CHEAP Traction Help for FWD Guys

[habitatguy187]

I already posted this in the fwd thread, but since a lot of fwd guys don't read that I thought I better start a new thread and let everyone know -


Alright guys I did some experimenting this past week with some coil spring boosters from autozone. These are basically pieces of polyurethane that you put in between two coils and it eliminates any movement between those coils.

First off I put these ones in. They're the biggest ones that autozone had and they BARELY fit in. First off you jack up the rear of the car so the springs de-compress and then stick two in on each side, opposite each other but in-between the same coils. For the big ones I had to use some lube to squeeze them in, made it 20x easier than without it. After driving it I could definitely tell a difference in the rear end when going over bumps or doing a hard 1-2 shift. The launch still felt like quite a bit of weight was being transferred though, so I took it to the next step.

I went back to autozone and bought a set of these. Since these ones are smaller they went in without a hitch. I would've like to use the big ones again but there's no way I could've fit another set in there. After going on a drive with both sets in my rear is SIGNIFICANTLY stiffer than it was before. My launch feels quite a bit better and the 1-2 shift has also been improved a significant amount. My second gear pulls after a 1st gear launch are MUCH easier to control and reduce wheelspin while still accelerating fast.

Overall for $16 and less than an hour of your time this is a GREAT mod for us fwd guys in my opinion. And to those of you wondering if they'll pop out around bumps, it's not going to happen. The big ones are in no way going anywhere since they were so hard to get in, and while the small ones were much easier to install they're in tight enough once you drop the car back down that they won't be going anywhere either.

One more thing that I did on Saturday was drop my front end 1/2". I did this by the very looked-down-upon method of heating the coils. I heated each one in the same spot and dropped each side 1/2". I was very surprised that they both dropped so evenly but heating the coil in exactly the same spot on both sides seemed to do the trick. I could drop it more of course but since this method isn't the best I decided not to push it or I might have some unpredictable-handling issues.

Hope this helps some people. If you can't afford real suspension BUY THESE INSERTS!

 

[rampridersrider]

Does your car have a ton of rake now?

 

[habitatguy187]

Does your car have a ton of rake now?

No not much at all, not as much as I'd like anyway. The coil boosters raised it maybe 1/2" in the back plus lowering 1/2" up front so that's it. I was actually surprised the coil boosters didn't raise it more than they did. A buddy has some ideas for welding in some suspension blockers but I'm kinda weary on getting the springs that hot. I'll check out his idea and may or may not try it.

 

[rEclipserGST]

Creative minds keep the DSM's alive. I think I'm going to give this a shot on my car.

 

[ziggo0]

How does the lower front help?

 

[habitatguy187]

How does the lower front help?

Lowers the center of gravity a little and shifts more weight over the front tires. Heating the springs (not the best idea but worked great for me) also stiffened them quite a bit compared to before, so it will actually help the car handle better.


As a warning though I only used the heating springs method to lower the car 1/2". Much more and you can end up with a crappy ride from what I've read, I was willing to take that chance.

 

[clockworktoy]

I raised the front of my car using my grown controls and it definitely didn't squat as much at a launch but it wasn't a day and night difference. Its worth a shot for the small investment, but i will say that preloading the front of the car will add more negative camber so keep rotating those tires.

 

[habitatguy187]

I raised the front of my car using my grown controls and it definitely didn't squat as much at a launch but it wasn't a day and night difference. Its worth a shot for the small investment, but i will say that preloading the front of the car will add more negative camber so keep rotating those tires.

Why would you raise the front to help weight transfer? Did you mean rear?

 

[chanley talon]

I might try this on my awd. To keep the body from slinging. Instead of it wasting energy lifting the front it would send it through the tires and lunge it forward. Good thinking!

 

[Achelea]

The reason it's frowned upon is it changes the spring rates when you heat them. It might seem nice, but most people that try this do not understand how springs are made, and usually have a limited understanding of heat treatment.

Annealing, tempering, quenching, etc etc. There is more to springs than just heating it up.

 

[Raymos24]

I just bought these and I'm planning on putting them on tomorrow. I already have a quaife in there but an hx40, 1000cc injectors, E85 and a 10:1 compression ratio make for some traction woes . What springs did you have on before the coil boosters?

 

[habitatguy187]

What springs did you have on before the coil boosters?

Stock springs.


And when you say, "I just bought these", did you get the big ones or the little ones? Or both? If you got the big ones you almost have to spray them with lubricant or put grease on them to get them to fit.

 

[kmj 4g63t]

On a rainy day I can't even keep traction at any part of 3rd once in boost. Might try this but heating the coils is a bit to risky for me! What was the traction like compared to before?

