|
| MARK ROSS |
| 1998 TOYOTA SUPRA TURBO |
| 6 SPEED |
| BLACK/BLACK |
| MONROE, WA. USA |
 EMAIL MARK |
|
| 12 photos |
| 3333 words |
| February 3rd '05 |
|
|
|
|
GENERAL:
My Supra bug started when I was in college in 1995, however at the time I couldn’t afford a MKIV. I settled on a ’91 300ZX TT instead of the MKIV. I loved that car so much, but to truly modify it to the extent I wanted was just over the top financially, so I settled on basic modifications. I occasionally saw MKIV’s driving around and knew that I would own one sometime in the future.
Fast forward to early ’01, I had graduated from college and was working contract jobs in the tech industry and had just reached the max time I could work on contract (i.e. out of work), had recently split up with my girlfriend at the time, and... been T-boned in the 300ZX which totaled the car. Needless to say it wasn’t a great time in my life.
My father saw me in this unhappy state, and said something to the effect of, “Get off your butt, and do something you always wanted to do”. I took that advice to heart, because I knew what I wanted. I wanted to get a MKIV Supra and make a beast so gnarly that it would draw disbelief everywhere it went.
So with plans taking shape I set out to look for my Supra. I went directly to the auto trader on the web and found one up in Washington, offered by Daniel @ VIPImports.com. Drove up and there it was, a bone stock 1998 Black/Black MKIV Supra. I went for a drive with Daniel, and I was sold. I picked up the car in June of 2001 after all my financing came through, and thus finally realized my dream of owning one of these rare and wonderful automobiles.
Next step was starting to modify the car to BPU level. I did this during the rest of the ’01 summer, with help from Chris @ Horsepowerfreaks.com. BPU was plenty of power, but I always knew I wanted more. I was reminded of this while experiencing couple of singled MKIV’s. I went back to Chris, and we worked out what I felt I wanted out of my car. I wanted an excessive amount of power, spool up time was secondary, plus all of the supporting mods (fuel system, head work to allow higher revving). At this point in time I was pretty much focused on drag racing, however this would change.
Winter ’02 rolled around and felt it was time to start the project as I had the car parts sitting in my living room for 3 months just staring at me waiting to be installed! I went to a local shop who didn’t have much experience with Supras, (and I really didn’t have much choice for the Oregon area at the time) and had decided on going the G-Force ECU, BCC, VPC route over the AEM due to AEM being fairly new to the market. Sean from Torquefreaks.com (who at that point was just Sean as he had not opened up his shop yet) had wired up my VPC out of the kindness of his heart, as we didn’t have a harness, and everything was setup. Finally in April of ’02 I had the car running, but unfortunately the shop that I had the work done in was moving locations, hence I didn’t get a full tune. That was the first mistake.
The car was running fine for a few weeks, and had even done some drag racing at the strip. One night after drag racing a few guys decided to go out to a “local” strip and do some passes (after I got booted for noise from my wastegate). Another singled T-78 and I lined up and decided to make a pass. We took off and then all of a sudden half way through the pass I see white smoke coming from my friend’s exhaust, so I let off the throttle and we pulled up along side each other. We were so confused because it turned out BOTH of our cars had chosen that exact moment to let go, as there was white smoke coming from my exhaust as well. Maybe it was an act of God, but the end result was that both of us had fried #6. Live and learn.
I talked to Sean who had been through the same thing as I, and he referred me to John Reed to repair the damage. At that point I also knew Sean’s phenomenal ability with tuning the AEM, so I decided to dive into the deep end and make the change from VPC to AEM. In the subsequent strip down and diagnosis, it turned out I was running lean due to the car not being tuned well at high RPMs, which had consequently been the reason for #6 going. So since April of ’02 to now, with the exception of the Vegas meet the car has been undergoing body work, the conversion to the AEM, and finally tuning by Sean who had by that point opened up Torquefreaks.com. My car put down 801 RWHP @ 32 PSI on race fuel.
