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Former FD owner looking 2 go Supra, What can I expect?


Guest spekdah
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Guest spekdah

HI

I recently sold my beloved FD ater 4 years in the build, I managed to get her to 400hp on the dyno but alas I needed a change.

 

The only ( jap import ) car that has taken my fancy so far is the Supra. I love the fat look of them and they have a sort of " luxury" feel to them as well as having a rep for being a massivley powered fast beast of a car. I just want to know a few things that you guys may be able to answer -

 

basically I'm looking for a daily driver that I can go track in the weekends and boost up relaible to a moderate amount above stock without quickly destroying the engine.

What kind of "feel" will I get from the handling and performance of a Supra TT compared to my FD? The supra is a bigger car so will it be like going from jet fighter to fighter/bomber? ( if you know what I mean) .

What sort of maintenance will my supra require with a moderate amount of driving under heavy load, My FD handled quite a bit of boost-punishment and never missed a beat, although I always knew i needed around 10k in the bank in case of rebuild time.

Would I expect better reilabilty form a supra engine?

 

cheers in advance.

I will keep reading up on the tech side and hope to make a decision on a Supra pruchase soon

 

Kris

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Hi Kris

Good first post. Makes a nice change.

You've obviously given this some serious thought. Supras do handle remarkably well for their size/weight but I guess they're not in the same class as the Rex.

You can get around 400bhp from a Supra TT with a basic decat and supporting mods (See BPU), which will turn it into a pretty fast car but of course 400bhp in your lighter FD is going to be more exciting.

BPU mods shouldn't sacrifice reliability much, provided you don't mad with the boost. Up to 1.2bar is generally considered safe.

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Hi Kris:)i owned a supra TT Manual for 3 years and decided to sell up and try the Rex world,i had a Single Rx7 for about 6 months,i have now sold it and have Jurgen bringing me another supra over from Japan,The supra is a million times more reliable than the rex,and at bpu level imho id say bomb proof!!!the rex handles a lot better than the supe imo,i loved the rex but theres always doubts and another rebuild in the back of your mind or that something is going to go wrong,build quality is miles apart, the supra is very well put together,simple things like shutting the car door doesnt sound like the trim is gona fall off the inside lol,no longer are your eyes darting around the water/air/temp gauges lol,when owning the rex i missed times when i could just jump in the supra and goto the shop,where as the rex seemed to be a chore to drive at times,have a chat with Jurgen on this forum,he has a 500bhp Rex and has had many supras.Welcome to the club though mate and a fantastic one it is,you can now put your rebuild dvd's on ebay:d

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totally agree with the above posts, had both cars, the rx7 for a short time as I blew my one up, but I could always jump in the supra and never worry about things breaking etc which it never did over the near 2 years I had it, just general wear and tear.

 

Supra at close to stock boost levels = Stress free fun motoring.

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Guest Creasy

HI Kris, :hello:

 

I've been lucky to own in the past 3 FD's and now drive a Supra albeit a N/A.

 

Handling wise, to be fair the FD is better certainly in stock form. The 50/50 weight distribution helps, but im sure with the right set up both cars could handle just aswell. The Supra im finding out is very slippery in the WET!!:D

 

Performance:- Not having driven the TT Supra, but i would say that they would be very similar. However, you may feel like you are 'going' faster in the RX7 due to it being a smaller, lighter car.

 

Styling - Personal opinion. If you want a car that some people will recognise then go for a Supra, other wise very few people would know what a RX7 is - general public that is.

 

Servicing costs/reliability. Well, its Toyota after all. They dont seem to miss a beat. My Mazda's were either a blessing or tempremental either way they cost a lot to sort.

 

I would try the Supra TT, you may find that to get the same rush from a 400bhp RX7 FD you need to find a Supra with around 450-500bhp due to the additional weight.

 

HTH.

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Hi Kris,

 

First up a warm welcome as others have said, this is a great forum and very helpful (albeit biased! ;):innocent:).

 

You've touched on 2 cars that have a warm place in my heart at the moment as Paul Whiffin (runs Whifbitz - see Traders section) is running 2 Rex's in the Eurpoean Drift Championship and the Time Attack Pro class, whilst Steve L (good mate of mine) is running his manual Single converted Supe in the Time Attack Club Class.

 

What you can't help but notice is the vastness of the Supe in comparison to the Rex and the weight will be a big factor as well, when you consider the Rex has near perfect 50/50 weight distribution coupled with excellent handling and brakes that were top of the performance car scene for some time back in the nineties, it's a pretty tough package to beat!

 

In favour of the Supe though as so many have said is the ironclad reliability and ability to handle power well in excess of the stock output with relatively little outlay of cash. BPU Supes will handle 400HP with ease every day of the week and a small single setup like mine used to be (GT35R) gave me between 550-600HP and removed a shed load of complicated hoses and vacuum lines that are prone to splitting under heat etc so served 2 purposes really.

 

Steve L and I will be continuing to look into areas that can be improved in the quest for better track handling and weight loss so watch this space but you will be very pleased with the improved comfort of a Supe and the ability to use it a few times without needing to check all the fluids and gauges every few secs!!! :D

 

Welcome and any questions fire away as there are some great and knowledgeable peeps on here.

