how does my car compare?

[TFI]

one of my friends has a mid to late 90's monte carlo, and thinks it would handle better than my 72 914. i don't have sway bars, i have stock springs and torsion bars, and i am running 195-60-14 tires.
would i be able to whoop up on him through a canyon? in an autocross, i am sure i'd do better, but how about a twisty road?

[oredith]

my roommate's got a 95 supra TT with big meaty tires, and i've got 195/50's on.. sway bar up front.. stock everything (at the time) and he can't lose me on a mountain road until we got to parts with HUGE straight aways.. in fact, i had to slow WAY down so i didn't rearend him on the turns.. your car should whomp on the monte carlo's A$$..

[campbellcj]

yep that monte carlo probably weighs what, maybe 1500lbs more than your 914? also it most likely understeers/plows like crazy with all the weight up front. there are very few cars that can keep up with a well driven 914 on a tight, twisty road (at least until your brakes fade out, right Jeff?)

[7391417]

Brakes fading out? I hardly need to use my brakes going down a mountain road since I can go so fast , I just stick it into 3rd or even 2nd if I get going to fast (Of course I do need to use the brakes when I catch up to a slower vehicle!) Seriously though you should have no problems taking out the Chevy, I have stock susp. no swaybars but I do have 165 lbs. rear springs and 205/60/15 tires (although they are hard touring tires that arent very grippy, cant wait to get my konis, swaybar, and sticky tires!) I have lost many a newer "sports car" on the twisties. Just remember, you cant see the cop around the bend and if you slide off a mountain road it is usually a long ways down!

-Brent

[oredith]

well, luckily, i haven't had any hint of brake fade after the 320 caliper upgrade.. although it might be different if we went on moholland again, with me driving my car this time. The time i was following my roommate was when we were heading back from san jose, going through hwy 22?.. it's next to holister, very twisty road, but REALLY long straightaways too.. i came up on my roommate's car so fast on one corner (the turn felt perfectly fine to my car, but i guess the supra couldn't handle it at any higher speed) that i HAD to hit the brakes or rearend him.. luckily, that was a part of the hwy that was relativly level (no cliffs on the sides), i locked up the fronts, back came around, pulled a 180 (i was going about 50ish entering the turn) and came to a stop on the shoulder of the oppose side of the road (2 lane backcountry road)..

that wasn't fun.. but made me realize just how much faster my car can handle turns even compared to a car that R&T rates as a great handling car (supra)..

[iustasail]

I have a 71" and had a 185/65/15 touring tires with no sway bars, was on my way to work at a light for a left turn onto a on ramp that curves back right; got taken on the inside by an Eddy Bower Explorer. Almost slid into the cement wall. Big humiliation!

Just installed 19mm bar, 911sc front end, boxed the t-arms, 140's on the rear, fuchs with 205/60/15 ZR Parreli's

Same place, took a Z28 clean. Big improvement.

Sticky tires make the most difference!!

[TFI]

UH OH! new term... what are "boxed T arms"? and what will they do for my handling?

[paulhagedorn]

If I am guessing correctly, I would imagine that he is referring to boxed trailing arms. There is a kit that you weld pieces of metal on to the trailing arms so there is not any flex...or as much flex in the rear suspension area.

Paul

[iustasail]

Yup! I had the trailing arms reinforced with a boxing kit (for that big 2.7 conversion some day; after I win the lottery) the real improvement was that the old bushings came out in pieces, so the new ones are a lot tighter.

[paulhagedorn]

Well, I don't know about any of the people that already have this done to their car...but I would say that my car does not move at all when going over bumps...or at least very little. When going over bumps, The sounds that I get make you want to believe that it is bottoming out...however it is far from that.

My car was lowered a little, had the trailing arms boxed in, has front and rear sway bars, and not sure what kind of shocks or springs are on it...but the suspension/body is tight as hell.

Granted, I should figure out what kind of shocks I have on the car...is there any way to tell what the springs are?

Paul

[TFI]

i've got red Koni's on the rear of my car. they have a little upside down triangle and are red... and say Koni on them. how do i tell what the front ones are? they aren't red.

[Joe Bob]

Since they are inserts, they only way to know is to open them up and look....or look at the receipt....8^)

[TFI]

i beat him in the quarter... but he keeps coming up with excuses.

[oredith]

a stock 914 beat another car in the quarter?!.. that's hard to imagine.. i'm under no illusion that our cars are fast in a straight line.. but throw in some turns..

[TFI]

who said it's stock? heh heh. *smirk* i'm turboed and in need of a flywheel.