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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MK3 Supras suck, like you do cock.
Just found this thread and would like my wasted minute back please.
I’ve played with the A70’s for over 7 years now and proudly own a genuine turbo-A supra with a built engine. I agree to the weight of the car being over done but the thing you have to remember is it wasn’t designed as a race car but as a touring car.
On the highway it’s without a doubt one of the best cars i’ve ever owned and reliability is fantastic.
I drive mine everyday and it gets great mileage and has a different look to a lot of the more common shit boxs that people drive.
The biggest problem with them i find is the retards that call themselves mechanics such as the person that made this page give them a bad name when they try to tackle a job that is clearly out of there ability and blame the engine when they screw it all up.
If you aren’t prepared to learn and listen to the experts don’t buy one.
If you are a retard don’t buy one.
If your favorite performance parts shop is e-bay don’t buy one.
But if you want a well made car that has great looks and unlimited potential by all means pick one up and join the supra community and have some fun…
You do realize that the MKIII suspension can be easily setup to handle any track condition. It is adjustable in all the right areas. And where it isn’t, the aftermarket has stepped in to provide such parts. I will agree with you on the burgandy interior, but then again it was the 80’s. As for the weight, you do realize that most true sports cars weigh 2900-3800 lbs right? The weight of a 2010 Corvette is 3300 lbs. The weight of the MKIII varied depending on which options and year you had, but ranged from 3500-3800 lbs. The body isn’t made of plastic either, it’s an all steel body that will protect your ass when you get into a wreck. The MKIII has saved many a life because of it’s strong construction. The power of the MKIII Turbo (7M-GTE) is a good entry level power level, and can keep up with a lot of cars out there in stock form. Even stock the MKIII is still a quick car. The steering angle has been adressed by the aftermarket community with simple spacers for the steering rack that provide quite a few degrees more of steering. As for steering feel with the stabilizer, I have my Supra setup for grip driving and I feel everything but I’m not constantly having to fight the wheel which helps in handling the car much better.
As for the “cock riders,” you do realize that once people learn of the abilities of the MKIII they usually like it (unless of course they are in love with the MKIV body). The targa top wasn’t designed for handling, it was designed for low speed cruising. It’s quite nice to be able to take the top off in the summer and just cruise around the city streets, I know Corvette has had this feature as well. The aftermarket body parts for the MKIII fall into 2 realms, clean (like Poloboi’s Supra you posted) and rice (like most of the crap body parts out there for Honda’s). I personally prefer the stock body lines with minor and subtle changes, and the aftermarket has the parts I need.
So what is the car that fascinates you so we can delve through its history for any flaws? The 7m is actually internally stronger than a lot of v8’s stock for stock and stronger internally than MOST import engines. A lot of engines need to be sleeved or have stronger rods and pistons just to crack into 400hp. If you fix the headgasket correctly and get the head machined it will be tough and reliable. You fix it right you fix it once. Its ignorant to think that a 20 year old car won’t need things replaced. Suspension: I don’t see someone on here crying about the wagon style suspension american cars have been using forever. Steering angle: Cry about the mitsubishi evo too, because it fails along with many other cars that are much newer the supra mk3.
Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.
You sir have removed all doubt that you have no idea what you’re talking about.