First in the 7s | 1,106 WHP | Toyota MR2 | BoostedBoiz

It isn’t often that a 2.0L Honda K-series is bolted to the dyno at FuelTech USA and it definitely isn’t a frequent occurrence that the same 4-cylinder engine belts out an insane 1,106 WHP with relative ease. But—yet—here we are, having enjoyed the BoostedBoiz visit to the FuelTech facility in Georgia and our tech team even had a chance to help Kyle Wade and his crew dial-in their unique Honda-powered, second generation Toyota MR2.

This car isn’t a dyno queen as Kyle and his crew wasted no time, heading to Bradenton Motorsports Park after their trip to FuelTech and took a shot at history. It took a few attempts but eventually Kyle snatched a time ticket that read 7.98 at 181 mph, marking his unnamed project vehicle as the “First MR2 in the 7s!”

The second generation MR2 still features a mid-mounted bullet and JBR Engines built the Honda K-series 4-cylinder. It is capable of 10,000-plus rpm shifts and is fed over 50 psi of boost from a Precision turbocharger. A custom air-to-water intercooler system helps keep the boosted air cold for maximum engine performance. Kyle runs through the gears with a sequential transmission, making it fun and deadly consistent. FuelTech has quite a storied history with the MR2 platform and sport compact style engines despite their international notoriety with Pro Modified style racecars.

According to FuelTech’s CEO and Founder, Anderson Dick, the first-ever car to run a FuelTech engine management system in the US was an MR2 and that was 11 years ago! The FT300 ECU controlled the Toyota 6-cylinder engine on that original MR2 test subject and today’s FuelTech ECU line-up is far more powerful and capable.

There are four ECUs that make up the current PowerFT catalog and each one packs a serious list of options that have helped racers break records and win races on various types of race tracks around the world. The FT600, FT550, FT550LITE, and FT450 offer sequential injection and ignition, O2 closed loop, Data Logger, Delay Box, Traction Control, Boost Controller, PRO-Nitrous Controller, along with powertrain management as standard features. Further eliminating the need for additional add-ons is the LCD display on FT600, FT550, and FT450 control boxes. The display features a TFT touchscreen showing real-time data and allowing the user to make adjustments without a PC connection.

The latest FTManager 4.73 software enables users to control electronic wastegates and the BoostedBoiz immediately added the new Turbosmart electronic wastegate to their MR2. One of the biggest advantages of using an electronic wastegate are the finite adjustments and ridiculously accurate boost curve changes. Most notably, it helps with power management in traction-limited applications. In the case of the FuelTech C8 Corvette, precise control of turbo boost at the shift-points prevents activating the factory ECU torque management controls, which could put an end to the high-power party if triggered. An electronic wastegate also eliminates the need to refill the C02 control bottle and other maintenance challenges associated with air-controlled wastegates.

Form the elite levels of professional drag racing to the grassroots garages around the country that are swapping Honda motors into Toyota vehicles, adaptability and love for high-performance is the reason you’re seeing #FuelTechEverywhere