Best 1987-1992 Toyota Supra Turbo Exhaust & Upgrades

The best exhaust for the 1987-1992 Toyota Supra Turbo (MK3 / A70) is the Revel Medallion Street Plus cat-back, a SUS304 stainless, hand-TIG-welded bolt-on built specifically for the turbocharged 7M-GTE. The third-generation Supra Turbo made 232 horsepower and 254 lb-ft of torque from the factory through a restrictive, heavy exhaust, so a free-flowing cat-back is the single most satisfying first upgrade you can bolt on. But a sorted MK3 Supra Turbo is more than a good exhaust: this guide pairs the right exhaust with the three other bolt-ons every 7M-GTE owner should plan for, all in stock and shipping from our Tampa, FL warehouse.

Why the 1987-1992 Supra Turbo (MK3) Is Worth Building

The MK3 Supra Turbo is one of the best-value Japanese performance platforms still on the road. Under the long hood sits the 7M-GTE: a 2,954 cc inline-six with a single Toyota CT-26 turbocharger, an air-to-air intercooler, and 8.4:1 compression. Early 1987-1988 cars were rated at 231 horsepower and 240 lb-ft of torque; the 1989-1992 refresh bumped that to 232 horsepower and 254 lb-ft at just 3,200 rpm. That low-rpm torque is what makes the MK3 such a relaxed, long-legged grand tourer, and it is the foundation every bolt-on in this guide is designed to unlock.

Here is the honest part most listings skip: the 7M-GTE is famous for two things, big torque and blown head gaskets. The good news is that both the performance ceiling and the reliability weak point are well understood after 30-plus years of community knowledge, and both are fixable with off-the-shelf parts. At NLP Performance we treat a proper MK3 Supra Turbo build as four moves — breathe, seal, plant, and cool — in that order. Get those right and the 7M-GTE becomes the bulletproof, torquey six it always should have been.

Values on clean A70 Supra Turbos have climbed sharply as enthusiasts rediscover the platform, which makes investing in the right parts an easy decision: every reliability and performance dollar you put into a 7M-GTE car is increasingly money well spent. Unlike the later 2JZ-powered MK4, the MK3 still trades hands at attainable prices, so a $1,000-ish bolt-on package returns a huge improvement in how the car drives, sounds, and holds up. The CT-26 single-turbo setup also responds predictably to bolt-ons, so you can build in stages without guesswork — start with the four upgrades below and the car transforms one weekend at a time.

Best Exhaust for the MK3 Supra Turbo: Revel Medallion Street Plus

The Revel Medallion Street Plus is the cat-back exhaust to run on a 1987-1992 Supra Turbo. It is a complete, bolt-on cat-back built from full SUS304 stainless steel, hand TIG-welded for strength, and mandrel-bent so the 7M-GTE keeps the back-pressure low and the flow high all the way to the single rolled tip. Revel rates the Street Plus line at under 95 dB under load, which on the MK3 translates to a deep, mature six-cylinder note that wakes up under boost but never drones at highway cruise — exactly what owners of a usable street Supra are after.

How much power does a cat-back add? On a stock-turbo 7M-GTE, a cat-back like the Revel typically frees up roughly 5-12 wheel horsepower on its own — the larger, mandrel-bent piping and freer muffler reduce exhaust restriction and help the CT-26 spool. The real story, though, is the combination of that gain, the weight savings over the rusty factory system, and a much better sound. Pair the Revel cat-back with a downpipe and a tune later and the gains compound; as a standalone Stage 1 bolt-on, it is the best bang-for-buck modification on the car.

Installation is straightforward for a driveway mechanic with hand tools and a couple of hours. Because the Revel system is a direct bolt-on cat-back, it mates to the factory mid-pipe location with no cutting or fabrication, so the main job is freeing 30-year-old flange bolts — a little penetrating oil and fresh donut and flange gaskets make it painless. Expect a noticeably deeper idle, a clean mid-range growl as the turbo comes on boost around 3,000 rpm, and a quiet, livable cruise once you settle into top gear. It is the kind of upgrade you hear and feel every single time you start the car, which is exactly why we recommend it as the first thing every MK3 Supra Turbo owner bolts on.

The MK3 Supra Turbo Build Menu, Compared

These are the four bolt-ons we recommend tackling first on a 1987-1992 Supra Turbo, all currently in stock at NLP Performance. Think of it as a complete Stage 1 plan: exhaust for sound and flow, head gasket for reliability, springs for handling, and a fan shroud for cooling. Every part below is linked to its exact product page with verified fitment.

Fix the 7M-GTE's Achilles Heel: HKS MK3 Head Gasket

The 7M-GTE blows head gaskets because Toyota's factory head-bolt torque spec of roughly 58 ft-lb is simply too low to keep the soft OEM composite gasket clamped under boost. The fix is well documented: install a stronger metal-bead gasket and re-torque the head bolts to approximately 72 ft-lb — well above the factory figure but still inside the safe range. The HKS 87-92 Supra MK3 1.2mm bead head gasket (part 11116-153195) is the upgraded metal gasket of choice, and at $135.00 it is cheap insurance against the most expensive failure on the car.

If you are buying a MK3 Supra Turbo, assume the head gasket job is on the horizon. Doing it once with a quality metal gasket, ARP-style hardware, and the corrected torque spec turns the 7M-GTE's biggest liability into a non-issue for years. We sell the HKS gasket on its own so you can knock out the BHG repair properly while the intake and exhaust are already off the car.

Plant the Chassis: H&R A7 Race Springs

Yes, H&R Race springs fit the MK3 Supra Turbo. The H&R 86-92 Toyota Supra A7 Race spring set (part 54689) is engineered for 1986-1992 Supra models including the Turbo, and it is the most aggressive coil in H&R's catalog for the platform. Race springs use a progressive rate to lower the car's center of gravity, tighten body roll, and plant the rear under the 7M-GTE's torque, while the cold-wound, fatigue-resistant construction keeps the ride composed rather than crashy. At $306.19 (down from $499.00), it is the cleanest way to fix the MK3's tall factory stance and vague body control in one afternoon.

Keep It Cool: Mishimoto Aluminum Fan Shroud

The MK3 Supra Turbo runs hot, and heat is the enemy of both head gaskets and consistent power. The Mishimoto 86-92 Toyota Supra Turbo aluminum fan shroud kit (part MMFS-SUP-86) replaces the brittle, decades-old factory plastic shroud with a lightweight aluminum unit that directs far more air through the radiator at idle and low speed. Better airflow means lower coolant temps, which protects your fresh head gasket and helps the 7M-GTE hold timing on hot Tampa days. At $255.95 it is the kind of unglamorous upgrade that quietly keeps everything else you have built alive.

How to Stage Your MK3 Supra Turbo Build

Order of operations matters on a 30-year-old turbo car. At NLP Performance we tell MK3 Supra owners to sequence it like this: seal, cool, breathe, plant. If your 7M-GTE is on an unknown or original head gasket, do the HKS metal head gasket first and re-torque to spec — there is no point chasing power on a motor that is about to push coolant. Refresh the cooling system at the same time with the Mishimoto aluminum fan shroud while the front of the engine is accessible.

With the engine sealed and cool, bolt on the Revel Medallion Street Plus cat-back to free up flow and unlock that signature inline-six sound, then finish the package with H&R A7 Race springs so the chassis can use the newfound enthusiasm. All four parts together run about $1,184 — a complete, reliability-first Stage 1 that transforms how a 1987-1992 Supra Turbo drives. Browse the full range of in-stock exhausts in our exhaust collection to plan the next step.