Hi guys. First thread started by me on this forum. I'm thinking of getting either a VL or a VN. Do VL's handle better than VN's? I may eventually use this car for drifting as well. Any feedback would be appreciated
VL's had one of the worst chassis GM had ever produced....so probably never going to handle well. On the other hand the VN was a lot bigger and more boatish so that will also not handle too well. For drifting though I would probably go the VN as they are alot more solid.....just my opinion though. You would need either a Super/Turbo 6 or V8 to be able to get the wheels spinning enough for a drift car though, the NA 6's can barely light up the wheels on a good day. As much as I hate ricers you are probably better off getting an import for sideways work, the commodore's just aren't setup for that sort of driving (unless your prepared to spend thousands on engineering) The commodore is a great all round car, and with some decent suspension can be a good all round track/skid car (I used to own a VS track car) but when it comes down to it, they aren't going to be able to come close to a cheap ricemobile on the drift track.
actually the VL probably had a more rigid chassis than the VN VN-VZ, GMH in it's utter stupidity decided to sikaflex the firewall to the floor pan..... Was a cost cutting measure as it made for easier assembly at the factory but resulted in a chassis with a great deal of flex. I remember when the VN Grp A came out, Wheels or Motor ? magazine commented on the impressive driveline and brakes that were let down by a flimsy bodyshell. They mentioned the previous VL Walkinshaw Grp A had considerably less flex. The tester said if he put his fingers between the window frame and the roof, they would get squashed when cornering. The VL shares a very similar floor pan to the VN, however just like VB-VK, the firewall is welded to the floor pan which gives the chassis far more rigidity. Thankfully GMH came to it's senses with the VE, once again welding the firewall to the floor pan. The VL is a smaller, lighter car which I'd imagine suits drifting better. Either way if chassis flex is your concern, a decent roll cage will address some of the flex issues.
I would buy a VL if you want to go drifting with it later on. You could bolt an RB 25 head on it and turbo it if you need more power for drifting.
Yeah twin cam head conversions are pretty decent with a tursbr0. Also I thought the VN had more flex as well
