Last Modified ages ago

The standard MR2 intercooler arrangement is perfectly adequate for most if not all people but its hardly perfect. For a start the piping run is rather long and complicated and when the boost is turned up it has a real job coping. Apparently, but because nobody runs intake temp monitors although everybody talks like they do regarding intake temps and what not its difficult to quantity the problems they are facing. I run my own intake temperature gauge the of which is here. There are several choices on the market and depending on money and preference you can do the following

• buy an uprated air to air intercooler bigger broader and weighs in at upwards of GB£500
• invest in a aftermarket chargecooler ( intercooler cooled with a water jacket ) setup which currently costs in the region of GB£1000
• water injection system to help cool the intake charge
• hope the fecker doesn't blow up!

There is however an alternative that is already produced on the open market that fits the mr2 turbo engine perfectly and this unit is made by can you guess?

yes indeed Toyota themselves produce a charge cooler setup for the Celica 4WD turbo which just happens to provide the engine for the MR2 turbo. Result! The only real problem is the rarity of the Celica Turbo in the first place. For my type or MR2 ie revision 3 onwards the ST205 charge cooler / throttle body is a straight bolt on but the revision 1/2 MR2 turbos need the ST185 charge cooler setup for a bolt on fit. Having said that you can still fit either set up to any engine type with a bit of work but its easier to match like with like.

At this stage I should point out I haven't actually fitted the cooler to the car in fact I've only just painted it silver. The reason for painting it silver and not leaving it black should be obvious. Black absorbs heat and silver reflects heat. Why on earth would I have a black ( absorbing ) charge cooler sitting in the engine bay when I am trying to reduce the intake temps in the first place. Answers on a post card to Toyota please......

So after some painting stripping and a fair bit of sanding and then some painting with silver paint it now looks like