and preserved for resale value. 

[fastphil666]

Mine has kw variant 3's with trd anti roll bars all bushes are healthy. The handling is good for the age and type of car, just the fun factor for me is full boost. Power delivery on the supra means high revs and your really moving. I have owned some serious handling cars, namely my vx220 turbo, that could corner at ridiculous speeds and was tiny. Power came on early and was very useable

[TuneR]

I dunno, i think an auto will always remove that sense of "being on it" on backroads. I have a tiptronic with paddles and i'd always think its a bit removed from that kind of driving. Maybe a manual would suit more or you should take it on track as that driving is a lot different to road driving. Comparing a Supra and a VX220 is useless as they're totally different cars, i've an S2000 as well and i know what kind of driving both are for.

[Swampy442]

6 hours ago, TuneR said:

I dunno, i think an auto will always remove that sense of "being on it" on backroads.

Thats rubbish. And exactly the sort of rubbish most of the internet peddle in the auto vs manual debate. It's literally no different than changing gear on an R35 GTR, or Ferrari, this whole myth that moving a gearstick and pressing a pedal equals driving nirvana is just that, a myth. If anything auto/semi auto is faster and more fun.

The best thing with an auto TT 2JZ is you can just stick it in 2 and that enough for most fast back road driving, maybe the odd switch to D but 2 will get you near 100mph. Spoken as a guy who's had auto Supra's, an R35 and lots of manual track cars, I love an auto

Edited December 18, 2020 by Swampy442 (see edit history)

[fastphil666]

On 12/18/2020 at 10:55 AM, TuneR said:

I dunno, i think an auto will always remove that sense of "being on it" on backroads. I have a tiptronic with paddles and i'd always think its a bit removed from that kind of driving. Maybe a manual would suit more or you should take it on track as that driving is a lot different to road driving. Comparing a Supra and a VX220 is useless as they're totally different cars, i've an S2000 as well and i know what kind of driving both are for

I wasnt so much comparing a supra and vx220, more to say that was a car you could corner at silly speeds (100mph) 

 

Swampy 

I have nothing bad to say about the autobox, i know a lot turn their nose up if it isnt a tt6! The auto in the supra is brilliant an in its time must have blown peoples minds. I suppose its just horses for courses, the type of a road and b roads i drive doesnt suit the supra's power delivery/level. On motorways theyre still a quick car, however straight roads are boring!

Edited December 25, 2020 by fastphil666 (see edit history)

[Swampy442]

I know you dont, and I know it is. It's just this ridiculous superiority thing people have with manuals, as if they heel/toe every gear change going to the shops. Fact is they probably have never done it in their lives lol. Sorry for the continued rant haha.

IMO and living in Lincolnshire with similar roads, I had no problems with the power delivery or level, throttle works both ways

[jonc]

Just jumping in on this. I think.at the Sups age now along with BPU or large power gains the suspension should be rebuilt. Even the newest car will be 18 years old. The rubber bushes will be toast.

 

My BPU Sup is really pretty solid in the corners. I rebuilt the suspension 7 or 8 years ago. I'm only running on Bilsteins as well and the tale is pretty good as long you control the turbos with your foot. 

Also prefer Tiptronic at my age