basic handling improvements for street/track

[RichV]

So what's the 'low hanging fruit' on this fine Fairmont chassis to improve handling?

Tires and chassis stiffness play a huge role in these cars. Tires do EVERYTHING, accelerate, stop, turn, etc. So tire choice is very important. The stickier the better for dry, but not so much for wet and snow. The other thing is subframe connectors, weld in some good brand, have a compotent welder do the job.

A couple of things I've learned over the years...

1. rear CA, replace the lowers. Anything is better than stock, stiff bushings. Keep the uppers stock, replace bushings in diff if necessary.
2. rear swaybar, Cobra bar out back will help front grip quite a bit, front GT bar seems to work very well
3. springs, street use keep fronts up to 750lb IMO, track use up to 1000lb, progressives for street rears like about 250lb for either combo
4. shocks, adjustables are great if you know what you're doing, just research that they match the # springs you're getting
5. front CA bushings, stock is fine for the street, but track I'd go with poly or delrin
6. rack bushings, poly or delrin, offset if you need them, but go with a bumpsteer kit if you can
7. alignment, leave a track alignment for the track as far as negative camber, but make sure the car tracks straight

Now if you were to take a stock SN and do all this stuff in one shot you would notice a huge increase in NVH. Which may not be desirable to you on the street. Subframes, spring choice, and bushing selection will play a huge role in this.

Anyone else have any experiences with their setups? Post up!!

 

[Slipperman]

What kind of subframe connectors are best for the later convertibles?

 

[RichV]

Maximum Motorsports is always a safe bet since their parts are tested on race cars every race weekend. I would probably be OK with using any name brand, seat braces are a plus, but probably more important in the flimsier foxes.

All in all, most are very similar in design. The install is probably just as important, you want a compotent shop to do it right. Not on jackstands in the garage. Oh and weld them if you can.

 

[Slipperman]

Looking at subframe connector options, I found this ladder-type:
http://www.globalwest.net/929c.html
Anyone have any experience with this?
It seems plenty beefy.

 

[MustangChris]

kenny brown makes some cool sub frames too IIRC

 

[bizzyb0nes]

The global west subframe connectors are great, their lower control arms with the delrin bushings are a great stand alone setup w/o needing upper or a phb. I found the best middle of the road springs for street/track to be the h&r super sports or steeda's. Eibachs always seemed soft up front and stiff in the rear. You cant really go wrong with a MM grip box, takes the guess work out of things.

 

[RichV]

I run the H&R Race, but I wonder if I'm leaving something on the table and shoud step up to the Super Race.

I won't change them this season, I know the Fox chassis likes to flex a little.

 

[bizzyb0nes]

I had the race springs on a saleen fox, they werent as bad as I thought they would be as the saleen fox had adj koni's from the factory, but they were damn near 20yrs old at the time and still kickin'. I had a cheapy set of front coil overs from MMR, while they werent equally as stiff as H&R race, they got the job done better and made the car more comfortable at the same time. The *plan* for my cheap '94 gt budget race car would be:

Used H&R springs, Koni SRT shocks/struts, C/C Plates, UMI LCA's, Eibach Sway Bars, Fays Watts Link, MM Subframes, Cobra Brakes w/ Hawk HP Plus pads, brake cooling kit, 3.55 gears and normal bolt on engine stuff. I'd probably buy me a used racing seat and harness to hold my butt in place. Would like to keep it to a $5k race car b/w parts and purchase price of car. In reality, it makes for a nice street car set up that could atleast be fun on the track. Would try to find everything used to keep costs down

 

[Slykin]

MM solid steering rack bushings are the best... there are NO reasons not to get the solids maybe except for NVH. But, I didn't notice any increase in NVH with them.

 

[RichV]

MM solid steering rack bushings are the best... there are NO reasons not to get the solids maybe except for NVH. But, I didn't notice any increase in NVH with them.

