2a+RoN

my friend has a 91 mr2, its his 2nd, first one got totalled. IMO they are CLEAN looking cars, very pretty. I think it looks a little better than my TII but my TII will destroy it. Oh and i found a SC for 2500 in my area, which is something that you don't find very often. Oh and I owned an s13 hatch before I got the TII; it was very fun to drive but is a whole different experience than the rx7. If you're looking for fast for cheap I say FC.

rx72c

iTrader: (8)

SR20 engines are really bad once you start pumpin horsepower as they begin to flex and the most powerful sr20 in australia is a 200sx doing 393rwhp and it keeps taking out headgaskets cause of the flexing. Rotars are the best any day. i like the MR2s but will be the most expensive to repair as theyre engines are midmounted and are a pain and a hassle to work on, theyre fast but the RX is the BEST

Infini IV

How I like them...

Acceleration: Sw20
Braking distance: Fc3s
Lateral G's (skidpad): Sw20
Style: Fc3s

A little background on my experience with these cars...

Fc3s:
Own a '90 TII... Engine was stock until I finished rebuilding it a couple months ago. Have adj shocks.... Everything else is stock. Driven the car on Road course (Buttonwillow), mountains, and streets

Sw20:
Own a '91 Turbo... Engine is all stock... Only mods are adj shocks and 17" wheels... Driven the car on Road course (Cali Spdwy infield), mountains, and streets

S13 w/ SR20:
Driven one with stripped interior and just 17 x 8in wheels and Tokico blue's... Powerwise, it had a 3inch downpipe... Driven only on the streets

My opinion based on where I drove them (I am all about driving, and progressing towards being smooth at driving... I have very little tolerance for slight adjustments that change how the car reacts... and lastly, I don't care about how well a car cruises and whatnot.... so my opinions might be a little wierd to you people:

Road course:
Sw20 over the Fc3s on the Road course. Although the brakes royally suck *** on the Sw, the car is more willing to rotate (even with non-staggered 17's on). Sure the car will snap oversteer, but when you are really focused, it becomes quite predictable when the rear might step out. Through minute steering and throttle inputs, the Sw can carry more speed through the turns (especially the transitions) than most other cars. This car is geniunely a great car to learn the art of driving smoothly and precisely in.

As for the Fc3s, I was keeping up with all the C5 corvettes (not the 2-3 Z06's that day), and the S2k's. Brakes were awesome to say the very least. It was quick, but lacked the preciseness I like in cars. No matter how you adjust the steering or the throttle after you clip an apex, you will understeer if you are pushing yourself. I tried gently rolling onto the throttle, taking a later apex, using less steering angle, etc. No matter what, it would understeer ever so slightly. The understeer wasn't bad at all.... it was faster then all other options. It was just REALLY BORING!!! It became so boring for me later in the day that I just jumped into my Sw (which my Dad drove along). I was so used to the understeer and lack of precision of the Fc that my first lap out, I spun the Sw.

Mountains:
Fc3s over the Sw20 most definately!! The distribution of weight in a RWD works out much better for me in the mountains... I can enter turns a little too fast and be able to change my line much easier mid-turn. On slower, tighter turns, the Fc is much more willing to rotate. The Fc's brakes are also great at this point... Since the chassis is softer than the Sw, it can soak up the bumps much better. The engine is just awesome for the mountains. Nothing works as great in the mountains as a rotary. Staying at high RPM's the whole way up or down is where a rotary is at its best.

The Sw20 is total disaster for anything tighter than those suggested 25mph sign turns. When turns like those are blind, its so hard and almost impossible to adjust your line mid-turn. You have to dedicate yourself to a particular line (assuming you are pushing yourself). Also, the brakes will fade quickly (even with semi-metallic pads). Lack of weight in the front means the car is not so willing to rotate at speeds of under 45-50 mph through. Since the chassis of the car is so tight and rigid, you hit a bump with the front wheels while braking just enough to make a turn.... you're fukked. The front wheels will jump just long enough to cause you to miss your planned turn-in point. The engine is the least likely to rev of these 3 cars... Anything over 5500 RPM and the engine feels like it doesn't want to keep reving.

Streets:
S13 over both the Fc and Sw. It feels so homely in this car... almost like my 1st Gen Rx7. 360 degrees of vision is great unlike the Fc and Sw. You can zoom in and out of traffic with ease, and can fit in places you usually wouldn't think you could (because of the great vision). Response of the SR20DET is the best compared to other 2.0 liter turbo 4cyl's I've driven (I guess because of the lightweight design). Either because the interior was stripped, or my driving style allowed... the car was very nimble and tossable. It's like how I felt in the 1st Gen... that I could do anything I wanted in this car.

Next on the streets, I'd have to choose the Sw20. It is one of the easiest cars to cut in and out with in traffic. I can tail whoever I want to within 3-4 inchs for however long I want to, and I can get into spots that I don't feel comfy fitting into with other cars. Also, the faster I drive on the streets, the more neutral the car feels and the better it gets. This particular turn in a 35mph zone...... I usually take the turn at the middle of 4th, equating to about 65-75mph. Mid-turn I lift about 1/2 inch to 1/4 inch off the gas and the rear steps out. I countersteer ever so slightly (about 1/8 countersteer), and I get the smoothest slides out of any car I've ever driven.

My Fc3s... Hahah, only can be described in one word... "Clumsy" It feels much bigger than it really is. I don't know why I feel this weight so much... I've driven non-PS S5 TII's as well, and they still feel the same. It's the only car of this bunch that I would dare call a "Touring" car rather than a "Sporty" car for the streets.

