so i am going to Sebring in about a month for my next track day with Chin Motorsports and have some questions..

i am driving my Caliber Srt-4 in the event(sorry Z has been gone for 2yrs now) and after last event i decided i needed to work on the suspension(obvious shortcoming of the car) from what i have researched and reviewed i have found out many people feel the rear sway bar is too weak and too small for aggressive driving and promotes more body roll and understeer. i have also heard that once you purchase an upgraded bar the
holes in the rear subframe will tear/crack under hard driving. I also found the company that offers the upgraded rear sway bar makes some beefed up tie bars for the rear end.

i included some pics of the items mentioned and was curious of some honest opinions about what i can expect in regards to handling gains or losses.

 

Can't really tell from the pic, but it may keep the subframe from tearing out. Post the link to the product

 

Rear swaybar increase in thickness will help to reduce the understeer so it should help the handling issues.

Not sure about the big plate. Looks like it is designed to distribute the force to the plate but can't tell how well it will work and/or if it relocates the sway bar in way that might change how effective it is.

 

OK, here is the link http://jmbperformance.com/store/prod...roducts_id=396

 

i ordered the parts last week, 2 of the 3 came in yesterday, will be installing the week of the 23rd(my head mechanic at my shop is on vacation until then and i do not have time to do it myself.)

 

i have a feeling the caliber pushes like crazy. if so, a rear sway is a step in the right direction. i've raced showroom stock where you have to really get tricky to get the fwd cars to rotate because you're not allowed to add modifications.

these are more suited for a dedicated track car, not a DD. but try a bit of toe out in the rear, like 1/8". if it feels comfortable and you have good car control skills, bump it up to 1/4". i've gone up to an inch, ha, but that's crazy. also, a quick and easy way to rotate is put about 50-60 lbs of air pressure in the rears. increasing rear pressure will actually increase grip, to a point. you gotta get over that point. i've gone up to 70. again not recommended. but a racer gotta do what a racer gotta do.

 

thanks for the input, i will try to bump up the pressures that day, i had the alignment done recently and have the settings where i like for a mixture of daily driving and track use. The car has some understeer if you come into the corner real hot but if you come in smooth and power out after apex it is fine. i am not happy with the body roll it has and hoping the bar may improve that, i know the next thing would be springs or coil overs.

 

holy neutral handling batman! i got the new parts installed friday night and what a difference, turn in is sharp and easy, general steering effort is also
improved, corners like it should now. i also noticed some other benefits that were not mentioned by others before: almost no fwd torque steer under full throttle all the way up to 80-90 mph, much less throttle bobble taking off from a stop or during gear changes(noticeable in fwd cars with transaxle), also reduced vibration in the car from reduced chassis flex.

my track day is this sunday, pray for good weather so i can feel the full potential of my upgrades.

i am going back again in November, will have next upgrade installed by then, should put me around 450hp/400 tq at the crank with pump gas,
slightly higher when i add my track fuel additive mixture(tuolene/trans fluid/mineral spirits)now with the improved handling the added hp and tq will be usable-if i would have added that first it would have been a waste.

 

i see a caliber signed up for chin, i'm guessing that's you. see you sunday. i'll be in a really ugly 350z on 225 all season tires. long story. ha.

luke

 

cool, look forward to meeting you, another member JETPILOT, is probably going to come and hang out and spectate, he was going to drive his Z but he had stomach surgery recently and is not ready for the beating on his body(lap belt squeezing his guts not good idea)

have you been there before? what color is your car? that way i know to look for you. well i guess that would not matter, i am the sore thumb and it will be easier to find me.(red fwd shoebox with a lot of noise in a crowd of $150-$200k cars)

 

been there many times, but usually in subarus and hondas, or my Louis Vuitton neon (lemons car).

ill be easy to find, neon green and yellow 350z w/ NOS written all over it. just bought it from Coca Cola, they used it as a promotional vehicle. lol.

just came off the truck, it's horribly set up for sebring, but it'll be fun.

 

cool, maybe i can ride a session in your car to see some different lines and techniques, i see you are in the advanced group on the roster. and of course you are welcome in mine as well.

 

well my track day went well, knocked 10 seconds off my lap time from last visit to Sebring in December-new personal record of 2:42. Suspension improvements were a big help and increased confidence allowed me to push the car closer to its limits. I now have found i will need stronger brake pads, need to drop car some to improve aero on back stretch, and
a little more hp to push through the air at higher speeds. My tires stick fairly well with the flatter more neutral handling and i was able to run with stability program off this time which allowed the car to run faster instead of holding back so much before.

 

did you happen to see me run on Sunday? i saw your car, sorry i never had the chance to catch up to you, one time i almost did but you drove away before i could get your attention(you were at an intersection by the bathrooms and i was walking out after using it and tried to wave you down but it was too late)

how did your car run? seemed ok when i had a chance to spectate from the grandstands.

 

2:42 aint bad at all. i forgot the trackmate and kept screwing up the stock timer on the car, that thing is dumb. or maybe it's me?

i was looking for a box, never saw one. lol. i got there late, wasn't feeling good all day. slept in the truck mostly.

i've never driven a z. it's surprisingly balanced and incredibly easy to drive. you can easily steer the car with the throttle, probably because those h rated all seasons had zero grip. i thought for sure it would push like a pig, but actually wore the crap out of the rear tires. that said, it was slooooooow in the corners, something a nice set of direzzas will cure.

can't wait to head out there again. i'll be out of town for the June event, but i'll get back out there soon. just took the wrap off, so it's silver now. well, mostly silver and a bunch of missing, peeled off paint. yay.

trying not to spend too much money on it as i'm in the middle of building something a little crazy.

 

i was parked in the back parking area where the semi's and rv were by the back stretch, one of my clients brought his motorhome and we sat in it between sessions to cool off, i was parked directly back from the chin trailer.

i will be out there again in november, i would like to have my next upgrades on first before i go back, also it is too hot this summer to enjoy it and i have too many car detailing jobs scheduled right now also(next day off is not until july!)

the Z i had before the caliber did pretty well at sebring, it was automatic which held it back in some ways but not so bad in others. i was pleased with the handling because it had the grand touring package which was essentially like the track model with leather.

there was a 40th anniversary model 370z out there that day, was he a member on this board? we diced it up for numerous laps together until i finally got him to yield and give me a point by. i was out braking him and had more power in the straights but he was able to carry a little more speed in the corner entry than me, corner exits i would run him down.