Beretta 2017 Autocross Spec D-prepared

[Koots]

Awesome!

I did a tiiiiiny bit of Auto-X with my old Civic sedan. I was able to surprise a lot of cars with my 4door w/auto, but my strut braces, aftermarket sway bar and overall lack of engine power is what kept me from trying it out for real.

Once pushed into the higher classes, you can really start modifying the car though. I was just too poor to build the CRX B20z swap and turbo build like I wanted. I think I would have had a fighting chance in the speed department then. I think a well setup, turbo 2.2 would make for an awesome Auto-X engine.

[scd88ga]

I think a well setup, turbo 2.2 would make for an awesome Auto-X engine.

Auto-X is about putting the power to the ground and good handling! That's why the Quad 4 Beretta's own the show!

Turbo, auto-x, noooo...

[Amateur]

Awesome!

I did a tiiiiiny bit of Auto-X with my old Civic sedan. I was able to surprise a lot of cars with my 4door w/auto, but my strut braces, aftermarket sway bar and overall lack of engine power is what kept me from trying it out for real.

Once pushed into the higher classes, you can really start modifying the car though. I was just too poor to build the CRX B20z swap and turbo build like I wanted. I think I would have had a fighting chance in the speed department then. I think a well setup, turbo 2.2 would make for an awesome Auto-X engine.

Yeah, That's what I love about AutoX, Brute Power means nothing without control! Old gen Civics are as light as a can of tomato soup so they aren't bad, but its Achilles heel is the lackluster torque on their stock motors; not so good for coming out of the corners.

Money is definitely a huge thing, I mean i see some guys with modded E36's and Camaro's that set blistering fast times; these aren't their daily drivers either, toting them in dedicated trailers just to race!

Auto-X is about putting the power to the ground and good handling! That's why the Quad 4 Beretta's own the show!

Turbo, auto-x, noooo...

Quad 4's are good IMO if you stick to a stock class with them, if you tune them up and bump them up a class, then you're facing some stiff competition (then again, alot of it is driver skill).

My base is in the street touring FWD class which allow suspension/brake tuning but nothing more.
If i have my way and put in the lightweight flywheel, closer ratio tranny with LSD, and hopefully wilwood 4 piston brake kit. It definitely would throw me up to at least street prepared or possibly modified class (have to check).

Most cars in the modified class run some sort of forced induction. So A turbo 2.2 is not a far cry to put in. Granted I wouldn't run any more than 5 lbs of boost on the built engine to be on the safe side and there's no guarantee it would even be worth the investment as you still might not even be competitive enough to hang with the big leagues. (Beretta Base in not an ideal platform for this class of racing)

Off topic: If i had the cash and time, I've always wanted to build a beretta with a renesis rotary engine at its heart. A nice gutless low ender with crazy high revs in a simple, lightweight motor that sounds like a weedwacker when pushed. I like the sound of that!

[Amateur]

So tired of aimlessy thinking what my car would need, i decided to make a definitive list that i can check off as I go. Of course it won't be assembled overnight, but hopefully most of it for bfest next year (God himself is not going to stop me from attending that bfest...it's long overdue)

The goal is to maximize my cars drive train and chassis dynamics without relying on Horsepower. For the 4 cylinder, that means strip weight from its rotational components while balancing its braking and handling characteristics.
THE LIST

1. ENKEI RPF1 16x7


-this will upgrade my wheels from 15 to 16's without adding rotational weight....instead it takes away. my 15's are about 15-16lbs each. This is 13.7 lbs each!
-Another plus is that I can run a slimmer sidewall than possible on the 15's (load limits!) which in turn reduces sidewall roll on hard cornering. win/win
-Downside, $220 a pop.

2. Quaife QDF2I ATB Differential


-Progressive differential that isn't full locking. I want this thing in or around my car now
-Downside, 900 bucks

3. Wilwood Dynapro Cavalier brake kit


-4 piston, bigger rotors=longer torque arm. Plus lightweight.
Downside: $940

4. Fidenza lightweight flywheel


-a little over 1/2 the weight of the stock one=less rotational mass=quicker to rev up

5. Addco rear sway bar/ thicker front bar/internal rear+poly bushings/endlinks

6. More aggressive Final Drive gear from impulse/storm GSi

7. Rear strut brace

8. Neon rear disk swap (i hate drums with a passion...it's 2012 people. they run cooler, look cooler, and are faster to replace)

9. and for a better sound, a cold air intake+magnaflow exhaust

[Koots]

I finally read the entire thread LOL

I really never noticed the subtle fender flare of the Beretta vs. flat fenders of the Corsica.

