yeah, that is wrong. car handles BETTER at the track in RWD if you know how to drive a Cup car correctly.

also my thread "building the super transmission" has alot of details on how I did it, however there are many ways to skin a car.

also MANY threads refuting the above quote, do a search josh.

 

that conversion you mention leaves out proper suspension set up, toe links, 4 corner balancing and a LSD. no customer will be happy doing it that way. again since you appear to be new here many threads on what you did and how the car sucks when done to a stock car. and for what it is worth to pull the front diff on a customers car because "he wants RWD" means he has the wrong car to begin with.

tell him no unless he lets you put an LSD and suspension in.

on the other hand if it is just some guy driving around on the street with street tires it probably wont make much difference

the biggest thing people notice is less front end push and crisper turn in but on the street? ah no sure where you would be noticing this and not be endangering someone who has not signed a track waiver

and josh no disrespect, I am sure you know more than I about cars just telling what I know and have actually done and driven on the track, peoples results may vary!!

and of course everything Jean says is correct he help guide me through my set up!! then on to down force and weight reduction talks, it never ends. well actually for my car it has ended, if you want to see the best set up TT on the track look up at my avitar. flat 2min lap after lap at the 24 hour Rolex Daytona course without a problem.

 

Just so that we are clear, the rwd conversion I have preformed on my customers car was outlined to me by one of the forums sponsors. I do not experiment with safety and did not endanger my customer.
Quote Tom Ker
[no customer will be happy doing it that way.] Note: Customer was very happy with the rwd conversion I have done to his vehicle. Customer does not use the vehicle on the track, strictly street use. I had advised customer there will be more modifications needed if he intended on using the vehicle for track prior to rwd converison.

 

Tom I agree with you about setup needing to get redone after such a major modification. I like the idea of dumping the exhaust for str8 pipes to help balance the difference. How is it doing 190mph on the daytona ? at that level perfect balance is gotta be there to keep you safe !

 

josh dont feel like re-reading but I dont think or never intended to imply you "endangered" your customer nor did I imply your were "experimenting"

good luck with your customers guess you can understand them better than you can read


and YOU asked the forum were you missing anything and asked for "advise" and ya got it.

now we are "clear"

 

at those speeds at Daytona not sure anything keeps ya safe, but the car was stable and reliable that's all I asked of it!!

we will be there in december come on down!!

 

No worries mate

 

Tom, I would love to be there and check it out in FL. PM me the dates. Is it a club race? DE Event at Sebring, never drove there. May need some help with that : >

 

The bottom line here is that, as with many things related to modifying this car, there are multiple ways to do it right, and even more ways to totally F' it up...More the later than the former, if you're doing it "on a budget".

Jean's Excellent write-up pretty much covers most of what you should learn about RWD Vs. AWD. And Tom Kerr's car is an excellent example of "doing it right" without worry of budget.

This is one mod that I don't think should be considered for anyone who can't spend the money for the components to "do it right". You can potentially make the car un-drivable in the handling department. LSD, proper suspension geometry (You are attempting to duplicate a GT2, right?) and the proper guidance are all important. Jean outlines some key aspects with PMI and CoG.

It really is a game of balancing MASS in MOTION, and few suspension shops will be able to get that right. They'll do a corner balance and send you on your way. You need to better understand suspension components, what they do, and how to compensate for understeer or oversteer with the components you have, as well as adjusting suspension travel/reaction speeds and adjust accordingly.

Tom has an excellent support shop (ViperBob) who assists him, and he has taken the time to properly set his car up for his specific needs, but that is just one piece of the puzzle. Tom plays down his "knowledge" on this stuff all the time. But my guess is that Tom and ViperBob work closely together at the track, with Tom relaying what the car is doing and what he is experiencing so that Bob can make the approriate adjustments... This is VERY important, to be able to explain in terms your support shop can understand in a manor that allows them to make the appropriate changes to counter the issue at hand. If you don't UNDERSTAND how these parts work, you can't tell your guy in the pits "The car is doing XYZ entering the decreasing radius T6 at 78MPH, but loses the XYZ at 76MPH".

Aerodynamics will help with grip, but suspension and aero work hand in hand. Get with a GOOD, No a GREAT shop that has "at track support" experience before doing this mod. Find others the shop is supporting and talk to them about the level of support provided. Just swapping tires, pads and fluids isn't enough at this level. Make sure they understand suspension engineering and application setup.

I'll be working with one of the lead techs from the Flying Lizard race team as we move to developing my car, similar to changes Tom has made, once I get the cubic yards of dollars needed to do it right. To me, that relationship is more important than the sum of the parts purchased.

Mike

 

Also, I was chatting with some mechanics that race limerock and watkins here in my area. they themselves wouldn't install LSD unless its gt2/gt3 clutch pack type of system, they are saying that quaife/guard units can break apart with modified cars and do great damage, espessially if not installed correctly ( which shimming alone can take 3-4hours) Just interesting information that is gathered from all around. . . So, unless i really work with someone whos done a handful or such mods, and have a large wallet for a new tranny or whatever can occur, i guess leaving this mod outta my car may be the best bet, since my car is working great right now in regards to diff and tranny.

 

Josh no problems here hopefully we can all learn some stuff from you and your clients cars as well. the forum contains alot of guys doing alot of stuff and you can skip alot of mistakes made by others by just asking.
Dean will be at Sebring instructing nov 14-15 Daytona HUGE DE still open great vaction idea, will be instructing at that. Sebring January will be doing a 6 hour night enduro and 90 minute enduro and 4 sprint races. then feburary at sebring will be doing a night DE. pm me if any interest.

Mike great post!! I'm sure to those in the know it is no secret my car never goes to the track without ViperBob and usually several other mechanics. full track support and constant tweeking for conditions and events is a must. yes I am spoiled but I need all the help I can get. went throught entire set of brand new hoosiers at Daytona in a weekend!!!

I'm kinda like "Cole Trickle" and ViperBob is Harry Hogge in Days of Thunder. (and if ya dont know what I'm talking about shame on you then go rent Days of Thunder and watch it 100 times!!!)

 

Er, Um Tom, You might want to rent that movie again... It's Harry HYDE!!!

Mike

 

Holy **** Tom! That picture is just .