thatsfetch

how many of you here drive mountain roads? like, how many specifically are making or made their cars to run mountains roads? I'm really interested in mountain roading and would like to know what kind of suspension parts/setups would be recommended for such driving? also, does anybody have any tips (besides don't do it ) that will make me a better mountain driver? I'm not necessarily talking about ***** out, tires lighting up through turns, racing, intial d ****. I will admit though that me and my friend have raced down our local spot using what Best Motoring International calls "Intial D Rules" where the lead car tries to make a gap between him and the chase car to win, but if the chase car closes the gap then he wins. Anyways...although the latter is fun, all I really want to do is make my car and better my driving abilities so I can just enjoying driving through mountain passes but with a little more "oomph"
Mod wise so far I have the bare basics; Springs, CAI, exhaust, and front strut bar.

dexter_5000

you'll want new sway bars, wheels, brake upgrades. only other suggestion would be look into some auto crossing and take an advanced driving course.

Romanova

You definatley need to take a driving course or two. That is the best way to get a solid foundation on driving. Hit your local clubs... see if any of them sponsor a driving day. A lot of those will teach you a lot of good skills and show you how to apply them in your own car with the instructor riding shotgun. Autox is also good practice. It will help you learn the limit of your car in a safe, controlled environment. Granted, you will probably hit the limit pretty quick because lets face it, these cars really were not meant to shine on the track.
As far as upgrades, I'd say you need a good set of coilovers, f/r strut bars, f/r sway bars, lower chasis brace, and some wider wheels and good tires. As far as brakes go... well, we have rear drums... no good. For the fronts, get slotted rotors. Do NOT get cross drilled. I don't care how cool they look, they will crack on you. Slotted are very user friendly. Next you will need some good aggresive pads, SS lines, and good fluid. ATE Super Blue is good... flush your brakes with that... can also use it in the clutch if you wish. Of course, an I/H/E might help, though you won't see tremendous gains. Same thing about removing excess weight from the vehicle... spare, rear seats, passenger seat, etc. The xB is pretty light to begin and can corner well enough, but good luck getting back up to speed.
Again, definatley not the most ideal mountain racing car, but there are a few ideas. It if were me, I'd do something RWD...