6 replies to this topic

[navigangsta]

I was thinking about doing a vtec swap ... but it raises questions


Are there downsides to going rwd? It just seems that moving the weight from the front would drastically alter the handling and make the front end way to light to turn correctly

[e11evns]

there is nothing to worry about if set up right its quicker!

[AllanMcD]

It just seems that moving the weight from the front would drastically alter the handling and make the front end way to light to turn correctly

I was concerned about this
When the front is light it turns much better Chris told me this before I bought my kit and he is absolutely right .
Allan

[MiniMrMan]

Zcars minis are not rear engined.. they are mid engined! this means weight is quite evenly spread.

The vw beetle and 911 are examples of rear engined cars.. their engines are behind the rear axle.

[miniQ]

Less understeer cant be bad XD

[brandon7]

Mini Man is right, its Mid engined. And as far as for a performance car goes and turn in there are no downsides to this (If your going with a real Zcars kit) Mine oversteers a bit would you believe (a bit like a go-kart does mid corner), which is great fun to drive with but no really a major problems to me.

Obviously if your car is mainly a road car you want to make sure its within your budget to make it comfortable enough for road use, as noise and comfort are the main problems here. Whats it for?

If your still concerned maybe talk to zcars about their front frame as you will get the benefit of their better suspension without the mid engined bit.
Mark

[z cars chris]

ok this is one of the most common questions that is asked when people come for a demo
they think the car will firstly understeer due to lack of front end grip then snap into oversteer really quickly
nothing could be further from the truth
with the engine in the front of any car you get a front weight bias that actually slows down the reaction time when you turn the steering wheel
its all to do with a phenomenen known as "the polar moment of inertia"
basically what happens when you turn the steering the wheels start to turn in the direction you want to go the tyres deflect a little the suspension reacts and starts to load up and then the weight that you want to move in the direction you want to go starts to move
the sequance is the same for every car
a heavier front bias means that the car will take longer to start turning than a lighter car
i demonstrate this by telling the customer on a demo to watch my hands on the wheel and to feel the cars reaction whilst watching my steering inputs
as soon as i turn the wheel the car reacts ................ its instant literally
if you have the time pay us a visit and i will take you on a demo
also watch the race footage you will see my hands hardly move on the wheel even round hairpins thats because the car has very direct and posotive steering
its pretty much like a go kart
chris