The hp of the 7mgte

Bri7man

Bri7man

"Yeah! Take the lemons.."
Jul 17, 2009
580
0
0
35
Torrance, CA
Just be careful, I rebuilt my 7m with as much caution and precision that I was cabable of with a result of 180psi across all cyl's 70psi oil pressure cold start 15 hot idle but guess what, the head's now annealed cause it's an old engine with a life of 20 years of god knows what before I got it and all you can do is pray it was never overheated which is a slim chance given the circumstances.

Granted all I have now is an EX leak and everything starting to strip out of the head but like they say a motor is only as strong as it's weakest link. Setting aside all Ego and "7m all the way brah!!" attitude an engine really is as strong as its weakest link and well... the 7m is FULL of them being so old and unless you have the cash to redesign and rebuild MANY aspects of the 7m i will bet you're going to be in a world of hurt later on or immediately.

Unless you already know what you're doing I'd go 2jz, If I could do it again I would 100%.

Scratch that I'd 2j a 240 just cause I think it'd be fun as shit!!
 
MkIII FTW

MkIII FTW

New Member
Aug 31, 2009
401
0
0
Huntsville
I was like you not too long ago and I just decided to stay 7m instead of the 2jz motor. First off the 7m doesnt get enough credit. After a lot of exstensive research, I found that it is capable of making plenty of horsepower and it makes more torque than any 2jz motor. The motor will only be a good as you make it. You cant go with junkyard parts and expect to get a world class powerhouse.....it has never worked and never will. Do it once and do it right. Like MA70witBoost said, the vast majority of the problem with the 7m comes from the owner.
 
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supramk3speed

New Member
Dec 4, 2008
305
0
0
Texas
If you really start comparing the 7mgte to other engines, you will be surprised at what a good engine it is. It can make some good power with stock internals, and if done correctly the headgasket issue will be resolved. The cost of the 2jz really adds up (as with any swap), look into it. The 2jz isn't to hard of a swap in comparison to most and its been done by many. Since its been done by many sourcing mounts and parts for this swap is pretty straight forward. If i was going to swap I would definately go 2jz, but I just love the sound of my 7m and for cheap it will keep me smiling. Good luck with whatever route you take.
 
SupraSean

SupraSean

SPRASEAN MTHRFKR
Mar 3, 2009
487
0
0
Pittsburgh, PA
supramk3speed;1648367 said:
If you really start comparing the 7mgte to other engines, you will be surprised at what a good engine it is. It can make some good power with stock internals, and if done correctly the headgasket issue will be resolved. The cost of the 2jz really adds up (as with any swap), look into it. The 2jz isn't to hard of a swap in comparison to most and its been done by many. Since its been done by many sourcing mounts and parts for this swap is pretty straight forward. If i was going to swap I would definately go 2jz, but I just love the sound of my 7m and for cheap it will keep me smiling. Good luck with whatever route you take.
Click to expand...

Nothing feels better to watch a newer car from the 2000's get walked by a 20 year old import:)
 
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CzA

New Member
Jan 15, 2007
99
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0
Toronto
honestly its the simplicity you get with a 2jz after its put in. the 2jz right now in my boy's mk3 is makign 600 to the wheel on stock internals with everything working perfect, and has been doing so for over a year now.

even with stock twins (jdm) you can pull in 400 to the wheel wihtout breaking a sweat. the turbos will go long before the engine at max boost(17-18psi)....though injectors, fuel pump etc, should be upgraded, not a must, but should be...
 
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mkIIIman089

Supramania Contributor
Mar 30, 2005
3,061
0
36
Ohio
Many of you haven't seen what this car looks like, have you. If you had you'd realize why Ian and Duane are having a completely unrelated conversation within this thread.
 
Grandavi

Grandavi

Active Member
Sep 25, 2008
2,664
6
38
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Personally I think the OP needs to consider what he wants to do with the car. If your going to put it on a track and try to get the best quarter mile out of it, or just feel the pull in a daily driver. It would all depend on where the engine is at now. If you gotta do a full rebuild and its a DD, I think the 2JZ is the path to take.. but it isnt cheap. (depending on if you can do most of the work yourself or not) If you can build the engine yourself (the 7M), then the 7M is still a good option because there is less to modify on the car itself. All depends on your entire end plan for the car.

In my opinion, some drivers shouldn't even have 350 HP.. much less 500. The only benefit you will find is that you can pull away from vehicles faster.. the rest is dangerous on public roadways. However.. we all like to have our necks snapped back and.. damn.. those braggin' rights are nice.