Do you run these? I have a set of Delrin Fox bushings, don't remember the brand, but they didn't fit my SN. The inner hole seemed to have play so I left the crappy stockers in there. The MMs fit correct?

 

[RichV]

I had the race springs on a saleen fox, they werent as bad as I thought they would be as the saleen fox had adj koni's from the factory, but they were damn near 20yrs old at the time and still kickin'. I had a cheapy set of front coil overs from MMR, while they werent equally as stiff as H&R race, they got the job done better and made the car more comfortable at the same time. The *plan* for my cheap '94 gt budget race car would be:

Used H&R springs, Koni SRT shocks/struts, C/C Plates, UMI LCA's, Eibach Sway Bars, Fays Watts Link, MM Subframes, Cobra Brakes w/ Hawk HP Plus pads, brake cooling kit, 3.55 gears and normal bolt on engine stuff. I'd probably buy me a used racing seat and harness to hold my butt in place. Would like to keep it to a $5k race car b/w parts and purchase price of car. In reality, it makes for a nice street car set up that could atleast be fun on the track. Would try to find everything used to keep costs down

You can easily build it for $5K without a cage. Mine would be in that territory, although every off season you spend a couple of grand, and it adds up. But maintenance doesn't count as mod money.

Remember, there are lots of parts that can be sold as well. Interior and air bags were worth a few hundos when I built mine, plus the GT brake setup you're upgrading from will be an easy sell too.

I probably would not drive it on the street, even if I could. Sitting in a tin-can with loads of NVH and dumps resonating right behind the seats, NO THANKS!! That's mine tho, plus I have a cage and there's no way I'd get in a caged car without a helmet.

 

[Man-child79]

So what's the 'low hanging fruit' on this fine Fairmont chassis to improve handling?

Tires and chassis stiffness play a huge role in these cars. Tires do EVERYTHING, accelerate, stop, turn, etc. So tire choice is very important. The stickier the better for dry, but not so much for wet and snow. The other thing is subframe connectors, weld in some good brand, have a compotent welder do the job.

A couple of things I've learned over the years...

1. rear CA, replace the lowers. Anything is better than stock, stiff bushings. Keep the uppers stock, replace bushings in diff if necessary.
2. rear swaybar, Cobra bar out back will help front grip quite a bit, front GT bar seems to work very well
3. springs, street use keep fronts up to 750lb IMO, track use up to 1000lb, progressives for street rears like about 250lb for either combo
4. shocks, adjustables are great if you know what you're doing, just research that they match the # springs you're getting
5. front CA bushings, stock is fine for the street, but track I'd go with poly or delrin
6. rack bushings, poly or delrin, offset if you need them, but go with a bumpsteer kit if you can
7. alignment, leave a track alignment for the track as far as negative camber, but make sure the car tracks straight

Now if you were to take a stock SN and do all this stuff in one shot you would notice a huge increase in NVH. Which may not be desirable to you on the street. Subframes, spring choice, and bushing selection will play a huge role in this.

Anyone else have any experiences with their setups? Post up!!

Another very helpful read... Thanks!

 

[v6mustang94]

Anyone run the Steeda Adjustable Rear Sway Bar? Is simply upgrading the stock sway bar better? Anyone upgrade the stock sway bar and get the adjustable bar?

 

[wmfateam]

I was running the Steeda adjustable with a stock GT rear bar on my Cobra during autocross. Really helped get the car to rotate. Stepped up to actual road course track driving and coil overs in the rear 225lbs, and took off the stock bar because it was too loose. I currently run the bar backed all the way out. I will be taking it off eventually because with my set up, spherical rod ends on all four control arms, I have no understeer issues unless I cook it into a corner. If you are making your car a brick in the back, aka torque arm and panhard/watts link, it might help, but I don't have personal experience with that set up. I am also running a Steeda front sway bar.

 

[RichV]

Just remember the front sway bar affects rear grip, rear sway is front grip.