hey guys, well I have been recently hearing about all this stuff on this car handling better than another. I have read that a vette will out corner an s2k, an rx7 FD, etc.

What makes cars handle better than others? wider tires? lower center of gravity? maybe stiffer frame?

How can you improve this on our existing car with mods??

Hopefully someone can help me understand a little further TIA

 

All of the above...

Stiffer Chassis
Stiffer Suspension
Lower Center of Gravity
Equal Weight Distribution
Weight of the car
Weight located between axles (the more the better)
Preventing weight from shifting to the outside during cornering...
Size of wheels
Sidewall of tire (the less the better)
The stickiness of tires
Downforce/Aerodynamics
Steering response
Power 2 ground (smooth=good) (boost coming out of corner= possible uh oh)

etc...etc...etc

 

2 biggest factors: weight and tires

BTW...it is not necessarily that the Vette handles better...but it is faster than the s2k on just about any course (road or autox). HP and torque does factor into that. If the s2k stayed at its same weight but had the same hp to weight ratio as the Vette it would be as quick or quicker on the same course.

By other example...look at how close the times at Nats for the older Miata's are to the s2k...if the Miata stayed at its same weight but had the same hp to weight ratio as the s2k, it would probably be quicker.

 

50/50 is more marketing than anything... 40/60 is much better IMO, better braking, better acceleration, etc. The only thing 50/50 has neutral handling, which can be good/bad in different situations.

 

so, the main the the s2k is lacking is a power on straights and long, sweeping corners?

So would a SC or something work wonders in this department or would there be something else lacking? I mean our car I feel is probably lighter than the vette and im guessing either the same or very close if not lighter than the FD.

 

there is way too much involved in this answer.

saying a Corvette will have a higher cornering speed than an S2000 or RX-7 is laughable however. weight alone will keep that from happening.

weight plays a very very large part, but it is a balance of all the factors, a balance of everything.

S2000 cornering speed is at a very very high level. don't think of it as this car handles better than that car, or this car is faster than that car, there are many many factors that should be considered, and that is what your focus should be.

 

^ Curb weight on a MY00 S2k is 2,809lbs. Curb weight on a '95 FD Rx7 is 2,826lbs. In other words, they're almost identical. However, I like the way the S handles better. The Rx7s power delivery isn't as smooth and linear as the S2000's. I wouldn't get a SC because you would change the way the car handles. If you hit boost coming out of a corner, it is a challenge to keep the car going in a straight line. I've scared the sh*t out of myself multiple times in high-HP Rx7s. If you want a great road course/auto-x car, get ITBs and an AEM standalone. Most of the good weight reduction is free (remove trunk carpet, spare tire, tools, radio, speakers, A/C, cruise control, pass. air bag, etc.) My car weighs slightly under 2,550lbs, so it doesn't need as much HP to be competitive. ITBs also remove about 40 pounds of weight. You would have a 2,510lb car with about 230whp. Assuming an F20c with ITBs has around 280 crank horsepower, your power to weight ratio would be around 8.9. A stock C6 Corvette has a little better power to weight ratio, but the much lighter S2000 will have the advantage on a road course.

 

so in a very basic sense, we have the grip and weight to beat out most cars, just not the power to weight (stock)

Yet I hear about the lotus elise being about the same speed as an s2k on the 1/4 mile, yet I hear how amazing it is on the track. Is the elise much lighter/better tires? Sorry if Im making this difficult.

 

B.Money Posted on Aug 26 2007, 11:23 AM
"Yet I hear about the lotus elise being about the same speed as an s2k on the 1/4 mile, yet I hear how amazing it is on the track. Is the elise much lighter/better tires? Sorry if Im making this difficult."

Yes, the Elise is much lighter than the S2K.

"How can you improve this on our existing car with mods??"

One way to improve the handling of one's car is to modfiy the driver by taking a high performance driving class. The disadvantage of this approach is that the bling factor is very low.

 

true, I realize driver is the biggest factor in all of this, but just saying for example same driver and all conditions the same, what makes one car over another.

another example say the new boxster, they say it has more power but ALSO handles better than the previous model. I believe they weigh about the same but the power difference is significant. But how do they make it handle better??