We have been a-xing our 1.8 40,000 75 914. As we are new to the game...we have some questions. We have installed a new front sway bar, 140 rear springs and new rear shocks. Wo turning the car into a pure track car... what are my next steps (other than R tires, new motor and seat time) to improve the car? I was told NOT to change front torsion bars ... as it wouldnt be streetable then??? Comments? Also what is the best tire pressures for AX using my current street tires Dunlops Sports? When I go to Khumos, then what pressures should I use? Thanks from a rookie/beaten too often driver...Karl
If your swaybar is around 15mm, with your rear springs being 140#, you should have a good basic setup to start with for now. I would forgo any torsion bar changes right now.
I usually run Kumhos for AX, but ran street Dunlop Sport 9000s a few times. Using white shoe polish on the sidewalls to monitor sidewall rollover, and comparing times of repeated runs, I went from 38# to 30# tire pressure. These tires have very stiff sidewalls and our cars are pretty light. I run 7 & 8" rims, so if you are running narrower wheels, you could need to boost the tire pressure a few pounds. In the end, you just have to experiment in some organized fashion and monitor the results.
As you observed, seat time is a good step to take. Run all the events you can.
When autocrossing, keep your oil level 6-8 oz. above the full mark, bleed your brakes frequently, and don't make too many changes at once! Keep asking questions on this board when they arise.
Oh yeah, remember to have fun doing all this.
After I put in my 2.7L, I ran street tires once....Dunlops....205 X 50 W10s or sumthin'. I got bout 200 yards before I was going ass end first
Next time out was on Kuhmo V racers. I've never looked back. IMO, Rspec tiars are the BEST single improvement you can make...... **even for a beginer**.
I found the Kuhmos are good in the high 20s, pressure wise.
so that gives you a shorter 3rd and a taller 5th? or a shorter 5th too?
I have found that the 21mm front torsion bars are quite streetable.
It won't necessarily make you faster at the A/X though. It's all about the balance.
Tommy
I have said in other posts:
"I'm sticking to the large sway bar stock torsion bar theory. It gives me more room for adjustment"
The Tarret bar or the 27mm Smart bar work VERY well stock torsion bars for anything down too 150 rate rear springs and up too 300lb.
B
Jesus!!! 27mm??? That's one big honkin' sway bar!
The 19mm adjustable or the 22mm adjustable should be a good match for 140lb/in rear springs and stock torsion bars. (No rear sway bar.) If the 27 is a good match too, you must be able to adjust it an awfully long way! ....Then again, with Smart Products, even that much adjustability shouldn't surprise me...
I feel that most hard-compound street tires grip best at fairly high cold pressures--in the mid- to high-30s, generally. I know I'm happier with my Dunlop SP2 tires at 36 PSI on my "other car" than at 30 PSI. Ditto the SP8000s on my 914.
My suggestion for the next upgrades: Tires and seat time.
--DD
Dave,
I have a 31mm bar in Trekkors car with 175 rears and a stock rear bar... he has now caught all the other BP guy's on Falkens.
The 19mm bar is worthless. People outgrow them in less than 4 months worth of AutoX.. I wont install anything smaller than a 22mm bar. A 22 on full soft is the equivalant of a 19 in the middle.
B
He doesnt understand that you FLIPPED the drive and driven gears for 5th and installed them in the 3rd gear spot.
(he does now..LOL)
B
commonly referred to as a KL I believe.
b
Yeppers. It works well for "free" basically. I have 2-3 boxes laying around that are converted. One of them has a LSD in it.. fun box. I also have a MSX box sitting around here somewhere.
B
As I said in other posts, I don't have any theories, I go with what works.
JP,
Do you EVER adjust your car or do you live with whatever you showed up with ??
B
All I have time for is tire pressures.....2 driver car & all. I've been caught doing pressure changes while the car is rolling towards the lights
I never show up unprepared.....that's why the car never breaks. (I may have just cursed meself here)
I make incremental changes at home depending how the car worked at the last event.
