[Shotimes] advice on autocross handling

[Midwest SHO Specialists]

Here are my thoughts.  You can keep the car flat, but make it a little bit
more neutral, by stiffening up the front end a little more and taking a
little out of the back.  I drive with a 24/26 setup rubber front, TPR back,
with F & R SHO Shop swap bars, Tokicos, and bias plugs, and my car is a
little tail happy as it is.  I would imagine you get a lot of oversteer with
your setup, especially in late braking.  Add onto that the little snap you
get with the Quaife coming off or on throttle and bet you have your hands
full going around a track!

I think that temporarily removing the rear strut tower brace, and installing
some TPR bushings on the front sway bar would get you a little closer to
where you want to be.  At that point, you could probably fine tune it with
tire pressure.

Mike Kopstain
Midwest SHO Specialists
827 North Chestnut Avenue
Arlington Heights, IL 60004
www.MidwestSHO.com
Sales@midwestsho.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "van Oss" <vanOss@centurytel.net>
To: <shotimes@autox.team.net>
Sent: Monday, August 11, 2003 5:52 PM
Subject: [Shotimes] advice on autocross handling


> I am asking for advice on setting up my 91 for an upcoming autocross.
> PLEASE don't give glib responses, I really want substantial advice.  (You
> know who you are.)  I pose you a multi-dimensional problem.  Please
respond
> to the whole thing.
>
> As some of you read in the recent "Annie" thread, I went Solo II
> autocrossing in this car on 8/3 and found the rear end was WAY too loose.
> The configuration then was:  Eibachs front, Cargo Coils rear, 24/26 bars
> (rubber front, Delrin rear), Goodrich R1 comp tires (45 front, 40 rear),
> Quaiffe, SHOnut bias plugs, stock brakes, REAR strut-tower brace (not
> front).  My sense about this setup was that the rear end was (between the
> Delrin SFB bushings and rear STB) way too firm.
>
> At the same location, same club, on Sept. 13, we're having another go at
> Solo II.  There are two key possible differences to be aware of:
>
> -- IF AND ONLY IF I am able to convince my hyper-conservative 16-year-old
> (same one who went to Driver's Edge) to give it a go, I would like to get
> him out there for some "driver education" in my 91.  Parents of teenagers,
> you know what I mean.  I will not push him, but I will want him to have
the
> experience of pushing himself and (not necessarily to the same degree) the
> car.  He would need a mildly conservative setup, I think.
>
> -- Our club seems to run hot and cold.  If the president (Rick) is out of
> town, everybody relaxes and the course is higher speed, using fewer cones
> and a much more open, high-speed layout.  If Rick is in town, he uses
every
> cone the club owns, and sets up a tight, lower-speed, technical course (to
> suit his Civic RSi, it's been said more than once).  We don't know which
EM
> will be in charge of the upcoming event.
>
> My son Patrick would run as a novice (obviously) with me in the passenger
> seat, and he would run much more for learning than for anything else.  IF
I
> can get him to run, "successful" runs for him would supersede any interest
> in my own runs.
>
> Aside from switching to rubber or ASB bushings in the rear, do you have
any
> other advice on setting up this car or preparing my son for the event?
>
> Thanks!
>
> Joseph van Oss
> _______________________________________________
> Shotimes mailing list
> Shotimes@autox.team.net
> http://www.team.net/mailman/listinfo/shotimes