Engine

Drivetrain

Misc.

Modified MKIs

Gear sets:

While the MKI has gearing that lets you get up to 140 mph, a stock car cannot get to this speed. Not even moderately modified MKIs can. Stock Mr2s will top out at no more than 120 no matter what your speedometer tells you.  For those that have increased power and want to be able to have a higher top speed that is not cut short by the MKIs short gearing, Paseo Gear sets can be swapped into the C-52 tranny. 

Paseo Gear Sets

Also, TRD currently has different final drive ratios available in 3.526, 3.632, 3.833, 4.186, 4.467, 4.667, 4.733. They are kinda pricey at $800 however. 

The following is very useful Top speed and gear ratio information given by John Welch

Top Speed and Gear Ratios
 

Gear Oil:

Despite Redline's suggestions, the list has found that Redline MT-90 is the best choice. It significantly reduces noticiness, and helps the syncros work better. MTL has also been found to work good as well.  In general the MTL is better suited to colder climates, whereas the MT-90 works better for hotter ones.  MT90 is 75w-90, and MTL is 75w-80  The MTL will sometimes have gear rattle in hot conditions.
 

Limited slip:

The Quaife limited slip that was at one time discontinued can now be found at certain performance retailers.  Mike Gruber gives the following:

I have since found the SC diff to be available from Autotech Sport Tuning (the VW people), who advertise in Sport Compact Car.  I actually called them to see if they had one in stock, and they did.  They wanted $1295 or something for it.

We have run a lot of Quaife LSD's (mainly in single seaters), and they throw an immense amount of heat into the transmission oil, used in anger. They are also "unusual" in their wet weather characteristics... Don't get me wrong, with development time spent on the suspension, one can get a Quaife to work well in most applications. However, a plate type diff is more likely to do what is required without recourse to changing the suspension to work with it.

I have had a fair amount of dealings with Mike Quaife, and his company. They are spot on, both quality wise, and ethically. It's just the Quaife gear diff is a bit tricky to come to grips with.

I take some issue with the anti-Quaife comments on the page.  For *autocross* use, the dynamic qualities of the Quaife are much superior to a clutch type limited slip.  Mine works just fantastic!  You can apply power much earlier on  corner exit than would be possible with a plate type, because more of the power (and force) is being applied to the outside rear wheel.  This helps the car  turn, minimizing understeer that a clutch type LSD would cause in this situation. Road racing may or may not be a different story.

The 2 TRD LSDs which are special orders from Japan and costs approx. $900 US. One is a gear style, while the other is a clutch style. 

There is also a clutch LSD available from Kaaz.
 

Swapping out the auto for the 5-spd:

The Mr2 in its general nature is a very sporty car, and as expected a very high percentage on the road are manuals. There are however automatic versions, and while decent, just aren't the same as the 5-spd.  For their sake however, it is possible to swap the auto out for the C-52 manual. Thanks to Jeff Gammon, we now know how to do so:

Converting Auto tranny to a Manual
 
 

Clutch

When it comes to choosing a new clutch, there are many different options for the AW11.  First off, the stock clutch has proven to be a very long lasting and surprisingly competent clutch. However the performance ones available from TRD, centerforce, and ACT have also had good reports. 

The author had used a TRD kevlar clutch for his mostly stock AW11 and had been extremely pleased until the clutch was completely worn out in 15k miles.  This was after having put on over 120k miles on a stock unit.  TRD USA was not very helpful in the matter and it took much negotiation to receive just a new clutch plate.  I was hung out to dry for the cost of replacement and a new pressure plate, not to mention my personal time and the vehicle down time.  The TRD Kevlar clutch was only sold for a few years as many had problems with it in the AW11 and the SW20.  In its place are a range of more traditional high performance organic clutchs that comes from TRD Japan and are much like the offerings from the other aftermarket clutch manufactures. 

Many report that after market clutches are somewhat more "race like" than the stock clutch in that they have more of an "on/off" type engagement instead of a progressive engagement.  However, for the author, this has personally not proven to be a problem for street driving, and the quickness with which you can change gears can outweigh this.  This however might be more of a problem for those with lightweight flywheels.

I also do not doubt that there are other performance clutches available out there, as the import parts world is a very dynamic one.  Thus, do not take the above list as the end all be all of what is available.  Just do your homework before purchasing one, and don't forget that there really isn't anything wrong with the stock clutch if you don't have tons of engine modifications.
 

For information on clutch replacement please click on the following: Clutch replacement and engine removal information..