You may think a 7mge has potential but it doesn't. I have put too much money into it to upgrade it for a few more hp. My friend has a 88 with a stock 7mgte in it and driving it makes me realize how slow mine is. Once boost hits, it pulsl far far harder, and what you forget is that a gte has a good deal more torque.

okay... so what is different about it? why does it have more torque? why would it be any different from putting a different turbo on a 7mge? Im simply curious why a 7mgte is so much better then a 7mge when i thought they were the same engine, plus or minus the turbo. Hard evidence would be nice.

It is the same block but with lower compression, oil ports for the turbo and a oil squirter for each piston bottom. I personally can't tell you technically why the 7mgte has more torque , but 188 versus 240 is a big difference. The main thing with the gte is potential that a 7mge just will never reach. Installing a turbo on a 7mge has been cover before on here and concluded to be just not worth the hassle or money when a turbo motor already exists.

Yes, you can pick up a JDM 7MGTE for less than what it would take.

However, keep it in perspective. Not all of us are going to race the car on the streets. I own turbos and will only consider turbos simply because of preference. I like the pull of the turbo, the sound, the status. Other than that, though, the NA Supra is still a very decent car. Sure.. your never going to get as much power out of it, because the turbo itself changes the engine's operation. But if you don't have a turbo, what are you missing? A bit of pull, higher fuel costs, more engine wear and tear and potential.

If you are looking for a fun daily driver that has a nice look, then a NA still fits the bill.

I personally have seen a lot of MKIII's that I liked but walked away from because
1. they didn't have a targa top (that is my top priority.. I like it)
2. they didnt have the turbo (I want to play....)

However, you still have a nice car without the turbo or targa. its all personal preference really... and what your goal is with the car. (hell.. some of us would probably be better off with a truck!) Just dont go expecting 300+ HP out of a NA.. I dont think it can be done.

If you are like me and didnt have a clue what a turbo actually does, its the difference between sucking your coke up through a straw or having someone blow it into your mouth. A NA sucks air.. a turbo pushes. Makes a lot of difference when you think that normally air is about .01 lbs per cubic foot and we are pushing 4-12 lbs of air into a piston with our turbos (depending on setup.. some go higher). NA motors are not setup to take the extra workload as stock.. and I have never heard anyone do anything but warn you about trying to add the turbo without major mods.

okay thank you for a solid answer. So i will not be turbo-ing it. Those were enough reasons and it makes since to me now why not to turbo.

so it seems that simply gearing up the rear diff is the best option. I will rebuild it to stock or slightly better then stock quality if i have the money, and make sure the head bolts are torqued down in the correct sequence so i dont have anymore overheating problems, water in my cylinders, or lack of power (or general engine screw up issues). and with more torque out of my drivetrain i can play with that. :)

I went for proper first. My car leaks oil when parked within the valves so I get blue when I first start up. Other than that I have all the rubber, etc and electrical running perfect (on the engine.. interior is being done as we speak). I want my car running as close to perfect as possible first, then I will think about upping HP/speed. I bought the car for 1. the look, 2. the fun, 3. the speed.. so speed is the last requirement for me. Nice clean body, no problems.. then I will worry about what its capable of.

Those are my priorities and with a car this age.. I think I took the right path. Turbos are fine, NA are fine. Just dont let it get you worried when you see all the talk about turbos.. they are just the ones that most people play with ($$$). Good to have if you have it, but not necessary.

Just a thought but if you gear up the rear diff won't you have high revs at high way speeds?

I haven't looked at the diff gear ratios yet. Currently where my car sits it wont really do above 190 kph (at least definitely not safely) but that is not near redline at that speed. Its just that the engine is straining at that speed, so enginewise I think it can do a bit more, but gearwise I think it is close to max.

It will rev higher in every gear and my gas mileage will go down. Its like having smaller wheels, the engine turns more times for every turn of the wheels. But, depending on the gear set i buy, i will go from about 190 lbs of torque to 325 ish. My speedometer will also be off, saying that i will be going faster then i will actually be going. Odometer is effected the same way.