Independent Rear Suspension a Problem?

[TAG UR IT]

They are all upset because they are worried about wheel hop. Build it right, and there won't be any. Everyone is getting worked up over nothing, IMO. Oh, and they think since it's IRS, it won't be able to handle the gobs of power they want to put through it. ... uh ... weren't we just mentioning the Corvette??? and the gobs of power that get pushed through it's driveline??? DOH!!!

[Mr. Wyndham]

Originally Posted by MerF

An IRS can be made to hook just fine. It won't lift the nose off the ground more than a couple times (or once for that matter) before CV joints start to break...

I really like the idea that it will have IRS...if only they would go with a transaxle set-up (C5/C6 transmissions on the rear axle vice the flywheel) then this car would be able to handle like a monster....then again, this isn't the legacy of the Camaro, per se.

Care to elaborate on those two points...I don't quite follow.

And TAG, exactly what I thought...I don't get what their problems are...I mean people actually curse the IRS as blasphemy, I've actually read that stuff - Enthusiasts, psh........oh.:eek:>:o>

[MerF]

The IRS will likely use CV joints (at least as far as I know in most applications today). CV joints are weaker by nature than Universals, not to mention the axles themselves will be slightly skinnier than solid axles. They can't take the abuse of heavyduty launches at a dragstrip repeatedly.

But they can hold up just fine for street use, even harder driving on the street will be fine if they are built right (read: Vette-quality). My only experience with IRS personally was my MKIV Supra, and I had ~500 rwhp and only had trouble with hop when I launched poorly on street radials. But there are plenty of 1000+ rwhp Supras out there that run IRS just fine. But Supras aren't exactly 60' kings....they don't even start moving till 80-100 feet from the line.

The Corvette's transaxle set-up uses a connection (I can only remember it as being called the "torque-tube", but I'm sure that's not it's name) that is basically a drive-shaft between the flywheel (engine) and the transmission. So the transmission is actually connected to the rear end of the car instead of the motor. This makes the Vette a beautifully balanced car.

Here's a picture to sorta give you a clue what I mean:

The round part to the left is the actual "pumpkin", you can see where the axles will go into that go outwards to the wheels. As you can see, the transmission is actually integrated as part of the rear-end.

That's how the handle like they do. 49/51 weight distribution. Hope that cleared it up a bit.

Another image, if you can deipher what you're seeing, it's basically the schematic version of the image above:

[Mr. Wyndham]

I gotcha, yeah I knew that - it's nothing special, just a transmission at the back of the car, in fact - i think my 79 is set up that way...I haven't looked under it in a while, it may have changed...........


But I thought that "transaxle"was a term reserved for frontwheel drive cars. Meaning basically that the Transmission mounts sideways along the front axle. I thought I read that somewhere...

[Rock36]

This is just a gut reaction, but the more we talk about vette quality IRS, or vette quality this and that in the camaro, you start envisioning a more expensive camaro overall. There is a reason the vette costs as much as it does.

Everyone wants the Camaro to compete with the cost of a Mustang, but if we keep expecting on all this heavy duty stuff and that gets more and more difficult. I'm not sure we can have our cake and eat it too.

The Supra also had a great IRS, but Supras were also expensive. They were around $40K cars, and that was about 10 years ago.


As for IRS or a solid axle. I really don't care. In my limited experience, the only time an IRS setup really starts to shine is when you are pushing the limits of your car i.e. on an autocross track.

The average driver can't or won't push the car hard enough in a handling aspect to actually have a solid axle be a significant limitation to performance.

Taking a gentle curve on the highway at 80mph won't be any easier with IRS than a solid axle IMHO. Unless the highway has a million potholes and is in serious disrepair. I have driven both so that is what I am basing my experience on.

[AFSNightrod]

I agree. I think that if it is built right then the IRS will hold up just fine for the occaisional track day. I know I only plan on going to the track every once in awhile. Tires are too damn expensive! Plus there is a growing aftermarket for IRS as it is becoming more mainstream in the American cars like the GTO and CTS-V. If it is that serious I'm certain Moser or somebody will have a live-axle conversion for hardcore racers.

[Mr. Wyndham]

But Zeta is a mass-produced, multi-car platform. It isn't purely a Camaro chassis, which makes it less expensive right there...

[MerF]

Originally Posted by Rock36

This is just a gut reaction, but the more we talk about vette quality IRS, or vette quality this and that in the camaro, you start envisioning a more expensive camaro overall. There is a reason the vette costs as much as it does..

Oh believe me, I would be thrilled if it had Vette-quality, but I'm not expecting it...and as you put it, I'm hoping it doesn't. I don't WANT the Camaro to be too close to the Vette, because that's not what it's supposed to be all about.

In other words, I completely agree. I just like to imagine what it would be like.

[TAG UR IT]

I don't know...I think the ride quality is going to be phenomenal with this one....IRS, oh yeah....

[Mr. Wyndham]

Me too...

Thanks for moving me, too
lol

[TAG UR IT]

Originally Posted by Dragoneye

Me too...

Thanks for moving me, too
lol

Don't know what you're talking about.
Sorry...just trying to keep alike threads together. If there is a variance in the two (different type of topic/discussion regarding the same part), I let them be.

[Mr. Wyndham]

I know, psh...You think I'm stupid or something?....lol, I was only too lazy to look for a previous thread that's all...

[TAG UR IT]

Originally Posted by Dragoneye

I know, psh...You think I'm stupid or something?....lol, I was only too lazy to look for a previous thread that's all...

You what?! You #$&**$#@!!!

[Mr. Wyndham]

:eek:Whoops...probably not supposed to say that out loud, huh...aw well, cats out of the bag....