mid-engine sunfire?

[Frank Lee]

I would ONLY consider it for a DD type vehicle if lack of traction and/or severe understeer were insurmountable problems with FWD.

[IsaacCarlson]

I am considering it because the rear end is way too light. My brother and I picked it up to swing it into place in the shed. The rear end will be, comparatively, even lighter with the new motor/tranny in there. I was thinking a mid engine design would fix the problem of the rear end wanting to fly out/ come round all the time. It was horrible in the winter because there was no traction back there. We almost sailed off a cliff one time because of that light rear end. I can't seem to find any negatives to doing the conversion except for possibly losing the back seat, which isn't even that big of a deal. I would feel a lot safer with a mid engine and I would not worry about my wife driving in the winter time.

[Frank Lee]

That much oversteer is odd... isn't it?

[IsaacCarlson]

It scared us pretty bad the first time it happened. It was winter and we were going around a corner at a reasonable and prudent speed and the back end came right around on us. It took a few wags of the tail to get it corrected and when we came to a stop, we were looking down a 30 foot cliff, 4 feet from the edge. It was not too bad in the summer, but winter was terrible. It put me in the ditch twice. Don't even think of swerving in it, because the back end will surely jump in front. It is a 2 door coupe. No sway bar on the front, yet.

I had forgotten about the tail swing until last week. Then I remembered the thread about the mystery car and I decided it might be a good idea to try a mid engine design. It would make everything easier to work on, instead of trying to get fingers down in the engine bay.

[Frank Lee]

I think that's atypical. Perhaps your car has a suspension flaw.

[Occasionally6]

Originally Posted by IsaacCarlson

It is a 2 door coupe. No sway bar on the front, yet.

Given the amount of work required to move the driveline, trying an anti-roll bar on the front, maybe trying a few different sizes if they're readily available, would be much easier if the only issue is handling balance.

What is the rear suspension design? H-beam? If so, that will have an anti-roll bar inside the cross bar of the 'H'. You might find a thinner/softer replacement for that.

It's a J-car isn't it? There's got to be a heap of models that use very similar chassis. Worth a wander around the junkyard?

[Frank Lee]

Good catch- no front sway bar on a fwd is bad juju. WTH?

Plus if the front end is heavier with the big engine, a/c delete and battery relocate to the trunk may be all the weight xfer measures needed to settle 'er down.

[niky]

Moving the engine midship isn't the greatest way to cure snap oversteer. It will just add some nasty understeer before the weight-related oversteer occurs.

If you're getting snap, that's all down to the suspension and tires. A stiffer front bar or a softer rear bar... change the alignment... change the tires...

If you really want to do the mid-engined thing, you'll still have to fix the suspension, anyway, because you're opening up a whole can of worms. Guys who've done this project have had issues on track. The mid-engined Integra that entered the SCC Ultimate Street Car competition suffered from poor braking (incorrect bias) and lateral grip (needed suspension tuning). There was a feature in Auto Italia a few years ago of another mid-engined build, full tube-frame, engine moved rearward... similar issues with balance... massive understeer on corner entry.

Mid- would be fun to do, but if you're doing it to cure a handling issue... no.

[Sven7]

I just want to know why you thought it would be prudent to make a mid-engine Sunfire. If you want to move the engine, there are tons of better cars to do this with. If you want better handling, why not rebuild the suspension? You could surely make a Z24 coilover kit fit, along with new poly pushings all around. It would sure be cheaper than moving the engine.

[Sporty Modder]

I had a car that would do that, it actually felt worse than it was. I got to the point where I knew how to induce it. Lift suddenly while cornering quickly, weight transfers to the front and around comes the rear. I had a buddy film it for me once, what felt like a huge drift was hard to even see on film. My suggestion is to find a nice open area and practice inducing the rear to slide and practice the recovery. Ff cars are great for therecovery end, you just give it more gas and she will straighten her self out. Oh yeah 1997 Nissan Maxima, 3.0 V6 w a 5spd mt.
You can soften the onset of the oversteer with a tire pressure adjustment, bump up the psi a couple lbs in the rear and ,Iirc will reduce oversteer.