Re: AutoX setup for Spider question

[Richard Welty <rwelty@domain.elided>]

On Tue, 22 Oct 2002 08:17:18 -0700 "Verrall, Timothy" <timothy.verrall@domain.elided> wrote:

> All,
> I am planning on using my recently acquired spider in some auto-x
> events. I
> would like to keep the car pretty close to original and still classified
> as
> stock for solo2. I have to take the rear suspension apart and replace a
> number of bushes as it is. The engine mounts also need replacing. While
> I am
> doing all this I wondered if there are any tweaks, that really make a
> difference, but still leave me with a stock classification ? 

hmmm.

in stock, the suspension and the motor mounts need to stay pretty much
stock. the only changes you can make that are worthwhile are a shock
absorber upgrade and a front sway bar upgrade. i'm not sure what would
be trick for shocks in a spider, but i used red konis on full stiff
with good results in my 2.5L milano years ago.

the single most important thing is really to put a set of good sticky tires
on a set of stock-sized wheels (not necessarily stock, but a in a size that
the factory might have put on the car -- not a size a dealer might have put
on the car, not a size in an "add on" catalog, but a size the factory
actually installed.)

i would do this in conjunction with a front sway bar upgrade; at high roll,
my feeling is that spiders and gtvs tend to have a reduced contact patch
with wider tires (195mm and wider) and the sway bar upgrade reduces roll
and helps the car use the wider tires better.

richard
--
Richard Welty                                         rwelty@domain.elided
Averill Park Networking                                         518-573-7592
              Unix, Linux, IP Network Engineering, Security
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