Celica ST182 (Gen 5) MPG conversion & Other fixes

[Nightcat]

Hi Guys

I had my Celica for a couple of years now and after killing it in a few places thought it's about time to either sell it or to fix it up.

After looking up a reference guide for all the celicas Turns out I have prety much the best model ever made, it even makes more MPG then the latest "soap holders" they try to pass of as a sports car and more BHP as well. Not to mension that those that don't know much about cars get a real surprise when I tell them that the last one of these was made in 94

So I decided to keep the car and turn it to it's former glory.

1) It needs a new exhaust, so I was thinking about the BlueFlame ones, but I do prefer the 2 smaller pipes comming from the rear box rather then 1 big one, so would be interested with any advice on this part.

2) It will definately get a sports catalytic converter, if I understand correctly that should increase a power a bit, but also help to improve on MPG

3) The suspencion needs fixing as, because of the age some rubber parts have gone "a bit wrong" and the wheels can not be balanced properly. So I though maybe just change the whole thing, but I don't want to lower the car, as it has 17" alloys (shouldn't of listened to the shop man and bought 16" instead, but 17" DO look GOOOOD :grin So any ideas on which make to use as well as some info on what will the full suspencion package contain are more then welcome.

4)Will change break pads, I do have Black Diamond grooved and drilled disks on already.

5) Now My BIGEST PROBLEM
The car is begging for a new gearbox. This one had seen its share of abuse, although not dying yet. I was thinking about getting a 6 gear one (as I understand that should be able to improve the tourque in the low gears and consumption if I will drive normaly), but having trouble of finding which one will fit my car and of course where to get one. If anyone can at least point me in the direction of the right gearboxes, it will be very helpful.

Hope you'll have fun with giving me advice.

P.S. I will also look into moving air intake to the warmer part of the engine bay and checking that all the leads are performing to their best, but at a later date, not sure how to check the leads though

 

[obi_waynne]

HI Nightcat and welcome to TorqueCars, good to have you along. (Nice long detailed post there so I'll do my best to cover your points.)

1) Dont go too big. I favour the twin pipes look as well, have a look at the HKS range and see if they have anything suitable.

2) Sports cats free up the flow through the exhaust and actually work better than standard cats so the car can run a bit richer. If you drive the same then you might get more MPG but I bet you put your foot down more instead.

3) Get some poly bushes which will tighten the whole setup. Bilstein, or Koni adjustable shocks as a set with combined springs and dampers are good. ON 17's get some ultra low profile tyres and you will not have too much trouble with clearance issues. The ST180's are pretty low in standard form so the 17's must be pretty tight.

4) Brake pads try Pagid - fast road pads are pretty good. Vented disks are better for track use than drilled and grooved as the latter can crack under pressure. With 17's you can go for bigger disks and really improve your stopping. Get some 6 pot calipers and larger disks (Brembo for example) and experience face squashing braking.

5) Chat with Quaife and see if they can make up a custom box for you. Get a limited slip diff as well to improve traction in the wet and on bends. Adding bigger wheels altered your final drive ratio so this is something you can address. Get a closer first 3 gears and leave top gear as standard for economy on long drives. This will give you the best of both worlds.

Why move the intake to a warmer part of the engine?

 

[Nightcat]

Thanks for your replyes

As for your question, I've actualy read about it in the article on this very site It's has something to do with the fact that warmer air makes engin just a bit more efficient.

I'm not that heavy on the pedal unless I'm in a hurry, my average on motorway (conditions allowing) 55m/h.

I'll have to read up on what "poly bushes" are, but I think I've got an idead about where are they going

 

[obi_waynne]

Ah yes for better economy! That makes sense - the price is lower performance (slightly) but better MPG means you can spend more on the car and make it more fun.

Let us know if you have any more questions and feel free to get stuck into our other threads and forums.

 

[Nightcat]

I'll do my best

 

[Nightcat]

I've just read an article on clutches, and it might be not a gearbox that's playing up, so very BIG THANKS to everyone who writes the articles, as they DO help once you get your head around them

 

[obi_waynne]

I'm glad you find it a handy site. I'm adding new articles all the time so the site will always be fresh. I'm hoping to cover the topics again in more detail though - a technical version of the site so watch this space! I will always try to give clear explanations, feel free to use the feedback boxes if you think an article is unclear or needs some more explanation and I will do my best to oblige.