OK, long story short, I *might* end up keeping my 83 GS and make it into a project car and am tossing ideas around in my head. I'm thinking I want to go with a SE suspension swap as its a better suspension and a bolt in, but I wanna get some feedback about the SE suspension, mainly if it is as snappy and unpredictably tail happy as the non SE is. That is one of the things I have never liked about my car, it handles great to a point, once you hit that magical speed/cornering angle/etc the rear kicks out almost without warning. I've talked to other FB owners who have similar experiences so I know its not a probelm just with my car. Anyway, do SE's do the same thing or did Mazda manage to fix that problem? TIA

 

Nope.. they were the same way... maybe even a bit worse as there was more power to induce throttle oversteer...

--Danny

 

My SE prefers to drive backwards!!!

 

SEs CAN do so, though with the LSD it doesn't happen as often. The suspension changes were more to do with stiffening, not any noteable geometry mods, so it still has the snap-oversteer...

Swapping out the front swaybar for the thicker Racing Beat one allegedly helps decrease such incidents as stiffening the front increases understeer. Allegedly.

 

Thanks for the info guys. I'll probably still go with an SE suspension just becuase its a bolt on. This is all just a dream right now anyway.

 

Problem? What problem? That's mad fun Pull out from a stop sign, turn North, grab a big handful of 2nd gear... you'll be headed South in a heartbeat

Yeah, the SE's about the same I'd imagine. But I wouldn't call it a problem for anybody but the uninitiated. Once you're used to it and know where your boundries are... like I said, it's fun. Just a matter of practice. BUT... I do warn the few (very few) people I ever let drive my SE not to get too damn froggy with the gas pedal in a turn

 

You guys should try that in a V8 RX-7....... crazy *** fishtails.

 

I never said it wasn't fun but the snap oversteer, i feel, holds the rest of the car back. If that weren't an issue FB's could go much farther. just a thought.

 

Thats a live axle for ya!!! they tend to snap oversteer more vs IRS.... one wheel goin' squirelly pulls the other out as well.

 

Get some good tires. That's all you need. I run 205/50/15 Bridgestone S-03's. I never have a problem on my ported GSL-SE. If anything, I need more power to break them lose easier.

 

try pulling the rear sway bar off, much better

mike

 

thats right. w/o the rear sway bar, the car tends to understeer a little more than oversteer. thats the reason they recommend that rookies run w/o for the first year or 2.

--eric

 

Specific to the SE's in 84/85 were the lowering of the rear lower trailing links, which is evident if you have an earlier model next to an SE. this was done on SE's in 84, and all RX7 models in 85 (IIRC) to combat the oversteer tendencies.

 

In 1984 the rear trailing links were lowered 20mm to help prevent binding. This was an across the board modification that carried on to all later RX-7's. This really doesn't help the oversteer problem. However, I've found the oversteer in the car to be very predictable and quite controllable if you notice it before you're doing donuts (a few SCCA Solo II events have proven this). You might want to freshen up the busings all around, but in the end, this is a light, RWD, live axle car...good rubber, bushings, swaybars, ect can only do so much

The -SE suspension is a good idea anyway. You get better brakes, and a more common bolt pattern for bling bling rims. Plus you'll get a 4.076:1 LSD rear end with the deal...

--matt

 

Thanks for the info guys. Do you guys keep rubber bushings on both upper and lower control arms?