Probably a good reason the fastest F-body ESP car around lately is a lighter
(somewhat) 3rd gen. car of Mark Madarash's. That car is quick because of
driving and balance, not hp.
Traction is an issue, but a possible alternative, is to go ahead and take ALL
the potential weight reductions, then address the traction issue with engine
controls, ie. reduce available torque at corner exit rpm's to let the car hook
up. With LT1/LS1 torque, dropping 20-40ft/lbs briefly would not be very
critical. This could be done with timing changes at less than full
throttle/manifold vacuum depending on the ECU. F1 style traction control if
you will. Light is good :)
Fun stuff to think about anyway.
Stan
Iain Mannix <mannix@privatei.com> wrote:
>
> JW: I thought you could get this back through spring rate changes,
> weight jacking, tuning sway bars, shocks, panhard rods,etc
>
> DS: Sure... you would have to lift your front end about 40 inches to get
> the weight transfer right! (Joke intended ;-)
>
I thought you'd raise the *rear* (40"?!?;) to get weight on the rear
wheels/off the front. If Dave was raising the front, eek, I've
tried that, push push push.....
What about a rollbar(that just happens to use really SAFE tubing
in the back...)?
I don't know a whole lot about F bodies/Mustangs, but it seems to me
that weight could legally be added that helps the overall
balance; leave the spare in, mount the battery on the rear floor,
rollbar, lose AC/condenser, maybe nuke the stock fans in favor of
a light electric(have *no* idea what's in there, maybe not much
weight, but I got 5# off the front of my FSP Rabbit that way - every
little bit counts....and we *are* talking about nationally competitive
cars). What's the front swaybar weigh? Probably a good bit; could
a tubular "Nascar" style bar take some weight out of the front? What
about the fuel injection? Taking the stock injection out of the
VW in favor of carbs took about 15 pounds out of the front;
throttle body injection(TWM bodies are a good bit lighter than
Webers) saves an additional 5. Might not be a whole lot more
*power* to be made, but if you retain the torque and lose 30#, that's
a Good Thing.
Sure, it is expensive.....it is SP, afterall. Dunno. Just a couple of
thoughts. ESP seems like a fun class. How much power does a .040"
over 350 make? Is there much weight to be saved in the clutch?
Tiltons don't weigh much; not quite at the *front* of the car, but
ahead of the driver. Brake booster? Those heavy in Fbodies? Are
they 100% necessary? Big cars, one might not be able to get away
without one, but you can use any master cylinder; forget if you can
change the booster, too. Is the oilpan heavy? How about the
pullies on the crankshaft? How light is the stock starter? I've s
seen some silly starters for smallblocks; little tiny aluminium things.
They *should* be lighter, I'd guess.
I'll not pass judgement on the which is better; I've only ridden
in good ESP cars(M3 and Camaro). They both seem pretty fast to
me, but geez, Fbodies have _torque_.
I wonder how much lighter one could make one of those things through
losing the fuel injection(in favor of something lighter). Not
sure it is possible while making it fit under the hood.
Interesting conversation, let's just say I'm not convinced the M3
is really the overdog some are making it out to be. The "T"
factor is pretty formidable; seems like most things
Bob & Patty drive go pretty fast, to put it mildly. Are there
any other well prepared M3s out there doing as well?
No personal interest in the matter, nothing to gain, yadda yadda,
just think there might be some other ways to lighten the front,
even the whole car.
Iain Mannix(not sure why I'm getting into this.....)
> If you cannot take weight off the nose (legally) you are wasting your
> time. That is the only way you will be able to handle as well as the
> Bimmers.
>
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