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(78 votes) Published: Sep 05, 2007 5:11 p.m. In 3 Favorites Lists Viewed 454 times
Ok somebody requested that i write an egg on picking out the right car for different kinds of racing. I will cover the main types of racing that are popular now amongst young enthusiasts, what kinds of cars are popular and what kinds of cars are most sensible for reliability vs. power.
Drag Racing:
Ok this is a vague subject. Its all about how consistent you want your car to be, how reliable you want your power to be, how much maintenance is required, how much weight you want to have and whether or not its strictly a race vehicle.
Muscle Cars: Its common that people drive Mustangs, Novas, Chevelles, Camaros, Firebirds, Transams, Corvettes and RoadRunners as drag vehicles. Sure they go quickly down the line but HOW MUCH POWER IS TOO MUCH POWER FOR THE WEIGHT DISTRIBUTION OF YOUR CAR? Its very hard for even experienced racers to tell how much their tires are slipping. A Mustang with a Lightweight rear-end and alot of power will not launch very well. Nowadays, Drag racing is best done with an automatic transmission. For powerful rear-wheel drive vehicles, stay away from mustangs or anything that seems too light in the rear unless you want to load up the trunk with some weight for added traction. This will give a better reaction time and launch but once tire traction is caught and youre shifting through gears, it will come to a disadvantage.
Imports: Its very common that people with honda civics, dodge SRT-4s, Mazda RX-8s, Lancers, accords, integras, preludes and any other common japanese tuner will take them to the dragstrip. If you want to learn about choosing the right drag import, go to your local dragstrip on street night and ask different racers about their experience with different cars. Certain Japanese cars are great when the tuning is done in moderation, the entire vehicle is built to handle its state of tune and when the proper aftermarket parts are used in conjunction with eachother as to prevent serious engine damage.
Common problems that come upon japanese import drag cars include CV joint/shaft Failure, Blown Piston Connecting Rods, Intake backfires causing partial engine detonation, Timing belt failure resulting with complete engine failure, Drops in oil pressure which result in engine seizing due to lubrication systems inadequate to the amount of power the engine puts out.
Honda VTEC motors are great when they are left alone for the most part. Freeing up the exhaust, intake, doing some cylinder head work and giving it a chip is all fine and dandy but serious engine problems come around after the tuner changes the already variable cam timing. They also love to inject nitrous not in moderation and they blow the shit out of those motors. Their suspension is anything but european, although people are always modifying these imports to enhance the suspension, they still never handle the way a european car would with slight suspension work.
Drifting:
Drifting although it made a spike in popular culture in the past few years hasnt really kicked off and boomed the way that people anticipated. Building a drift car requires a very solid vehicle body with virtually no flex, a good braking system, RWD and a manual transmission. Unibody cars with stress bars and heavy duty shock absorbers are good for this. Some people have been known to use older BMWs, Mitsubishi Lancers, Subaru WRXs and Audis. Reducing traction in order to slide the vehicle is important but the driver must maintain control of the vehicle.
AutoCross, RoadRacing or Sprint:
This is personally more fun. Always use a car that is a stick-shift. People love to use european cars for this and there are expectations that need to be met in all of the criteria for a good road car. The car needs to have great power like a drag car and have great traction under most/all conditions but the car also needs to be lightweight and well balanced like a Drift Car. Good Braking systems are a must, a low center of gravity is a must and a strong drivetrain is needed. A whole range of drivetrains can be used from FWD, RWD to AWD. There are advantages and disadvantages to all of them. Great vehicles for this type of racing are Volkswagen GTIs and Jettas for FWD vehicles and BMW 325 models for RWD. Subaru WRXs and audi A4/A6 quattro models are great for AWD. The WRX will own any suped up audi because of the weight difference.
Jettas and GTIs generally both share the same front half of the vehicle mechanically. They can be easily modified to change suspension components with Audis and older cars. Stiffer Swaybars, Stiffer Shocks and springs and chassis flex bars are a must. A good set of tires is needed to keep traction. Front Wheel Drive is great because your drive wheels are also your steering wheels. Your car accelerates in the direction that the wheels want the car to go. Although understeer is more common with RWD vehicles, it can still happen with a FWD car. Body Roll is a situation that all cars face when they take corners. Jettas and GTIs have weight distribution advantages over most RWD european cars because their suspension is designed stiff, the motor is directly over the wheels that not only steer the car but also powers the car. It basically just pulls the rest of the vehicle behind it. RWD cars can often match up to a FWD car around corners by taking the corner while simultaneously decelerating to put more weight on the front wheels for added traction. FWD vehicles can do this as well but it is less necessary.
