attn oldskoolgp and auto-xers

[dohcfiend]

how good are wbodies for autox? do you have fun? what are the weaknesses?

[OldSkoolGP]

Depends, yes, and yes.

Let me elaborate. From the factory, they're bad. They sit too high, they roll too much, and the suspensions are better suited for pickup trucks. However, improving them is not too difficult. Small things like poly bushings and better brakes are a good start. Upgrade to the 94+ brakes unless you have a car with them already, then get some good pads and rotors, nothing cross drilled, slotted is best. More advanced things like better engine mounts and better suspension components go a long way, but start to get pricey for the average W-body owner. Front and rear coilover setups are the biggest upgrade you can do. The Addco rear sway bar, Aweb's rear strut tower brace and a good front tower brace are also nice additions.

Eventually handling improvements will start to compromise the ride quality so daily drivers need to take that into account. Extreme stuff is like where I am now where I need to devise new front control arms to correct suspension geormetry and ways to have adjustable camber control front and rear. The setup you want for the track is not the same setup you want for the street. Just make small cnahges and see how you like it, don't do too much at once. And also, get a 5-speed. Saving weight is huge, and automatics take all the fun out of it.

[GPRacer]

Man i had a BLAST when i autocrossed.

When i did i had the KYB's all around and the intrax/birchmount combo, but no STB's or poly bushings (which the '96 now has).

STB's are probably the biggest eliminator of body roll for the price. My '96's struts were BLOWN when i got it and just tossed on the front STB and noticed quite a big difference. Throw on a nice drop and new shocks/struts, the rear STB and the addco sway bar, you have yourself a hell of a cornering W. I will say though when i'm driving around, i've found a few shitty roads, and man, you feel EVERYTHING. So that is something to consider for the DD

[pwmin]

i would say that my old 96 the way it was handled better than my cobalt and they are supposed to be really good course cars out of the box.

IMO, the best thing you can get is a good set of tires. i like the toyo t1-s tires on my GP a lot better than the pirelli p-zero rosso tires on the cobalt.

[AWeb80]

i love my fuzion ZRI's....these tires are nice and sticky for the cost....get cross lace wheels if you can...the 8" wheel allows 245 tires for more width...always a good thing.

[blackbombshell95]

Autoxing is Very fun. I took first place at a local auto cross. My teacher who use to autox used a 94 5sp escort stock wtih a 300lb passenger and ran a second slower than me. WOW Does my automotive instructor know how to race.

As for weaknesses. Factory tires and control. This is where STB's, shocks, springs, swaybars help you out. Sticky tires are #1

Otherweise W-bodies are nice cars for auto xing.

I've got KYB GRII struts on all 4 corners
KYB Front strut mounts (heavy duty)
RSM front and rear Strut tower bars
Addco sway bar.
34mm front sway bar.
Polyurethane bushings on the inner and outers of both swaybars.
FFP motor mounts
Rear FFP coilovers
Front ST springs
FUZION Tires 245/50/16(are 'ok' on an autox; Great for what you pay no doubt). They are being replaced with some Eagle F1 GSF3's this summer if they haven't been discounted by then.

And a perfect straight alignment.

Camber is adjustable on a Wbody. It just requires drilling. I've modified my front and rear camber by drilling.

[AWeb80]

I have everything that is listed above....

Love it all.

[dohcfiend]

some of it still needs to be installed but as of now i have:

held coilover kit 400# in the front and 300# in the rear
gmpp rear trailing arms
addco rear sway bar w/poly bushings
poly bushings for 34mm front sway bar
gm front stb
aweb rear stb
kyb gr2's
zzp diagonal braces
a little weight reduction on the car
ffp top engine mount

what i am getting soon:

a lighter rear stb bar for aweb's brackets
rear lateral arms either BMR or held motorsports
maybe poly control arm bushings
a solid rubber lower engine mount.

[Scott205]

upgrading my suspension

Finally got back around to playing with my W body now that my 2005 Honda Accord is going for sale.

Just ordered the 6 links in the back for my 92 cutlass from held motorsports. Need to deal with my Struts... my fronts are worn out, especially the drivers, the backs are in good shape. Trying to decide if it is better to get a set of lowering springs and new struts, or get a set of coil-overs from Held.

Any thoughts from those of you who have them already?

Scott

[robertisaar]

wow, a 2 year update?