IRS vs. solid rear
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TECH Enthusiast
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 631
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From: Metairie, LA
IRS vs. solid rear I understand solid rears are more suited to the hard launching of drag racing, but what advantages and/or disadvantes do IRS have vs. solid rear axles in autoX racing? Does the ability to do 4 wheel alignment help w/ negative camber gain during hard cornering? How do similarly powered Cobras and Vetts compare in autox to solid rear cars? Any info is greatly appreciated, thanks!
Cobras are slow as ***** (well, not that slow, but not that fast either). The extra weight the Cobras are carrying negates any advantage the IRS may give them. Also, the Cobra IRS blows. The 03/04 Cobras are in F Stock with non-SS/WS6 f-bodies, and they don't keep up.
C4's and C5's are very competitive in auto-x, in both stock and modified classes. The C4's are very competitive in A Stock, against STi/EVo, S2000, and Boxsters. The C5 Z06 are one of the cars to have for Super Stock, against 996 911 GT3 and Elises. No one has campaigned a C6 Z06 yet.
Getting rear camber can really help with tire wear, as a solid axle car will wear the outsides of the tires. Also, all that unsprung weight of the rear axle doesn't help things.
You can go pretty fast on a solid axle, but IRS is better. There is no reason to attempt to swap IRS onto a solid axle car, as the solid axle can really be made to handle quite well.
The speed difference between Corvettes and F-bodies is not just the rear suspension. Corvettes have bigger wheels, stiffer springs, better weight distribution, more camber, etc.
C4's and C5's are very competitive in auto-x, in both stock and modified classes. The C4's are very competitive in A Stock, against STi/EVo, S2000, and Boxsters. The C5 Z06 are one of the cars to have for Super Stock, against 996 911 GT3 and Elises. No one has campaigned a C6 Z06 yet.
Getting rear camber can really help with tire wear, as a solid axle car will wear the outsides of the tires. Also, all that unsprung weight of the rear axle doesn't help things.
You can go pretty fast on a solid axle, but IRS is better. There is no reason to attempt to swap IRS onto a solid axle car, as the solid axle can really be made to handle quite well.
The speed difference between Corvettes and F-bodies is not just the rear suspension. Corvettes have bigger wheels, stiffer springs, better weight distribution, more camber, etc.
