Detroit Speed's How to Build a Pro Touring Car. Tommy Lee Byrd
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Название: Detroit Speed's How to Build a Pro Touring Car
Автор: Tommy Lee Byrd
Издательство: Ingram
Жанр: Сделай Сам
isbn: 9781613252109
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This 1968 Pontiac Firebird is a prime example of a simple and practical Pro Touring build with its lowered ride height, Baer disc brakes, and wide rubber on all four corners. Firebirds and Trans Ams make for great Pro Touring cars because they’re distinct and the parts interchange with Camaro platforms making for an easy build.
Stock muscle cars are fairly decent when it comes to straight-line performance, but as soon as you throw them into the curves, this is the result. Body roll is the enemy with a Pro Touring build. To combat it you want to stiffen the suspension and help the camber stay more consistent through the suspension cycle.
Performance
A fact that most of us want to deny is that our favorite muscle cars are quite lazy when it comes to realistic performance. Yes, it might make more than 400 hp and, yes, it might run 12s in the quarter-mile, but when you line up a stock 1969 Camaro SS against a stock Mazda Miata on an autocross course, you will likely be embarrassed. The idea of a Pro Touring build is to reduce body roll, increase traction, and reduce weight (or at least shift it around to help balance the car). The further you dip into each of those three traits, the better your car performs.
The idea of a Pro Touring build is to blend the looks of a vintage muscle car with the new technologies of today’s performance cars. You can create a great-looking machine in the process. This 1969 Mustang is a great example. Its low stance and wheel combination provide a look that seems very natural for the car.
Reducing body roll helps plant all four tires evenly. Increasing traction means you can hit the corners harder and faster. Reducing weight means that your muscle car uses its horsepower more efficiently, and the weight balance greatly affects the car’s traction and handling.
Another important aspect of any Pro Touring build is the braking system. You can have thousands of dollars’ worth of suspension underneath your vehicle but if the brakes aren’t up to the task, your lap times and overall driving experience suffers. Stopping power is worth every penny, and can make a 3,400-pound Camaro feel like a high-end sports car.
Although appearance is part of the equation, performance is one of the highly acclaimed characteristics of building a Pro Touring car. Kyle Tucker wheels the Detroit Speed second-generation test car through the autocross course at LS Fest in Bowling Green, Kentucky. This car is at the top of the food chain when it comes to Pro Touring.
Appearance
Although the performance function of a Pro Touring car is generally the main focus, the end result is almost always a muscle car with an aggressive race-ready look that everyone loves. In this case, all of the aspects that make the car perform well also provide a great overall appearance. Detroit Speed perfected the balance of good looks and incredible performance, and the company continues to crank out products that help your muscle car look good and go fast.
Practicality
The balance of performance and practicality in the Pro Touring following is certainly noteworthy. It’s easy to be carried away, so if money is no object, you could put a 1969 Camaro skin on top of a NASCAR chassis and have the wildest setup on the block. But then you’re looking at the inconvenience of using racing slicks and exotic fuels, and trailering the car to each destination. Let’s face it: that becomes more work and less fun. That’s where balance comes in, and Detroit Speed nails it in every new line of products with components that combine race-inspired development with street-friendly driving characteristics. When you’re behind the wheel of a Pro Touring car, the drive should be comfortable but have the capability of handling harsh cornering, heavy braking, and wide-open acceleration without the limitations of sloppy stock components.
As with any custom build, it’s easy to get carried away and end up with a full-on race car. Ken Thompson, from Mooresville, North Carolina, built this incredible Ford Falcon using every ounce of his outstanding fabrication skills. Although impressive, let’s file this one away as overkill for the average Pro Touring enthusiast.
Even though it’s over the top in terms of the average guy’s budget and skill set, Ken Thompson’s Falcon deserves a closer look. The car features a NASCAR-style chassis and suspension, along with this awesome 278-ci Ford Indy Car engine, fit with a single turbocharger. It makes crazy horsepower and handles anything Ken can throw at it.
If you have a car that’s already running, it’s a simple weekend project to update the front suspension, thanks to products from Detroit Speed. New tubular control arms, coil-overs, spindles, and sway bars are easy installs that might prevent you from doing a complete teardown.
The joy of building a Pro Touring car is seeing the results of your modifications. Every one makes a difference in the way the car feels and performs. Every component has a job, and it’s Detroit Speed’s goal to make them strong, efficient, and reliable.
Building a Pro Touring car is not as easy as it sounds, but with the right components you can transform a sluggish muscle car into a machine that reacts quickly, does what you tell it to do, and takes you to work a few times a week if you want it to. Practical performance with classic muscle car style. Does it get any better than that?
The early days of Pro Touring were all about innovation but today’s market is much easier to get into for the average car guy. Complete suspension packages are available, and they are certainly the suggested approach; nonetheless, it’s easy to pick individual components if you’d rather take it slow with your project. Going piece by piece allows you to ease into the Pro Touring realm, without spending a big chunk of money from the get-go.
Some folks start the process with a bigger sway bar, upgraded shocks, and good brakes, but at the end of the day, most end up with the same components that are in a complete kit. You have two options: spend $1,000 at a time and slowly work your way into a car that handles well, or lay down all the cash at once and transform your lazy muscle car into a corner-carving machine in one fell swoop.
Let’s face it, any sort of custom car build is going to cost money, and it is something that swirls around your brain until the moment it is finished. Ideas flow in and out, budgets fluctuate, and distractions get in the way but you will likely be addicted to thinking, building, and buying parts for your Pro Touring car. With all of this in mind, what type of car do you want to build?
Pro Touring builds generally consist of a car from the muscle car era, meaning a midsize car built between 1964 and 1972. This isn’t always the case, as some owners like to step outside СКАЧАТЬ