Take a look at the front suspension for a 1992 bmw 325 and a 1992 vw jetta. They both have a 34.4 foot turning radius but the front shocks of the bmw are angled back because braking around corners is needed for traction in RWD cars. Jettas have straight up and down shocks from the side but their shocks are slightly angled in towards the vehicle. A strut tower bar makes noticeable imporovements with this particular setup because the chassis no longer flexes in towards itself. The fact that they have the same turning radius but different suspension setups for a different drivetrain shows that the jetta is designed for accelerating around hard corners and the bmw is designed for decelerating around hard corners. Its not about which car has the steering ability to take a particular corner, its about which car has the suspension and traction ability to take the same corner at a quicker rate. I know many BMW enthusiasts are going to argue with me but BMWs have their advantages over Jettas in some areas and have flaws in others. There is no ONE UNIVERSAL CAR.
Its easy for anyone to buy a $500 2nd generation GTI or Jetta, spend $2000 on a bigger motor (VR6) and spend another $2000 to supe the motor up a bit and install it, spend $1500 on shocks/springs, $1000 on sway bars and tie bars,$1000 on brakes, $200 on motor mounts, $400 on tires, $500 on other general repairs and have a car that can outperform many of the newer expensive sports cars. That kind of money on a mk2 jetta will get it to run mid-high 13 seconds on the quarter mile and take corners better than most stock new audis, bmws, lancers, subarus, or 350z. It may be hard to believe but its true, inexpensive, reliable power.
I know for a fact that this will bring up alot of controversey amongst some of the members of this site but im not saying that you are limited to these vehicles for that kind of racing. Ive seen schoolbusses do drag racing, ive seen trucks do autocross but its about what is most sensible and what gets you the best bang for your buck. Older cars were designed for the efficency, reliability and power but not really for their emissions. Newer cars are limited by the federal emissions regulations so say goodbye to tuning a new vehicle and getting an easy inspection sticker. I have no catalytic converter on my old jetta and it STILL PASSED emissions inspection.
Heres the suspension on an E30 (bmw 325is). Notice as the suspension is angled in and back because this particular model is a RWD vehicle?
Heres the Suspension in the mk2 Jetta. It is angled slightly inwards but not angled back at all.
Luxury cars that are commonly misconcepted as good race vehicles:
-Audi A4/A6- way too much weight in those vehicles. My 92 jetta beat a brand new A4 before i even started modifying my 1.8L motor.
-Lexus of any sort
-Infiniti-heavy cars
-Maximas-semi-luxury, still heavy and bulky
One car that has alot of potential for drag racing but is rarely seen at racetracks is the middle-aged oldsmobile cutlass ciera. These are super granny cars but there are particular station wagons and coupes that came equipped with the same 3.8L motor that came in some of the Camaros. There are actually supercharger kits available for them and manifolds are relatively easy to come by. They look like a granny car but some of them can pack some serious ass. Look at Cutlass Cieras from 1986-1992.
Pick a car well, dont get a stupid Honda Civic Hatch and swap an H-22 into it and complain when your suspension and motor mounts arent designed for that transfer in a small egg-beater car.
Sep 05, 2007 5:19 pm - An automatic transmission is great for Dragracing because it shifts consistently and shifts through every gear no problem because your foot is to the floor. A stick shift is needed any time you accelerate hard, slow down to take a corner, accelerate hard again, keep a maintained throttle, accelerate hard ect. This is because an automatic transmission will not think ahead the way that your mind will. An automatic transmission doesnt know that theres a huge hill up ahead and youll need more torque to make it up the hill quicker. However, you do. Generally, when you step on the brake with an automatic, the engine stays in the same gear or it can even upshift to save gas. When you go to hit the gas hard again, the transmssion could spend 3/4-1.5 seconds in downshifting through gears until the necessary amount of torque is applied to accelerate. Thats alot of time. With a Stick shift, you can be downshifting accordingly with your speed so that there is no wasted time in waiting for the power to kick back in when it is most needed. THATS WHY I DONT LIKE AUTOMATICS FOR FLYING AROUND CORNERS!!! THATS IT!!! IVE HEARD ENOUGH PEOPLE TELLING ME THAT THEIR AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION IS GREAT OR THAT ITS FUTURISTIC OR THAT THEY CAN PERFORM JUST AS WELL AS A STICK SHIFT. BULLSHIT!!! YOUR CAR WILL ACT A MILLION TIMES SPUNKIER AND RESPONSIVE IF YOU GET A STICK SHIFT AND KNOW HOW TO DRIVE IT!!!!!!!
