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Hey Guys,

I am just researching the MR2/K swap info and wanted to know how are the quality of the MAP swap kit parts. Has anyone used it for a prolonged period of time? How has the mounts and shifter linkages held up to tracking abuse? I love the idea of K swapping a MR2 but only if swap package is robust enough to handle track work. I appreciate any comments/feedbacks.

Thanks.
 
I've done a few track days on mine with a K24. No issues so far in that regard. There were fitment issues with the mounts with the initial install, and I received the wrong oil pump chain. Overall, I would still recommend MAP. Brandon over there is super-helpful, and overall quality was pretty good.

A big disclaimer though- I used the Civic SI transmission with seems to have a more stout adapter on the transmission side. I don't believe that adapter is available anymore.
 
I've done a few track days on mine with a K24. No issues so far in that regard. There were fitment issues with the mounts with the initial install, and I received the wrong oil pump chain. Overall, I would still recommend MAP. Brandon over there is super-helpful, and overall quality was pretty good.

A big disclaimer though- I used the Civic SI transmission with seems to have a more stout adapter on the transmission side. I don't believe that adapter is available anymore.
Thanks for responding. Can you elaborate what where the fitment issues and how were they remedied? Thanks.
 
Not the person you are replying to, but in my case I had issues with the motor mounts not all lining up. Could just be my car, but I needed to modify the front mount and add a spacer to make it fit.

Also, not sure if it's the case for a K20, but if you run a K24 you will need an oil cooler for track use. Pre oil cooler I'd hit 280° on track within 15 minutes, even with cooler ambient tenps. With the cooler installed my steady state temperature seems to be around 240°. I didn't do any ductwork or add fans, so I'm sure I could get it lower if I tried.
 
Not the person you are replying to, but in my case I had issues with the motor mounts not all lining up. Could just be my car, but I needed to modify the front mount and add a spacer to make it fit.

Also, not sure if it's the case for a K20, but if you run a K24 you will need an oil cooler for track use. Pre oil cooler I'd hit 280° on track within 15 minutes, even with cooler ambient tenps. With the cooler installed my steady state temperature seems to be around 240°. I didn't do any ductwork or add fans, so I'm sure I could get it lower if I tried.
Again, thanks for the insight, How long have you had the swap and how many track events? I don't own a spyder yet but l will only be buying the car to drop a K24 in it . If the parts are not robust, I will scrap the entire idea.

And regarding oil temps, it isn't oil temps that will kill your engine, it's oil pressure. Did you measure what were the pressures at 280F? The S2000 guys can be tracking their F20s @ 280F for 80+ events without issues. For a dedicated race car, I agree 100% to go with an oil cooler but for the causal HDPE car, I am not completely sold on it given that it does introduced more potential failure points (leaks) and in some cases, causes over cooling for street use.
 
The swap parts are not refined, however if you are handy everything can be made to work. I had a couple fitment issues also with the mounts, grinder, dremel, drill etc. can handle it. the shifting mechanism is probably the worst, it needs some bracing, as shifting through the gears causes the cable bracket to bend and ends up in missed gears... there were some issues with the shifter mechanisms and brackets breaking because of lack of welds, which supposedly has now been remedied, but as far as I know the bracing has not been added to the cable bracket, which helps shifter feel tremendously.

It's a pretty easy swap for someone with some mechanical knowledge as far as swapping an engine from a different manufacturer goes
 
Thanks for responding. Can you elaborate what where the fitment issues and how were they remedied? Thanks.
The mounting brackets were slightly off. I was told they would be off before I even attempted to install. I believe later versions corrected the issue. I would ask MAP. As others said, the solution involved grinding/filing a few mm to fit. Not a big deal if you have the tools.

I'm running an external oil cooler (Setrab 19 row) in the passenger-side scoop. I also have a Mishimoto radiator up front. Temperatures are fine at the track, but the car runs cool on the street. It's a struggle to get water temp up to 160 degrees if I'm just grabbing a coffee.

I've done two track sessions so far. The first one, no issues at all. The second one, I started having fuel delivery issues at higher RPM under load. I strongly suspect the stock fuel pump and filter is the culprit. That was just last week, so hopefully diagnose properly this weekend.

