AutoCross in a Narrow bug, what can i do to make it turn?

[69bajakid]

Hey everyone..
in a few hours here im gonna go outside and fire up the new motor thats been getting built by myself and a good buddy of mine, Shawn..
anyhow..i am gonna want to race this thing at the drag strip thats close 2 my place...but also i have autocross racing 30 mins from my house..i want to know if there is anything i can do to make the car handle its best with what its got.. here are some of the specs.

CB front disc conversion with drop spindles and 3" narrowed beam Avis adjusters, Custom 3" narrowed sway bar, GR2 shocks..stock steering box..narrowed tie rods. 5.5" chromies with dunlop GT qualifier 195/50s

the rear: custom geared SAW axled short axle swing tranny with solid mounts, underdog racing traction bar, CB hub style rear disc..Gas a just KYB shocks. urethane bushings, adjustable sping plates. bugpack rear sway bar and bus snubbers, chromies with 205 55 GT dunlops.

it also has an aircooled.net carbon wing on the back, and the motor is a 2007 with turbo EFI..

at the moment my car does not turn all that well in a circle...i assume its from the narrowed front end..and it seems to turn sharper to the left then 2 the right..im going to redo the front steering (tie rods and box) but is there any tricks out there that i can use to make this car turn? i need to take it in for an alignment, any special way to have the tires set up?
i know its a vauge question, but how about ride hight? front VS rear type deal..

basicly i just want to make my car turn better then it does..it sticks like poop to a blanket but it takes 3 lanes to do a circle (or just blip the gas:)

im not looking to beat other autocrossers..but it would be nice to see what my car can do when its set up right..

any advice would be great!

thanx
Cale

[vwpride73]

...the motor is a 2007 with turbo EFI..
...but is there any tricks out there that i can use to make this car turn?...Cale

Well you having the turbo 2007 can work to your advantage. I dont think you are going to be able to overcome that 3" that you have lost, unless you get that rear end out around the corners.

[Paul Illick]

There's a good article about setting up a bug for handling in the tech section of www.aircooled.net.

[Bruce2]

Its your narrowed beam that kills your turning circle. Try putting wheel spacers on to move the wheel further from whatever it rubs on. This will allow you to adjust the steering stops for a tighter radius.
To improve your handling, raise the car if its been lowered. The reason a lowered Bug handles like crap is because there's no more suspension travel left. Raise it and you have travel.

[69bajakid]

All right, thanx allot! i will try some diffrent things to get it turning right!

Cale

[Theo]

I did most of the stuff in this article. Worked great for me. I get a lot of comments as my front end is slightly(1 inch) higher than the rear. This sure makes the car turn in well.
Looks sort of wierd, but it works.

There's a good article about setting up a bug for handling in the tech section of www.aircooled.net.

[jrinlv315]

The reason a lowered Bug handles like crap is because there's no more suspension travel left. Raise it and you have travel.

With dropped spindles you don't loose any travel, thats the point of using them. JR

[Jadewombat]

Get a front sway bar if you don't have one, FWD cars need stiffer rear ends, RWD cars need stiffer front ends for AutoX. If you don't want to widen the front end again, get a pair of 7 or 8" rims with AutoX tires and a lot of negative offset built into them(stick out from the fenders). You might even need to find a set of baja or old mag rims, this way you'll have a wider track. If you really get serious about racing(either AutoX or drag) install a set of limiting straps on the fronts to keep the front wheels tight against the body. Also, unless you're running a dry sump, make sure the oil level is up to that second mark or even a 1/4 quart past it.

[Rip]

Hey everyone..
in a few hours here im gonna go outside and fire up the new motor thats been getting built by myself and a good buddy of mine, Shawn..
anyhow..i am gonna want to race this thing at the drag strip thats close 2 my place...but also i have autocross racing 30 mins from my house..i want to know if there is anything i can do to make the car handle its best with what its got.. here are some of the specs.

CB front disc conversion with drop spindles and 3" narrowed beam Avis adjusters, Custom 3" narrowed sway bar, GR2 shocks..stock steering box..narrowed tie rods. 5.5" chromies with dunlop GT qualifier 195/50s

the rear: custom geared SAW axled short axle swing tranny with solid mounts, underdog racing traction bar, CB hub style rear disc..Gas a just KYB shocks. urethane bushings, adjustable sping plates. bugpack rear sway bar and bus snubbers, chromies with 205 55 GT dunlops.

it also has an aircooled.net carbon wing on the back, and the motor is a 2007 with turbo EFI..

at the moment my car does not turn all that well in a circle...i assume its from the narrowed front end..and it seems to turn sharper to the left then 2 the right..im going to redo the front steering (tie rods and box) but is there any tricks out there that i can use to make this car turn? i need to take it in for an alignment, any special way to have the tires set up?
i know its a vauge question, but how about ride hight? front VS rear type deal..

basicly i just want to make my car turn better then it does..it sticks like poop to a blanket but it takes 3 lanes to do a circle (or just blip the gas:)

im not looking to beat other autocrossers..but it would be nice to see what my car can do when its set up right..

any advice would be great!

thanx
Cale

I know its been a while but how did it go? were you able to get it to turn well? what did it take?