Modding the car

Sw20 is the hardest to mod. Many of the Sw's you see on the road handle like ****. People throw on really awesome parts that perform great by themselves.... BUT, with the Sw20, balance is the key to modding the car. What you do in one thing, you have to compensate with in another...or you have to know HOW to mod. If the balance that the car came with from the factory is lost through ignorant mods, then the car becomes an absolute bastard to drive quickly!!!

I would've said the S13 was the best, but no. First of all, the SR20DET was never officially brought to the US. That means the engine can't legally be smogged and such. Second, Nissan got it all mixed up when they provided options to the car. It's so confusing to figure out which models had LSD, which had ABS, which had LSD but no HICAS, which had HICAS and ABS, blah blah blah. Unless you wanted to go through the trouble of finding all these parts or getting rid of all these parts, then the S13 is a bastard to mod right.

In the end, I still like the FC the best!! Why? Because no other car is equiped with such awesome, beefy, sporty parts as it. No other car could use as much improvement. No other car looks as great. No other car offers as many options with which to improve with. No other car can give me as many headaches and have me lovin it so much that I do...

OldManSe7en

i was gonna throw down some reasons n what not but after the last post (and reading the whoel thred) i dont see much point...my pick is FC3S...CHeap n quick:-D


jus a broke college students opinon

mazdized

You can keep up if not beat S13 with NA FC.( I have done it at CLUB4AG evets.) MR2 usually just spin out every where. Depends on what you do, on a road course FC will smoke both cars.

JDMSW20

You obviously haven't done your research. Over at http://board.mr2faq.com, we have people who break into the 13s on stock mr2 turbos.

A gen3 MR2 is capable of high 12s with nothing more than I/E/boost controller.

Please do more homework before you make statements.

JDMSW20

Actually, the MR2's factory braking distance is better than the FC's. Go look it up.

Your brakes are either malfunctioning, fading, or you have no clue how to drive.

Again, the MR setup is superior to the FR set-up as far as weighting is concerned. That's why F1 and most race-cars use that set-up. Having the applied weight of a motor over your axles, coupled with the low polar moment of inertia is very advantageous. You clearly demonstrate a complete lack of knowledge with your use of the word "rotate." Ideally, the car that experienced the least amount of "rotation," or slip angle, would be the car that had more grip for the duration of the drive, and the more efficient corner carver. Your argument about "staying at high RPM's" is completely moot, since this can be done in any car, and especially in the MR2, allows the turbo to stay spooled.

Also, a softer chassis? If by that, you mean, less stiff... well a stiffer chasiss allows less movement, which is advantageous to handling. So by your logic, the MR2 would be better again.


You don't know how to drive. One of the prime benefits of the MR set-up is high speed stability. The narrow wheel-base and lack of engine in the front (extremely light) lends to an INCREDIBLE turn-in.

Anything over 5500 RPM? What are you talking about? I seriously think your car was experiencing severe problems.

Again, you have no clue what you're talking about. Check SCCA Solo II results, and how the MR2 performs in the stock class. They consistently pull better times than the FC.

Good, I'm glad you like your car. Next time, however, try to make a non-biased judgement that has at least some sort of factual basis.

A few of you have demonstrated a good base of knowledge, such as Rotary>Piston and others.

JDMSW20

This is correct, and that is also quite heavy for an MR2.

I have an MR2 with a Gen2 3SGTE, and it weighed in at 2650 with half tank of gas, and full interior. No weight reduction.

Infini IV

Remember, I said how I liked them After repeated 100+ mph stops, the Mr2 brakes do fade much quicker than the FC brakes.

Remember, I said weight distribution, not weight balance . It is not always advantageous to have the heaviest part of the car in the middle. Remember, F1 cars do not experience real life, roads. They are driven on the smoothest of all bitumen.

BUT, also keep in mind that different people have different driving styles. If it suits you better, you might like the front of the car to be lighter. However, I was writing based on how I drive. What I find is that the Mr2 does not ROTATE on TIGHTER RADIUS TURNS as well as my FC does... as I had said before

Sure the Mr2 can stay at higher RPM's but does it do it as smoothly. I like my cars to have smooth engines. I don't care how high it revs, but if it's smooth at higher revs, I feel mroe obliged to keep the revs there, and I can build a rythm much better.

Yes, I meant the Mr2 has a stiffer chassis, which is better... BUT, when you are driving on roads with many bumps to soak up, you are at a disadvantage. The car jumps around, rather than soak up the bumps. Sure the dampers contribute, but they can only do so much.

Again, read before you answer please. I never said the Mr2 was bad at high speed, infact, I said the opposite. I LOVED it at higher speeds

Solo II people have a very good idea of how to keep the optimum balance for the Sw. As long as you mod with that balance in mind, you should be able to mod your car perfectly. Again, I never said that a modded Sw is worse than an FC. Read again, as I said that you have to know HOW to mod

As for a non-biased judgement, there you have it

Infini IV

By the way JDMSW20, please break out of "drag racing" mode and step into reality. Please respond with something other than what you read, and all the technical aspects No car is superior to another in the hands of their appropriate drivers.

JDMSW20

Thank you for a very mature response, Inifini. I greatly appreciate it.

Ni5mo180SX

Ive owned a 240 before and have had my FC for a year and a half now, and I can say, from a stock stand point, the FC edges out the 240 in nearly all aspects.

I dont think very many of us are going to keep our cars in stock condition for long, and at that point, I believe the FC begins to pull away in leaps and bounds from its competition, esp. when it comes to performance:dollar ratio.

The Unsent

get the fc, but i like the mr2 also...

The Unsent

If the fc was turbo, no doubt get the fc, but since the mr2 is, which probably makes it faster.. It's really up to you.

ERAUMAZDA

SW20....stop watching cartoons