Finally, Sean and I went out for our street tune, and it was the first time I had driven the Supra on race gas. Talk about another beast entirely when it was pushing 32 psi! The sound was a more higher pitched, whine of a turbine, than the typical scream of the open wastegate with pump fuel. At that point I was sucked back into my seat when the car hit full boost! I have never felt anything like it before. The Supra was almost subliminally telling it could take anything I threw at it. I lifted the throttle at about 140 mph, and the amount of time it took to reach that point was quite shocking! All of the work it had taken to get to that point felt worth it. Now my challenge is finding enough open road to do pulls on, and even more challenging is finding some competition to play with. | ENGINE:
Well I started with a completely stock engine. I decided to go with the Greddy T-88 turbo kit and at the time, what was considered late spool (around 4800 rpm) mandated that I would need to get some head work to sustain higher revs and the increased rev limit. I went ahead and sent the head in to get a port and polish job, plus I upgraded to Crower titanium springs, retainers, and ARP head studs. I also went with HKS 264 intake/HKS 272 exhaust camshafts because I did some research on it, which suggested staggered cams on 2JZ turbocharged engines are an added benefit. Despite my “running lean” incident when #6 melted, my motor was still salvageable, so I bored it out .020 over and used JE pistons, as it would be just as cost effective to do this as to buy another shortblock. I decided to keep my stock rods however as I didn’t see a real argument for changing them out for some aftermarket ones vs. the $ I would be spending. Keep in mind after the motor went I had a “small” bill I was worrying about paying so cost was a factor in decisions.
I am using the GReddy intake that came with the kit as well as GReddy exhaust header and type R wastegate which is vented to the atmosphere. (I love to use it on those slow drivers in the left lane that just won’t get over :) I also chose the big GReddy 4-row intercooler so I would be able to cool the massive amount of air I would be pushing into the engine. With the T-88 and now this, I figured I had a "bigger is better" theme going, so why not keep it up! With that in mind I chose the HKS Racing Type-2 blow off valve because I could use 1 big BOV rather than using 2 smaller BOVs, although some would argue that this setup isn’t effective, for me it seems to work just fine. One important note I should mention that is a great modification but sometimes overlooked is to get all of your exhaust components ceramic coated with the 2000 degree jet black protection. I consider this to be absolutely critical in keeping the engine bay heat down! I have my exhaust compressor housing, exhaust manifold, down pipe and mid pipe all ceramic coated. My downpipe is another area for improvement that a lot of us high HP junkies are upgrading. The T-88 turbo outlet is only 3” but it would be great to have a 4” downpipe/midpipe be able to mate up with my 4” HKS Racing Titanium exhaust to prevent more backpressure. I currently have a 3.5” downpipe/midpipe that mates up to my 4” exhaust. That setup needs to go in order to push some bigger numbers. | DRIVETRAIN:
The Getrag 6 speed transmission is stock and holds beautifully, even with the amount of HP I am pushing. However the stock clutch gave out on me long ago when I was BPU. I after a couple of clutch combos, I decided to look at which clutch a majority of TO4R members were using, and after factoring in cost, I decided to go with the TRD Twin Disk clutch/flywheel setup. It has a softer pedal pressure than the ACT PP setup I had before and is a bit more slippable, but the deciding factor was that if it could hold the HP that the TO4R members were putting down, it was good enough for my purposes. However the TRD Twin disk gave out on me, and after feeling how slippable the RPS Carbon/Carbon was, I bit the bullet and bought it. I was not disappointed. The most slippable twin disk clutch I have driven and holds the power I put down with ease. I even broke the clutch in on a road course day! | FUEL:
The fuel system consists of the Titan Motorsports fuel system, with 850cc injectors. I use the Aeromotive fuel pressure regulator that came with the kit, and the polished Titan fuel rail (for some added bling). I chose to use 2 dual stock intank pumps just to keep the noise level down. This is one area however that could use some improvement. I need to upgrade to 1000cc injectors to allow for a bit more horsepower, and I hope the dual stock pump configuration will be able to sustain the required fuel pressure. | ELECTRONICS:
I am using the AEM ECU with an 8200RPM rev limit and tuned a map for pump gas, and a map for race gas (114 octane). I also have a FJO wideband 02 to monitor my fuel air ratio. I had previously used the VPC, SAFC, G-force ECU, but found that when everything was wired up I has such a rats nest, I was wishing I had went with a proper ecu like the AEM. I also use the HKS DLI Twin Power to amplify my spark. It was the only preferred unit that AEM suggested, so I went with it over the cheaper LS1 coils option. My boost controller is the GM boost solenoid, which works beautifully with the AEM unit. | BRAKES/CHASSIS:
The stock brake setup, with a few basic mods, has been quite sufficient for my purposes and holds up well even under heavy braking at occasional road course events. I have replaced the stock plastic lines with Goodrich braided stainless steel lines to eliminate flex due to the plastic lines. I also run Motul brake fluid. I have also found that the stock pads leave much to be desired. I use the Hawk HPS brake pads for daily driving, and Porterfield R4 pads for track days. The Hawk pads are great, and for street pads, I highly recommend due to their longevity even under heavy abuse of several track days. The Porterfield pads are for track use only and I would not recommend them for anything but track use due to their warm up time.
