FC handling vs other cars...
 

hey guys, i've done some searching around and couldn't find the specs rating for latteral g forces for the FC, particularily Turbo II. I just wanted to compare measurements of laterall g's of FC versus other FR cars like the 240's, s2000s, 350z, Solstice/Sky to name a few. I've driven s2000 before and loved how quickly it responds.
also, to any of you who happen to own one in addition to your seven... How does the handling compare to the FC? Stock for stock... Better than? Less than?

Thnx, Sodara

Lateral G's don't mean SHAT about handling; it just means you have very good tires.

You really can't compare a 20-year old suspension design with some of the newer cars.


-Ted

I have an FC racecar and an S2000, and although the FC is a great handeling car it isnt in the same league as the s2000 in my oppinion. On the other hand though the rx7 is much easier to drive at the limit than the S is. The honda has alot of snap oversteer you need to watch out for, while the rx is very predictable and easy to drive fast. In short the honda is quicker, but it takes alot more work to keep it going.

No need to go "out of brand". The Miata handling (any year) is better than a stock FC.

No surprises there, the FC uses McPherson struts up front, which is a big handicap. In the rear the DTS system, although it gives the "feeling" of quicker response at normal speeds, is quite frightening under high speed braking.

It can be fixed to an extent, but not completely. Some adjustable struts and decent springs and sway bars, a good alignment with a hint of some neg. camber in front, get rid of the DTS with new bushings - this will all help.

But it's not going to magically transform the handling.

My track FC seem to work okay - it's fairly neutral and doesn't push in the turns. But the FD (which would be a more valid comparison with your list of cars) with a stock suspension on the same track is definitely a different beast.

-bill

I've always found the FC to be very stable and forgiving on track, whether it be totally stock, stock with bigger sways, stock with bigger sways, poly bushings and DTSS eliminator bushings, or with coilovers and all the rest, which is very good for learning on. A stock Miata is very lively at low speeds and is excellent at autocrosses because of that, but take it to the track and that low speed liveliness turns into high speed instability. This can of course be tuned out with springs and bars.

Better numbers to look at for judging handling are slalom speeds and emergency lane change speeds, but even those are imperfect.

stock for stock, its a old car, old design. Modified, its just as quick as any car out there for the most part.

I always thought the FC would handle as well as anything out there. I know in stock form it way out handles anything its age or older and will turn circles around any Fbody or Mustang.

so true. i am running racing beat springs and sway bars with KYB adujstable shocks...not to many my can touch mine when we get in the turns.

^Time for an english lesson.

It has struts in front and semi trailing arms in the rear. Not bad, but dual unequal length A arms all around, or with some sort of multilink in the rear could be better.

A Miata or an FD will handle better than an FC due to better suspension designs.

I'm kind of thinking about fitting an FD suspension (Double A arm) into an FC. I know it would handle better. I'm new to the forum, has anyone done anything like that on here?

Wasn't the Infini RX-7 basically an FC with FD suspension?

Nope, can be done, but very expensive, and the unibody wasn't deisgned for the loads from a double a-arm. I asked the question a few years back. the cantilever suspension doesn't really help that much either.

No, the Infini had a better exhaust, a 4.3 Torsen Diff and some other Infini-only goodies. It was pretty much equal to the GT-X besides the parts I mentioned.

The FC is a decent handling car. Porches have been macpherson strut front, mulit-link rear for quite a while and they are *Quite* competetive in the classes they contest. With that said, the third gen, miata and RX-8 are superior suspension designs. The Unequal length A-arm suspension is the standard racing suspension since the 60's because it is the logical solution to many handling problems. With a mac strut car you lose camber as the car rolls, usually requiring you to dial in a lot of static negative camber to compensate. With an unequal length A-arm suspension you can actually gain negative camber as the car rolls, allowing you to run very little static negative camber and ensure a large and consistent contact patch.

-Trent

From what I understand, No.

if u want good suspension get an s2000

My, now that's helpful.

Away with you, troll.

-b

That's the dumbest thing I heard all day.:pat:

Miatas can't hang with top-end cars. Auto-x and tight courses they will excel, long straights and we lose stability with short wheel base and lighter body.

Exactly,
there wasn't a Miata that could hang with me at buttonwillow.
There all slow but I still love them.The miatas chassis feels nice and turns in like no other.

Drop in a 5.0 and the Miata becomes a contender fast.

Very true, but it'll also bump you into Unlimited class. Not to mention that it will throw off the weight balance of the car enough that it's noticable. Matt Andrews from SCC has the Project Time Attack Miata and is a frequent poster on our board. He's gone over the rules many times and iirc, he has a limit on tire size, engine hp, and chassis weight to keep himself from being bumped. He has a mostly carbon bodied car and a 2.0l turbo'd stroker motor from Flyin' Miata. There are other options available if you want to swap motors though, like the ls1/6/7 motor if you have the cash to play around with :naughty:

blasphemy! The 13b is the best engine evaaaaa.

And no car handles better than a 7!


:D :D

Miatas can be bloody fast, but are somewhat limited by tire size, since they can't fit that much under their fenders, and not much wide is available in diameters that they can use (short of ono DOT slicks or 275/35/15 Hoosiers). They also will suffer from not so great aero and will be slower than a comparable HP/weight larger car because of that. The short wheel base isn't really a handicap so much, you can make them stable with suspension tuning.

Don't dismiss the Miata as being slow. Even a full weight street car with a turbo and some 225 R's with a decent suspension and brakes will be faster than a lot of stuff at track days.

Correct on just about everything. A properly setup car can out perform a lot of other cars. Power to weight ratio has a great deal on this part of the playing field. We have a few running track only Miatas w/ 275/35-15 hoosiers on 10" wide wheels with flares. The newest NC can run up to 315's on 18" wheels with minimal clearance. Our Aero sucks badly, this I will admit which is why we can't hang with the top-end cars. 100mph+ straights and our cars become very light and steering input sensitive, not so much of the "planted" feel you get with wider track and wheelbase cars. Comparing them to objects, it's more like a racquet ball compared to a wedge.

Can't you fix that by manipulating the aero on your car? Wings, Splitters, Canards, Spoilers, etc...?