Hi!

Which body(chassi) is stiffer? when they are stock.
I heard Del sol is twisted when it coners due to the removeable top roof...
Are civic better than del sol??

Thanks guys!


Modified by airsodam at 10:24 PM 11/6/2005


Modified by airsodam at 10:27 PM 11/6/2005

 

There's a suspension forum. Use it.

 

Anyone???

 

Well, since I have a Del Sol now, a 2004 Si, and have owned a couple EG Hatches, and have driven everything from bone stock S2000s to a race bred 1987 Crx Si I can attest to this...

The Del Sol can be just as stiff, competitive and good handling as any other chassis. There is a bit more flex with the roof off, but you won't be driving hard with the roof off. With the roof on, it is almost identical feeling as any other sedan, hatch, etc... I have taken my Del Sol up to Summit Point with nothing more than stiffer spring rates and can hang in the corners with pretty much anything other than full race cars. Now if you were to put strut bars, tie bars, bigger sway bars, etc... you would have a fun to drive, very well handling car. Plus in the summer, you can cruise with the top off.

The bigger issue you should be asking is power to weight ratio. Because the Sol is a targa top vehicle, there is more stiffening under the chassis, which in turn creates more weight. Will you still be able to build a fast, fun, good handling street car? Of course, but you can't get as much weight out of the car like you could with a hatch, or a coupe. They make carbon fiber hoods, roofs, and trunks which will help, but they cost a good deal of money. The other neat thing about Sols is that all models (S, Si, Si VTEC) all came pre-wired for VTEC from the factory, which makes swapping in a better motor easy.

I opted to get a Del Sol in lieu of a hatch or coupe, because there are not that many cruising around where I live and they are different. There are a plethora of couple and hatches, some very nice and clean, some that look like the owners went on a shopping spree in Advance Auto or PepBoys.

In conclusion...the Del Sol, with a decent suspension set up, chassis reinforcement, and good tires can handle with the rest of them.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by airsodam &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Anyone??? </TD></TR></TABLE>

Chassis rigidity figures are never released by manufacturers, so any responces you'll get are antidotal at best.

But without having a solid roof, I'm pretty sure that the Sol would have more flex than a coupe; but either way, the chassis of all these cars are pretty flimsy.

I'm also pretty positive that you'll never push the car hard enough that chassis flex would be an issue, or that you'd be able to tell the difference anyway.

 

Agreed...with the top off, you can feel it a bit, but with the top on...there's no noticeable difference.

 

i belive the sol has a lower center of gravity than the others, giving it an edge. The car has a lower roof line and the targa is aluminum

 

stock vs stock, i'm sure the civic's chassis is stiffer. Even with the targa on, you can hear it shift (creaks) while cornering. There is more to handling than chassis rigidity though.

 

Um~~I see~
Thank you guys!

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by IHateJDM &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">. Even with the targa on, you can hear it shift (creaks) while cornering.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Maybe you didn't lube your rubber seals

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Jedi_Sol &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

Maybe you didn't lube your rubber seals </TD></TR></TABLE>

i have way too much polyurethane on my car at this point to ever dream of getting rid of all the creaks now.