crash course required in FTOs
Discussion
Mate of mine has suddenly decided that he is going to get a decent motor and wants some help finding an FTO
So basically I need a crash course of non-standard things to look out for. I know my way around a car generally but anything specific.
Also, what is the model range? I have a fair idea but whats the ones to go for?
So basically I need a crash course of non-standard things to look out for. I know my way around a car generally but anything specific.
Also, what is the model range? I have a fair idea but whats the ones to go for?
I have to confess I don't know anything apart from the fact that I saw some going round Castle Combe on a track day and I have never seen anything handling so badly. They had to take the corners really slow and under light throttle as lift off or too much throttle caused them to spin. It happened so many times to so many FTOs I was shocked.
Bloody hell!
lots of positive comments i see
Cambelts must be done @ 60000miles £500 job,
Rear droplinks knacker quickly so check them,
Front discs are made from putty and warp very easily, so check for vibrations,
Other than that the Tips are slow, so look for a manual, worth the wait TBH..
Gs = 1.8 = ZZzzz 120 @ the Fly
GR = 2.0 V6 non-mivec 170 @ the Fly
GPX = 2.0 V6 Mivec 190 @ the Fly
Very revvy very nice everyday car.
Facelift cars are the ones to go for (post 96)
check the www.ftooc.org for info
One of the sweetest FWD handling cars of their time (driving skills @ Japfest was the reason for spins...
Compare to say a Celica v-vti
now as low as 3.5k for a GPX manual
lots of positive comments i see
Cambelts must be done @ 60000miles £500 job,
Rear droplinks knacker quickly so check them,
Front discs are made from putty and warp very easily, so check for vibrations,
Other than that the Tips are slow, so look for a manual, worth the wait TBH..
Gs = 1.8 = ZZzzz 120 @ the Fly
GR = 2.0 V6 non-mivec 170 @ the Fly
GPX = 2.0 V6 Mivec 190 @ the Fly
Very revvy very nice everyday car.
Facelift cars are the ones to go for (post 96)
check the www.ftooc.org for info
One of the sweetest FWD handling cars of their time (driving skills @ Japfest was the reason for spins...
Compare to say a Celica v-vti
now as low as 3.5k for a GPX manual
Would agree that the www.ftooc.org is the best start for anyone thinking of buying an FTO.
I have had my Facelift 2ltr GPX tiptronic for over a year now and love it to bits. It is my day car and is great fun. But I have never considered it to be a 'performance car' in the same way our TVR is, so have never been disappointed. It is still fairly nippy getting 0-60 in about 7 secs and personally I have never experienced any problems with the handling, but have never tracked it and never wanted to. I have kept up with a Griffith and a Chimaera in a mini convoy round the local country lanes and they weren't sparing the horses.
It took me over 9 months to find my FTO. It is a very late model (2001) and I wanted a certain colour with the Aero Type R factory fitted body kit (bigger spoiler and skirts). I know of only 2 others in the country with the same spec as mine. I would have settled for the Aero - which is the lighter version with the fancy body kit.
I have never driven a pre-facelift version so can't compare the two. I understand that the earlier models don’t handle as well and the brakes aren’t as responsive as the later models (after 1997 I believe)
Insurance is not pretty. They are group 20! I pay about £450 fully comp - but I have 10 years NCD and I am over 40.
Don't make the mistake of taking it to a Mitsubishi dealer for servicing. They are hopeless and have to wait for parts to be shipped from Japan. Through the FTO OC I found a garage locally who could deal with the FTO and they are very reasonable. They get replica parts from Camskill, which are often of better quality than those sent over from the Mitsubishi Factory in Japan.
I chose the FTO as I needed an auto for every day to help with a bad knee. In fact my knee has improved so much I can now drive the TVR without too much problem. The other considerations when I chose my car included the Supra 3ltr - but the smaller FTO was more suitable.
Hope that helps
I have had my Facelift 2ltr GPX tiptronic for over a year now and love it to bits. It is my day car and is great fun. But I have never considered it to be a 'performance car' in the same way our TVR is, so have never been disappointed. It is still fairly nippy getting 0-60 in about 7 secs and personally I have never experienced any problems with the handling, but have never tracked it and never wanted to. I have kept up with a Griffith and a Chimaera in a mini convoy round the local country lanes and they weren't sparing the horses.
It took me over 9 months to find my FTO. It is a very late model (2001) and I wanted a certain colour with the Aero Type R factory fitted body kit (bigger spoiler and skirts). I know of only 2 others in the country with the same spec as mine. I would have settled for the Aero - which is the lighter version with the fancy body kit.