All you need on a SOUND stock 7MGTE is an after market BOV, boost controller (should have a boost gauge as well so you know how much boost your throwing), 3" exhaust and a shimmed wastegate. Ideally you would want 550 cc RC injectors and a Lexus AFM modification because without it you will probably find fuel cut early. The stock 7MGTE comes running at 6 psi boost (if I recall correctly) but can be turned up to 10-12 psi and its a different car. However.. if your engine is weak (old and not maintained properly, especially the HG not being torqued correctly) you will find the end of your engine's life early on as well. For a DD on roadways.. its all you really need. (I found this out when I bought a 87 MKIII recently after driving my 88 for 3 years. The car had cheap mods done and flew compared to my 88..)
 
Grandavi

Grandavi

Active Member
Sep 25, 2008
2,664
6
38
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
its a cheap fix really. You will still have an issue with fuel cut with stock injectors/afm. If you are on the coast you probably wouldnt be able to go above 10 psi. Even then you would probably end up "sputtering" above 5000 rpm. (depending on how you set it up) A stock 7mGTE can run 12 psi safely if the head gasket is torqued correctly. You dont need to worry too much unless the motor is older/weak. I wouldnt really go above 12 psi myself with a stock headgasket, but I have been told you can do 15 psi. With a CT26 turbo though, I believe that anything above 12 psi will put the turbo housing at risk of stress fractures.
The 7M is a very strong engine when done correctly, but for anything over 350 HP (dont quote me on this, I am going on what I have been told by others) would require looking at the fuel system and AFM to handle it properly. If I remember the numbers correctly, stock with stock boost is 220 HP, adding a 3" exhaust will jump you up to about 235-240 HP. Turning up the boost to 12 psi will put you up to about 300-320 HP (not confirmed.. someone else may know this better than I.. as I am also on a learning curve). Anything past that would require doing it properly (which is the 550 RC low impedance injectors, Lexus AFM and tuning). Going above that is putting a stock engine at risk unless you know whats between the head and the block and I believe you will need to upgrade the fuel pump as well to go above 320-350 HP properly. Anything above 400hp should have other modifications to run it properly.

Those numbers are generalised.. but it kind of gives you a sense of what can be done with the 7MGTE (according to my research so far). But if your going above 300 HP on the car, make sure you have done a leak test and compression test to ensure your engine is tight (according to those tests). Do it right because if you cut corners, you risk costing yourself a bundle. The MKIII is a very robust and extremely modifiable car. Give it a hug.
 
Van

Van

87t Hardtop
Mar 26, 2006
974
0
0
Oak Grove, OR 97267
IJ.;1650838 said:
You can get into a situation where the Exhaust flow is enough to blow the flapper off the seat, shimming it preloads the flapper to postpone it happening.
Click to expand...
So, what amount of preload would my CT26 need to postpone the wastegate opening at 8 psi? That is when it creeps open now, despite my setting the boost controller to not open before 10 psi. I'm using a Blitz dual SBC. Thanks. Van
 
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Supra0089

New Member
Jan 13, 2009
367
0
0
New Hampshire
To the OP

Like many others have said...decide what your goals are...and what realistically will you be using the car and the HP for.

I stuck with the 7m cause I knew i would never race. Instead I drive my supra as a summer daily. With about 4 to 5k invested in parts and bolt-on's for the motor, I'm pushing 340ish whp. Good for a daily...I'm taking it another step this year and am getting a larger bolt on turbo and a piggy back with tuning/meth and I am expecting low 400 whp. If you ask me, for a daily, ideal power range (IMO) is 350 to 450whp. More than that you break the rear end loose every time you WOT under 50mph, which if you're not careful, will end you up in a tree or guardrail.

If you want a power house with bragging rights, and want 5 to 600whp, you will be pretty close to the same cost between building the 7m and swapping a 2jz with bolt ons.

If you want over 600, then you may want to strongly consider the 2jz...

Ask yourself...what's the power goal, how much am I going to spend? And then do it right either way...
 
SupraSean

SupraSean

SPRASEAN MTHRFKR
Mar 3, 2009
487
0
0
Pittsburgh, PA
My supra with a bad tune in the 9's, 5psi, and More boost leaks than you would believe. made 256 whp on a cxr t61. basic mods. cooler piping kept blowing out around 10 but it still pulled an even 300 with the same tune.. I will always be an M-series guy... I'm in the process of building my motor now and shooting for around 5-600 wheel. License Plate says 2JWHAT...:)
 
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