I was wondering which of these cars would have the best overall handling for autocross, street, and road course.
1) 1991 Nissan 240 SX with front and rear sway and strut bars, agx shocks and 5 zigen springs. (I think it handles pretty well)
2) 1997 Integra Type R, with skunk 2 coilovers
3) 2000 Prelude SH stock
4) 1995 BMW 325Is with eibach springs


thanks in advance.

 

my vote goes to the ITR. the SH stock suspension is an incredible setup for being stock. but i think a stock ITR handles better than a stock SH, especially in autocrossing where there's all those tight turns, the ITR is more nimble than the SH. on an oval maybe the SH may come out better, but for autocross and road course, i think you need a car that you can just throw around like a go-kart.

 

typr r, LOT BETTER handling over all.

 

I don't know - without shocks that Type R is going to be somewhat underdamped on Skunk2's. I'd say the 240sx would be tops out of those 4 choices (assuming the aftermarket parts work together like they're intended).

You've got the inherent advantage of RWD & a near 50/50 weight distribution. And then with springs, adjustable shocks, & upgraded anti-roll bars, it's gonna be pretty damn tough. How much lower do the 5zigen springs take the car? How much stiffer?

 

the type-r is better than the SH stock because of the LSD. add skunk2 coilovers and its no contest.

 

i'd say that 240sx with the sway bars, struts, springs could give the itr a run for it's money.

that itr will need some more damping then stock shocks.

 

240. It's the only one with upgraded shocks.

But, you should also include what tires are on these cars. That'll make the biggest difference.

 

As for the itr vs Sh question, Sport Compact Car ( october 2000) did a comparo between those two cars as well as a gsr and a celica gts. Here is what they said regarding handling:

Lateral Grip - itr .91g, SH .90g
Slalom Speed (700ft slalom) - itr 67.6 mph, Sh 63.7 mph

The SH's biggest fall is its weight. If it weighed around 2,800lbs that car would rock so much more. itr 2,600lbs, SH 3,043lbs. Also, they reperted weight distribution as itr 62f/38r, SH 63f/37r. As for the 240sx, although Ive never driven one personally, I heard great things about them. The rear wheel drive helps alot. Plus, there is alot more power to be extracted from the 2.4l dohc, not to mention that nissan engines put up well to forced induction. Anyway, hope the input helps.

 

On the ITR vs. SH issue, remember that the ITR comes with nice tires (Potenza RE010 I think?) while the SH has Potenza RE92 allseason poo.

 

 

really? the ITR stock tires aren't Michellins like our CRAPPY Integra GS-R ones??! wtf!

 

Sad but true.

 

Im not sure which car handles the best with all those mods that you listed (which defeats the purpose of answering your question), but if they were stock, I would have to say Type R for sure. Its not just the LSD that makes it handle well; its also the super stiff/well dampened lowered suspension, more rigid body and thicker roll bars etc. that make the difference. And the tires too, summer Potenzas (RE010): very grippy, but wear out pretty fast. The only thing that the SH lude comes close to the Type R is probably cornering grip/speed. But the SH is definately not at home at the racetrack compared to the R.

 

I'd take the Type R and get rid of those sleeves

 

how much would handling be affected if the CO's were raised all the way up?

I remember buying my GC CO's and dropping the car 1.5-2.0 inches for "looks" and the car handled better when the GC's were raised all the way up. It seemed like it was better than stock probably due to the different spring rates, I believe I got the 300F and 250R GC's

 

This might be a stupid question. but what about a 4th gen prelude with Eibach springs, KYB agx's and front/rear sway bars?

 

Do you mean the car handled better with the sleeves raised than with the sleeves down 1.5"? What kind of shocks were you running? Stiffer springs would make the car handle better than stock, but only if the shocks can handle the extra work.

The reason I said ditch the sleeves is because sleeves create a lot of problems. They're universal fit, so you have play between the sleeves and shocks, the sleeve is only held by tension of the spring (GC had problems earlier with springs coming off the top mount, even before full droop, with Konis and Bilsteins) and the springs and shocks aren't mated, so shocks may not be able to handle spring rates.
Full coilovers would be a lot better, but any kind of adjustable system is going to need cornerweighting to make sure it actually helps.

 

Yes the car seemed to handle better with the CO's raised up to "stock height". I was runningstock shocks on it.

 

Then you were probably hitting the bumpstops when lowered. (Assuming stock wheels and stock height tires)
Very generally speaking, lowering the car lowers the center of gravity, which is good for handling.

 

My girl's 2002 Prelude SH. It goes wild around turns

 

Even though the Prelude has great handling, it can't compare to the ITR straight out cause of the weight difference....how much does the 240 weigh?

 

HUH?? I dont think there is such thing as a 2002 SH since the last model year for the Prelude was 2001.

And ya, like I said in my earlier post, the only aspect of handling that the SH matches or comes to matching the R is cornering grip, which is pretty impressive since the lude uses all season RE92s.


[Modified by psychodog, 12:46 AM 5/13/2002]


[Modified by psychodog, 12:48 AM 5/13/2002]

 

 

Sorry guys but I have to vote for the 240. The 240 or 180sx has better front/rear weight distribution and is also RWD. I occasionally do touge runs and I've seen a stock 240 with the KA motor take out a Type R even with its enginew mods. The type r reels in the 240 at straights but on turns the 240 just rips.

 

ITR!