Cliff Notes and question for the CZ28 Ricer squad: How can a big old land whale F-Body take a newer VW GTI VR6 (and probably stock) through the "twisties?" I know the answer (its at the bottom), do you?

First off it was way late at night and no traffic around, its the only way I'd engraciate some douche in a car I know I can obliterate.

I was headed to a friends house and I get on the highway through this fairly tight sweeping right turn. I took it easy going around it to not let out too much tire protest around 60 mph. Evidently I caught the attention of some VW and when I get on the highway he's on my ***.

Then he tries to pass and since I had the window down, I could hear his stock motor whining to try to pass me (me being in the far right and he was going into the middle lane). So I think to myself "whatever" and keep the converter locked up in 4th gear (about 3/8th's throttle) just to see what would happen. To my suprise, he stops gaining and I start slowly creeping away from him!

So he files in behind me, on my *** again and stays there for a better part of a mile or so until the next off ramp onto another highway. I took it in about the same manner as I did the first on ramp and when I looked back, he wasn't on my *** and to my surprise he was a couple car lenghts back!

I believe my first thought was: "OMGWTFBBQ! A mythical Import can't keep up with an F-Body through a turn!?" Too good to be true.

So I decide to be late to my friends house and put my theory to the test against this homo, but then he's on my *** again, so I stand on the gas for the rest of 2nd gear and just put a train lenght on him. Then I let off and let him catch back up and took a detour on this twisty *** road with not too many crossings on it, low and behold he followed.

The road has a few curvy sections followed by a few straight aways. I'd let loose through the turns, then it'd take him about 10-15 seconds to catch back up on the straight away... just enough time for me to annhilate him in the next set of turns. Well after the 4th time, he didn't show up on my bumper. I guess he found a side street to tuck his tail between his legs and turn around to go home.

Answer: Most ricers don't know "handling" is 90% driver, 10% car. A saying around the local Auto-X track is: "Don't spend money on your car, spend time on learning how to drive." A Civic with lowering springs and 18's won't turn it into a Lemans car, morons.

Before you ask, yes I do have suspension/chassis mods, mainly parts to take the abuse down the 1/4th that the stockers wouldn't stand up to. For X-Mas and upcoming birthday I'm getting a 6 point chrome-moly cage, HALs, and Eibach drag springs. Also I was on my stock salad shooters (now winter wheels). They've got 245/50/16's all around. Eagle HP all seasons up front and BFG KDW's in back.

 

BS! Everybody knows FWD "sport compacts" are the ideal platform for taking it to "da twistiez y0."



Great story

 

1) any real enthusiast (regardless of what they drive) recognizes that f-bodies are good handlers stock and great handlers with the right parts and right driver

2) mkiv gti's aren't known for their handling, particularly the vr6's. they're overweight for what they are, the vr6's have like a 65/35 weight distribution, their center of gravity is high, they're open diff'd and traction challenged, and its virtually impossible to create any camber. with that said, i can hardly wait to beat up some Street Modified f-bodies when autocross picks up next year

 

in most scenarios that go down on the street, the better driver is the one that is gonna come out on top.

 

yeah, but most sport compact guys don't realize that, i've noticed. can i deduce that these eggheads aren't real enthusiasts?

you better hope that isn't a class at an event that sam strano plans on running in.

 

First of all, Kain, great story!!!

I would like to ask people, who replied to this story, about handling modifications.

"not cbring" said: 1) any real enthusiast (regardless of what they drive) recognizes that f-bodies are good handlers stock and great handlers with the right parts and right driver

Cbring, can you educate me on the right parts?
To all: What is considered to be a good handling car? How do I measure the handle of my car?

When I read such stories, they excite me. During my daily driving I try not to breake beyond the "Danger Zone". I try to keep it sane. I wonder what modifications to the suspension will improve the handling of the car?

Here is what I got:
1.25 inch drop (Eibach and Bilstein) [sorry if i misspelled]
Hotchkis sways.
And that is about it. I considered to get the subframes, but not yet.

What else can I do to the suspension to make it better?

Thank you all,
Max.

 

Nicely written story! Even a stock F-bod is a nice all round performance platform. Plenty of torque, decent suspension and brakes, decent amount of rubber on the road. Can go fast under almost any conditions except snow! A few simple and relatively cheap mods and the all-around handling and braking can be markedly improved. Great cars!

Rich Krause

 

I've seen some camaros that handle well, but I'm still not impressed with how mine does. I swapped the salad shooters out for some 17x9 SS take off wheels with the stock Eagle F1's on them, and it made an improvement, but the overall handling of the car still feels sloppy and at least for me not confidence inspiring. I figure some of it is due to the fact that I have the original 8 year old suspension components still on there. I plan to do some suspension upgrages next, some lowering springs, bilstein shocks, poly bushings and subframes, but that will have to wait until money allows. If I ever end up swapping the auto for a six speed I'll probably be more inclined to go ***** to the wall on my suspension setup. If I keep the auto I'll worry more about dragstrip and launching than the "t\'\'iSti3s!!!".

John

 

Kain-

You didnt mention if the VW was modified or not? I mean, if it had the giant wing on the back, chrome "Fart Can"underneath, and "Fat Tach" on the dash, than he most certainly would have taken you.

Mike

 

I can't say about everyone else, but on a dry day and a clean road I can take corners at least TWICE the posted speeds. With good rubber IROC's are great "controlled drifters"....Ofcourse it helps if you learned to drive from some "ex-moonshiners".
Nothing like "power sliding" a horseshoe turn w/o slowing down.

 

In the rare event that I go to the auto-x, I generally run in e-mod so I don't have to check what mods put me in which class. I just say e-mod and no one cares.

On a side note, a friend of mine in a 99 Z28 ran in f-stock and that thing flew. It only had Koni single adjustables, a big front sway bar, and Hoosiers.

Thanks!

Thanks!

It'd be interesting to see what a properly prepared f-body could do around a road race and auto-x. It'd have to be fully caged (something like Madman's Camaro), some stiff-*** custom springs, the best shocks you could buy, and a compliment of other great assorted suspension parts along with some Hoosier race tires, fit 315/35/17's all the way around.

First paragraph in the cliff notes. It sounded stock, and I couldn't really see any appearance mods. I barely knew it was a VR6 because I got a glance at its wheels and recognized it to be the same as a VR6 that a friend of mine has.

The auto-cross is the great equalizer, I've been mopped up by way slower cars with less mods. Its all driver.

Thanks for the compliment, but my car is "meh" fast. It'll take most things on the road around here, but in the grand scheme of things - its not very fast at all. But I'm in the process of changing that.

 

Maxik --- i cannot educate you on the right parts. it really depends on what you want to accomplish and your driving styles. and to be honest, i don't know ANY specifics about camaro suspension parts.

FastZinTennessee --- i know that camaro's are capable performers, but for whatever reason, whenever i've driven a 4gen, i wasn't very confident pushing it. i think part of its the seating position and visability and part of it is that i'm a bit intimidated by the whole rear wheel drive thing. when are all you middle tn folks gonna come tame the dragon at deals gap?

Kain --- EM is too hardcore for me, i don't want any of that as far as the car that ran you, it mighta been a 1.8T, they've often got the same wheels. they also handle better (when driven right)

 

Yeah, there's always a kit Shelby Cobra that runs and mops the floor with me. I run for fun, because I know I'd get beat pretty bad if I tried to do it competitivily.

 

We've had a few people go up there to deals gap. A lot of the guys here will go to the Natchez Trace for some spirited driving

 

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