Maximum helpful front camber for racing? (Page 4/5)
Additivewalnut FEB 17, 11:57 PM

quote
Originally posted by olejoedad:

What neither of us know about the O/P's setup is after what change to the car did it start pushing?

Your advice to him about more seat time in the car on the track is good, just as my advice to him on a setup to balance the car to eliminate the pushing.

Hopefully he will take both sets of advice and end up enjoying his car.




It was pushing since day 1, I think that's just how this particular fiero has decided it wants to be. Seat time is the most important thing here. It's incredibly likely that I'll learn to drive around the push with just seat time. I'm gonna put in as much camber in the front as the ball joints will allow, and I'll save up for a bigger front bar.
olejoedad FEB 18, 08:48 AM
What year and model Fiero?
Additivewalnut FEB 18, 12:33 PM

quote
Originally posted by olejoedad:

What year and model Fiero?



86 SE, non WS6
olejoedad FEB 18, 01:13 PM

quote
Originally posted by Additivewalnut:


86 SE, non WS6


My 85 GT with WS6 pushed like crazy.
My 86 SE had the heavy duty rally suspension and didn't push nearly as much. I was surprised and attributed the difference to spring rate difference between the two suspension options.
After I put the eibach 400# springs on all four corners, full poly and the Fiero store matched bars the car was very neutral and turned in and rotated like crazy - and that was with 215/60 on front and 225/60 on the rear on lace wheels and cheap tires.

Question - does it push on entry or coming out under power?

I hope this info helps you get your car figured out.
Good luck.

[This message has been edited by olejoedad (edited 02-18-2025).]

BruhMans06 FEB 18, 02:04 PM
I have a question regarding this as well. I'm planning on cutting a coil or two on all fours to lower and stiffen the car a bit. I know that cutting the springs can affect the spring rate and rebound, has anyone been able to figure out the spring rate for a cut 84' spring? because I want to set my fiero up to be balanced enough to fall into a 4 wheel drift without oversteering or understeering like crazy. I was planning on running with TFS front and rear sway bar, I just really don't want the car to oversteer too much, I would rather have understeer then oversteer as I am not a supper experienced driver yet.
olejoedad FEB 18, 02:20 PM
Think of the spring as a lever.

If you take the overall length of the bar that the spring is made from, and reduce that length by 10%, the bar would be 10% stiffer.

fieroguru had a good writeup on this some years ago, his explanation is much better than I have explained it, but that's the general idea.

[This message has been edited by olejoedad (edited 02-18-2025).]

Additivewalnut FEB 18, 09:30 PM

quote
Originally posted by olejoedad:

My 85 GT with WS6 pushed like crazy.
My 86 SE had the heavy duty rally suspension and didn't push nearly as much. I was surprised and attributed the difference to spring rate difference between the two suspension options.
After I put the eibach 400# springs on all four corners, full poly and the Fiero store matched bars the car was very neutral and turned in and rotated like crazy - and that was with 215/60 on front and 225/60 on the rear on lace wheels and cheap tires.

Question - does it push on entry or coming out under power?

I hope this info helps you get your car figured out.
Good luck.



Entry is especially bad, but I find that if I go into boost it'll push through a turn. But that's just poor driving habits I think.
fieroguru FEB 18, 09:46 PM

quote
Originally posted by BruhMans06:

I have a question regarding this as well. I'm planning on cutting a coil or two on all fours to lower and stiffen the car a bit. I know that cutting the springs can affect the spring rate and rebound, has anyone been able to figure out the spring rate for a cut 84' spring? because I want to set my fiero up to be balanced enough to fall into a 4 wheel drift without oversteering or understeering like crazy. I was planning on running with TFS front and rear sway bar, I just really don't want the car to oversteer too much, I would rather have understeer then oversteer as I am not a supper experienced driver yet.



For most fiero front springs, cutting one coil will increase the spring rate 10% to 15%. Two coils will raise it 20% to 30%. Most lowering springs are in the 50% to 200% stiffer.

There is no 4 wheel drifting a street fiero... if the rear tires break free while going around a corner, you will do a 180 and swap ends in a blink of an eye. You want to keep the rear planted at all times.

Everyone likes their car setup differently for how they like to drive.

My 88 is setup with:
  • Tires: 235/285 staggered wheels (close to matching weight balance)
  • Shocks/Struts: Konis set about 75% stiff
  • Springs:Stock 88 front springs with 3/4 coil, and 250 lb/in rear springs - I have ran up to 575/42 springs, but they unsettled the car on anything but a track, and 99% of my driving and fun are on public roads.
  • Stance: Lowered about 1" with Lateral Link Relocation brackets and top of rear stuts relocated inboard - both help with roll and rear camber gain with the lowered stance.
  • Bushings: Poly in front, rod end lateral links (minimize bushing toe changes for high power swap), rubber in the trailing link
  • Sway Bars: Addco bars front/rear which are supposed to be 53%/72% stiffer front/rear. My measurements were (44%/81%). Measured torsional rates were 243 lb/in front and 136 lb/in rear. Rodney's zero lash end links on both ends.
  • Alignment, 5 degrees caster, -0.8 static camber on all 4 corners, 0 toe in front and rear


Overall, the car drives and handles very well and is quite balanced.
La fiera FEB 18, 10:51 PM

My Kart vs Abarth 500

Abarth 500 vs Fiero

The Fiero has only 3.4 inches longer wheelbase than the Abarth. My Fiero weights 2300lbs with 1/2 tank of gas and Abarth weights 2500lbs. My iron headed long block on the fiero weights 272lbs, an all aluminum long block LS7 weights at 350lbs. A lighter car can turn much faster at higher speeds at the same grip level.

Now you install a heavier engine at the rear and the Fiero becomes a windowmaker, specially with softer suspension and inexperienced drivers. But oversized front swabars makes the Fiero a head on collision missile regardless of how much steering input you give it or how big of an engine anchor it has at the rear.


Want to set up your Fiero for your autocrossing? Learn car set up from the experts. Get it at Amazon. Chuck and I instruct at the Washington SCCA club.
Frenchrafe FEB 19, 06:03 AM

quote
Originally posted by Additivewalnut:

...my slotted ball joints only gave me about a degree of negative. Doesn't seem like enough...



Take off the upper A-arms, put them in a vice and carefully file and slot the holes for the ball joints. I managed to get -2.5° of camber.
A bit much, for some applications? I ran -1.5° for my trackdays most of the time.

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