 

All the best,

 

Pete :)

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Nobody has actually mentioned maintanance costs yet guys.

 

How do they really compare? For example, I would expect to pay £500-£600 for a good service on the Supra including change of all engine oils, oil filter, other fluids, pads, new sparkies and a thorough checup. How does the Rex stack up in comparison? - not taking into account blown engine costs and the like that we all run the risk of having to face regardless of what we own anyway.

 

Are other parts of similar costs too? i.e. FMIC circa £450, Exhaust circa £500 etc?

 

Would be good to get a wider spectrum.

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Welcome!

 

I have now owned 3 supras and a year or so ago i did alot of reseach into owning a rex and the running, rebuild, modification costs, etc. I deduced that it was considerably cheaper running a Supra even if you dont think about the worry of rebuilding the engine if it goes pop.

 

*The service gaps are v.short on the rex and they drinks petrol like a fish.

*OEM parts seemed quite expensive if they went wrong.

*Alot of aftermarket parts had to be car specific due to the engine layout, ie Front Mount coolers should be mounted in the V-Shape to keep reasonable cooling to radiator...which IIFC requiries a new rad too.

 

But then again....they handle really well and sound awesome...depends how deep your pockets are! :D

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Guest Creasy

With regards to maintenance costs the most annoying factor about owning an RX7 FD was the fact very few tuners/service garages would actually be able to know what they were doing.

 

In herts, the closest specialist is either Reading or Super7Auto in Sussex (i think). I carried out all my servicing on the RX7 and will do on the Supra. Though, i if i wanted someone to do it for me, im sure i would have far more choice for someone who new what they were doing when servicing the Supra against the Rx.

 

RX7 Costs

 

The fuel filter is a pig to change. Plugs are easy, leads a little harder. Oil and filter very easy. Coolant change, very easy. Pads and Discs fairly easy. If you are ok with the tools then you will be able to carry out all the above. Plugs cost about £50 a set. Leads £60, Oil+Filter £20, Fuel Filter - not sure, Pads and Discs £200 ish.

 

I cant really see the costs of the Supra being that much more or less. Even performance parts are similar pricing. The factor will be tuning and finding a good garage to service it unless you do it yourself.

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Guest Creasy

Agree partly with Sean1933, the service gaps are shorter and the RX7 will use oil to lubricate the rotor housings. So you will need to check the oil each day or every other day and top it up a little.

 

Running a Supra is 'easier' than an RX7 in my opinion. I was getting around 15 - 18mpg with a standard RX7 Manual TT and always checking the temps etc. However, i still think you should take both out and see which one you prefer as the are similar but different in many ways.

 

Ie. The Supra has masses of low Torque and the RX has not a great deal until higher the rev range. However, the RX7 will rev and rev and you will certainly hear that and put a smile on your face!

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Guest spekdah

cheers guys

 

All the work on my FD was done by me , Single turbo setup, FMIC, ingnition ,fuel system, computer, plumbing and all fabrication etc.. also I did all my own spark plug and fluid changes and i did these about every 2000-3000kms.

I only thing I didnt do was port and rebuild the block , although I did remove and re-install the engine.

 

I'm in a strange position really as my FD was the first performance car i ever owned and worked on for 4-5 years. So i know everything about rotarys and very little about pistons which most of my car-mad mates say is back to front.

 

The feeling I get from most is that going from my FD to a Supra will be a relief from the adrenised paranoia I got from driving my FD ( looking at temp gauges , checking fluids etc...) but then again I suppose these are good habits to have , even for a supra.

 

I thinking about going for an NA 5speed manual, i want to have a break from paying sh*tloads on fuel as i did on my FD, and maybe look at more work around the interior/body and wheels . My FD was the opposite with pretty stock exterior but a heap of power under the hood.

 

I'm looking at 2 Supras this weekend, one is NA 5 speed, the other Auto TT. I really want a manual , I'll see how they go

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Honestly mate the TT will be a lot better than your rex fuel wise,i cant help feeling if you go the N/A route you could be left at some point wanting that extra power,if you couldnt stretch to the TT manual,then get the TT auto,an if you are handy with the spanners then you could always look to do a manual conversion at some point in the future,although theres quite a waiting list i believe for the bits needed;)also the auto as said by a lot of folks on here is a fantastic car and a fantastic box.

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The auto is the best in class IMHO as had the auto Zed TT and driven an Auto GTO as well and have to say the fluidness and smoothness are second to none! :)

 

I'd suggest a TT whether auto or manual as you'll be suprised at how little you will save as far as fueling if you go NA. Seem to remember when a mate of mine wanted one we found the combined fuel cycles for both a TT and an NA and there wasn't a great deal in it!

 

The auto is a tad more thirsty but if driven gently (not easy for most! :innocent:) you can do quite well with BPU mods.

 

The maintenance isn't that different i'd say although on a different scale to the Rex.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Cheers.

 

Pete :)

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