Hello

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bertvorgon
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Posts: 11996
Joined: 04 Aug 2003 20:45
Location: White Rock, B.C. Canada

Re: Hello

Post by bertvorgon »

Do not underestimate of what is really required in a 510 with that level of HP, the next weakest link will be your enemy.

Tires will be key to use all of your power down low and with high torque levels keeping traction will be hard. While that maybe fun in some ways, having a good balance of power to traction is what makes a 510 fun and as OK says, there are a lot of other things that NEED to be upgraded...brakes for one.

We have a range of honest 200+ RWHP cars here in Vancouver and they are very, very fast cars! I have 250+ RWHP in mine and it needs to be driven very carefully when on the throttle in corners. Do not discount the power to weight in our light cars, as they are really nimble by today's standards.

Do your suspension and brakes first and then be realistic about power levels.
"Racing makes heroin addiction look like a vague wish for something salty" - Peter Egan

Keith Law
1973 2 Door Slalom/hill climb/road race / canyon carver /Giant Killer 510
1971 Vintage 13' BOLER trailer
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funwithmonkeys
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Joined: 05 Sep 2013 09:34
Location: Vancouver, BC

Re: Hello

Post by funwithmonkeys »

300whp would be a handful in a 510. I have a hair under 180whp and my car gets up to "your going to jail" speeds very fast. I have R compound 205 wide tires and they JUST cope with the power. As Keith pointed out brakes are a big one to do before you start upping the power. It is just our opinions here but get your suspension set up and the brakes upgraded before you start cranking up the power. My car was surprisingly quick with the stockish L16 in front of the 4.44 gears. I have to be paying attention when I open the tap on her now. It's hard to imagine what 1/3 more power would feel like. Keith's car is "I'm wearing my brown pants for this" quick with 250
If no one from the future comes back to stop you from doing it then how bad of a decision can it really be?
scheerluck
Posts: 9
Joined: 05 Sep 2016 08:27
Location: Maryland - Baltimore/DC/Annapolis

Re: Hello

Post by scheerluck »

Those are all great points to consider. I'm not set on any real power goals yet.

I've had an mr2 turbo not long ago. It wasn't at 300whp, but was fairly light and way fun. Power isn't my main goal, but I do want enough. I also want to keep a reasonable weight distribution.

As for suspension and brakes. I totally agree. I've picked up some ZX struts and brakes for the front. I haven't put them on because I'll need wheels and tires when I do. I'm still trying to figure out what I kind of wheels I want/can afford/etc. :) And I'm sort of scared of doing that b/c I'll need to put new bearings in, and all that jazz.

I'm also still trying to figure out the rear suspension. How to effectively drop it AND get a good spring rate. It sounds like some folks have put some new KYBs on the rear, bought a larger spring and cut in half.

I've read that you don't need to put disks on the rear, that the drums do ok. I'm not sure my take on this yet.

So many things to do, not much time :)

Thanks for all of your insight.
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