Supra FAQ 1

What does the term SUP-Dawg mean?
It is a commonly used nickname for the 4th generation (MKIV) Toyota Supra. First coined by Dave Mashour.

What does MKIV stand for?
That stands for MARK 4, meaning the 4th generation of the Toyota Supra. Which was sold in the U.S. from 1993.5-to-1998.

What does 2JZ-GTE mean?
It’s the code for the Supra Turbo’s engine. “2” stands for the iteration of that block, “JZ” stands for engine’s family, “G” means dual over head cams and high performance cylinder head, “T” means turbo, and the “E” means electronic fuel injection. So you have the 2nd iteration of the JZ engine family, with a dohc high flow head, a turbo, and electronic fuel injection. The engine in the non-turbo Supra is designated as 2JZ-GE.

What does JZA80 stand for?
That is the model number of the 4th generation Supra.

What does BPU™stand for? (BPU is a registered trademark of SupraStore.com)
Basic Performance Upgrade. These modifications are: A full length three inch down-pipe (with or with-out a high flow catalytic converter), 3” (75mm) or bigger cat-back exhaust system, raised boost (18psi), and the required boost cut eliminator (GReddy BCC) needed to achieve that boost without activating the factory fuel cut-off at 14-15psi. These are the modifications that have proven to provide the best initial HP-to-$$$ ratio. BPU™ is the registered trademark of SupraStore.com

What does the + mean when someone says BPU™+? And what is APU?
That stands for any additional power producing modifications other than the basic BPU™ modifications. One "+" refers to Adj. Cam Gears and under-drive pulleys, the second "+" refers to a Fuel controller, ECU upgrade, etc. For instance, a Supra with the BPU™ modifications, plus a front-mount intercooler, would be called BPU™+. If you added cam gears to that, it would be BPU™++, and so on. The "BPU™" term is used until you have an upgraded turbo(s). Then it is referred to as APU, advanced performance upgrades. This designation pretty much covers every modification that can be performed.

I want to have a fast 4th gen Supra, for as cheap as possible. Can I just buy a high mileage Non-Turbo model and convert it to a Turbo?
To convert an "NA" Supra to a full Twin Turbo spec Supra would require a lot of money, a lot of time, and a lot of headache. The Twin Turbo is more than a NA Supra with two turbos bolted to the cylinder head. The entire drivetrain is different, as well as the brakes, electronics, wiring harness, etc. This would be an unwise route to go.

The other option is installing a Turbo Kit specifically designed for the NA on a non-turbo Supra (kits for twin turbos will not bolt on an NA). This is an easier route, but it can still get expensive, and the NA is not capable of NEARLY as much power.

The wisest thing you could do would be to save your money for a Twin Turbo model, it will cost much less in the end, and your resale will be higher.

I can only find Automatic equiped Supras for sale, can I buy an auto and convert it to manual?
This is not a bolt-in swap. To do this swap you would need the Transmission, Shifter, Clutch Master Cylinder and accesories, flywheel, pressure plate, clutch, ECU, Pedal Assembly, Driveshaft, Rear Differential, Wiring Harness, Rear Axles, and the transmission tunnel requires modification. Most shops charge around $7,000 to do this swap with USED parts. Use of new parts pushes this up MUCH higher. Keep in mind the Getrag transmission costs $5,000-$6,000 new. This is only a logical swap if you already have an Automatic Supra with a significant investment in it.

What does RWHP stand for?
Rear Wheel Horse Power. That refers to the actual horsepower at the drive wheels, so this horsepower figure is noticeably less than more commonly used horsepower figures that are measured at the flywheel (crank) because significant power, along the lines of 13-15%, can be lost through the mass and friction of the driveline of the Supra. Horsepower is measured at the wheels with a chassis dyno, with the most common brand being DynoJet. Wheel horsepower is a more accurate and relevant figure, since it tells you how much power is actually being used to accelerate the car, as well as being more convenient to measure and confirm.

What is the Getrag transmission?
Getrag is the German manufacturer of the Supra Twin Turbo's 6-Speed manual transmission.

What does RSP stand for?
Royal Sapphire Pearl. It's an Exterior Color. It is one of the more rare, and sought after colors available on the MKIV Supra during 1997 and 1998.