I was wanting to add some flares to mine, after I do the N-body swap. Maybe add a set of .5" spacers to push the 15" Malibu wheels I have to go with it

[Amateur]

I finally read the entire thread LOL

I really never noticed the subtle fender flare of the Beretta vs. flat fenders of the Corsica.

I was wanting to add some flares to mine, after I do the N-body swap. Maybe add a set of .5" spacers to push the 15" Malibu wheels I have to go with it

Holy hand grenade batman! You must have had alot of free time lol

beretta fender flares are the cat's meowwww, you want to put some the Corsi but how do you plan to do it? On top of that, will you make the rear wheel wells have the flare too? I guess you could just put a whole beretta front end on that car and call it a day.

[Koots]

I've been toying with the idea of universal aftermarket flares and trimming those. That way I can reduce the "rice" factor of them with some sanding and body work.

I'd love to get a wide body kit as half as wide as your avatar pic! A widebody 'Retta would make for an awesome looking car.

[Amateur]

^^^^



Widebody....drool and agreed.
I wish you the best, the only think that would throw me off is the wheel well shape of the Corsi. it's not round but ovally.

[3X00-Modified]

Does Quaife actually make a diff for the trans you have?

[Amateur]

Does Quaife actually make a diff for the trans you have?

They make it for the geo storm/isuzu impulse. Those run the same Isuzu MR8 transmission that the cavalier/sunfire/beretta 2.0/2.2 has. So it should be a fit.

The reason they made that at all were because the people at isuzone.org contacted them and made a group buy of like 10-15 units IIRC for around $750 a pop a few years back.

[Koots]

I wish you the best, the only think that would throw me off is the wheel well shape of the Corsi. it's not round but ovally.

I realized that this afternoon while up at work (my Corsica is out by the bay door, waiting for me to work on it).

I guess I'm gonna have to go with the universal rubber flare, which isn't nearly as nice LOL



Or the best option, Swap to Beretta front fenders and front bumper (just looks nicer) and using some rear quarter patch panels to fit in the rear flare. It shouldn't cost any more than $200 for the panels and a bunch of labour (done by myself) and consumables (sandpaper, welding rods, filler, paint, pizza, beer).

[Amateur]

FINALLY got around to installing that big fat Addco rear sway bar. I'm AutoX'ing on Sunday and this will help me out immensely. Installation was surprisingly simple. So I took it for a test drive after installation and holy jennifer love hewitt! It's like I got punched in the face by awesomeness!

The car is wayyyy more stable and gives me much more confidence in corners now that body roll is mitigated. Of course there's a trade-off. Daily driving suffers from the increased torsional stiffness in the rear.

In all seriousness though, it's like my car is completely different than before!

[GTU89]

How much did that swaybar cost? I never really thought of getting one for the GTU since they are solid beam rear axle suspension. So it's a pretty big improvement? Mine doesn't really have any noticeable body roll I can notice, but it certainly wouldn't hurt to put on on the rear!

[Money pit Beretta]

"Solid" is kind of loose term. Those things flex very easy, it almost makes them like IRS. I think that is what GM was going for. Other than that I have no idea why they would want that much flex. It's easy to see when you have the shocks and springs off. You can jack one side up and the other will still be on the ground. Seems to me that the springs and shocks are doing extra duity. But I did come from true solid axle cars.

Hey Amateur did you get that shock tower/rear bar yet? That really helped my poor old beater. It cut the rear sway down by almost half. That was do to the fact that I have almost dead springs though. You may not "feel" anything from it, but for 85 bucks what the hell.

[Amateur]

How much did that swaybar cost? I never really thought of getting one for the GTU since they are solid beam rear axle suspension. So it's a pretty big improvement? Mine doesn't really have any noticeable body roll I can notice, but it certainly wouldn't hurt to put on on the rear!

It was around 200 bucks w/ shipping. It was a big improvement; on an on ramp today, the back end felt like it wanted to kick out if I applied enough throttle. Oversteer on a FWD car isn't the same as a rear wheel driver (alot trickier), so i definitely have to change my driving style to suit this newfound bias. Mind you, i was coming from a base beretta with NO sway bar (internal or external) in the rear period so the difference was alot greater.

here's the link of where I got mine. it would be a direct bolt on for you...i had to made modifications to fit my newer rear suspension setup.

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/ACO-446/

Hey Amateur did you get that shock tower/rear bar yet? That really helped my poor old beater. It cut the rear sway down by almost half. That was do to the fact that I have almost dead springs though. You may not "feel" anything from it, but for 85 bucks what the hell.

Hey, It's in the plan to get that good old mrz rear shock tower brace. I know when i put my front towers brace on, I felt a flatter ride when turning on the old struts. The rear should give me something to work with; I'm not expecting that much as the suspension is pretty stiff at the rear as is...but i want it. The next month or two, it'll be in the bag!