I have an '84 celica GT that I am running in 2 weeks and an '85 Celica GT that I am turning into a Hornet right now.The '84 has a straight axle with an automatic tranny and the '85 has an independent rear suspension with a 5 speed. Do you guy's that have been running for awhile have any tips as far as set-up or engine tuning is concerned. I know a lot about car's just not what you can run and be competitive. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Set-up advice for my car?
- Thread starter CRASH11
- Start date
t.nie
Patience Tester
Stiffen it up, most of the stock springs and stuff will just be too bouncy for racing. How you go about stiffening the car up is really down to you and your own creativity. Remember that no racing stuff is allowed, so look over your rules pretty carefully before you start tinkering. If you cant get your motor into a sweet spot (where it pulls all the way down the straight, or at least most of it) then you can play with tire diameters to alter your gear ratios. Say, you cant get it to wind up enough, your still accelerating at the end of the straight, try a 13" wheel if your running 14"s or whatever. If the car is too wound out and stops pulling before the end of the straight, and changing gear dont help, (meaning you cant run third cause its too low, and second has the motor screaming halfway down the straight) then try a 14" wheel. If you dont have to run like tires all around, try and get some stagger into it, think of a paper cup on a table, when you roll it, the mouth is wider than the base, so it turns. Thats what you want to try and make the car do. Mainly, talk to guys at the track your racing at, see what they do, and work from there. A good tire is the Cooper Cobra, check out the tread pattern, try and find something similar. Tires can make a lot of difference. The list is endless, and its a lot of trial and error, but you keep working on your setup til you find what works. And heres the #1 tip, never ever forget this no matter what racing you do:
NEVER CHANGE MORE THAN ONE THING ON THE CAR AT A TIME. If you do, then you wont have a clue which alteration made the car better or worse, and you will chase your butt forever trying to figure it out. ANd when you do change something, remember what you did and try to "feel" for it when your back out on the track. I screwed up bigtime the first time I put stagger on the front of the car, I got absorbed in the race and didnt remember that I had changed the car. I didnt alter my driving to get the best out of it, I drove it the same as I did without stagger. I was slower than before, and it wasnt until I was driving home that it hit me, that I had staggered the front, but didnt allow for it when I was racing. The next time I raced it, I made a deliberate effort to corner differently, and let the stagger help me. I was a lot faster then.
And remember to have fun. Good luck.
NEVER CHANGE MORE THAN ONE THING ON THE CAR AT A TIME. If you do, then you wont have a clue which alteration made the car better or worse, and you will chase your butt forever trying to figure it out. ANd when you do change something, remember what you did and try to "feel" for it when your back out on the track. I screwed up bigtime the first time I put stagger on the front of the car, I got absorbed in the race and didnt remember that I had changed the car. I didnt alter my driving to get the best out of it, I drove it the same as I did without stagger. I was slower than before, and it wasnt until I was driving home that it hit me, that I had staggered the front, but didnt allow for it when I was racing. The next time I raced it, I made a deliberate effort to corner differently, and let the stagger help me. I was a lot faster then.
And remember to have fun. Good luck.
