So .. just installed a front lower arm bar, and on corners where I would normally grip, im drifting (Rear end is loose) .. is this normal?

 

sure why not? better suspension means a higher load on tires. tires can only handle so much. try lowering the tire pressure in the rear to regain neutrality.

 

Ok I'm going to go try that. What psi should I be looking at? 28? 30? 35?
(cant find my air pressure gauge.. haha going to store)

anyways, so your thinking that before since I had understeer the front was breaking loose before the rear could, but now since I dont have understeer from the front arm bar, the rear is breaking traction first?

Thanks.

 

Ok, well all my tires were right on 32, so I Dropped the rears to 26. I will have to wait till tomorrow to test, it's to dark now.

 

How much oversteer are you getting? and what brand, and type of tire are you running? 28psi might be better.

Usualy fc's get understeer.

What suspension are you running?

 

Stock 88 gtu suspension (I think thats tII suspension) tires are Michelin Energy MXV4 Plus. I was turning through tires to much and had to get a set from costco. haha 206/60/R15

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....ergy+MXV4+Plus

They arnt TOOOO bad are they?

 

Those tires are not meant for high grip. They are a touring tire which is usually intended for comfort and not performance.

 

Not known for high grip, understandable. I just needed something quick and it was winter time. But ... they are all the same tires so technically if it was just the super crappy tires causing the issues, wouldnt I have all around bad handling instead of just bad rear?

Also... recommendations for some decently priced summer tires that wouldnt cost to much when I burn em up drifting?? Thanks.

 

I woud get an extra pair of rims for that and buy some used tires for drifting.

 

extra wheels are always good when you want to drift. i run falken azenis on my fc but i dont daily drive it much. i run it at auto x and when i want to drift i have a few sets of junk 15" wheels and just whatever tires i can get for them at the used tire shop. for a decent street tire that has pretty good grip for the dough, try the hankook or the ziex. cheap and very decent for the 60$ per tire price tag


and as for tire pressure. its all about trial and error. 26 might make you understeer and 30 make you oversteer so you split the difference and run 28. just as an example. try 26 and under means you need more and over means you need less air in the rear.

 

Cheap summer tires

Sumitomo

 

I dont like sumitomos, and Khumos for the rear because when they start to thread out they get really unpredictable.

I have a set of Uni-royals tiger paws on the back, and they've been lasting decent. with pretty good grip when i need it too.


Michelin Energy MXV4's are a pretty crappy tire. Basicly for drifting you wanna get a really really sticky tire in the front, and a hard tire in back.

I found a really good deal on some Dorals (i know.. way way off brand) and honestly they grip better than my old toyo's did. They are a really good all season tire, I run 25psi up front, and i RARELY understeer. they're directional tires, and super soft, ive had them for about 15k miles now and the wear (at 25psi) isnt bad at all, they are still at about 85%

If you wanna do grip and drift, you should prolly look into getting some vert rims for drifting, put a good hard compound on them. and then another set of really grippy tires for grip driveing.

 

Ok, so the magic is in the psi. I will have to really dial it in. Luckily I just got a good gauge that I easily set in 1/2 psi increments.

I am still confused how installing a simple lower arm bar could make such a big difference.

 

when ever u tighten up the suspension u cause there to be more of a shock load to the tires, and since u are running cheap tires mostlikly at any psi u are gonna drag the back end...

I recomend Falken Azenias they are great tires and will handle and grip nice..

remember if u are building a car to auto X, drift etc. dont skimp on the tires..

Dave

 

whatever you do to the front affects the back, whatever you do to the back affects the front.

 

Ok, so .... tightening up the suspension has made my grip worse because there is less give or play in the suspension and only because my tires suck? If I was to have good tires tightening up the suspension would give better results instead of worse?

Should I take off the lower arm bar for now?

 

yes when ever u tighten up the suspension it puts more strain on the tires when hard cornering etc. now if u have a QUALITY tire something that is meant to grip the road this will make for better sharper cornering if u have cheap tires then yes tighting up the suspension can make the ride a bit more uncontrolable.. remember your suspension is only as good as your tires...

on of the biggest problems I see with newbs in the Auto X scene is they drop thousands of dollars in suspension etc and skimp on the tires and wonder why they still suck on the track..

Dave

 

Hasnt anyone here ever heard the term tires in, and know what it means.

 

sorry thats a new one to me please explain.. if it is a drift thing thats why

 

No its just a basic car tuning thing, you work from the tires in on handling(as long as all stock components are good). Start with a good set of tires and light rims, then better brakes, then better bushings, and so on and so forth.

 

ah ok.. never heard it put that way but thats how I have always said it should be done!

 

you guys might want to watch out running those low tire pressures.... thats fine for track days or racing, but it really isnt a good idea to run anything less than about 32 on the street. makes tires heat up especially on the interstate, and can cause blowouts, as well as killing your rims if you hit a bump or something...

 

I keep my pressures at 35-40 on the road at 32-35 on the track

 

Interesting ... maybe im to low.... I will bump it up to 35.

 

increasing the pressure probably wont help with traction, its just a safety thing.

what you need to do is go get a set of either wider or stickier tires for the rear so that your traction will be more balanced f/r.


Pat