Power Isnt Everything

[SleepyG]

This is some seriously good info for any novices out there that just got their car and want to make it go fast but are not sure where to start.

Within the last two months I have had my suspension and brakes beefed up for track use. Other than that my motor is pretty much bone stock other than exhaust, oem Prelude intake, exedy stage 1 and streetlite flywheel.

I am still amazed every day by how much of an impovment these mods make. I am so glad I don't have any power right now because you honestly need to learn to drive your car to it's limits before you go increasing them!


Last night I was stopped at a light next to an older Audi S4. I lept off the line ahead of him and he caught up quickly and lined up with me to tease me. We got stopped at another light shortly ahead. When it went green I did a nice smooth but quick launch again and pulled ahead of him. I could hear him trying to catch up but the closer he got the more gas/rev's I gave and I was able to shift faster than him... anyways he never did catch up . This is a car I thought I would never beat. The next light he turned off(probly in embarassment).

When I am hitting curvy stretches of road my braking and cornering are soo good I can take turns like a high end sports car and scare the shyt out of any passengers I may have without even making tire noise .

So the moral of this story is.....

Do your suspension and brakes before you swap or do power mods. It is well worth it to see how fast the car really can be with just these mods.

[Velocifero]

With great power comes great responsibility.

[deevergote]

It's always important to be able to control your car... the more power you have, the more important this is!

The S4 is a very heavy car, but also quite powerful. The first one was a twin turbo V6. Then a V8, and now a supercharged V6. All 3 would whomp an old Accord if driven properly... and if healthy. If he really was trying, and his car wasn't falling apart, then you can drive... and your car is in a condition that takes advantage of that.

[TomQuick]

I totally agree, power is one of the last things that should be considered on a car. Brakes, suspension, steering. It's got to handle properly first, and stop on a dime, then you worry about cosmetics, and power.

I've done a lot of the same stuff on my car that you've done, brake upgrade, struts and springs, clutch and flywheel, and nearly all of the normal wear stuff in the suspension / steering (gotta do bushings soon). I have a few little things left to do in the suspension, then it's time for the cosmetics.

The only things I've messed with engine wise (aside from routing maintenance) were the intake / air filter, only because the parts on the car when I bought it weren't the right ones, and didn't fit properly, and the cat back, because mine had rotted out.

My car certainly isn't the fastest around the area, but we have a lot of twisty roads, and I can hold my own with just about anyone on them. What I lack in raw power I make up for with good handling, good braking, and by knowing how to drive my car.

[deevergote]

It's funny... I learned this by playing Gran Turismo 2.
I sucked at the game. Couldn't do a damn thing. Bought a VTEC Prelude, because it's the most powerful car you can buy in the beginning. I beefed up the motor, and I lost. Constantly.

Eventually, I started over. Instead of doing the motor, I bought tires. Then suspension. Then brakes. THEN motor. And I kicked ass.

Driven competently, a relatively weak car that handles well has a better chance in a race than a powerful car riding on jello. Americans are used to drag racing, where the suspension is only good for keeping the power on the ground, and the brakes are only good for avoiding the wall at the end of the strip. We go for the engine first. All the countries that know what REAL racing is know better!






Man...you get the mods posting in here, and it looks like freakn' Christmas!

[TomQuick]

Ahh, Gran Turismo 2, almost makes me wish my Xbox hadn't shit the bed

Guess I gotta get out the electric griddle and heat gun and fix the damned thing!

[deevergote]

I've only played it on a computer emulator. Instant save... Approach a tough turn too fast, save it, crash... reload it, slow down, do it right. It's the only way I'm good at it!

I also whomped with an ae86 with a nearly stock engine. Drifted that sucker around 300hp cars! just had to be sure to stay on a course with lots of turns, and few long straights! (we're still sorta on topic, right?)

[evil_demon_01]

Man...you get the mods posting in here, and it looks like freakn' Christmas!

Lol just noticed that too.



It would be stupid to have a 500hp car with stock 4 wheel drum brakes and leaf springs/torsion bars.

When you modify a car the first things people should look at doing is brakes/suspension.
A slow car can easily out do a fast car on a track, if the suspension/brakes is setup well.
Also a fast car is very dangerous if you can't stop or take a corner . . .

[rexload]

It's like driving a powerful Mustang on its stock prehistoric suspension. You don't know in which direction the car will decide to go when you gun it.

