FESTIVA Vs MR2

[piratewilly]

What can i do to my 88 LX to make it handle, and brake as well as my 88 MR2. I dont care about ride quality i just want the thing to stick to the tarmac, and i was to use all available parts without fabricating anything. I want to see if i can use a combination of festiva, aspire ect, parts to make this thing handel like a dream and see if i can install it well enough to make it look stock and factory. So what do you guys think is the best?

[Gforcefd]

Well MR2 are mid engine so they have a leg up on the handling and braking already since there wait is more evenly distributed. But you can do a few things, coilovers, aspire brake swap, move your batter to the back, and loose some of your interior to reduce weight. My orange festiva handles and brakes amazingly well for these upgrades, however I am using extremely hard coilovers for AutoX, that do not feel so good on the street.

Logan

[wrestler3025]

I'm with logan here. The MR2's also have a lower center of gravity, thus enabling them to handle better from the get go. You can also use polyurethane bushings in your suspension as well. It helps stiffen up the ride considerably over the stock rubber components. One of the members here was selling custom poly bushings for the lower control arm/ball joint where it attaches to the body. They haven't been available for our cars previous. I bought mine about a month ago, and just finally installed them yesterday in fact hehehe. They have polyurethane components for the sway bar and high durometer components for the strut mount.

[skeeters_keeper]

the first and most important is the aspire brake swap... helps stiffen up the rear a bit and braking improves a ton. after that you can look into a rear disk swap, but your pretty much on your own there as it hasn't been done much. then get coilovers on correctly damped struts and lower the car, aspire front swaybar, solid motormounts and poly bushings all around, rear stiffener bar (between the strut towers), front one too wouldn't hurt. lighten the front of the car up as much as possible (move the batt to the back, ditch stuff like AC, windshield washer fluid, etc. to help even the weight distribution out a bit) and then go from there. One of the biggest factors will be wheel and tire selection. I've been watching for a set of the super light weight honda vx (13") or hx (14") wheels, mounted with a performance tire. stiffer sidewalls and sticker tread will improve both braking and handling more than almost any of the above by itself!


BTW: if you don't want to fabricate anything, go buy a factory sportscar. seriously, whats the point in moding things if you don't do any moding?

[piratewilly]

the first and most important is the aspire brake swap... helps stiffen up the rear a bit and braking improves a ton. after that you can look into a rear disk swap, but your pretty much on your own there as it hasn't been done much. then get coilovers on correctly damped struts and lower the car, aspire front swaybar, solid motormounts and poly bushings all around, rear stiffener bar (between the strut towers), front one too wouldn't hurt. lighten the front of the car up as much as possible (move the batt to the back, ditch stuff like AC, windshield washer fluid, etc. to help even the weight distribution out a bit) and then go from there. One of the biggest factors will be wheel and tire selection. I've been watching for a set of the super light weight honda vx (13") or hx (14") wheels, mounted with a performance tire. stiffer sidewalls and sticker tread will improve both braking and handling more than almost any of the above by itself!


BTW: if you don't want to fabricate anything, go buy a factory sportscar. seriously, whats the point in moding things if you don't do any moding?

lol i dont mind moding it, but i also dont want it to look like i spent hr's of time making one little part. i would like to combine original parts so it looks like it came from the factory and you could just go out and buy it. but thats how i am, it has to work great but look perfect. I would like to be able to let people pop my hood or look underneith the car and think wow i never knew they made this car haha when in actuality i made it

[sandsz]

Hey man! First off I have a '91 Festiva (Just did an Aspire swap in the rear, looking to finish the front with a swap bar swap) and seriously, I don't think the Festiva's geometry and the way its built could make it handle like an MR2 man.

I have a '88 MR2 with the 20V Tureno Silvertop/Blacktop ECU Swap that is sitting on some 15"s, edelbrock suspension and lowered as far as it can go. I also put on '85 Rear sway bar and swapped my front... I don't think the Festiva could ever drive as good as an MR2.

But damn you have SO MUCH MORE space in the Festiva! Think of its positives dude!

[quaddawg]

My car will out handle an MR2....

[solatare]

first by distraction then by dint of its large contact patch and dead stiff chassis. that thing looks like alot of fun to drive.

and yea willy id start withe the aspire swap, why dont you come up and help me with mine this weekend? give you an idea of how simple it is.

[sandsz]

quaddawg, omg you just might! Plus it would fit right in when we have post-apocalyptic MadMax type world in the near future.

[Safety Guy]

I want a Quaddog Special, but street legal.

When it rains I'll have a motorcycle helmet and rainsuit to put on. The interior will be all outdoor vinyl with pickup truck bedliner instead of paint.

Easy cleanup with a garden hose! Won't have to lock it because there will be nothing inside to steal. It will have a small lockbox in the back for a few tools and first-aid kit, etc.

With a B3 or B6, it'll get great mpgs and still have good performance due to it's low weight.

Then there'll be my "middle finger motif" appliques for artistic expression.

Karl