What colors were available on the Supra Twin Turbo during which years?
040 Super White 1993.5/94/95/96/97/98
1A1 Anthracite Metallic 1993.5/94/95
199 Alpine Silver 1993.5/94/95/96/97
1B9 Quick Silver 1998
202 Black 1993.5/94/95/96/97/98
3L2 Renaissance Red 1993.5/94/95/96/97/98
6P3 Deep Jewel Green Pearl 1996/97
6Q7 Imperial Jade Mica 1998
752 Baltic Blue 1993.5/94/95/96
8L5 Royal Sapphire Pearl 1997/98

What's the longest a Supra can last?
You could make any car last as long as you want, as long as you are willing to properly maintain it, and repair anything that fails. Now there may eventually be a point where it's just not economical anymore, and it's time to move on to something else, but that's a personal choice. I've seen ford mustangs with more than 500,000 miles. Sure, they went through 2-3 engines, 4 transmission, and a ton of smaller parts, but as long as you are willing to keep a car going, and parts are available for it, you can make it last as long as you want. I have not yet seen a Supra "put-down" because it has too many miles, and there are numerous Supras with over 200,000 miles.

How much horsepower, measured at the wheels does the Supra put out completely stock?
285-305 RWHP. This proves that the Supra with it advertised 320-flywheel hp, was underrated. Stock Supras actually put out in the neighborhood of 330-350 crank (engine) hp.

What are the power limits of the various factory components (Differential, Transmission, Motor, etc.)?
There have really not been enough failures to really pin point a limit for the various power-train components. The motor could fail at factory power levels if it was running dangerously lean. But when well tuned, the motors internals (Pistons, Rods, Crank, Head Gasket etc) are reliable to 700rwhp. But of course at these power levels, if the engine is not set-up and tuned properly, it is literally a bomb waiting to go off, however this would be just as true with a built motor. Some owners have pushed their stock internals to the limit and have well exceeded 800rwhp, and even approached 900rwhp. I still don’t understand how such an over built motor made it past the bean counters at Toyota Corporate.

The 6-speed Getrag is ridiculously strong for an OE transmission. Its limit’s will be affected greatly by driving technique, such as launching, and whether or not power shifting is used. Even driven hard, the Getrag should hold up reasonably well with 700RWHP. If you treat it with some respect, it should be able to handle around 800RWHP or more, although great care and respect will need to be practiced at those levels. The 4spd Automatic is not nearly as strong stock. It holds up well enough with BPU mods. But anything past that and it will need to be upgraded, as well as the torque converter. I hear good things about the Sound Performance upgraded trans.

Differential, axle, CV Joint, and drive shaft failures are a VERY rare occurrence. So I don't have much info on their failure limits. On street tires, it would be almost impossible to break any of these components at ANY power level. The tires would spin before they would put the driveline under that kind of strain. The tires act sort of like a circuit breaker. If you run drag slicks, this does not hold true of course, yet they have proven themselves to be 10 and even 9 second capable.

What is the better transmission in the Supra Twin Turbo? The 4spd Automatic, or the 6spd Manual?
Automatic's Advantages:
-Will be faster in the 1/4 if you have "average joe" driving abilities (tried to put that as politely as possible )
-More consistent for drag racing (no missed shifts)
-Easier to launch while drag racing
-More pleasant to drive in heavy traffic
-No fumbling for the right gear when you get taken off-guard
-Usually easier to find, and a little cheaper to buy

Manual's Advantages:
-SO much more fun and engaging to drive
-Better for any racing that involves using the steering wheel
-Faster in the 1/4 if you are a good driver
-Handles much more horsepower stock
-Less parasitic driveline loss (more wheel HP)
-50% more gear ratios to choose from
-Better gas mileage
-Better re-sale value

Is the G-Tech/Pro Accurate?
The "times" as in 0-60, and 1/4mile E.T.s are usually about dead on, maybe off by as much as 2/10th of a second in the 1/4. But the 1/4 mile trap speeds can be off by as much as 5-7mph, usually on the optimistic side. However, the G-Tech is extremely consistent, and therefore can be useful for tuning (when a dyno is not available). My favorite function on the G-Tech is the "Instant Gs" function, which shows how many G's your car is pulling in acceleration or braking in real time. This is very useful in seeing if there are changes in your power output at any given time, because the G's directly correlate with power output. And if turned sideways, it can be used to measure lateral G's for skid pad handling.