[TomQuick]

There's nothing more fun that tipping into a 25mph turn at 65, and knowing that all four tires are going to go in the same direction . . . .


and nothing more horrifying that tipping into that same turn and having the front go left while the back goes right!

When I was much younger, I had a '79 Malibu. It originally came with a 267ci engine, which I pulled out and replaced with a 350, mildly ported heads, big cam, aluminum intake, headers, dual exhaust, electric cooling fans. It was a beast which rode on completely stock, and well worn suspension, with factory brakes, including old school rear drums that probably hadn't really worked in at least a couple of years.

It had plenty of power, but it was scary to take a turn in it, and needing to stop quick was often a good reason to hold your breath, and say your prayers. I learned a lot from that car (and a few others like it) and no longer go straight for making maximum power. Now I have a car that I consider safe for my family to ride in. When I'm 100% happy with the handling and braking, and I like the way it looks, then I'll get around to making some more power with it. For the time being, I'm plenty happy driving the orange turd that whips ass on the twisties. A few weeks back I gave a solid spanking to an 8 cylinder fox body Mustang on a nice local curvy road. Of course, once we got to the straights he was all over me, but he was no where to be seen through the turns.

[Velocifero]

Man...you get the mods posting in here, and it looks like freakn' Christmas!

Hahaha. And yeah the GT series is very realistic so you really have to drive as is it's real life. And like everyone said, upgrading the suspension and brakes makes the car safer, which is even moar important when you start making the motor more powerful.

[SleepyG]

It's always important to be able to control your car... the more power you have, the more important this is!

The S4 is a very heavy car, but also quite powerful. The first one was a twin turbo V6. Then a V8, and now a supercharged V6. All 3 would whomp an old Accord if driven properly... and if healthy. If he really was trying, and his car wasn't falling apart, then you can drive... and your car is in a condition that takes advantage of that.

You da man Deeve lol, thats exacly right. I had stated that an S4 should beat me by a fair bit, but I CAN drive, and I could hear him shifting and my shifts where half the time his where. Also I get great grip from the exedy and my new tires. Didnt beat him by very much, he was at my quarter panel when he gave up. His ride probly wasnt running mint either.

Gran Tourismo 2 FTMFW I was addicted to that game for sooooooo long. Dont even have a console now

Velo I always loved that quote, it's from Spiderman aka Peter Parkers father.

[benjiaccord]

I've been preaching this to my friends for years. Quick Example, friend had an eg hatch (we're talking 1998 or 99) grabbed a b16 and had it built from the bottom up, bored to 1.9 and had all the internals done. The thing sounded like a crotch rocket and took off like a raped ape.

I mentioned upgrading the front brakes to type r or gs-r and doing a rear disc swap. He said not a big deal.

2 weeks later, he locked em up on the highway doing about 105...tossed the bitch into the ditch and he sat in the hospital for 3 weeks with a shattered vertebrae (spelling?)

I went and saw him and he just said, "I told you so, right?" I just smiled.

and the whole Gran Turismo line has been awesome gt2 had the cool race sponsor sticker/paint job customization on it I had a pink 300zx twin turbo

[scudweiser]

even paul walker knew this in F&F1. he did all that work work to the eclipse and then he said "I need nawsssss".

there was an editorial in HT a while back like this, talking about how back in the day some guy was getting a swap done on a LS teggy, the brakes were shot and it had bent tie rods and shit, and all the guy cared about was getting his car swapped.

[SleepyG]

I've been preaching this to my friends for years. Quick Example, friend had an eg hatch (we're talking 1998 or 99) grabbed a b16 and had it built from the bottom up, bored to 1.9 and had all the internals done. The thing sounded like a crotch rocket and took off like a raped ape.

I mentioned upgrading the front brakes to type r or gs-r and doing a rear disc swap. He said not a big deal.

2 weeks later, he locked em up on the highway doing about 105...tossed the bitch into the ditch and he sat in the hospital for 3 weeks with a shattered vertebrae (spelling?)

I went and saw him and he just said, "I told you so, right?" I just smiled.

and the whole Gran Turismo line has been awesome gt2 had the cool race sponsor sticker/paint job customization on it I had a pink 300zx twin turbo

I never understood why people think GS-R's have better braking than the lower models. They come with the SAME brakes. Good example tho.