Supra Upgrades

[Justin]

Hey Guys! I got a 1994 toyota supra and i want this thing to be a rocket.I would think maybe cold air intake, headers, bigger injectors, pulley, exhaust kit, and performance tires would be a good start that would probably bring it up to 400 horses maybe a little more but that would be plenty unless I want to go bigger (which i do) lol. I want it running 800 ponies so i was thinking along the lines of the way you can push the most power from that motor. I want to use a single turbo setup, i think the most common size for high hp single turbo set ups is like a 80mm(which have currently just purchased like five minutes ago). It’s a GTX 4508R so if that helps…any recommendations?

Topic

[Mike]

Obtain, read multiple times, and fully understand this book:

[Lorrin Barth]

An 800 hp car is something probably only an expensive race shop can build for you. It will always be down and when running it will be moved from track to track on a trailer. Clutches alone would cost you a fortune and you would be replacing them constantly.

[Gary]

Heh, for 800 horsepower I sure wouldn’t be using the stock block. I’d also have all forged internals as well as an EXCELLENT cooling system. As barneyb has said, 800HP is asking alot, and you gotta know how to safely make that power. The Supra can certainly handle it, but it will be quite the investment. Also as barneyb said it would NOT be a streetable car. The book Fopeano recommends is excellent, but it will take more than a turbo and some bolt-ons for what you are hoping to accomplish.

[Andrew Button]

Cheapest and most reliable (relatively speaking) way to get that much power is to replace that ancient Iron Cressida motor with an LS 5.3 and forced induction. Cost a fraction of what a Toyopet motor costs to build. If you insist on keeping the Toyopet engine, there are a bunch of internals in there that can be replaced with parts made in America and that’s how the really fast Supra guys are making that 3 liter motor stay together under insane boost. Waste of money really either way. No bigger waste of money on the planet than building a race motor for the street, regardless of the car. Not only do you ruin the value of the car buy modifying it, you can never get the money out of the perfomance parts either. Double edge waste of money sword there. If you do run a bunch of boost, say like 30 lbs, and you don’t use methanol injection and really high octane fuel (100+) please send us the pictures of the motor pieces. A car with a stock motor that gets you home in the rain is a much better than an 80000 motor that leaves you stranded on the freeway and makes you want to throw a mountain dew bottle at the unreliable, overheating, fuel sucking pig beast. Having a bunch of modified crap when I was younger really makes me appreciate a good oem spec engine that I don’t have to worry about always failing. The reason stock Supras with factory twin turbos are quite collectable now when stock is because to many people underappreciate what that vehicle was meant to do from the factory. Toyopets engineers probably know a little more about a balance between perfomance and reliability, than say the guy down the street with a Naws sticker and a fart can on a Tercel.

[Jesse]

Barney, Chevyman, and Andrew all are on the right track. Yes, you can build an 800hp Supra, the question is what is your budget? Building an 800hp Supra is going to cost you a small fortune. You can’t just up the boost, or throw another turbo on the car and expect it to run for long. The car will be a ticking time bomb with a half-assed build. You’re probably going to need to run a more aggressive camshaft, you’re going to need forged internals, and you may even want a different head on your engine. If you decided to do all of this you’re probably going to need professional help. Engine building takes special tools, and knowledge, if you do it wrong you’re probably going to ruin your engine, and most likely some pricey parts in the process. Another thing to take into consideration is: can the stock transmission handle 800hp? Probably not.

Now lets talk about the logistics of driving around a vehicle with 800hp. You’re probably going to have an extremely heavy clutch in your car. It’s going to be very inconvenient when driving it around in traffic. Have you thought about the kind of gasoline you will need? It’s probably not the type of stuff you can get from just any gas station, especially in California. The regular stuff will cause severe knocking, and it will eventually destroy your engine.

You’re not going to get 800hp from just bolt ons. It’s going to take money, professional help, and tuning. Even then your car isn’t very streetable. Let us not forget that you will probably need to upgrade your suspension, brakes, and tires so you can actually use that power safely. Don’t forget about all of the tuning that you will need to be done… Even then your car won’t be very reliable.

You’re basically going to be replacing most of the mechanical components of the Supra in this scenario. That is big time bucks. Just drive the car, and enjoy it how it is if you want a reliable daily driver.

[Mike]

This car needs race gas and is barely streetable. It’s really expensive, but the car is incredibly fun when it works right:

[Lorrin Barth]

I’m sure, if you go to a Supra forum and act nice, someone can and will provide you with an upgrade path. Then you can price those parts and decide how far you want to go. Usually, even the big boys with money stop at around 600 hp if they want a street-able car. I remember the lament of one owner of a fast car telling what he was spending on carbon clutches. So, set you sights lower and try to keep it reliable. Do plenty of research before you start.

[Author]

Replies