Real Fiero Tech

So while stumbling around youtube while looking at random nonsense to pass the time while I work out, I ran into this. Thanks youtube algos

He cut holes through the wheel well, welded in mounts for some bell cranks and mounted QA1 coil overs up front!

https://youtu.be/rqmWpJA2nGM


It's crazy! I love this thing.

On its own, this mod doesn't appear to solve any problems... actually the bellcranks and coilovers take up space that didn't need to be occupied before.

I'm wondering if this is a supporting mod, to free up space around the A-arms in preparation of something else.

Looks like he cut more than holes into the wheel houses!

I guess this is a "Because Racecar" mod in this case...

Open wheel cars use pushrod operated coilovers for aerodynamic benefit, so they get the spring out of the airstream to clean the car up aerodynamically. Pushrod operated coilovers can also provide packaging benefits for fitting wider wheels and tires into available space.
I don't see either one being the case on the front end of a Fiero.

A secondary benefit for "HUGE AERO (TM)" cars is that the motion ratio can be less than 1... that is the shaft speed on the damper is higher than the jounce/rebound speed of the wheel. This makes it easier to build a damper to meet the ENORMOUS damping force requirements of cars that can drive on the ceiling.

I'm not going to make an argument for this being practical. I just think it's f'n awesome.

One could say:

• It opens up a much wider list of vendors for spring/damper selection

• It allows for much easier tuning and adjustment of the damper

• It allows for a much wider range of spring rates and easier changes of them

• I don't think that bell crank is aggressive but it could have been

• It should lower unsprung weight although I'm not sure if it did here

With a normal progressive rate spring, one disadvantage (is it really?) is that the Q factor will vary with travel, because the spring rate changes with travel, while the damper remains constant.

One can use a bellcrank to set up a progressive rate effect. Doing things this way, the damping effect and spring effect are scaled together.

eHoward wrote: ↑Mon Jan 31, 2022 6:33 pm It should lower unsprung weight although I'm not sure if it did here

Do note that anything that moves with the wheel counts as ""unsprung".

Even though they appear on the body, the pushrod, bellcrank, and the moving half of the coilover shock move with the wheel.

I think it would make adjustable upper control arms easier. not sure the juice would be worth the squeeze though.