Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Zetec Performance Getting the 'tour to hook up... ideas?

OK everybody complains about how the Contour is not a drag car and never will be. Wheelhop limits the power that you can put down and you get broken halfshafts due to wheelhop. How about this idea...

Like I've said in the past... If someone can make a 10 second K car, somebody can make a 10 second 'tour. Without spending an obscene amount of money.

Jack the rear end up, shift the weight forward, get filled motor mounts, and a built MTX-75 with an LSD. It should hook up. AFIAK, broken halfshafts are mainly due to wheel hop. With the filled mounts and the weight over the front end, that should be greatly reduced if not eliminated.

I really don't browse the suspension forums... Has anyone tried jacking up the rear end of a 'tour to help it hook up? I've thought of mounting some heavy duty air cylinders between the rear subframe and the stabilizer arms. (The arms that go from the center of the subframe to the knuckles.) When the cylinders are pressurized the rear end would be jacked up 3-4 inches and be rock solid. No compression. That would keep the weight from shifting to the rear. Just look at this pic...



He has some decent sized slicks on (but not oversized) and has the rear end jacked WAAY up.

This is a very good read too.

Waddya think? Am I


BP

I'm pretty much going to be doing this with the D2 racing suspension; lower the front down as far as I can, raise the the rear up as far as the D2's go, and set the rear shocks at full hard. I already have PRT poly mount front and rear, new front control arms with welded in bracing (not sure if that really helps), and a bull-dog box from THM Inc. I'll throw on some slicks for a a track day and flog it for the CEG record books...Fastest Zetec contour(for sure) fastest contour(we'll see).

If you ever get that turbo setup working on the Zetec, you will most likely have the highest powered Contour Zetec on the forums and possibly the first turbo'ed Contour Zetec(to my knowledge.)

And if you tune it right, it might be the fastest Contour Zetec.

P.S. I say Contour Zetec cause their is/was a drag car with the zetec engine in it. No telling how much power it had.

does that mean BP and i are now in competition. im not really shooting for the highest (yet ) im shooting for about 230hp. if i get more great but like hector said 250-300 is about where you should stop for FWD. at least for a fun streetable FWD.

eventually i will find a way to go AWD in the contour. i will make good use of the mechanical engineering degree im going for.

Sorry BP, but there is a lot more to it than that.
I've seen a cougar (same as us of course) with gc's raised way up in the rear, low in the front). It helps of course, but it doesn't end wheel hop. The WHOLE suspension is the problem.

It can definitely be done, but it takes more work than you're thinking. Even with wheel hop eliminated, you still have spin. It's just not a good drag car, and unfortunately, turning it into one (spending a good bit of money but not a fortune) will hurt its handling ability.

I don't even understand what some people's obsession with trying to make it into a drag car. You can get a list of other cars and spend less money and do less work and go faster. I could spend $4k and have a nice fox body and be well into the 12s with a week worth of work and not have to redesign the whole front suspension. Take your contour to autox, track, canyon/mountain roads, or just drive it on the street. Much more useful that way and less aggravating.


I do find it weird that noone has run slicks on a contour, but considering the axles problems ($$) they have on street tires, it makes sense. But still, there are 300whp+ contours that do what they can to get traction on street tires and can't break into the 12s, that tells you something.

No. There was only one on this forum and he was wishy-washy at first, then sold it on ebay. Never a dyno run done IIRC.
The other one was just an account (again IIRC, from a legit member with what seemed like a legit story) of a car he worked on or something like that.
Seawulf has a turbo zetec cougar that put out decent numbers.

so either of us could be the first legit contour zetec with a turbo who will have proof that we have done it

The one on this forum was definitely turbo'd, but as to how well it ran or the power it put down, I never saw anything valid.
Either one of ya'll should definitely have a better setup than that guy did.