3sGTE worth the swap @ $6500, 245hp on a fWD? Options

[Lacs21]

Hey guys, I would like to hear from some owners of the swap. I want to know if u guys think its worth it to put that much pwoer into a FWD car? And can u guys use all that power with so much torque steer? is it worth the $6500 this garage is asking to have it done?
this is the garge
http://www.xatracing.com/xatracingparts.ht...oyotaswaps.html

Thanks guys for all ur help

This post has been edited by Lacs21: Dec 15, 2004 - 8:44 PM

[lagos]

doing the swap is the best thing i have every done to my car. it went form an ok and sometimes fun car, to something that can keep up with a bmw M3. looking back the only regret i have, is that i didnt do it sooner.

as long as you have 17s or 18s with good tires, the TQ steer really isint a bad thing. its more like a fun thing that puts a smile on your face.

the coolest thing about owning a turbo celica, is that you can control the power the car makes. u want 50hp more? no problem, turn the boost up. you want 50ho less, turn it down.

[Punch]

what part of Florida are you in
down here you can get it done for a little less; You ca nask XXXmina exactly how much it was. He got his done by jason from Jamasco holly wood FL

[Fate]

i'm interested in the same thing but does anyone know of a place thats more north in the US, like near NJ. not meaning to steal the topic, but i'm very interested as well.

This post has been edited by Fate: Dec 15, 2004 - 9:30 PM

[FallenHero]

what part of Florida are you in
down here you can get it done for a little less;  You ca nask XXXmina exactly how much it was. He got his done by jason from Jamasco holly wood FL
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he got lots of extra stuff... and it was almost 10k.

[Clipsetuner]

I am not the owner of the swap... yet, its all in the waiting. But I drove a friends with the swap and holy crap, its so nice to know that you can almost smoke anything on the road, and it pulls like crazy. I would say DONT do the swap if you dont have the excess love for the celi that most of us share. If you want a highly dominating FWD, and have the time and money, and are gonna commit to the project.. DO IT!
DTE

[doGGy]

For 6500$ you can get abatari's swaped Celi.... Check F/S forums....

[Supersprynt]

TQ steer can be solved with some LSD and this is the most bang for ur buck you can do.

[lagos]

Supersprynt, but do you really feel like its an issue in a swap celica? i mean, its only something that happens when u floor it, and its fun cause your car gets crazy for a few seconds, but as soon as you hit 3rd, its over. i think an lsd would be nice, but its not something that you need just to drive or race you swaped celica.

[Supersprynt]

by bang for ur buck i meant swap not LSD, i read it over and confused myself. If you plan on racing, and running ur car its very much something you should look into. I personally hate TQ steer I dont like when the car "gets crazy" because its crazy all over the road. I can get better acceleration when both wheels are going to move rather than having one turn your car for you. It will also help in cornering. IMO LSD was something that was a necessity for me when getting the MR2 tranny.

Necessity for the swap, no. But if your planning on modifying the engine then, yeah I think in a FWD application its very useful.

[Digndoug]

OK, While were ok the topic, and without bring up another thread.
First off, Lagos do you know if any one started on the how-to for wireing??

Second, Im getting to the point, were i relize im going to have my car for awhile, i would say at least another 3 years. and for me thats a long freaking time. I was planning on doing the 3s-ge swap. But now thinking bout it, I might as well get a turbo set-up. I know some one did the re-build on the 3s-ge and then just turboed it. But you guys think it would be worth the trouble. The only good facts i could get out of it would be, that I could work on the engine before i tare-down my car. Also I know it would be freshly re-built and no damage not known about. ALso could prolly make it run more boost.

[lagos]

i think it would be better to swap in a 3sgTe insead of swaping a 3sge and trying to turbo it.

[Jdog1385]

why dont you just do a 2nd gen swap....save some money

[Digndoug]

humm, well i already have the engine, so maybe il just stick with non-turbo an see how that goes.

[lagos]

oh i see. if you already have it then swap it in.

[Lacs21]

I think greeddy or HKS makes a turbo kit for the 3sge. Why get the MR2 tranny? Lagos ur car looks really clean. How much was ur swap?

[jgreening]

I want to know if u guys think its worth it to put that much pwoer into a FWD car?

I think 200whp in a front wheel drive car is no problem. I have never had a traction problem with my car. The tires spin only when I want them to.

As for whether its worth it, it really depends on your goals. If your goal is to have a car that is screaming fast at high RPMs and you dont mind spending the money, I would say go for it. A 4cyl performance car is going to get maximum power in the above 4000 RPMs. Thus, for drag applicatoins or fun while performance shifting its great. On the other hand, if you want the feeling of 300ft lbs of torque right when you step on the gas (like a big V8), then its not the best route to go. That has been the only disappointment for me. In the lower RPM range, I can barely tell the difference from my 5sfe. I find that my driving habits under normal conditions result in mostly lower RPMs where bigger displacement would be a benefit.

As for LSD, I have never driven a swapped celica without one so I can only comment based on my experience. I have had torque steer one time since I swapped. It happened on a right hand turn from a stop where I floored it around the corner. I hit a bump with my inside tire and the wheel left the ground. When it did, the steering wheel was literally ripped out of my hands. I would imagine that might happen more regularly without LSD - particularly if you are on a soft or slipperly road.

Good luck

- Jay

[lagos]

jgreening, i know what you mean... the 3sgte can be a lot like a stock 5sfe at times... part of the reason why it gets faster at 4k is because of the tvis system. if you disable it, you should gain that kick in the but feeling in the lower rpm! ... its just one vac line u disconnect can cap under the motor. im planning to do mine next time in under the car.

This post has been edited by lagos: Dec 16, 2004 - 8:15 PM

[Lacs21]

Mr. lagos
what parts did u have to fabricate and what gen is ur 3sgte? Have u dynoed it?

[coustoe]

anyone whos done this interested in getting paid to do the swap?, paid for the labor part of the swap i mean.

This post has been edited by coustoe: Dec 18, 2004 - 5:13 PM

[Supersprynt]

Dave is going to be doing swaps for money, just needs a little timie with his new place. (DGPerformance)

[Silver94CelicaOw...]

Thats cool to hear....recently I've been on an MR2 Turbo kick, and thought that I would sell the Celica in the spring for one. But, if I could pay one of you guys or Dave to give me a hand with the swap, I would rather keep the Celica and git r' done.

BTW, for those with the MR2 tranny....what is the difference in gear ratios compared to the GT transmission? I've heard that the MR2T has a little longer gear ratios but im not sure how true that is.