Quote:
Originally Posted by d15b7
hey there. I own a (totally stock except for the sumitomo tires) 1990 ZR-1. and I hold road racing licences with SCCA and NASA and VRG and others, plus I'm a certified instructor for Porsche and BMW CCA and NASA and others. my ZR-1 predominantly understeers unless you are rolling on the power too quickly and then it transitions to very easily correctible oversteer. the car is a pussycat to drive, especially compared to my two race cars (Lotus Super Seven vintage racer and my fast car, a Honda Civic with a K24 engine swap and a big turbo (around 550 whp, and less than 2400 lbs with me in it) stripped and caged with fully adjustable suspension/coilovers/double adjustable shocks.
so -- I'd most definitely say that there is something very amiss with your car. most likely as others have stated the suspension is really off; have a good race shop do a good 'track ready' 4 wheel alignment. have them check to make sure that none of the bushings/ball joints are bad or binding. your car should be fun to drive on track and not a white knuckle ride!
PS if you want better braking performance out of the stock calipers try getting some Raybestos ST43 pads for it; I know they are expensive but they are fantastic and basically will not fade. ever. my Honda runs 15" wheels which limit me to 11" front rotors and the ST43s are the only pads that will last over a 25 min session stopping from 160+ mph at VIR raceway. I've tried all the others (hawk, porterfield, carbotech and others). the ST43s are simply amazing.
|
That's great to hear! I've run with all those groups! I don't have any competition licenses, but do have a couple TT licenses and have run A group with BMWCCA (e46 330i prepped to be a D-Modified/Nasa ST/TT-5).
To be honest my experience in this car has really made me insecure about my skill level. It is anything BUT a pussycat to drive. I know I wasn't rolling on the power too quickly, as just breathing on it past maintenance would kick out the back, and ANY lift would have the same effect. I swear it was like balancing a bowling ball on a needle, and slow to boot.
I'll start with the alignment, and have the suspension(stock) gone over to look for binding/looseness. The before/after charts should tell the story... hopefully...
Regarding the pads, I'll definitely give those a shot once the DTC-70's need to be replaced (they aren't what I'd call cheap either...) but it might be a while, I don't get a chance to take this one out that often... (too many track cars, not enough track days! - sounds like you have the same issue, lol)
550hp 2400lb civic eh? ~4lb:hp on a FWD car? I can't even imagine what that must be like! I'm scared just thinking about the boost kicking in...
Thanks again