Re: Wheels, tyres and diff ratios
Posted: Sat Jul 21, 2012 3:48 am
I have found two ways to get the car to drift, but the problem is always the high roll center lifting the rear end and having the drive lost to inside wheel spin. It will only slide for a while before it slows down, and that is not as much fun as sliding and not slowing down, or being able to accelerate.
What I have done is to install about 120 or so HP, and an LSD (requires race axles or you will be snapping the standard axles every drive). This maintains the power in a corner, and you can get corner exit acceleration, rather than noise. It works, and gives proper throttle steering. With a good set of dampers and the right rear springs, along with a front anti sway bar, you can balance the handling with just the damper compression adjustment in the rear.
I also recommend running the 15" Dunlop vintage race tires, as these will slide beautifully, with complete control and predictability. These have plenty of tread, and go on easily available wire wheels. Handling will be as a solid axle Lotus 11. What could be better? I have built 4 cars with this setup.
You wont get any more lock from the tires. You need to remove the limit stop from the rack, and see how much lock you can use before installing a cut down rack limit stop. You can't address the steering lock or turning radius until you take the existing limit stop out of the rack. You could get more lock with wheels having a deeper backside space, but that's getting crazy, unless you have the wrong wheels...
I don't even run rack stops on my cars. If the tire rubs a little, I just back off the steering a little when making a U turn.
The rack, as it comes out of the Spridget, doesn't have stops. What you are looking for was added later.
You don't have to remove the rack to remove or replace the stop.
To remove the stop, pull back the gators, exposing the end of the rack. You will probably have only one on the off side (the near side of the rack is shorter, and stops itself). Just slide it off the tie rod. You may have to take off the rod end, so mark or measure so that you get it back in nearly the same place. You can reset the toe if you need to. Just remember that if you do any adjustments to the suspension, you had better be sitting in the driver's seat so that the chassis is properly ballasted.
What I have done is to install about 120 or so HP, and an LSD (requires race axles or you will be snapping the standard axles every drive). This maintains the power in a corner, and you can get corner exit acceleration, rather than noise. It works, and gives proper throttle steering. With a good set of dampers and the right rear springs, along with a front anti sway bar, you can balance the handling with just the damper compression adjustment in the rear.
I also recommend running the 15" Dunlop vintage race tires, as these will slide beautifully, with complete control and predictability. These have plenty of tread, and go on easily available wire wheels. Handling will be as a solid axle Lotus 11. What could be better? I have built 4 cars with this setup.
You wont get any more lock from the tires. You need to remove the limit stop from the rack, and see how much lock you can use before installing a cut down rack limit stop. You can't address the steering lock or turning radius until you take the existing limit stop out of the rack. You could get more lock with wheels having a deeper backside space, but that's getting crazy, unless you have the wrong wheels...
I don't even run rack stops on my cars. If the tire rubs a little, I just back off the steering a little when making a U turn.
The rack, as it comes out of the Spridget, doesn't have stops. What you are looking for was added later.
You don't have to remove the rack to remove or replace the stop.
To remove the stop, pull back the gators, exposing the end of the rack. You will probably have only one on the off side (the near side of the rack is shorter, and stops itself). Just slide it off the tie rod. You may have to take off the rod end, so mark or measure so that you get it back in nearly the same place. You can reset the toe if you need to. Just remember that if you do any adjustments to the suspension, you had better be sitting in the driver's seat so that the chassis is properly ballasted.