Board logo

WOT in 1st gear?
cloudy - 18/11/08 at 04:22 PM

This is aimed mainly at those of you with mid engine layouts - my car is geared for about 55-60mph in 1st and I can't use even 3/4 throttle without the needle immediately jumping to the redline. The alloys I'm using came with fairly cheap rubber - is anyone using decent tyres able to use full throttle with this sort of gearing?


tegwin - 18/11/08 at 05:08 PM

WOT in 1st?.... your nuts!!!!


sgraber - 18/11/08 at 05:15 PM

Add more weight.



Ducks for cover!


MikeR - 18/11/08 at 06:00 PM

reduce accelerator travel :p

what size wheels have you got now? how heavy is the car? I suspect most will suggest the same as a seven if its similar in weight.


cloudy - 18/11/08 at 06:27 PM

Car weighs 340kg, but that also means less weight to accelerate - better rubber then!


v8kid - 18/11/08 at 06:48 PM

Just goes to show your engine has some grunt!

Most high performance cars will spin the tyres in lower gears unless launch/traction control fitted

I've found soft rubber helps but at a cost Kuhmo 275/40/17 work well with me but the wheels still spin - i guess it is a learning curve.

Have fun!


madteg - 18/11/08 at 07:04 PM

TOYO 888 will help. I have been running yokohama for 18 months could wheel-spin in third, then i tried some toyo 888 and noticed that i was getting a small squeak in 2nd. Goes like hell now.


cloudy - 18/11/08 at 07:14 PM

Mad teg, which compound are you using ? CG or SG?


djtom - 18/11/08 at 08:11 PM

No, first gear is only really any use for tyre warming.....


madteg - 18/11/08 at 08:31 PM

TOYO R888 205/50/15 MEDIUM GG


nick205 - 18/11/08 at 08:54 PM

What's WOT...?


cloudy - 18/11/08 at 09:02 PM

wide open throttle


nick205 - 19/11/08 at 09:11 AM

quote:
Originally posted by cloudy
wide open throttle


Aaaahh - I understand


Dinoman - 22/5/09 at 11:43 AM

quote:
Originally posted by cloudy
This is aimed mainly at those of you with mid engine layouts - my car is geared for about 55-60mph in 1st and I can't use even 3/4 throttle without the needle immediately jumping to the redline. The alloys I'm using came with fairly cheap rubber - is anyone using decent tyres able to use full throttle with this sort of gearing?


Hi, If your rear suspensinn is too stiff then you can easly loose grip so soften your shocks and or springs, try shocks first turn them right down to full soft and you will see the difference if no difference then softer springs, but as usual it is a compromise betweeen cornering and accelerating, I hope that helps Regards DM


cheapracer - 22/5/09 at 02:52 PM

After rock hard old tyres you need to look at weight transfer or lack of it more to the point.

My net is too slow to look through all the build pics but I'm guessing the pivot points for the rear suspension Aarms both upper and lower are in a horizontal plane to the ground/car in general?

If so you have neutral squat and so you should first be looking at spring and rear shock compression dampning as suggested above, they may simply be too hard. Take a video from the side as you take off and determine what level of squat is has or lift at the front (theres a difference) if any.

I know you have videos but I cant get Youtube in China so if you put it up on Video.Google.com I would be happy to see what I can see besides the fact I simply want to see it!


zilspeed - 24/5/09 at 07:49 AM

What kind of diff are you running ?

Other than that, damper settings and tyres ?

My old Locost would spin the tyres in first and second and chirp them in third when I first got it.
I kept backing off the rear dampers until they were fully soft and also removed the 15" wheels with innappropriate tyres and fitted 13" revolutions with Yokohama A-021Rs and the wheelspin was gone.
Other than that, one of the modern torsen type diffs may provide something of an answer.

Haven't driven a mid engined BEC car yet, myself, but the old GTM did not want for traction, hooked in and went.
At Kames, first 60ft times were up with the best cars and it only had 104bhp. Everything else P.O.d and left it after that.

I think that your answer is somewhere in the three points above. Other than that , it's down to suspension gemoetry which is starting to get a little bit fundemantal.


les - 24/5/09 at 09:32 PM

christ! as above it must have some serious power

my avon has a 2ltr zetec with a few basic mods and i can floor it in 1st with no problems- providing you have the car straight. gearing is much lower than that too.

Les


andygtt - 25/5/09 at 06:49 PM

My Ultima had a 60mph 1st gear and I could get WOT even though it was over 500bhp and 500ftlb and 1080kgs with me in it and full tanks... surface did make a significant difference as to what rpm I could get WOT at tho.

I recon you need softer suspension and/or better tyres... but we are all just guessing as it will bepend on the exact spec and setup of your car... does it have an LSD, does it break loose in corners etc etc.