As for chassis stiffness, this is the next major area of work. Currently I have KYB AGX shocks with Eibach lowering springs. Unfortunately with my tire setup in the front this is too low and causes some minor rubbing, which during track days then becomes extreme. I have decided to upgrade my suspension to use coilovers. I am thinking JIC, or Tein HA, but at this point there is still some thought I need to put into it before I dive into this. The only negative is I had to remove my TRD strut tower bar to fit the venting for the Do Luck hood. How Mani fit his under there is beyond me! I’ve even seen his car in person, and I think he did some slight modifications to the strut tower bar. | WHEELS/TIRES:
I am running 18” Fiske FM/5 wheels with the fronts being 9.5” wide with a .50 offset and the rears being 10.5” wide and a .54 offset. I get a little rubbing in the front under extreme turning using Pilot Sport PS2 265/35/18 and the suspension setup as mentioned. My rears are very comfortable with 295/35/18 and do not rub at all. I did however have to roll my fenders in the rear when I put on my 295/35/18 BFG drag radials. My street/track tires on the rear are Toyo Proxes T1S 295/35/18. | INTERIOR:
I have kept my interior looking as stock as possible, with the exception of my dual A pillar pod which houses my GReddy Turbo boost gauge and GReddy exhaust temp gauge (for which the probe is in my #6 header). I also have swapped out the stock tachometer for the TRD 10K tachometer. I also have the FJO display on top of my steering column (in red to match the gauges, plus everyone seems to do green FJO display so I had to be different).
After my B&M short shifter broke I put in a C’s Short Shifter kit which I am very pleased with. A rather odd modification that I have done to the interior was replace the ugly vinyl arm rests on the driver and passenger door with the nice leather ones from the earlier year models. Toyota started to get cheap on the later year models to cut costs and it showed. | EXTERIOR:
The exterior is a touchy subject to some people. I wanted to maintain as much of the Supra’s natural body lines as possible, but still give it an aggressive look. I also wanted the exterior modifications to be as functional as well. The answer was the Whifbitz front bumper to expose the intercooler to the flow it needed, the Do-Luck JZA80 Late model hood, which is fully vented to cool the engine bay, and Stillen side skirts to lower the mid section of the car to match up with the front bumper level. The result to me was a modified exterior without the “rice” look. However, everyone has their opinion and I’ll let you be the judge of that. I juggled with putting on the Do Luck wing, but after I had it in my hands I felt as if it crossed the area that clashed with the Supra’s natural lines and I nixed that idea. | PERFORMANCE:
On 1/19/04 the car made 801 RWHP and 674. RWTQ SAE at 32PSI, on 114 race gas. It also put down 514 RWHP on 92 octane pump gas the same day at Torquefreaks.
The drivability of the Supra is best described as breaking a young horse to ride. You have to be very smooth, and deliberate. Need to be alert at all times, and anticipate the Supra’s actions by listening to it. The clutch compared to stock is very grabby and stop and go traffic can be a nightmare. Too much throttle and you rev your engine, to little and the car dies at the light. When boost hits, it better be pointed in a straight line, as the rear will break loose and spin in the first four gears.
Typically I drive the Supra on low boost (1.4 bar or ~21psi) using 92 octane unleaded pump fuel on the street as well as the road course. This limits my power to ~550 to the rear wheels, which makes the power band easier to handle, and less prone to the tires breaking loose from a roll. My turbo is a GReddy T-88 34D, and hits full boost @ 4800 RPM. It's quite responsive at 4000rpm and will pull hard almost immediately. I have my rev limiter at 8300 RPM, which is well above the stock 6800 limit. At the high boost setting (2.2bar or ~32psi) I buy 114 leaded race fuel by the drum. Typically this causes 2 things to happen. Higher running costs, and more tickets which I get from driving it with 800 RWHP and exploring the power :)
As far as vehicles I have raced…unfortunately in the Pacific NW there is not a big culture that’s into testing each others mettle on the road. Of course those that have extremely fast cars are hard to find. I went to a local street racing event, and called out a BPU ’03 Ford Cobra. As always when racing cars in the Supra, its always a catch up game at the end, and typically dramatic like blowing by them around the ¾ race mark going 20 mph more. Its almost like they are pulling, then stop and put their cars in reverse.
