How to screw up your cars handling and ride - step by step!

[Racecomp Engineering]

Originally Posted by drewbot

Ok, winter tire peeps:

How aggressive of a spring+shock+alignment setup can you go during summer such that you don't hinder the ability to drive during winter with snow tires in decent snow?

My winter tires are nice and squishy, and it appears that overloading would be very easy.

If I regularly had to drive in crap weather all winter, I'd think about disconnecting my swaybars for the season. Just an idea.

Originally Posted by finch1750

Would you consider 255 on a 9" too wide? RCE Yellows on Konis is the specific set-up.

Nah that'll be fine.

- Andy

[was385]

Originally Posted by drewbot

Ok, winter tire peeps:

How aggressive of a spring+shock+alignment setup can you go during summer such that you don't hinder the ability to drive during winter with snow tires in decent snow?

My winter tires are nice and squishy, and it appears that overloading would be very easy.

I think your biggest issue would probably be ride-height if you're lowering the car. It's not an answer to your question exactly, but my plan is to go Bilstein B8/RCE Tarmac/HVT camber plates in the summer and then just buy an extra set of rear OEM shock mounts and run the stock setup during the winter. Not much work to swap the whole assemblies over and I'll be able to avoid getting all the salt on the better setup, while giving me maximum ride height.

[7thgear]

Originally Posted by Zero90

Yes, I plan to when I get the chance. Might have more money when I sell my current set up. Just need to raise the car a bit since it rubs on the ground on bumps.

well, not to piss in your cheerios but I see a lot of that type of talk


this last weekend we had a guy show up to autocross in a 92 Chevy Lumina (or whatever the fuck) on barely legal tires of the same year... and he had a ton of fun


if you're gonna do it, do it


because for every 1 person I know that autocrosses or tracks their car in whatever form its in, there are dozens of people with modded cars who continuously decide to "sit this one out"


so you can be riding on your 265's like a baller.. but a hardparker's gonna harpark... so you gotta be real with yourself

[drewbot]

Originally Posted by was385

I think your biggest issue would probably be ride-height if you're lowering the car. It's not an answer to your question exactly, but my plan is to go Bilstein B8/RCE Tarmac/HVT camber plates in the summer and then just buy an extra set of rear OEM shock mounts and run the stock setup during the winter. Not much work to swap the whole assemblies over and I'll be able to avoid getting all the salt on the better setup, while giving me maximum ride height.

Yeah I've been eyeing a 0.75" - 1.0" drop on B6's (eventually). The ride height difference in that regard is probably not too much different than stock.

[BRZZZZZZZZZZ]

Originally Posted by finch1750

Would you consider 255 on a 9" too wide? RCE Yellows on Konis is the specific set-up.

I hope not because I have the same setup installed (Bilsteins instead of Konis)/wheels and tires ordered so if it doesn't work...

[Racecomp Engineering]

Originally Posted by BRZZZZZZZZZZ

I hope not because I have the same setup installed (Bilsteins instead of Konis)/wheels and tires ordered so if it doesn't work...

It'll be good.

- Andy

[RFB]

Originally Posted by Racecomp Engineering

I remember the first time I drove a BRZ a little before it hit the streets and thinking....damn....Subaru/Toyota got serious.

Anyway, this is a list of things that I see owners doing to their 86's...often with good intentions and parts bought hoping to improve things, but they end up chasing more parts to get things right. All of these on their own are detrimental, but can sometimes be "worked around" to some extent. Unfortunately many cars check off multiple boxes and sometimes all of them...resulting in a car that is a big step back from the factory.

I'll skip "stanced" cars (slammed, stretched tires, massive camber)...I don't think anyone does that expecting not to sacrifice function for what they think looks good. Different strokes.

These are some of the common things I see:

1. Staggered wheels/tires

It's a good look and definitely makes your car look like it has a lot of power. Unfortunately our cars don't have a lot of power.

It's also a great way to build in some extra understeer that's difficult to tune out. Staggered wheels are common on cars with a lot of power but are not necessary MOST the time here.

This one CAN be worked around but there's just no need to complicate things.





- Andy

Excellent post ! The most common sense post on the site.

I learned the same lesson from building off road vehicles, raising the suspension caused all kinds of gremlins and needed fixes for reliability that caused other problems. A cat always chasing its tail.

I have lightweight 18 X 7.5 wheels, r-comp tires. The rears poke 5 mm more than the front.
I tuned the handling with sway bars and the car is neutral through the corners on the track.

Does being staggered by 5mm require a work around ?
What would the work around be ?





CERBERUS

[BRZZZZZZZZZZ]

Originally Posted by Racecomp Engineering

It'll be good.

- Andy

Thought so considering the amount of research and reading I have done on here haha

[was385]

Originally Posted by drewbot

Yeah I've been eyeing a 0.75" - 1.0" drop on B6's (eventually). The ride height difference in that regard is probably not too much different than stock.

All depends on how much snow you get where you live. It certainly won't be an issue most of the time but for me it's worth the hour or so twice a year to just swap. As long as you're running good snow tires and don't have crazy camber, you should be fine for most of it.

[drewbot]

Originally Posted by was385

All depends on how much snow you get where you live. It certainly won't be an issue most of the time but for me it's worth the hour or so twice a year to just swap. As long as you're running good snow tires and don't have crazy camber, you should be fine for most of it.

Yeah I'm running WS70's with close enough to OE alignment. If it snows like crazy, maybe 6"+ two to four times each winter, I work/stay at home anyway.

[wparsons]

Originally Posted by fooddude

Pic is a little irrelevant to my question. The pic mainly focuses on neg effects of slamming the car (which I never asked about; I didn't inquire about slamming dis whip yo)

No, it's 100% relevant... you're just looking at the wrong part of the picture.

Changing where the center of the contact patch is will change the roll center (might be slight, but it'll still change it), it can also increase the gap between the "Dave" point.

[fooddude]

Yes, I know and I see what you're sayin. The entire picture combines more than just that...it combines that new contact patch wheel center with the addition of slamming the car. Yes, only slight...Those neg effects shown are not merely just from the new contact patch...but mainly and mostly from the lowering. So yes..only looks slight.. like 5-10% of the pic's neg effects and change in roll center is due to that contact patch you're talking about.


.

[Zero90]

Originally Posted by 7thgear

well, not to piss in your cheerios but I see a lot of that type of talk


this last weekend we had a guy show up to autocross in a 92 Chevy Lumina (or whatever the fuck) on barely legal tires of the same year... and he had a ton of fun


if you're gonna do it, do it


because for every 1 person I know that autocrosses or tracks their car in whatever form its in, there are dozens of people with modded cars who continuously decide to "sit this one out"


so you can be riding on your 265's like a baller.. but a hardparker's gonna harpark... so you gotta be real with yourself

I completely understand what you're saying and I do plan to go that route but that is my estimated time that I plan to go boost so a plan is a plan, not 100%. I'll probably sell the tires and wheels since I don't really need them and go stock and plasti dip :/.

[Andreas83]

Great post!

Hopefully I have not screwed up my cars handling, does not feel that way at least.
17x9 rpf1 with 245 PSS tires.
KW v3 coilovers with minimum drop according to the Tuv papers. (Less then 1")
Only thing missing is a new aligment with more camber up front.
Had a aligment to stock specs done after the coilovers were installed to get the coilovers written in to the cars papers. (EU rules)