Actually, let's be honest here, they are most likely the worst Toyota ever built.
These are my top 10 reasons for hating the mk3 supra. How do I know them so well? I worked on them for nearly 2 years, I drove both RHD and LHD mk3's with all sorts of different engines, stock and modified. I've spent a lot of time wrenching on them, and man do they suck badly. Let's begin:
10. Racing History: Let's be honest, there's really nothing special here, Bjorn Waldergard won one event with the MK3 supra in a Beijing Rally, and a few British fellows ran it in BTCC for a while. No real pedigree here.
9. Steering Angle: This is straight up a joke, it can't be real, no way it's even considered safe or functional to have so little steering lock for daily use. You think I'm kidding, but that's full lock below.
8. Weight: This really should be the #1 reason why there's no point in driving an mk3 Supra for any sort of 'sporting' purposes. What's that? you've never known what the weight of a mk3 supra was? Pictured below is a vehicle that weighs nearly identical, and actually produces more power.
(Note: 3800lbs, that's right, the CK short bed, short cab, not only weighed 3800lbs, but it actually produced 230hp and 300ft/lb of torque. Although the 1JZ variant is comparable)
7. Aftermarket Styling: Yes it's a slick looking exterior, simply put, it's the only selling point of the car. However, the aftermarket stuff? yeah, look below...
6.Targa Top: So you have an oval, pretty strong shape, egg's are 3d ovals and resist deformation pretty well. Then you cut a huge chunk out of it. Now you've got an easily crushable "C" shape. Thus is the Targa roof. How bad is it for chassis flex? Toyota actually had high grade, long threaded allen bolts to hold it square when in. When out, people started putting in targa supports to help reduce the horrible flex.
5. Steering Stablizer: The whole Geometry of the MK3 Supra suspension is fucked, and to help reduce bump steer, and ultimately any sort of driver feedback that's left after the hefty power steering, was a shock, bolted to the steering rack to help reduce...something. Road feel mostly, or resist the horrible bumper steer associated with #4. This Stablizer, much like the Cressidas (Although they had different front suspensions and shared the rear) resists and sometimes completely removes the affects of caster during cornering. It reduces the speed of turn by adding a dramatic amount of resistance.
4.Suspension Dynamics: These are just plain FUCKED. For some reason, Toyota decided that going from a single lower control arm McPherson strut setup, that had proven extremely well in the Corolla's, Celica's, and Celica Supras of the past, had to go, and in place a needlessly complex, and albeit poorly designed multi-link/double wishbone setup in it's place. You want to know how bad it is? Camber actually becomes positive on compression and negative on extension. Seriously look vvv.
3. Cock Riders: This isn't about the owners. The amount of people floating around the internet praising the mk3, simply because of it's loose relation to that of an mk4 Supra most of them having never owned a Supra in their lives. Although this makes me curious of the dynamic of buying and polishing a turd.
2. 7M/1G: Pretty weak sauce. So you buy a 3800lb driveway ornament and want to go fast. In North America, your faced with the 7M, and Japan, luckily enough got the 1jz, however, they too got the 7M and even worse, the 1G. Every other M series engine was decent, the 7M screwed that right up. It's head design is the fault. People will tell you it was a bad factory gasket, or under torqued bolts. However, even with those factors coverd, the real core of the issue was a bad head design. Getting past the common, and often debilitating issue of 7m's blowing gaskets (try pushing that thing!) The power of a 7m is a joke. Remember that Toyota publishes not the wheel horse power, but the crank. By the time that inline 6 delivers it's 200hp N/a to the rear, it's about 160hp, got a turbo? Roughly 190hp. Brutal for that amount of weight, but look out! There's even a worse motor: the 1GGTE. Although not plagued with head gasket failures and people thinking they can build the ultimate 7m, only to fail like the next guy, the 1ggte had it's own issues, spinning bearings, and well, being 2 liters! Such a tiny inline 6, and it needed twin turbo's just to make the 210hp. Unless your supra screwed and end up with an n/a 1GGE at 150hp.
And the Number 1 reason MK3 supra's are garbage! *Drum Roll*
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1. Burgandy:
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i own a mk3 and judging from what ive looked at my supra was 2500 pounds before i did the weight reduction and it now weighs in at 1700 steering i agree with u on that but there is a thing that car builders must under stand u must correct what the dealer has purposely forgot. once you correct the small kinks out of the system its a all round great car n interior thats simple just change it up. the engine yes did come with head issues and colling issues simple repairs if you kno what your doing so for those who dislike the car ill be honest its the under recognized of the supra era and now the parts out for it just make the car more of an animal
This is fucking hilarious… Ian – " i own a mk3 and judging from what ive looked at my supra was 2500 pounds before i did the weight reduction and it now weighs in at 1700"
1700 pounds? You are retarded. I drive an AE86, and it weighs around 2500lbs. It is EXTREMELY difficult to get a tiny Corolla to 1700 lbs, just like it is extremely difficult to get a land yacht (MA70) to weigh 2500lbs…
MKiii’s are shit, not “the shit”
This guy spent a lot of time building this page. Understandably, he has some good points. The wrong ones:
1: The mkiii is 3400lbs for hardtop with leather interior and electronic suspension. 3550lbs fully loaded with targa roof. Removing the garbage seats reduces the weight to +- 3300lbs.
2: Suspension dynamics are not a joke nor bad at all. The steering stabilizer is for the additional ‘bump steer’ generated that is not dispersed throughout the suspension. Simple coil overs nearly eliminate all bump steer. Also, it’s for comfort.
3: Steering angle: While crappy, simple steering spacers allow these cars to drift. Ask me how I know.
I believe this guy is a bit off his kilter for speaking so ill of a vehicle he doesn’t understand very much about. I own 3 mkiii’s currently and they race quite well.
@Ty any vehicle can be made better than stock, this car is no exception, no one is arguing that. Quinn’s article is pointing out everything on a stock MKIII. 3400lbs is still very heavy for the north American models that have just over 200hp…
The general public buy vehicles and keep them stock, those people who have stock MKIII supras are driving terrible vehicles.
Depends on why and how you drive your mk III. My guy is stock and it is just fine with me. Do not drive like a lunatic which is good since the sound of the engine attracts police. As for drifting hate it! >:[