Another time I was driving to the track and a Honda 929 RR bike owner (a previous MKIV owner I might add as well) was wanting to play with me on the road. So I followed through, and honked 3 times, and we took off. I walked him every time. I guess the final blow to his ego was when I told him that I was running on low boost!
The most dramatic (and unprovoked) time I raced a car was when I was coming home from a friends house. There was this C5 Vette that followed me for like 20 miles, and was egging me on. Finally I got so tired of it, I stepped on the gas and the inevitable turbo lag hit, with the Vette owner immediately pulling on me by 2 car lengths. Typical I thought to myself. We probably were going 120 MPH by the time we saw that the lanes were merging into one lane (his lane) due to construction. Way in the distance there was a motorcycle on the road in his lane. At this point it was either him or me and we both knew it! That day he learned that just because you ahead at first doesn’t mean you win. I blew by him and the bike at 140MPH and got into the left lane right before my lane ended. The Vette driver had to mash on his brakes to avoid hitting the bike and swallow a dose of humility on top of that.
As for ¼ mile time I have not ran it on race fuel, but on pump gas I hit 12.0 @ 125 MPH with drag radials. Not the best time in the world but any faster and I would be booted from the track due to not having a roll bar in the car. | THANKS:
I would like to thank the following people for their support:
Sean M @ Torquefreaks
John R @ Torquefreaks
Chris B @ Horsepowerfreaks
Chris W @ Garage Wick
Big V for all of the late night roll on sessions
My Mom and Dad for supporting me no matter what
My girl Tasha for always being there for me
..and my lawyer Bruce ;)
|
PARTS LIST:
| ENGINE:
Port and polished head with a 3 angle valve job
Crower titanium springs
Crower titanium retainers
JE .20 oversized pistons
GReddy T88 34-D Turbo polished with exhaust housing ceramic coated
Denso Iridium IK 24 spark plugs
Billet Aluminum spark plug cover
ARP head studs
HKS 264 intake camshaft
HKS 272 exhaust camshaft
Titan cam gears (2)
Blitz Diffuser down pipe (Ceramic Coated)
HKS Racing Titanium cat back exhaust
GReddy exhaust header (ceramic coated)
GReddy Type R wastegate
GReddy Arinex intake
GReddy 4 row intercooler
HKS Racing Type 2 Blow off valve
Nitrous Express 75hp fogger kit with bottle heater and purge valve | FUEL:
Titan fuel system with polished fuel rail (850cc injectors)
twin factory pump in-tank assembly
Aeromotive fuel regulator | ELECTRONICS:
HKS Twin Power
AEM engine management system
FJO wideband 02 with display and O2 sensor
GM boost control solenoid
GM IAT sensor
AEM 5 bar MAP sensor | DRIVETRAIN:
RPS Carbon/Carbon
C’s short shifter | BRAKES/CHASSIS:
Eibach Pro Kit springs
KYB AGX gas shocks
Goodrich braided steel brake lines
Hawk HP+ brake pads for street
Porterfield brake pads for track
| WHEELS/TIRES:
18” Fiske FM/5 wheels:
9.5” front, .50 offset, Pilot Sport PS2 265/35/18
10.5” rear, .54 offset, Toyo Proxes T1S 295/35/18 for street/track
& BFG Drag Radials 295/35/18 BFG for drag racing
| INTERIOR:
GReddy 60MM boost gauge with peak hold
GReddy 60MM exhaust temp gauge with peak hold
TRD 10K tachometer
Apexi turbo timer | EXTERIOR:
Whifbitz front bumper
Stillen side skirts
Do Luck JZA80 Late Hood |
|
turbo: GReddy T88
pistons: JE
rods: oem
head: ported
cams: HKS mix
boost: 32psi
injectors: 850cc
pumps: oem x2
fmic: GReddy 4-row
clutch: RPS C/C
nitrous:
rwhp: 801 (dynojet)
circa 942hp at the flywheel
|
