First Mods
Bill_FL
05-10-2005, 07:04 AM
As many of you know who have been helping me out on the other thread about oil pressure, I bought my daughter a 95 Talon, ESI. She is 16 and not terribly skilled driver yet, so turbos, etc are out of the question.
To get the car mechanically driveable, I made her help me (now she's into it) change the front calipers, which were shot, brake pads all the way around, change the oil, filter, air filters, spark plugs, etc. Just the real basics.
Now we are discussing our first mods. Of course, she would like to put some 17 inch wheels on it. I would not mind that, but I would do some other suspension work to it too.
My school of thought is momentum when it comes to performance. Acceleration is good, but the less you have to slow in the corners, the more momentum you keep up. I like a slot car handling, decent ride and brakes that stop on a dime.
So, if you were me, what would your first mods be?
To get the car mechanically driveable, I made her help me (now she's into it) change the front calipers, which were shot, brake pads all the way around, change the oil, filter, air filters, spark plugs, etc. Just the real basics.
Now we are discussing our first mods. Of course, she would like to put some 17 inch wheels on it. I would not mind that, but I would do some other suspension work to it too.
My school of thought is momentum when it comes to performance. Acceleration is good, but the less you have to slow in the corners, the more momentum you keep up. I like a slot car handling, decent ride and brakes that stop on a dime.
So, if you were me, what would your first mods be?
bighauns
05-10-2005, 08:52 AM
Suspension is always a good idea, because if nothing else, it totally improves the quality of the ride of the car. Good suspension totally changes the way that a person feels about a car.
However, you can always do some other mods to get you going. Lots of people will put a new intake on, or quite often exhaust. It is kind of touch because it is an ESi and many people figure that if you are going to put money into a dsm, it should be a turbo one.
So, if I were in your shoes, I would say go with the suspension first, just to improve the quality of the ride, however, many people may tell you different. That is just my thoughts on it.
Good Luck
~alex
However, you can always do some other mods to get you going. Lots of people will put a new intake on, or quite often exhaust. It is kind of touch because it is an ESi and many people figure that if you are going to put money into a dsm, it should be a turbo one.
So, if I were in your shoes, I would say go with the suspension first, just to improve the quality of the ride, however, many people may tell you different. That is just my thoughts on it.
Good Luck
~alex
david-b
05-10-2005, 09:20 AM
Strut bars all around- front, back, and lower back. These help out alot. Get some off ebay for $70 for all 3. My 2 cents
Gsx_hooptie
05-10-2005, 11:20 AM
I have a post at the top worth a quick read. I'm also of the philosophy that it makes no sense to have a 12 second car with stock suspension and bald tires.
The ESi will probably never be a blistering rocket of speed. It's also unlikely to win your next local AutoX tournament. So long as these aren't your goals, my recommendation would be to throw on front and rear sway bars. Cheap and easy. Throw on a rear strut bar, too. Body roll will be reduced and the car will be slightly more neutral, as well as a bit more ridgid and predictable. 17" rims aren't bad, wrap them in some nice tires. If you later decide you want to go farther, think about better shocks, but see where you're at after those mods. Hope you have fun.
The ESi will probably never be a blistering rocket of speed. It's also unlikely to win your next local AutoX tournament. So long as these aren't your goals, my recommendation would be to throw on front and rear sway bars. Cheap and easy. Throw on a rear strut bar, too. Body roll will be reduced and the car will be slightly more neutral, as well as a bit more ridgid and predictable. 17" rims aren't bad, wrap them in some nice tires. If you later decide you want to go farther, think about better shocks, but see where you're at after those mods. Hope you have fun.
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