Leedeth wrote:So you raced a Mazda MX-3 and Honda Del Sol, eh? What modifications were on them, and what were their handling quirks?
Both the Honda Del Sol and the MX-3 were racing in classes that allowed only minor engine enhancements, but significant suspension and braking upgrades. Typical safety stuff of cage, racing seat, harnesses, fire bottle, etc. Completely gutted interiors for weight savings, like any race car.
The handling quirks were similar to any front wheel drive race car. The FWD platform has a natural tendency to understeer significantly, so high rear spring rates and sway bar rates are used to compensate for this to get the car to rotate under braking and have some semblance of balance through mid-corner. FWD cars always understeer at corner exit on throttle, because the front tires are being asked to continue to turn the car while simultaneously accelerate the car. So the driver has to choose a line that minimizes steering angle after the apex, so the front tires can support more acceleration. This typically means very late apex is how these cars need to be driven.
![Image](http://garysheehan.com/images/mx31.jpg)