I have never driven a pre-facelift version so can't compare the two. I understand that the earlier models don’t handle as well and the brakes aren’t as responsive as the later models (after 1997 I believe)
Insurance is not pretty. They are group 20! I pay about £450 fully comp - but I have 10 years NCD and I am over 40.
Don't make the mistake of taking it to a Mitsubishi dealer for servicing. They are hopeless and have to wait for parts to be shipped from Japan. Through the FTO OC I found a garage locally who could deal with the FTO and they are very reasonable. They get replica parts from Camskill, which are often of better quality than those sent over from the Mitsubishi Factory in Japan.
I chose the FTO as I needed an auto for every day to help with a bad knee. In fact my knee has improved so much I can now drive the TVR without too much problem. The other considerations when I chose my car included the Supra 3ltr - but the smaller FTO was more suitable.
Hope that helps
The FTO is generally a good car, with a few codacils. I've had mine many years and it's on 160,000+ miles (120,000 of which are mine). Don't know why everyone rattles on about the performance, mine still goes like absolute stink. It's so mellow and comfortable though that it feels slow.
Get a manual, don't touch the tiptronics with somebody else's bargepole. Also get a 2.0 GPX. The lightweight version may sound nice but it isn't.
The ECU gets a bit funny and needs resetting every few months as it tends to run the engine lean. Simply disconnect the battery for ten minutes, reconnect and hey presto, loads more bhp. The stepper motor fails quite regularly too. £450 from Mitsu or £95 from everywhere else. Can be seen by a reluctance to idle when cold.
If the top end sounds a bit tappety, walk away, it will be expensive. A mitsubishi dealership took the best part of three months to change my head gaskets and do the tappets. Should have done it myself, but I was young and foolish.
The bushes go regularly. Everywhere. Cheap to replace but often a pain to remove the old metalastic ones. Replace with polys. The rear toe/camber adjusters will be seized in place and will need to be cut out and replaced.
FTOs eat drop links. Cheap to replace but the nuts on the old drop links will be siezed in place and will need cutting out (spot the trend here). The track rod ends go quite often too. If the steering rack is suspect walk away. They cost more than the car does.
If the lower wishbone ball joints feel a bit dodgy walk away, the lower arms cost £200 and you can't get the balljoints seperately.
Generally parts are inexpensive if you don't go via Mitsubishi. Camskill are always a good place to start and know their FTOs.
Listen to the engine and see how it drives because when good, they're very, very good and handle a treat. Check all the moving parts of the suspension, don't be afraid to jack it up and wiggle the drop links, track rod ands and anti roll bars.
(Edit) Forgot to say, Mitsubishi brake disks will warp as soon as you look at them, so buy aftermarket ones. My last Mitsu ones lasted under a year before they warped. In the end there was over 2mm of movement side to side in the disk. This is not the first time this has happened. New non-Mitsu ones are just lovely and show no signs of trouble.
Any other questions please ask.
>> Edited by plivesey on Thursday 3rd November 00:29
Get a manual, don't touch the tiptronics with somebody else's bargepole. Also get a 2.0 GPX. The lightweight version may sound nice but it isn't.
The ECU gets a bit funny and needs resetting every few months as it tends to run the engine lean. Simply disconnect the battery for ten minutes, reconnect and hey presto, loads more bhp. The stepper motor fails quite regularly too. £450 from Mitsu or £95 from everywhere else. Can be seen by a reluctance to idle when cold.
If the top end sounds a bit tappety, walk away, it will be expensive. A mitsubishi dealership took the best part of three months to change my head gaskets and do the tappets. Should have done it myself, but I was young and foolish.
The bushes go regularly. Everywhere. Cheap to replace but often a pain to remove the old metalastic ones. Replace with polys. The rear toe/camber adjusters will be seized in place and will need to be cut out and replaced.
FTOs eat drop links. Cheap to replace but the nuts on the old drop links will be siezed in place and will need cutting out (spot the trend here). The track rod ends go quite often too. If the steering rack is suspect walk away. They cost more than the car does.
If the lower wishbone ball joints feel a bit dodgy walk away, the lower arms cost £200 and you can't get the balljoints seperately.
Generally parts are inexpensive if you don't go via Mitsubishi. Camskill are always a good place to start and know their FTOs.
Listen to the engine and see how it drives because when good, they're very, very good and handle a treat. Check all the moving parts of the suspension, don't be afraid to jack it up and wiggle the drop links, track rod ands and anti roll bars.
(Edit) Forgot to say, Mitsubishi brake disks will warp as soon as you look at them, so buy aftermarket ones. My last Mitsu ones lasted under a year before they warped. In the end there was over 2mm of movement side to side in the disk. This is not the first time this has happened. New non-Mitsu ones are just lovely and show no signs of trouble.
Any other questions please ask.
>> Edited by plivesey on Thursday 3rd November 00:29
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