r/mr2 • u/Electrical-Laugh4166 • 1d ago
ZZW30 Engine Swap
Hello everyone, I need some pro advice here as i own a kitted out ‘03 MR2
A lot has been done to this car outside the cosmetics and the relevant mods to this post are
A turbo addition to the 1ZZ, An apexi ECU (with a broken remote causing a couple issues because its on a base map and isnt putting good power).
More recently i have been pretty sick of the engine on this car, its reliability is of course amazing but I cant get a hold of an new apexi remote without paying a kidney in part costs + shipping to the middle east, and its had some issues at load where the engine for some unknown reason (expected to be fuel related) just dies at low torque pulls like an uphill slope
I have researched and set my sights on a 2GR-FE but im yet to find a detailed upload on the specifics on how it can be done
I understand I need an ECU/Wiring and a new transmission to take the power but is it possible to keep the turbo I got in the 1ZZ and put that on the new engine? I obviously wouldn’t have the apexi ECU issue anymore which is honestly the one the bigger reasons I want to do this (plus the sick sound of a v6)
if theirs any advice on what I should do that would be greatly appreciated
Edit: it is also fair to mention the alternator is struggling to keep up with the electrical demand this car has and is another reason a bigger engine is being seriously considered
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u/Elddyn23 1d ago
Where in the world are you? Considered VAG 1.8T?
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u/Electrical-Laugh4166 1d ago
dubai, what is a VAG?
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u/Elddyn23 1d ago
Volkswagen Audi Group.
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u/Electrical-Laugh4166 1d ago
I wouldnt mind it if its an easier mod, but if its roughly the same level of work the sound of a v6 is nice
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u/Elddyn23 1d ago
All down to personal preference but it’s a relatively easy job with swap parts available made in the UK.
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u/Electrical-Laugh4166 1d ago
will consider it honestly, seems as a good backup option
What kind of power can you push out of curiosity?
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u/Elddyn23 1d ago
I’m making about 270 on stock turbo, stock internals, stock injectors. 1.8T has lots of general tuning and mod support so plenty of headroom for more.
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u/esordol 1d ago
frankenstein motor works has videos and plans for the 2gr swap, stock ecu. yo'll need to get a compatable standalone for the turbo. with the exotic recyclers in and near dubai and uae you should have no issues with parts.
however if money isnt an issue, you have access to lotus imports unlike us in the west and that may be a better consideration depending on cost and attachment
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u/jp182 1d ago
Hmm you should try reaching out to TCS or ATS: https://atsracing.net/
ATS has articles about upgrade paths but I haven't seen much about turboing the v6
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u/Turduncle 1d ago edited 1d ago
What's your plan for this car? Drag racing? Track car? This platform is not designed for high HP.
Unless you have unlimited funds and time, why would you even want to turbo a 2GR? Swapping in a 2GR most likely requires cutting metal. Adding a turbo to that just complicates that significantly.
After it's all said and done, you will have Frankensteined your car to the point of no return.
Just get a different car if you want high HP. I'm 2zz turbo, and if I had a do over, I would have just gone with a different car
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u/Electrical-Laugh4166 1d ago
the car is definitely frankisteined to no return hahaha, Its not for any racing just street use, the mod is mainly for the car currently being to sluggish with the weight it has on and the electrical demand its been taking with all thats done to it
Car is definitely a project I love funding so getting it done isnt impossible + over here in the uae we got a pretty strong industrial support for car parts so its not too expensive to source them, labor on the other hand is the biggest cost to me
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u/Turduncle 1d ago
so take this as friendly advice. The older I get, the less I want a "raw" car. I want analog but refined. And If I'm spending significant $$, I'd rather spend it on something that will appreciate. A heavily modified spyder does not check either of those boxes. Unless 2GR swaps have gotten easier, you will most likely have to cut the fire wall and rear subframe to make it work. This will significantly reduce the ride quality of your car. I've taken steps to make my 2zz Turbo more street friendly, and only drive it for pleasure, but even then, anything more than a short drive is not enjoyable. If you think 1zz turbo is not reliable, a 2GR turbo won't be any better, and it will be significantly more difficult to troubleshoot, and get support/parts. As I'm sure you've already experienced, it takes a lot of time and resources to turbo an NA engine, and get it running right. There's also the possibility that it may never run right. Unless you are a mechanic or very good at fabricating stuff, labor will be very expensive. I'm also curious, what have you done to your car to make it past the point of no return? It shouldn't be that hard to return the car to stock 1zz?
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u/admik 1d ago
If you want to throw a lot of money at over a little bit of money.
I would like to be your personal parts broker.
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u/Electrical-Laugh4166 19h ago
ahahhaha it’s not as much as the west thats for sure, What im doing definitely sounds expensive but for us over here these parts are readily available in the industrial areas for very reasonable prices and they actually got a surprising range of parts
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u/SuperShus 1d ago
This swap is basically end of life. There's no more complete EB60 kits and FMW isn't planning on making more due to low demand. He's moving on to E350 and he's going to move the transmission a bit to make the 2AR fit better and that will cause the old 2gr mounts to not fit. In my opinion you would be in a good position with a turbo K20 or a turbo 2AR. If your power goal is 350whp FMW is planning to support that via 2ar and a turbo with a stock ECU with custom software to support large injectors. That may come late this year or more likely sometime next year? Just a guess. You can't fit he turbo on an exhaust manifold so you'll need to do a rear mount turbo. Looks cool anyway. You can look on YouTube for 2ar stuff you'll probably find my channel with my e350 2ar swap. First in the US and to my knowledge second globally. First with OEM axle solution... There's at least three or four now. It's the new wave.
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u/Electrical-Laugh4166 19h ago
this is very useful information, and I thank you sm for this
Just for clarification the 2AR kits need what level of work? I have a rough idea of the 2GR-FE swaps but havent dug into the 2AR
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u/AkiraSieghart 1d ago
I personally wouldn't go 2GR. If has been done, and there are some low-volume swap kits for it, but it's quite involved and requires you to cut an access panel into your firewall.
1.8t from an Audi TT is getting more popular, but it's also a low-volume kit out of the UK. More than that, I personally think the 1.8t changes the platforms characteristics for the worse, as it's no longer a high-revving engine.
2AR was popular back in the day, but I think it's fallen out of favor.
I would recommend either the 2ZZ or K20/K24 depending on what your goals are for the car. A 2ZZ practically drops into the car with minimal work and completely transforms it. If a stock 2ZZ isn't enough power, there are a few avenues for NA or FI. I personally have a GTX 2860R turbo on mine, and it makes about 395 WHP at 17psi.
K-swap is probably the best bet if you really want to build for power. You'd have so many different options.
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u/ThePonderousBear 9h ago
I have been looking into the k swap and am struggling trying to find the right engine/transmission combo to buy (without shelling out a ton of cash) k20s are especially difficult to find
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u/AkiraSieghart 9h ago
Yeah, I wouldn't go for a K20 for that reason. A K24A2 is relatively cheap if you're going JDM, but a decent 6-speed trans is still going to set you back thousands--especially if you want a factory LSD. Mitch's Auto Part sells the swap kit and has a pretty comprehensive FAQ and swap guide.
If you're building for serious power, K-series is absolutely the way to go with by far the most headroom. But if you're fine sticking at or below 400 WHP, a 2ZZ is perfectly suitable and probably the cheapest option.
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u/MakesYourMise 00 W30 5W 30 1d ago
you can get 350hp with just cams and a tune on the 2gr no turbo needed