Re: Suspension questions

[trnsfrma@ix.netcom.com (Shawn C. Meze)]

At 09:48 PM 4/22/97 -0600, Mannix wrote:

>Well, let's see.  The setup you have will not inherently understeer.  There
>are better setups, I suppose, but yours is not bad by any stretch.  What
>are your alignment settings?  Tire pressures?  Tire pressure is not as
>critical, but can make a difference.  Alignment can make a big difference.
>As far as the front regaining grip when you lift, that's normal.  It sounds
>to me like the car is working OK.  A rear tie bar might help slightly, I
>only have experience with the eurosport bar, not the Nspeed triangulated
>bar (illegal in DSP, not sure how much the triangulation really helps).  A
>bigger swaybar would help, and what you can do is put the stock bar on
>upside down.  It works, you have to drill two additional holes, but it
>works well.  That would make the biggest difference in the car, IMHO.


I agree with everything here. Good info. WHa?? Put the stock bar on upside 
down?? This is quite new to me, is this a cheaper method or are you talking 
about adding the stock bar in addition to the aftermarket bar? 


>Also, look at your driving.  This is sorta classic FWD behaivoir - pretty
>much any FWD car will understeer in corners if you go in too hot.  Not a
>flame, maybe you're a great driver, but it has been my experience that a
>big part of understeer like you're talking about is due to going simply too
>fast for the setup.  My GTI will understeer if I go too fast into a corner,
>and it is set up pretty well - much stiffer in the rear, and the tires
>would not stay on the ground.  It is always faster to go in to a corner
>slower, get turned in, and accelerate out, past the apex.  As you describe,
>you're having to slow down *in* the corner, which means your exit speed
>will be slower.  If you slow down early, turn in, and then accelerate,
>you'll be accelerating where you used to be slowing down.


Well, not completely. There is a technique called, "Diamonding". Ever heard of 
it?? Its gotten to be quite the topic here recently with some of the autoxers 
here. The idea is that you drive deep into the corner, early appex it and drive 
to the outside at the middle of the turn and again, early appex the ending of a 
turn and again, swing back outside. Its hard to do, enterance speed is critical 
to the car/turn conditions. Its only good in a few track configurations. I cant 
say that I've done it with anny success, im better off sticking with the 
essentials on the course. I think those with HP can use this move.  
Dang, if ida known you were gonna step up and give all this detail, I woulda 
let this be THE response! Ahhh........ 


>OK, so that might not be what you asked, just looking to my experiences for
>insight.  I remember when my car understeered horribly, and I thought I
>could change things to make it understeer less.  I bought all sorts of
>stuff for it, much of which helped reduce understeer, but the biggest
>understeer reducing device I found was driving differently.  Slow in, fast
>out.  Get the car slow, trail brake if needed, roll the throttle on - it is
>difficult (is for me, anyhow) to find that speed where the car is at the
>limit of adhesion at the front, but still on line - just a tick faster, and
>the push comes on.  It is interesting at autocrosses when you watch newer
>drivers push around a corner and then try to regain speed, where the more
>experienced drivers will be accelerating all the way through the corner,
>allowing exit speeds to be higher, thereby increasing average speed
>greatly.  OK, hope this helps!  Do you have the stock swaybar to put on?
>Let me know your alignment settings, might be something there too.  OK,
>ttys!
>Mannix


That about covers it. Thats fer sure! Nice bit of info there Mr. Mannix. 
TTYL!




Shawn
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