Tweaks Re-build thread

[scitzz]

Thanks for all the answers!

[Flyin4stroke]

You need a reich ecu!?

[Advancedynamix]

Where would you consider tire size to be most important on a Festiva RE handling. Front or rear? Obviously, wider front tires can handle more power getting to the ground, but if you had to choose front or rear, which one would you widen?

Definitely the front, which is nice because the front fenders are easily removed and modified, but I built this car to test what can be done to a mostly stock chassis with bolt on upgrades. The wider tires aren't for more traction under power, in fact narrower tires put more power to the ground more efficiently until they are overheated (narrower contact patch has more pressure than a wide contact patch). The reason wider tires are needed is for stability in corners. I wear the edges off these 185mm tires quickly, and I get a lot of tire squirm. I can easily overwork a 7" wide R-compound or racing slick tire with this car. I barely wear the back tires, but the fronts overheat and wear quickly. I have to rotate them every session, and then flip them on the wheels every day of racing. I only get about 3 track days out of a set of tires. However, pulling nearly 3 g's in a grocery getter is well worth the tire bill.

Sounds like Lotus should buy up as many used Festys as it can, totally refurbish and upgrade them, and slap Lotus badges on 'em! :-) And also buy new stripped-down ones from Saipa, to add their own parts to. It's just hilarious that a Festy can be put together for a few thousand that will humiliate a Lotus.

Here is an article from R&T on the Exige S, a $57K car. Note that it calls it the best handling car in the world: http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-revi...?click=main_sr

This is why it hurts me so badly to see these cars getting crushed in such excellent condition here in AZ. To me it's like they are crushing the worlds most potent and cost effective race weapon, and one by one killing them off. People see this car on the track and they think I'm an amazing driver or that this has some exotic modifications done to it to make it that fast. Truth is, I'm not a very good driver (just have a high tolerance for speed) and the car has less modification than the average civic around here(keep in mind I live in same town HASPORT, FullRace, LoCash and about a dozen other big name import tuner shops are in). Really, there is very little done to this car, and it's not a track car that is street legal, it's a street car that is track worthy. The secret is that the Festiva is the best platform for a track car ever imported to this country. It is cheap, it is light, it is unbelievably strong and well designed and the suspension geometry works excellent. Nothing exotic needed. People find that hard to believe.

A buddy that moved to NYC a few years ago is currently building a 240sx. He's all about grip. I tried to tell him. Nope, front engine RWD, and nothing less will do.

I keep sending him your vids. I hope to get up there with a B3T and my suspension finally done so I can educate him.

It's already amusing when guys get behind me and try to tailgate. I wait for downhill and never break a sweat leaving them behind. Last one turned out to be a cop. Glad I didn't push it too much that time.

We definitely need to freeze your head when you die. Future generations will forget about the little Festiva that could, and long hammered RWD doctrine will rule again. Cognitive dissonance is such an irritating thing.

A little creepy, but thanks! Lol. I am building quite a few more of these cars. This car wasn't intended to be a track car, it was intended to be a fun street toy that is track worthy, but remained mostly OEM+. No fancy engine management (it's even running on a stock B6t ECU!), no trick suspension, no wild body modifications, just stuff that anyone with simple fab skills and a good set of tools could do in the garage with parts from a salvage yard or great deals on eBay. My next build will be a Street legal Track toy. It will still be a time attack car (no roll cage, no need for fuel cell or up to date safety certifications/log books/complicated BS) but it will not be intended to appear stock, and will not be as budget conscious. If Tweak can keep up with your average slightly modified z06 Vette, the next car should be neck to neck with fully prepared Z06 Vettes.

240's are a waste of time in my opinion. Heck, GTR's struggle to keep up with the Festy (as you can see in that video).

[sketchman]

A buddy that moved to NYC a few years ago is currently building a 240sx. He's all about grip. I tried to tell him. Nope, front engine RWD, and nothing less will do.

I keep sending him your vids. I hope to get up there with a B3T and my suspension finally done so I can educate him.

It's already amusing when guys get behind me and try to tailgate. I wait for downhill and never break a sweat leaving them behind. Last one turned out to be a cop. Glad I didn't push it too much that time.

We definitely need to freeze your head when you die. Future generations will forget about the little Festiva that could, and long hammered RWD doctrine will rule again. Cognitive dissonance is such an irritating thing.

[TominMO]

That's what makes the Festiva such a competitive chassis. Theoretically, a FWD platform will provide the best handling car in nearly all performance scenarios on asphalt. However, the heavier the car, the less this is true, and the more weight that the chassis has behind the front axle line the less effective the car will be. The Festiva is very light, and has comparatively very little mass behind the driving axle, therefore it can enter corners at a much higher rate of speed than almost any other car. It is limited mostly by the amount of rubber that fits under the stock wheel wells.