I'm about 700 miles post-install at this point. Once I solve the fueling issue (I'm thinking an upgraded in-tank pump), I'll be fairly confident in reliability. I've take a few 100 miles trips already to shake it down. With the transmission I have, the car is surprisingly relaxing to drive in 5th/6th gear if you're cruising.
 
Again, thanks for the insight, How long have you had the swap and how many track events? I don't own a spyder yet but l will only be buying the car to drop a K24 in it . If the parts are not robust, I will scrap the entire idea.

And regarding oil temps, it isn't oil temps that will kill your engine, it's oil pressure. Did you measure what were the pressures at 280F? The S2000 guys can be tracking their F20s @ 280F for 80+ events without issues. For a dedicated race car, I agree 100% to go with an oil cooler but for the causal HDPE car, I am not completely sold on it given that it does introduced more potential failure points (leaks) and in some cases, causes over cooling for street use.
Oil pressure and oil temp are both important, and of course oil temp effects oil pressure. Oil temp has another direct effect on the engines and that is the direct relationship between oil temp and piston top land temps. The underside of the pistons are cooled by oil jets. the K20 has a factory water-to-oil cooler, but it is not really sufficient for open-track days in hot weather. I added an additional oil cooler to the passenger-side vent area via a thermostatically-controlled adapter. I like the Mishimoto adapters. I am quite happy with the MAP mounts.\

Dave
 
Oil pressure and oil temp are both important, and of course oil temp effects oil pressure. Oil temp has another direct effect on the engines and that is the direct relationship between oil temp and piston top land temps. The underside of the pistons are cooled by oil jets. the K20 has a factory water-to-oil cooler, but it is not really sufficient for open-track days in hot weather. I added an additional oil cooler to the passenger-side vent area via a thermostatically-controlled adapter. I like the Mishimoto adapters. I am quite happy with the MAP mounts.\

Dave
Another thing, do your research before deciding on K20 vs K24. The big issue is vibration level and the fact that the oil pump with the balancers (K24) is not as durable for high rpm use as the K20. So if you want to go on-track with a K24 with the K20 oil pump, you will have a huge difference in vibration level compared to stock, especially with urethane motor mounts. Using the stock passenger-side mount helps a lot. Even the K20 is kind of abusive with all Urethane mounts.

Dave
 
The swap parts are not refined, however if you are handy everything can be made to work. I had a couple fitment issues also with the mounts, grinder, dremel, drill etc. can handle it. the shifting mechanism is probably the worst, it needs some bracing, as shifting through the gears causes the cable bracket to bend and ends up in missed gears... there were some issues with the shifter mechanisms and brackets breaking because of lack of welds, which supposedly has now been remedied, but as far as I know the bracing has not been added to the cable bracket, which helps shifter feel tremendously.

It's a pretty easy swap for someone with some mechanical knowledge as far as swapping an engine from a different manufacturer goes
Are you referring to the RSX shifter or the later (Civic) type shifter? As far as I know, using the later transmission yields Honda factory-like shifter quality. I am using the Innovative shifter adapter on a RSX gearbox and the result is great, but I spent a lot of time shimming all of the link connections to minimize fee-play.

Dave
 
Are you referring to the RSX shifter or the later (Civic) type shifter? As far as I know, using the later transmission yields Honda factory-like shifter quality. I am using the Innovative shifter adapter on a RSX gearbox and the result is great, but I spent a lot of time shimming all of the link connections to minimize fee-play.

Dave
The rsx shifter, I have heard the innovative shifter mechanism is a little more stout. I have early version ones that were missing welds on the counter lever and the cable brackets. I noticed the lack of welds before install and welded them up beforehand, shortly after we started hearing about people breaking them and MAP started adding welds.

After my install I was having trouble getting into some gears, so I had a buddy row through the gears while I watched the shifter mechanism and notice the cable bracket bending, So I added a couple braces and it shifts 100x better. I do think I am going to remove them and the factory shifter box and go with Hux racing's Hybrid racing shifter and hybrid swap cables.