Sep 05, 2007 5:38 pm - wooow thanks for making this egg! this is something I was looking for =D!!! 5 stars man and 5 on ur prof!! for drag racing I hear nissan 240sx’s are good is that true?
Sep 05, 2007 5:51 pm - i really do get tired of listening to people blab on about their automatics. any time i go to a carshow i get to listen to guys say "i wouldnt use a stickshift on this particular car". No, you wouldnt use a stickshift because you are too lazy to swap one in, and you dont want to talk your car down. Everyone always wants to think that whatever they have is the best, but if you have an automatic than its not true. I also get tired of listening to people who drive automatics tell me that a stick shift isnt as consistent. Thats bullshit too. If you know your car and where your powerband is than you can shift the same and you can shift where it is most sensible. If a factory automatic transmission shifts at 3500 for a certain application than thats where it will always shift even if the engine has been suped up. Shifting habits can easily be changed with a stick shift to accomodate powerband changes. This makes greater engine performance become greater vehicle performance. YA DIG?
Sep 05, 2007 6:00 pm - A nissan 240sx may be common but it doesnt necessarily mean its the best for it. It really depends on what you want for capabilities. The same motor was used in the 240sx as in the nissan altima. IF you like FWD than get the altima, if you like RWD get the 240sx. RWD is good for drag racing but 155 hp is felt stronger in a FWD car than in a RWD. It also depends on how much work you are willing to put into how much power. Swap a VR6 into a 92 jetta and youll fly down the racetrack like unbelievable. Itll be FWD, 2.8 litres, the ability to be Turboed or supercharged, you can run high compression, low compression, plenty of space under the hood for oil coolers and intercoolers. Its all about how much money and time you are willing to spend. A 240sx is a great beginner drag car but will become boring after a few passes. Personally i like european cars because the styling of them gives an advantage. Their big front sections allow plenty of space to swap in HUGE motors and turbo them. A guy recently swapped in the VW R32 motor into a 1992 GTI. The vehicle weighs about 1800 lbs and its probably around 300 hp thats extremely reliable. You have 1 hp for every 6 lbs. and its balanced very well.
An automatic transmission is great for Dragracing because it shifts consistently and shifts through every gear no problem because your foot is to the floor. A stick shift is needed any time you accelerate hard, slow down to take a corner, accelerate hard again, keep a maintained throttle, accelerate hard ect. This is because an automatic transmission will not think ahead the way that your mind will. An automatic transmission doesnt know that theres a huge hill up ahead and youll need more torque to make it up the hill quicker. However, you do. Generally, when you step on the brake with an automatic, the engine stays in the same gear or it can even upshift to save gas. When you go to hit the gas hard again, the transmssion could spend 3/4-1.5 seconds in downshifting through gears until the necessary amount of torque is applied to accelerate. Thats alot of time. With a Stick shift, you can be downshifting accordingly with your speed so that there is no wasted time in waiting for the power to kick back in when it is most needed. THATS WHY I DONT LIKE AUTOMATICS FOR FLYING AROUND CORNERS!!! THATS IT!!! IVE HEARD ENOUGH PEOPLE TELLING ME THAT THEIR AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION IS GREAT OR THAT ITS FUTURISTIC OR THAT THEY CAN PERFORM JUST AS WELL AS A STICK SHIFT. BULLSHIT!!! YOUR CAR WILL ACT A MILLION TIMES SPUNKIER AND RESPONSIVE IF YOU GET A STICK SHIFT AND KNOW HOW TO DRIVE IT!!!!!!!
coz when you past your qualifying ET your disqualify so its better to be slow but win than to be fast and loose.
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