Want more traction?

[AZSP33D]

Remove that aftermarket tubular traction bar if you have one... drill a hole in top of one end, fill it with lead shot, weld it shut... reinstall. You're welcome.

Dave

 

[green_henry]

Remove that aftermarket tubular traction bar if you have one... drill a hole in top of one end, fill it with lead shot, weld it shut... reinstall. You're welcome.

Dave

Is the goal to make it more rigid? To add weight? Both? How much does it weigh when it's complete?

 

[PunkST]

Goal is a bit more weight over the front wheels without resorting to making a weight plate.

 

[AZSP33D]

PunkST is correct, that bar is in the perfect place to add weight, lower than any point and just on the forward side of the wheel center line... the heavier bar to start with is better... and the lead shot adds 6-8 lbs dependent in ID and size of shot, etc. Pouring in molten lead is better but a little bit dangerous so please don't do it unless it's something you do every day sort thing.

 

[maestromaestro]

Would 6 lbs even register? This is next to nothing relative to the weight of the car. I realize that we have 60/40 split; I also appreciate that it would theoretically lower the center of gravity.

So - what would be the tangible benefit? Especially considering that the weight of the car simply would go UP, rather than being meaningfully redistributed. People buy Ti lug nuts in the pursuit of weight loss, never mind rip out the rear seat(s).

Let's say there's more traction - under what conditions would that be a net positive? The car would be heavier, so - slower even for the 1/4 mile pull (again, assuming that 6 lbs would actually lead to any discernable change).

I'm really curious here.

 

[gtx3076]

I was thinking stickier tires, stiffer rear suspension, or LSD.

 

[maestromaestro]

I was thinking stickier tires, stiffer rear suspension, or LSD.

These are all good for turns. Stiff suspension in the rear is not a traction enhancer, but it assists in rotating this FWD car.

 

[PunkST]

Adding weight in the right spot will improve traction from a dead stop. Allowing higher horsepower fwd cars to do better on the front half of the track where they usually struggle. Lots of very fast civics do it as a way to make 700+ hp stick instead of blowing the tires off. It really doesnt take a lot of weight ahead of the wheels to start dropping 60 foot times.

 

[gtx3076]

These are all good for turns. Stiff suspension in the rear is not a traction enhancer, but it assists in rotating this FWD car.

I've seen air bags put in the rear springs to prevent squatting during a launch on the 1/4 mile. Kinda what I had in mind.

 

[maestromaestro]

I've seen air bags put in the rear springs to prevent squatting during a launch on the 1/4 mile. Kinda what I had in mind.

I see. I honestly never considered the FiST to be a dragster. The car shines on a road course or in AutoX. To enjoy it, one doesn’t really NEED any more power. It’s good out of the box (save for the overheating issues), but it CAN however stand some traction improvement getting out of tight corners. To that end, an LSD is critical. Sticky tires are - always - the best investment into any car; much like spending money on HiFi speakers rather than on the tube amp.

 

[PunkST]

This is a more drag race specific mod. Which these car can do pretty well at.

 

[M-Sport fan]

I see. I honestly never considered the FiST to be a dragster. The car shines on a road course or in AutoX. To enjoy it, one doesn’t really NEED any more power. It’s good out of the box (save for the overheating issues), but it CAN however stand some traction improvement getting out of tight corners. To that end, an LSD is critical. Sticky tires are - always - the best investment into any car; much like spending money on HiFi speakers rather than on the tube amp.

Yeah, mine will NEVER see a drag strip as long as I own it, and I just HATE the (looks of/'un-streetability' of a) 'pure' FWD drag race setup of skinnies on the back, with a SOLID rear suspension and wheelie bars to kill the weight transfer off of the front wheels.

 

[PunkST]

that last sentence is why folks make weight plates. Lol.

 

[maestromaestro]

I concur. The FiST wasnt born to be a drag car. You can get something stupid for that. I appreciate that there is skill involved in drag racing, just like any pursuit - but, unless you are in a TF going 300 miles, I don't see a point. FiSTs are excellent for a road course - and for that, you'd need an LSD, not weighing down the front axle. Just sayin'.

 

[AZSP33D]

Adding the bar and making it heavy as possible helps with Autocross also, especially with the 200TW tires... has nothing to do with aluminum/titanium lug nuts at the same time.

 

[PunkST]

Lol titanium lug nuts are a cash grab. Its cheaper to have a light meal or two the day before. And seeing as there is a fiesta running rons hybrid doing 11's repeatedly. They actually dont do bad at drag racing

 

[maestromaestro]

Lol titanium lug nuts are a cash grab. Its cheaper to have a light meal or two the day before. And seeing as there is a fiesta running rons hybrid doing 11's repeatedly. They actually dont do bad at drag racing

I dig.

I'm saying that the car is set up to do well on road course, pretty much as-is. Of course, you can bolt on something big and start doing pulls.
With enough power an mods, anything can be made fast enough. My question is why? There are other cars to screw with.

 

[maestromaestro]

Adding the bar and making it heavy as possible helps with Autocross also, especially with the 200TW tires... has nothing to do with aluminum/titanium lug nuts at the same time.

Much like Ti lugs, 6 lbs is a "second-order effect". I think once you are at 10/10s with your technique, then you may want to start chasing pocket lint. But, people like mods, and this is a simple one.

 

[PunkST]

Why? Because its fun.

 

[AZSP33D]

Much like Ti lugs, 6 lbs is a "second-order effect". I think once you are at 10/10s with your technique, then you may want to start chasing pocket lint. But, people like mods, and this is a simple one.

OK driver education is always tops... but here's the reason this is significant... on a stock car, not too much... when you start adding power, forward traction becomes the primary limitation, and once you start increasing the power more and more, it very significantly becomes the limitation in a very obvious way.

You can ignore that, fine, for people really looking to improve, hope they think beyond what everyone else says. Motorsports of all sorts there's usually reason to add weight in certain areas. The Fiesta ST does AX as well or better depending on the course, with a full tank of fuel... there's a reason for that. On a stock suspension car, the weight transfer and the performance curve of the tire can be optimized with a full tank compared to empty tank, so if there's only 300-600lbs of transient pressure on the contact patch of the rear tire, it's probably well on the left side of the curve... when it's off the ground it's zero lbs of course... but then is it the performance limitation? It's a problem solving excercise, what can we do within a given ruleset.