Also, for what it's worth. If you go K24 I would leave the oil pump alone unless its a drag car. The stock pump is fine under 8k rpm, and there is plenty of power on track with the K24 under 8K
 
The swap parts are not refined, however if you are handy everything can be made to work. I had a couple fitment issues also with the mounts, grinder, dremel, drill etc. can handle it. the shifting mechanism is probably the worst, it needs some bracing, as shifting through the gears causes the cable bracket to bend and ends up in missed gears... there were some issues with the shifter mechanisms and brackets breaking because of lack of welds, which supposedly has now been remedied, but as far as I know the bracing has not been added to the cable bracket, which helps shifter feel tremendously.

It's a pretty easy swap for someone with some mechanical knowledge as far as swapping an engine from a different manufacturer goes
Thanks for the excellent feedback. I am handy and have done Honda swaps back in the day but I would have expected for the parts to be pretty spot on assuming the chassis was not involved in major accidents. I will follow up with MAP to see if the newer iteration of the kit has been revised for all these deficiencies.


Oil pressure and oil temp are both important, and of course oil temp effects oil pressure. Oil temp has another direct effect on the engines and that is the direct relationship between oil temp and piston top land temps. The underside of the pistons are cooled by oil jets. the K20 has a factory water-to-oil cooler, but it is not really sufficient for open-track days in hot weather. I added an additional oil cooler to the passenger-side vent area via a thermostatically-controlled adapter. I like the Mishimoto adapters. I am quite happy with the MAP mounts.\

Dave
Agreed. Oil pressure and temp is correlated and I understand that keeping oil temp in check will always be beneficial to engine health. But my point is that for your average user that sees mostly street miles and visit the track the few times a season, an oil cooler might bring more harm than good. Another important note is that adding an oil cooler, in some cases, will actually result in lower oil pressure.
 
But my point is that for your average user that sees mostly street miles and visit the track the few times a season, an oil cooler might bring more harm than good. Another important note is that adding an oil cooler, in some cases, will actually result in lower oil pressure.
This is a good point. My car is set up for the track, and there are a few things I’d do differently for street only. I’d leave stock k24 oil pump, go with a taller transmission (I have ‘08 Civic si and drive in 5th gear around town), go with smaller tires (I’m on 225/245 on 15x9’s), and go with softer springs/dampers. Having a “faster” car is less important than having an enjoyable car, especially when you’ll never get close to the limits on the street.
 
doing the streetable track car or trackable street car thing is a balancing act. I do however think an oil cooler is a worthwhile addition on the k24. As long as you aren't running the oil cooler in the front, you won't notice a pressure drop. It's not something that you need to do right away, but I would add one before a track day.
 
Has anyone completely sheared the long stud off the right engine bracket?

I didn't have the front mount (tranny to firewall) and hoping adding this will eliminate this from happening again.
Because the Innovative pass-side mount is so stiff compared to OEM, it stresses the bracket a lot more than the OEM one does. If you sheared the long stud, it was likely due to the nut vibrating loose first. These are all reasons not to use a urethane mount on the pass-side. The OEM one is internally-damped. I am using the Innovative urethane on the driver's side and OEM mounts in the other 3 locations on my K20. Happy with the results and a huge improvement in vibration levels compared to the original Innovative 75 durometer set.
Dave
 
Because the Innovative pass-side mount is so stiff compared to OEM, it stresses the bracket a lot more than the OEM one does. If you sheared the long stud, it was likely due to the nut vibrating loose first. These are all reasons not to use a urethane mount on the pass-side. The OEM one is internally-damped. I am using the Innovative urethane on the driver's side and OEM mounts in the other 3 locations on my K20. Happy with the results and a huge improvement in vibration levels compared to the original Innovative 75 durometer set.
Dave
Sorry, i thought the MAP or Innovative mounts are customs mounts? What OEM components are required if you don't want harsh engine vibrations? Can you please elaborate?
 
the map mounts retain the oem toyota passenger side engine mount, driver side transmission mount, and rear engine mount. I have added a poly insert to the rear engine mount and a 75a innovative rsx front mount. I have no vibration, and my engine does not rock enough to make the ac compressor contact the firewall without massaging
 
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