New suspension for the rat racer

[htchevyii]

Well, after just one autocross event, I decided to upgrade my suspension. Here's with the new springs, per Jim Scurria's recommendation: 5x9.5", 500LB springs in front and 5x13", 175LB Hypercoils in the rear. I installed a rear sway bar and I am in the process on installing he front 1" bar, then the rebuilt 34 dmsa. We'll see how it works this weekend.

[djape1977]

good looking car!
very nice steelies. banded or...?

[RCSquadraCorse]

Car looks great!
Wheels look like Diamond Racing steelies to me and I'm quite sure they're 13x8. Any chance to know the offset tho?
Also, which shocks are you using on this car? The drop of those springs looks great and I guess you have no rubbing issues on the arches. Will remember the specs of your springs when I will change mine, I'm looking for a similar drop. Will use 15" wheels with a 50 tire shoulder so there should be even less gap between the wheel and the fender but I have to make the right calculations for the outer lip dimension and ET in order to fit everything inside the arches.

[DOHC]

We'll see how it works this weekend.

How did it work. Please tell us more. What shocks? Wheels and tires?

[htchevyii]

Yes, they are 13x8 Diamonds, the shocks are KYB. It seems to work pretty well, except when they make a super tight corner that I can't make it around. Most of the other cars are newer and more powerful, (with more experienced drivers), so I'm still pretty low on the score sheet. It was a busy summer so I missed more events than I made it to. They had one last weekend and I didn't go since it was raining and I don't have a top or windshield wipers. I did treat it to a Rust Oleum flat black paint job and some new decals, so I'll be ready when racin starts again in January. I need to redo the exhaust, I keep high centering on the car trailer.



And this one for my Dad:

[geno58]

Looks like a lot fun.

[ga.spyder]

Having Jim Scurria to call on for advice is an awesome resource! The car looks great,Trey.How has the performance been? I can relate to being out there competing against cars with more modern suspensions and more power. Keep improving it and the results will come! Good luck,
Craig

[engineerted]

Looking good man! What are you running in the rear diff? Open, welded, or limited slip?

[htchevyii]

It's still an open diff. Will these things hold up if welded? (it's the late style diff). I wish the sold a mini spool, like you can buy for the domestics.

[engineerted]

I don't know if you can run a welded diff in your class but it does keep you from spinning that inside tire in turns. The problem with the welded diff is getting the car to turn in, it just want to go straight. Now with the open diff, adding the rear bar will make the inside spin even more. You can counter this by widening your rear stance (add two-three spacers on each side) set the front caster to less than 3degrees (this will make truning the steeering wheel easyer), run no spacer on the front (make sure you can run with out one first, see torque ring on thos rims) First thing is to do is install wheel studs, i see you don't have any. You can get the screw in ones here:

http://www.serpentautosport.com/wheel_a ... s_lugs.htm

[djape1977]

or just get a early spider rear end, like from 1970, and buy and install russian made torsen diff for lada in it. dirt cheap and very effective.

[engineerted]

I don't know about dirt cheap $650, that's not cheap in my book. Cheap would be getting an rx7 axle form the junk yard and fitting it to the spider. The lada diff would be ideal though. I keep looking at them for the race car but $650 is the difference between racing or not racing. Tires are not cheap.

[redcars]

I do not know if the oem axle will hold up to a welded diff, but turn in is not really a problem. You just use a strong rear sway bar and the inside wheel will lift and let you turn. Then when you put the power on the outer wheel will slip and the inside wheel will set down and off you go. You will not even feel the move from wheel in the air to wheels on the ground. I auto-x a Rx7 like this for 3 years before I got a limited slip diff.

I am working on putting a Rx7 rear end under my spider now. I am just working slowly and now and then on it. I just want to have it done by spring. The 7 axle set up is about 2" wider than the Spider. I am going to cut it down, use the 4x98 bolt pattern and the Spider rear link set up.

[djape1977]

I don't know about dirt cheap $650, that's not cheap in my book. Cheap would be getting an rx7 axle form the junk yard and fitting it to the spider. The lada diff would be ideal though. I keep looking at them for the race car but $650 is the difference between racing or not racing. Tires are not cheap.

340$ us + shipping, guys speak english...
http://raspredval.ru/differential.phtml

[engineerted]

Wow i have never seen that one. I was thinking about this one.
http://www.ladaworld.com/product_info.p ... anguage=en