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Is there a geometry calculator or suspension geometry design document you're basing this off of?
Yes, the incredibly common 4-Link calculator that came from Pirate4x4.
Yaw clarified with me that it's within about +/- 3 Degrees tolerance from 45 degrees, so 48 is fine if I choose to leave it there. Attaining 45 degrees is as simple as locating the lower links further inboard toward the frame rails (which I had planned to tie the drop brackets into anyways). It's such a minimal change that either option is fine.
We'll finish up the IST and tank sealant (for e85), and check all of our driveshaft/exhaust clearances, then decide the best option. My fabricator is a surgeon...there's a reason why I'm taking my time on this. Do it right, do it once.
Well, on another note, I set up this beautiful FD yesterday and turned it from inconsistent, rattly shitbox into OMG SUBLIME HANDLING!
Hard to imagine, but this customer has restored this car from a shell over the last 10 months. So far, so good! The car is tastefully modded and chassis is tight (now).
Internal Surge Tank Top Plate welded in. Picking it up and having my radiator shop throwing 3-5 layers of RedKote inside (e85 protection), pressure testing, and painting.
awesome looking FD, how was welding that tank, is it galvanized?
That tank was an absolute TURD to weld. I'm glad Tony @ FFR did it for me. Super thin upper wall (steel) vs. relatively thick flange (aluminum). Oh, did I mention the baffles and everything were rusted out almost entirely? My hands are shredded from tearing out the upper baffles the best that I could.
Radiator shop says it's no problem. Bottom of tank is in great condition and their RedKote is going to go on and add density to it all. They're pressure testing it with the IST installed after paint and such as well.
Cool, I assume that flange is steel though...can't weld aluminum to steel. Tank should look nice coated and painted, are you doing undercoating on it? That is what is stock
Cool, I assume that flange is steel though...can't weld aluminum to steel. Tank should look nice coated and painted, are you doing undercoating on it? That is what is stock
If you guys hadn't already heard, the second headgasket failure happened on my daily driver, 1994 Acura Integra.
So, I'm forcing my hand with California bureaucrats and doing a Honda Prelude H22 swap into my Acura Integra. Why? It's heavier, has oil circulation issues, and aftermarket support is weak in comparison. Well, my car is 150lbs heavier than stock with a plush interior and great sound system, so I need to offset that weight with torque. All the torques.
Enter her new heart *Queue The Divinex - Event Horizon in the background*:
Okay, so I lied. It's actually a JDM Honda Accord Wagon H23 Vtec Blue Top. Would you really expect me to half-*** something? Jajaja, I didn't think so.
Basically, I designed a setup (in a VERY short timeframe, I might add) in which it will fully pass "sniffer" emissions AND look relatively in place in the engine bay (for visual), yet make +40-50% power and torque from where I'm coming from. That's a worthwhile swap... The stress and bullshit having to do with emissions in Kalifornistan are absurd. If anyone is interested, I'll post up the build log, but it's not Rx7 related. Me getting to/from work in this thing is though, so I can pay for the damn thing.
Going from 145whp/130wtq to 220whp/185wtq. Time to destroy all the things. Passing power in the canyons will be a LOT safer too.
I'm a honda fan, this is a cool swap, I'm so glad NC doesn't have the crazy emissions laws, the teg should scoot with this motor
The mods I'm doing to the motor will be simple and effective. Takes it from about 185whp/160wtq baseline to 220whp/185wtq when tuning is dialed. Yea, the Integra is going to be a LOT more fun uphill now.
Talking to myself here... So, this happened today:
When attending a meeting with my peers earlier, one of the directors made it a point to question what I was doing on the Rx7...to which I replied, "That's a dated way of thinking and I don't wish to discuss it further."
"Your car would be better with more anti-squat. You should put in more anti-squat and raise that roll center!" I know Herb Adams! I know Terry Satchell!
Well, I've read Terry's work online and have Herb's book. They're okay for a basic understanding, but only refer to the most simplistic understanding of suspension design. I know that you're transferring what's supposed to be suspension energy through the link setup, and that's not a proper way to control motion control. Dampers do that job, not torquing the links. I bet you believe in Anti-Roll Bars too, huh?
"You don't run swaybars?"
Nope. I don't want the frame to deform to average out my grip levels and lower my maximums. Absolutely absurd "technology" that should be avoided at all costs.
Post Event Response from a friend, who basically schooled me on this **** to begin with:
Anti-geometry is for dipshit drag racers, and production cars that are 1) So softly sprung, they need anti to keep them from tripping over themselves. 2) With so much rubber everywhere that the grip robbing harshness is absorbed.
Think of this. If you had 100% anti-squat, ALL resistance to squat is reacted through the solid suspension links. Which means that you effectively have zero suspension. Now, as you move away from 100%, you control it more and more with springs and dampers, and less and less with those solid links. Anti is not good. Unless you're a toothless redneck running wrinkle wall slicks. And even then it would probably work better with none, and a proper damper.
Makes me feel better about the FCs stock rear suspension which essentially has zero anti-squat as far as I can tell.
playing devil's advocate... if zero anti-squat is better than some anti-squat, why wouldn't you want pro-squat? (aka negative anti-squat)
Oh, that's easy! Because then now the power that's supposed to be sent into the links is sent through your suspension instead. Suspension now handles link work (the opposite as to when you had anti-squat, where the links did suspension work by torquing in an uncontrolled fashion.)
You wouldn't believe the amount of flak I got from all my buddies for not doing IRS. If I did go that route, I'd take a page from one of my past employers and do what they never had the ***** to do.
Nope. I don't want the frame to deform to average out my grip levels and lower my maximums. Absolutely absurd "technology" that should be avoided at all costs.
Unless you have electronic shocks that can adjust stiffness based on yaw rate, swaybars are the only tool in the box that can manipulate spring rates differently between corner entry, mid corner, and corner exit. It's not averaging out grip levels, it's maximizing the grip on the corner/end of the car that needs it, when it needs it, by using grip on another corner/end that isn't needed.
Unless you have electronic shocks that can adjust stiffness based on yaw rate, swaybars are the only tool in the box that can manipulate spring rates differently between corner entry, mid corner, and corner exit. It's not averaging out grip levels, it's maximizing the grip on the corner/end of the car that needs it, when it needs it, by using grip on another corner/end that isn't needed.
I disagree with you there.
Here's how it works for ME in the real world. Results vary and are chassis/driver dependent.
Front Swaybar On
Consistent grip level, very easy to drive, turn in requires less initial steering angle, when only one corner hits a bump, the car transfers it throughout the entire chassis, reacts great until about 8/10ths
Front Swaybar Off
A little less sense of what's happening underneath you, more effort to find limits of adhesion, more steering angle necessary at initial turn in, when only one corner hits a bump, only that corner is effected, which may feel odd to some drivers via steering wheel, reacts noticeably better at 9-11/10ths. Really dances nicely at the limits and you can keep it there confidently
Also, yaw rate along the centerline of the car can and should be adjusted with roll center height, not altering spring rates.
Our cars don't hold constant geometry and shouldn't be treated like that's ideal either. Use that dive to your advantage via geometry. Too much and you decrease braking capabilities.
Taking the sway bar off and on without also adjusting the spring rates isn't really a fair comparison. If your front springs are really stiff, of course the sway bar is going to wreak havoc. The idea is to get that same rate you have now, but as a combination of both spring and bar, which allows you to have softer springs, which allows more weight transfer, which allows you to move the grip from front to rear when you need it.
Yea, the Integra is going to be a LOT more fun uphill now. 
