Re: TNR's AW11 (Finally!)
Posted: Tue Feb 16, 2016 1:20 pm
I thought I saw Paul Woods doing one in a SW20 for someone on MR2OC (facebook) a while back. Can't find it, but did find this AW:
Oh, I thought it was a blacktop, my bad.Alsw20 wrote:It was a red top.
I have now. I don't have an SW20 so any comparisons will be to my AW11.Swampy wrote:Well damn. Have you taken the Altezza to some twisties yet? I wanna know how it drives compared to the 2
The CRX wasn't too bad, but I didn't like the 2 seat restriction. Also you can't really carry boxes or suitcases in it, though it being a fastback/hatch back did make it a little better.mknz wrote:Idk about AWs but I have never run out of room in the SW. I thought having a fast back large items could fit in the CRX? Nice Altezza though
Your right, about that:mknz wrote:How sure are you it's dead? Sometimes those 4As can take so stupid amounts of abuse
Yeah it has been parked up, I think it would just use coolant too quickly to be usable now anyway plus causing further damage like you mentioned. I know I must seem like a total idiot blowing my engine like this, but I thought I did everything right. I followed this video and yes did have the heater fully on.mickeyduck wrote:Definitely a blown head gasket. And yes you likely didn't bleed it quite right. They are simple to do once you know how but if you haven't read the BGB (factory manual) which is stickied in the Members area http://mr2.org.nz/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=12549 - or been shown by someone who knows how to do it properly then it's very easy to get wrong. One minor thing (such as not turning the heater to full hot while the ingnition is on before bleeding) can make it a fail. It won't be seized - they are very hardy - but don't drive it or it will just get worse and worse. The head will need removing, skimming (or replacing) and refitting. Not a huge drama on an n.a. perhaps but a total PITA on a supercharger.
Bummer. I know your pain first hand thanks to someone that didn't do it right on an AW I later bought. It would occasionally boil over after a damn good thrashing. I do hope you get it sorted. They are so much fun to drive...
Yeah now you make me wish I had a running AW even more now..mickeyduck wrote:Been reading your comparison...
An n.a. auto AW is nowhere near as much fun as a manual (or even an auto) supercharger - and a facelift supercharger has different bits here and there in terms of suspension, brakes etc compared to a pre facelift n.a. Subtle things but still...
That said, with the right tyres (just need to be properly good tyres such as Potenzas) and with the right wheel alignment (massively important, must have at least 5mm toe in on the rear) once you understand and trust the car you will find you can put it through massively hard cornering a LOT faster than almost anything else. Certainly faster than the Altezza. And I know Altezzas can handle very well, having been passenger in a fully kitted-out one at significant pace through tight twisties.
Once you understand that gently adding throttle all the way through a corner makes an AW simply grip better and get through the corner faster (with the right tyres) you will discover they are simply a stroke of genius.
I have owned 3 AW's over the last twelve years, and driven them as my daily up until about a year ago, pushing them as far as I could on pretty-much every corner I ever came to, and practicing stopping in as short a distance as possible without locking up the fronts whenever it was safe to do so (coming off the motorway etc). They are a true drivers car as there is tons of feedback, and you drive as if you have strapped the thing on and it is an extension of yourself. No power steering, ABS, traction control, none of that crap. AWesome.
I now drive a manual 86GT every day. I am amazed at how similar its handling is to an AW11, despite being front engined. As if someone at Toyota had owned an AW and decided to engineer the thing to respond and feel in a very similar manner. No wonder people rave about the 86's handling and the fact it's so much fun to drive, even if it is a bit under powered (like an n.a. AW). And like an n.a. AW you need to drive an 86 above 4,500rpm if you want it to behave as it was intended to... The 86 is truly brilliant on a twisty road. And just like an AW (yes even an n.a. auto one) the power is perfectly adequate to keep the car nicely balanced through the corners on a twisty road - and thereby maintain a surprisingly high pace.
Please note I am actually commending the AW here by saying if it has good tyres and a driver that understands and trusts it, it's just as good as a brand new 86.
I believe I could probably out-drive the 86 in my old bog standard AW supercharger. In fact, in either the manual or the auto... In fact if there is one thing I would dearly love to change on the 86 - even more than adding a supercharger - it is to make the "Off" buttons for traction and stability control actually turn that crap totally off so I can drive around corners without that stuff interfering!
So I hope you get around to fixing your AW. And I hope you eventually learn how they can be driven - and how much they can be enjoyed.
AW's are AWesome!