Newbie Learning Debate - Front Sway Bar

[darthmonkeyIT]

I know next to nothing about FWD racing, so no advice on the sway bar. What turn did you lose it in? Might be a different issue.

The spin was in the additional bend added before the sweeping turn onto the back straight. The left hander out of there. I went in full tilt, got in a straight line and braked. Turned in and got into the power. The back end held till the end of the turn when it slid out. I tried to correct and catch it with throttle but it was to late. I went around 180° and ended up on the left hand side of the entrance to the sweeping turn.

I would use turn numbers but the additional section on Mid O make the numbering scheme odd. By the turns completed from front straight it would be the exit of four I spun and the entrance to five.

Again I am pretty sure I had to much pressure in the rears. Though I was full stiff in the front shocks which seemed OK in morning qualifying but may have been the wrong way to go with the shocks.

[R2 Racing]

I've installed a stock sway bar back onto the front of an ITA CRX before for a driver who just wasn't up to the experience/skill-level to safely handle the car without it, and it did exactly what the driver wanted. It took away the cars "twitchyness", made it go towards a push, and in general just made it easier to drive. The plan was to remove it after the owner got more experienced with the car and would desire more rotation, but he sold it before reaching that point. The cars current owner was an experienced ITA CRX driver, and so he has since removed it. So in my opinion, I would suggest that you do install the stock front bar and see if you like it. I'd then also suggest setting your shocks about right in the middle all the way around. Do those two things, and I bet you'll like it a lot more right off the bat. Then as you get faster and more comfortable with it, start lowing the front shock setting and increasing the rear (I'm assuming the shocks are single adjustable - rebound only). After that you might reach the level of pulling that front bar back out of there. For now though, I'd suggest just doing whatever you need to so you're comfortable in the car, and installing the front bar will do a lot in that regard.

[Eagle7]

The spin was in the additional bend added before the sweeping turn onto the back straight. The left hander out of there. I went in full tilt, got in a straight line and braked. Turned in and got into the power. The back end held till the end of the turn when it slid out. I tried to correct and catch it with throttle but it was to late. I went around 180° and ended up on the left hand side of the entrance to the sweeping turn.

Sounds like the chicane - past the finish line, under the bridge at the T1 lefthander, then a short straight, then the right/left chicane before the 180* keyhole. That's a pretty busy spot - trying to settle the car after the fast right-hander, then hard on the brakes and maybe a downshift before the left-hand turn-in. I've spun there once or twice because I tried to do more than I could dip out of the talent well. Sounds like you didn't, but if you held the brake a little long there (during turn-in) that could have done it.