SCCA: NO jacking up the car in the staging lanes. Miss your turn in line and it's tough nuggies.
Besides, It's the driver, dude. Ya'll oughta try it sometime
We make sway bar changes in the lanes... turn the wheel hard right/hard left... easy with one wrench.
I watch the cars during the morning sessions and make suggestion to those I think need it (if they buy from me) I normally know who needs what after 3-4 runs. Tighten this... loosen that... they ALWAYS drop a min. of 2 seconds off their times.
I know it is driver... but you also have to make the driver comfortable in the car. If somebody is slinging the ass end around in their 4cyl car... dial in more front bar.... pretty easy.. now they can lay down the power and keep the ass end planted and the front end in the direction they intended.
I do know it is hard with a two person car...
B
SCCA: only the first 3 runs count.
PCA is for fun.
I personally have it figured out after the second run.... if I'm driving.
Not sure how many people attend your events, but our SCCA events take all day for the runs.. plenty of time to make changes even with two people.
I guess just drive it...
Hmmmmm...
So my set up is very neutral, but....
23mm torsion bars, 22mm sway bar set in middle, 185lbs rear springs on coil overs. Sometimes rear bar, no lsd.....
I kind of like the large sway bar concept..I was amazed at the difference from 22mm sway bar full soft to half hard....now I want more....herb
I'm the orignal poster.. thanks to all for your recommendations......... I have a 19 mm Welt. front sway bar installed... did it myself haha.. ok I know there is adjustment, but which way do I move the adjustment for .....soft/hard//understeer oversteer? ? Karl
Away from the bar for softness (oversteer) and up towards the bar for stiffness (understeer).
crash...
23mm front torsions are big!
I've always heard that 22's were really about the limit.
I know some damn fast cars running 22's with 400 rears...
just a suggestion
b
Yea, but they came with the car...
This car is so stiff, you can jump up and down in the trunk all day and it doesn't give....
I almost got a wheel off the grould once....but not quite.
This car is very neutral, once I stiffened up the front bar.....LSD next
While on the topic of swaybars, I need to slap some new bushings on mine (22mm welt bar). Can I do with with gas tank in the car? Just drive the bar out one side, change bushing, same on the other?
Also, are these bushings like the suspension ones where it is recomended to cut groves and fill with grease?
Finally, I have noticed that my bar likes to get "off center" nearly touching the shock on the drivers side while close to the body on the pass side. Is the normal, or is this due to my bad bushings?
Thanks,
Tony
To ask a dumb question about sway bars...... what does full soft mean???
No preload???Then as you tighten the adjuster on each side it applys a twisting force that works against body roll???...somebody enlighten me....
SteveSr
With the car sitting on all 4 wheels on a level surface & the down link lock nuts loose, both adjusters should turn freely within a small range...or be slack....no preload.
Preloading is (IMO) best left to someone that really has their shit together. I notice that my 914's front bar will preload itself...or rather the chassis will do it.....this is not good, but I live with it.
Full soft is when the down links are at their maximum distance in the lever arm, away from the bar.
Here's a pic of the SRP adjusted at 2/3 soft or 1/3 stiff depending how you look at it.
I run it one click stiffer since the photo- Thanks Brad and Randal!
KT
Attached image(s)
Yea, it is not fast, but it looks really really cool.....My car stays planted, except when I am spinning like a top....
If you go BIG with a big swaybar in front and stock t-bars, do you need to re-inforce the inner fender / wheelwell (where the swaybar mounts)
Specially with stock springs, I'd think that area would see a lot more stress
cheers,
Jeroen
No. The Smart bar has 6 bolts and distributes the load better than the old 3 bolt system used by everyone else. Here is what I have found when 914's rip up the chassis: the owner or the installer has put the bar into bind.
B
thanks!
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