Im constantly bombarded with questions on engine mods and how to produce better power,
(NOW I ENJOY THOSE DISCUSSIONS, BUT I'M AMAZED AT THE LACK OF QUESTIONS ON BRAKES,SUSPENSIONS,ETC,) and while thats very understandable (the focus on engines and power) its only less than half the picture, a good car needs to handle well, have the minimum weight possible, get excellent traction, great steering ,have great brakes, be 100% dependable, with great cooling on many components and be built for minimum maintenance, and have a rock solid non-twist frame for the suspension to be anchored too.
Ive covered the cooling system, oil, lube system, brakes, engine mods, air filters, trans coolers, roll bars , welding,ETC. and a dozen other areas,else-ware in the forum, but here is some basics
BTW if you've got a high stall speed torque converter and a high performance engine, with a cam designed to get a lot more than stock hp, you DO NEED a decent transmission cooler and its about 90% sure you need a 3.54-4.11 rear gear ratio to maximize the engines torque curve
here is some good reading
http://phors.locost7.info/contents.htm
http://vexer.com/automotive-tools/speed-rpm-calculator
http://www.se-r.net/car_info/suspension_tuning.html
viewtopic.php?f=57&t=176&p=1237#p1237
heres access to good software
http://www.auto-ware.com/software/softwareindex.htm
(NOW I ENJOY THOSE DISCUSSIONS, BUT I'M AMAZED AT THE LACK OF QUESTIONS ON BRAKES,SUSPENSIONS,ETC,) and while thats very understandable (the focus on engines and power) its only less than half the picture, a good car needs to handle well, have the minimum weight possible, get excellent traction, great steering ,have great brakes, be 100% dependable, with great cooling on many components and be built for minimum maintenance, and have a rock solid non-twist frame for the suspension to be anchored too.
Ive covered the cooling system, oil, lube system, brakes, engine mods, air filters, trans coolers, roll bars , welding,ETC. and a dozen other areas,else-ware in the forum, but here is some basics
BTW if you've got a high stall speed torque converter and a high performance engine, with a cam designed to get a lot more than stock hp, you DO NEED a decent transmission cooler and its about 90% sure you need a 3.54-4.11 rear gear ratio to maximize the engines torque curve
here is some good reading
http://phors.locost7.info/contents.htm
http://vexer.com/automotive-tools/speed-rpm-calculator
http://www.se-r.net/car_info/suspension_tuning.html
viewtopic.php?f=57&t=176&p=1237#p1237
heres access to good software
http://www.auto-ware.com/software/softwareindex.htm