Good way to get more understeer! Let's empty the trunk!

And the weight loss gained from there isn't probably even worth it. More boot space for other stuff is a plus on the other side.

Quote from Dennis93 :

Good way to get more understeer! Let's empty the trunk!

Id have thought that a lighter rear, however small the change, would mean that it would be easier to induce oversteer, although i am merely reversing the practice of putting paving slabs/bags of sand in the boot of old fords (particularly capri's) to make them a bit less tail end happy.

Ok here it's mine.. it's not Clio Sport :P


DSC07287 por _Mariio^, en Flickr

There are more photos on my FlickR

Hope you like it !

Quote from danthebangerboy :

Id have thought that a lighter rear, however small the change, would mean that it would be easier to induce oversteer, although i am merely reversing the practice of putting paving slabs/bags of sand in the boot of old fords (particularly capri's) to make them a bit less tail end happy.

Incorrect, you have Live for speed, a good way to simulate it, is to put 200kgs at 0%(rear) and after 200kgs at 100%(front).

it works like that in real life as well.

Though a lighter rear is easier to control than a heavy sloppy rear.

Quote from danthebangerboy :

Id have thought that a lighter rear, however small the change, would mean that it would be easier to induce oversteer, although i am merely reversing the practice of putting paving slabs/bags of sand in the boot of old fords (particularly capri's) to make them a bit less tail end happy.

I agree with this.

Maybe it's different from car to car... but it's well known that for example, people racing Porsche 944s have put sandbags in the trunk to make the rear more stable. If it was too light they've experienced more oversteer. True story.

Why would anyone want to make an RWD less tail happy?

Quote from Töki (HUN) :

Why would anyone want to make an RWD less tail happy?

Better lap times?

Quote from jibber :

Better lap times?

Oh. Well, I thought we're talking about daily drivers, not trackday cars. Ok then.

lol why would people be against making cars lighter on a car oriented forum?
Weight loss is a very good way of increasing performance (especially handling and braking).

If you have a problem with oversteer the solution is better suspension setup / tuning suspension accordingly, not applying weight.

If it's not a daily driver there is nothing wrong with stripping interior. I myself usually find the idea of a full interior in a performance oriented cars blatantly boring.

I don't think it is weight loss in general, but merely the placement of the weight. Making the rear lighter will put the weight distribution farther forward. Therefore it will turn better (or possibly oversteer) into a corner more often, but will then plow it's way to the exit.

That's pretty much what I was arguing against. If the weight balance difference is enough to make the car too oversteery the proper solution is to adjust suspension balance.

There are many kinds of cars with different weight distributions on racing (especially on old skool stuff) but they all can be worked to handle nicely.

And btw most RWD street cars from factory usually tend to be quite understeery on the handling, so making it more oversteery isn't usually that bad.

I have to agree with BigPeBe. Considering how useless the back seat of an MX-3 is, (and that I was out of college/rarely had enough passengers to need one anymore), I ditched mine ages ago.. both for weight reduction & extra room, but mostly weight. (which did make a noticeable difference to 1/4 mile times) I don't think the average road car's going to lose enough weight from such, to make a difference to handling that can't be righted by minimal suspension tweaks. (if that's even needed) Not even on a FWD/cars that're already quite nose heavy. If the topic is for a track car, well, first thing you do in converting from a roadcar is lose all the fat anyways & the back's typically a good place to start.

As others have said....suspension modications and tweaks will help compensate for a shitty weight distribution, besides this is all irrelvant, its getting caged soon hence the strip.

Sound deadening front and rear is getting taken out next week, but leaving the front carpet and majority of the front interior in tact


also i can fit so many tyres and wheels in the back now, haha

So what kind of track action is it going to be setup for?

its really just a late night thrasher.

Quote from Klutch :

So my stereo stopped turning on a few days ago, and since i don't really listen to music in the car much i got rid of everything, everything stereo related has been completely removed (Speakers/Amp/Deck/All wiring)

Neatened up all the wiring under the dash as the previous owner butchered it, Put on the new gearknob (Billet alluminium cylinderish style)

Seats are extremely heavy...buckets are on the too buy list!

the weird hues and horizontal stripes really give you a feeling of realism and exaggerated the detail :P

the street rig just before being sent on it's way back to Aus after many memories made in japan


and the heap of shit (at least thats what it felt like that weekend)

Quote from Klutch :

its really just a late night thrasher.

Sounds more like a stripped out, drive like an asshat & lose your license, machine now. Poor car.

finally got rid of the shittiest car I ever owned, altough it was only fun when it was sideways. Good riddance.


It means now that it is the winter holidays, and time to actually do something the proper way, rather than the half-assed golfs and civics.

Oh well, it's still a volvo. Can't refuse a free car.

I make good decisions; my winter beater is a ragtop and I live in Minnesota.





yep, it has hail damage. nope, I don't care. It reliably goes sideways, handles like a go-kart, sounds good, and gets 30mpg. ladies don't seem to mind it either.


my first car; 1983 lolvo 244 Turbo. Unbreakable tank of a car, took an incredible amount of abuse. lots of character. lots of burnouts. lots of huge boost spikes. and lots of sideways rally action too. I own another, much cleaner one and will be building it up this next spring.






And finally, my summer daily driver, and probably my favorite. My '68 Volvo Amazon.





http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1uN0PptZV8

It will be lowered next summer, after I get it out of winter storage and get all the minor bodywork and maintenance finished. Here's a photochop of the height I'd like to be at (only photoshop change was the ride height):

Hardtops are nice in the winter.. the doors don't freeze shut anywhere near as bad/often & you get hella good visibility. (surprisingly less noisy @ speed etc too) LSD's totally rock as well. (I got lucky & snagged a used one for 1/3 the normal price) Not that you need one to play, but they minimizes getting stuck when it matters.

Quote from Tinytacohead :

Hardtops are nice in the winter.. the doors don't freeze shut anywhere near as bad/often & you get hella good visibility. (surprisingly less noisy @ speed etc too) LSD's totally rock as well. (I got lucky & snagged a used one for 1/3 the normal price) Not that you need one to play, but they minimizes getting stuck when it matters.

I would love to get a hardtop, but I can't really justify one for 1/2 to 2/3 the price of the car! haha. It also unfortunately has an open diff, but with my new snow tires, it has no problems, and still goes sideways quite well.

Unless I get a really-nice paying job sometime soon, the car will probably remain mostly stock, minus what's already done to it (full poly bushings, Mazdaspeed competition engine mounts, performance clutch, Flyin' Miata sways with RB endlinks, Falken Azenis summer tires, and an early Enthuza stainless-steel exhaust). Maybe coilovers or good shocks, since the stocks are pretty blown, but not much more than that.

And the reason for that is, as much as I love my miata, I love my Volvos even more. It's kind of a strange thing to a lot of people, to love Volvos, but just the sheer amount of character that they have, and the quality of every little thing, it kinda pulls you in.

Basically, my miata is a fun daily driver, but my Volvo Amazon is where I'd like to direct my money towards. Besides, my miata is so good as is, I can't really envision it getting that much better for my uses, without putting a lot of money into it.

Quote from Taylor Finger :

that thing is rad, good lick of paint and that would be a mint cruiser.

casualty from my driveway this morning lol