 

[habitatguy187]

On a rainy day I can't even keep traction at any part of 3rd once in boost. Might try this but heating the coils is a bit to risky for me! What was the traction like compared to before?

On a rainy day I still have no traction in 4th above 10psi. Traction has greatly improved, but it won't overcome bad weather conditions.

 

[Raymos24]

I bought both sets. Did you put the big ones in and then the smaller ones in the coul right under it? Any positioning you prefer? Also, any lubricant you found to work?

 

[dsm-onster]

You're essentially helping control the contact patch of the front tires. Which is a great thing! Remember though, at some point you'll get tired of still loosing contact patch area. Which cannot be avoided with your current setup. But you're getting there. These are 'tricks' I've used and others. Good to see you plugging away and actually figuring things out through discovery.

 

[habitatguy187]

I bought both sets. Did you put the big ones in and then the smaller ones in the coul right under it? Any positioning you prefer? Also, any lubricant you found to work?

Regular PB blaster works. As for the coil boosters I put the big ones near the very bottom and the smaller ones near the very top.

Remember though, at some point you'll get tired of still loosing contact patch area.

AWD is definitely on my list of future "upgrades". 114mph traps turning 13 second timeslips isn't cool at all.

 

[EclipticalGS]

I dont see fwd being bad at all now that I have done some key things to the car.

1. Poly Motor mounts
2. Poly energy suspension (whole kit)
3. Tokico illuminas with megan springs
4. Some serious Dieted weight reduction from the rear, everything back theres gone, but still carpeted and seats are still intact.
5. 18" rims with G-forces 245-35-18 in the front (22psi), G-forces 245-35-18in the rear (40psi)
6. I can fit my fist in between wheel and fender in the rear, front I cant fit a finger.
7. Full weight in the front with all accesories.

I mean thats a pretty decent traction fwd. Then some 16" hoosiers drag radials at the track.

 

[habitatguy187]

^^^What's your best track time so far? Those mods will be good for 12s at best unless you're making insane power and can make up for it in the last 1/8th, whereas an awd can hit 11s on stock 20yr old suspension.


But let's not turn this into a "awd vs fwd" thread.

 

[EclipticalGS]

Its a street car, Less moving parts to break, Less weight, Highway monster.

 

[habitatguy187]

Its a street car, Less moving parts to break, Less weight, Highway monster.

All not having a timeslip says is "I'm too embarrassed to run my car." Anything besides a timeslip is just bench-racing.

 

[EclipticalGS]

Oh i know that, but I never said I was fast?? I just like the idea of having a highway monster with less moving parts, and little weight. I would probably run a slow q/m and at the moment am pretty slow with my 16g, but after the hx-40 goes in, Ill probably take it to the track someday. I havent used the drag radials at a track yet, Ive just launched a couple times with them and I know they stick pretty damn well in comparison to some Eagle Rsa's or other cheap tires.

I mean, the name of the thread is cheap traction help, and im sure by me not spinning all through second and thrid anymore, thats traction for a fwd, and it was considerably cheap.

 

[dsm-onster]

AWD is definitely on my list of future "upgrades". 114mph traps turning 13 second timeslips isn't cool at all.

No, there are ways to reduce your loss of contact patch with a fwd. You have to go through the motions to understand fully.

 

[habitatguy187]

I mean, the name of the thread is cheap traction help, and im sure by me not spinning all through second and thrid anymore, thats traction for a fwd, and it was considerably cheap.

Yeah man I'm not trying to bash, I'm just fed up with the fwd platform. It can be fast with enough money, but I've always been budget-minded and would rather try something new and unproven if it's going to save money.

You have suspension mods and some really wide tires (for our cars), I'm sure your car would hook up much better than mine but once you put the hx-40 on there say goodbye to traction and sanity. I still break loose on a 50mph roll, hx-40 is going to be crazy, and instead of putting money into a LSD and slicks you could just do a awd conversion since you have a 2g and be done with it.

No, there are ways to reduce your loss of contact patch with a fwd. You have to go through the motions to understand fully.

I saw a post by TurboGlenn (where is he anyway?) about corner-weighing the car and shimming the....sway bar I think it was??? Anyway just getting an even weight distribution over the front tires, and he said it seemed to help quite a bit. This would also be a super cheap traction mod if you know someone with corner-scales, as that can become quite pricey I've read.

 

[EclipticalGS]

Yeah its all good, I can see your frustration, but Im starting to think budget too for now. If I have an hx-40 making power high in my rpm range, most of the suspension mods you can think of, and some little tweaks ive done myself, paired with some hoosiers, and a light right foot, I can get some grip and hopefully pull some decent times.

As for the street, boost/tune will definately be dialed down to a more conservative tune while DDing. While still being able to grip with the g-forces.