Quote:
Originally Posted by LineNoise
Draco, any comment on how they alter the handling?
Looking at possibly going with this exact combo on my 86. Happy to up the overall grip but I really don't want to tinker with the stock handling feel and balance too much if you know what I mean.
Notice any change to the character of the car's handling?
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It's a huge improvement with very little change in the character of the car at 8/10 and below.
However, when really pushed, things change. Not necessarily in a bad way though. WHat happens is you become aware of how tires and suspension need to compliment each other.
With the stock setup from the factory the car is fantastic and the tires are grippy enough for fun cornering. As you approach 9/10ths and greater performance, the stock tires begin to break away in an easy and predictable manner. The amount of lateral load they can generate is only so much, so the alignment and suspension is set up to compliment that.
Now put on some much stickier tires. Suddenly the lateral forces the tires can generate get much higher. At 8/10s and below, the tricks you can go to get a little wiggle out of the car still work and the car is essentially unchanged except for higher cornering speeds. At 9/10ths the greater grip lets you transfer more weight. This, in turn, causes more body roll. More body roll means the 0 camber up front goes WAY positive and you loose front grip.
With the new tires I could drive the car like stock with plenty of on-throttle oversteer and wonderfully neutral handling as long as I kept the car below the point where the front tires began to scrub. Breakaway at the rear is still easy to catch, but the "plateau" where oversteer begins is noticeably narrower which is expected from grippier tires.
But, understeer is like a light switch. Once the front lets go, the car continues to understeer and punching the throttle does not shift the car to oversteer. Instead you just continue to push wider. So the trick is to stay just within the front tire's grip. Otherwise you have to back off the throttle, shift weight to the front with a tap of the brakes if lifting isn't enough and unwind the steering wheel a bit to get front grip back. But once you get it back, you can literally yank the car back on line.
Now, this isn't the end of the world. A good alignment and a little more roll stiffness (through stiffer springs or larger sway bars) should let this car explore 10/10ths and keep the balance we love so much. I have the RCE Suspension Starter Kit going on this week. That should take care of what I'm experiencing and unlock the upper 10ths. This car with good tires has amazing levels of grip. I can't wait to see what happens with a good alignment.