Performance Trends

Chevy At The Sema ShowEvery year, Chevrolet makes the biggest splash possible at the Specialty Equipment Market Association's (SEMA) trade show in Las Vegas. The most recent event was no different: Chevy displayed a "Spyder" version of the Cavalier and two wild variations of the Monte Carlo.

Performance TestSupertuned Chrysler Cirrus LXAuto-show prototypes always look better than they ever could in production. Usually the ride height is lower and the wheels and tires are larger than could withstand corporate edicts for accommodating snow chains, clearing speed bumps, and withstanding bean counters. Take the Chrysler Cirrus, a car good enough to earn the Motor Trend 1995 Car of the Year award, but whose avant-garde shape and assertive details call for the aggressive stance that harks back to its show-car predecessors.

Custom Wheel Service in Anaheim, California, had that same thought when it acquired a '95 Cirrus LX. There aren't yet a lot of aftermarket products for the Cirrus (or for its near-twins the Dodge Stratus and Plymouth Breeze), but a few simple tweaks can result in an attitude transformation for the compact sedan.

This Cirrus' most dramatic change results from the swap up from the standard 15x6.0-inch wheels with 195/65R15 tires to fender-filling 17x7.5-inch Fittipaldi Exclusive rims (which Custom Wheel Service chrome plated) skinned with 225/45ZR17 Yokohama A008P tires. These tires and wheels are at the upper limit of what the Cirrus can contain; the rear outer sidewalls are mere millimeters inside the fenders. A set of German-built H&R progressive-rate coil springs lower the car 1.75 inches up front, and 1.5 inches out back-emphasizing the new look.

Mechanical changes are limited to a K&N Filtercharger air filter and the ubiquitous Borla stainless-steel exhaust system. The stock 2.5-liter/164-horse V-6 thus gains a few extra ponies, which are offset somewhat by the heavier wheels and tires and a butter-tuned four-speed automatic transmission. However, the full-blooded exhaust note is spot on for the car's new-found virile looks.

These changes pay off on the road and handling course alike. Where a standard Cirrus LXi will confidently slice through the gates of our slalom course at 62.3 mph, this one slashed its way through at 67.4 mph. On the skidpad, steady-state adhesion rose from the stock vehicle's composed 0.81g circuit all the way up to 0.93 g.

The trade-off for that improved handling prowess is higher steering effort and a harsher ride. The extra steering effort is actually welcome because it fosters a feeling of precision and reduces the stock Chrysler's slightly numb sensation. The ride change, however, isn't necessarily a comfort compromise every owner will want to make. For those who crave full-throttle onramp antics and instant apex clips, a strong schwack over a pothole is tolerable. For someone shipping a car full of brittle oldsters to the osteopath, it probably isn't. And remember, the Cirrus handles very well in stock form.