Nope. I wish my GoPro hadn't crapped out on friday, because I'd have proof of this. I easily passed a Lotus Exige that was driven by an experienced driver. The Lotus has roughly the same HP as Tweak (it was the 180hp model, not the R) weighs nearly the same amount and was on 215mm wide Proxes R888 tires which should provide drastically more grip than my 185mm wide Yokohama Advan A048s. After I passed the Lotus, the driver tried to follow my lines, thinking that he could pick up some speed. He almost spun off the track a couple of times. That car is supposedly "ideal" for road racing, yet can't hang with a similar weight FWD grocery getter on narrower tires? Mid engine is difficult to drive fast, especially on a short platform. I have no doubt that a FWD, front engine Festiva will hands down out handle a mid engined or front engine RWD festiva.

Sounds like Lotus should buy up as many used Festys as it can, totally refurbish and upgrade them, and slap Lotus badges on 'em! :-) And also buy new stripped-down ones from Saipa, to add their own parts to. It's just hilarious that a Festy can be put together for a few thousand that will humiliate a Lotus.

Here is an article from R&T on the Exige S, a $57K car. Note that it calls it the best handling car in the world: http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-revi...?click=main_sr

[scitzz]

It is limited mostly by the amount of rubber that fits under the stock wheel wells.

Where would you consider tire size to be most important on a Festiva RE handling. Front or rear? Obviously, wider front tires can handle more power getting to the ground, but if you had to choose front or rear, which one would you widen?

[Advancedynamix]

The downside to fwd is the weight transfer off the front wheels and weight itself. On the Festiva both of these things are kept in check very well with a proper setup.

That's what makes the Festiva such a competitive chassis. Theoretically, a FWD platform will provide the best handling car in nearly all performance scenarios on asphalt. However, the heavier the car, the less this is true, and the more weight that the chassis has behind the front axle line the less effective the car will be. The Festiva is very light, and has comparatively very little mass behind the driving axle, therefore it can enter corners at a much higher rate of speed than almost any other car. It is limited mostly by the amount of rubber that fits under the stock wheel wells.

So what happens to a Festiva with the engine in the back on a road course? Does it hook up better?

Nope. I wish my GoPro hadn't crapped out on friday, because I'd have proof of this. I easily passed a Lotus Exige that was driven by an experienced driver. The Lotus has roughly the same HP as Tweak (it was the 180hp model, not the R) weighs nearly the same amount and was on 215mm wide Proxes R888 tires which should provide drastically more grip than my 185mm wide Yokohama Advan A048s. After I passed the Lotus, the driver tried to follow my lines, thinking that he could pick up some speed. He almost spun off the track a couple of times. That car is supposedly "ideal" for road racing, yet can't hang with a similar weight FWD grocery getter on narrower tires? Mid engine is difficult to drive fast, especially on a short platform. I have no doubt that a FWD, front engine Festiva will hands down out handle a mid engined or front engine RWD festiva.

[moz]

It'll go well on the straights though

[moz]

^2 things can happen. Slooowwww lap times. Or a tonne of under steer. Or both.

Kamikaze drivers should expect lots of time spent on the gravel.

[Flyin4stroke]

So what happens to a Festiva with the engine in the back on a road course? Does it hook up better?

[defprun]

The downside to fwd is the weight transfer off the front wheels and weight itself. On the Festiva both of these things are kept in check very well with a proper setup.

[Advancedynamix]

^ This!

[moz]

For some reason, I wasn't even thinking about the fact those are RWD, and that makes sense, pushing through the turn, he jumps on too fast, and WHEEEEE, he spins, right? Conversely, is he able to enter the turn at higher speeds, thus still exiting the turn at about the same speed as you did?

As far as rwd goes (from my own experience), you need to transfer the weight to the front wheels before entering a turn. So you must hit the brakes hard enough for the weight to transfer and you must be careful not to lose traction as you apply power.

So overall fwd wins.

[Advancedynamix]

You must be psychic also. Because you answered all the other questions I had. Lol

Haha. I just like to be thorough.

[Advancedynamix]

In theory I can enter at a higher speed, carry more speed and exit under harder throttle, but he has almost twice the rubber on the ground, so we are about even. The difference you see in speeds is mostly an illusion because we are taking drastically different lines. I tend to early apex and pitch the car, the miata works better with a traditional late apex. Carl also takes a few lines that only he seems to use successfully, but I am known for doing a bit of that myself.