A few points in driving and modification...

• Upgrading the rear swaybar on the MR2 can make the car more snappy, and less forgiving.
• As covered by many people lifting off mid throttle can cause snap oversteer.
• steering/braking/throttle inputs should be smooth when pushing the vehicle.
• Take your car to either a skidpan day, driver training day or defensive driver course.
• Get wheel alignments done regularily.
• Make sure you have good tyres
• Drive carefully in the rain,  one of the most common "lost control of my mr2" stories start with been a bit too quick on the throttle coming out of roundabouts.

• If you own an adub, try avoid making your car overly stiff, as it can make the car very hard to control on rough roads.
•  Flogged out steering components and suspension bushes can make for some quirky handling traits. 

The most important thing is to get to know your car and how it responds to your driving style in a safe and controlled environment. Skidpans are good for intentionally making your car loose control, so you can familiarise yourself on how the car feels when it lets go. driver training and defensive driving courses are pretty self explanitary.
 
If you are going to take the car to the track, depending where you are, some tracks are better avoided if you haven't been to the track before, or things you should be mindful of. For victoria...
 
Winton: Good track to learn on, most things are low speed, minimal things to hit
Sandown: Not the best track to learn your car on, very unforgiving if you get it wrong
Phillip island: Fast track, requires cam's licence.
Calder park: Not too fast, just be careful coming onto the front straight.

dylmrt

When I read RDS and Esskay, I assume you're talking about the adubs, because I can relate with that, but not the same in the sw20.

In tight corners, the AW11 is amazing, so easy to through around. Its also far less prone to snap oversteer than the SW20.

I find the AW11 is far more predictable as well... but that might just be a function of the power.

 
Sorry, yeah the Adub. I remember (briefly) the Sdub being much less twitchy, but also as a turbo, needing much more care with the right foot. With the extra weight I imagine the SW20 would also be a bit more determined to go where it wants to go once it's limits are exceeded (didn't have my SW20 long enough to find out :( ).
 
Also I've got a whiteline front swaybar at the front, stock bar at the rear of my AW11  so I'm getting more understeer than stock (which also explains my comments above regarding lots of understeer into corners ;))

Hmm interesting replies here especially with the motorbikes...
Anyways the MR2 with all things being equal, would never be as stable at high speeds than an FF like an Integra R. Forgot who said it but some aussie pro driver claimed at 180km/h it's a bit scary as the front kinda floats around...
I would install a front splitter just to experiment and try different adjustments for the track you are racing on, it would def help grip on the front IMO. I believe Rev 5 MR2's came with front tyre splitters.
With regards to aqua planning it probably has more to do with tyres...but again low grip surfaces aren't the MR's playground.
Ultimately still comes down to the driver IMO

I understand that there is nothing that can be done about the weight balance of these cars but wont eliminating lift at high speeds help with front end stability and feel?

Disgree with you there, weight in rear means less weight on front, so less effective braking.
The front does most of the braking.
Add some stiffer springs and braking will be even worse due to less weight shift to the front.
It definitely improves traction under acceleration though.

Depends on what model you have. I drive MR2 turbo's differently to NA ones. Assuming alignment/tyres/brakes etc are adequate/operating correctly.
 
Turbo SW20 - hard braking @ corner entry, light throttle mid corner (don't let off) & boot it hard on clear exit (note a late trigger time compared to 4WD cars). Important not to get on the throttle too early with turbos
NA - Very much similar to the above, but a lot more aggressive, especially with corner exit
AW11 SC - Much like an NA SW20 but having more fun.....lol
 
In the rain I treat all MR2's like I'm driving on ice. Nothing aggressive, very gentle inputs. As I mentioned to Rob once, punching an MR2 turbo (ie downshifting/booting) in the rain is VERY dangerous, especially the higher powered ones. I did so in anger (someone kept cutting me off) & due to the typical uneven road surface, my car immediately turned 45degrees. Will keep my cool next time.
 
I highly recommend finding the limit of your MR2 safely. I did a few driver days (safety course when young too). Don't recommend it, but back in the day I found a massive open space out in the sticks & provoked my car to spin in the rain. Gave me a great idea of what I can & can't get away with.

Actually I thought since there is less weight at the front it is less likely to lock up (unlike FF) so it is more "balanced" weight distribution under braking therefore you can brake harder. I know for a fact my NA SW20 brakes harder then my mates Skyline (R32 GTSt). 100-0 Km/h still quite good compared to cars these days, all things being equal

I could be wrong :)
I can see it could be more important to have the ideal brake bias to maximise effort across all four tyres, rather than weight distribution.