Erdin

Hi i want to improve the handling of my FD i was thinking of going with the Tein Flex coilovers, would this be the right step to take or should i just buy front and rear swaybars, shorks or springs. i want to have perfact handling at high speeds 100mph+and also be able to tack shap bends. i use the car for a bit of every thing, Track, Drag and street so what do you think i know i have oversteer but how would i wipe this out and improve the overal handling. i know if i stiffen up the rear that would increas the oversteer so what shuld i do go softer then standard im shur this is the problem that alot of us have with are FD so is there any one thats got it right what set up are you useing.

artowar

iTrader: (1)

I'd suggest improving your driving skills first. Otherwise, you won't be able to properly evaluate changes to the suspension.

Cheers!

disconnect the rear anti sway bar... that will stop oversteering

rynberg

The stock car doesn't really oversteer IMO, it's pretty neutral (well, the 93s are a little more tail-happy than the 94-95s because of the larger rear anti-roll bar).

You need to get some auto-x time in. Go to a HPDE (high performance driving event) at a real track with instructors. Learn how to handle the car.

My guess is you are getting on the throttle too abruptly/early in the corner.

Also, getting stiffer springs/shocks is not going to help, as making the car stiffer also increases the ability to spin the car. If anything, you could install just a larger front anti-roll bar to balance the car towards understeer a bit. But get some track driving in first -- with an instructor or experienced driver.

SleepR1

BLKTOPTRVL

Wider tires on the rear.

Erdin

How can you tell me to improve my driving you havent seen me drive thats like me saying to you, you cant drive at all when i havent even seen you drive, and further more i'm a trainee driving instructor. The question was what would be the best way to stop oversteer not how do you improve driving.

Mark'sMazda

Is your car stock power wise?

are you talking about power on oversteer, trailing throtle oversteer, or steady state oversteer?

What kind of tires are you running? better tires are much more forgiving at teh limit of traction.

SleepR1

Erdin,

I'm also a drivers ed instructor. As instructors, we know what adjustments to make to suit our driving styles.

I'm surprised you don't know the answers yourself, especially being from the UK, where road racing is akin to oval racing is here in the USA?

rynberg

As SleepR1 pointed out, if you were an experienced driver/instructor, you wouldn't have to ask us this question.

Wait, does trainee instructor mean that you teach "driver's ed" or track driving?......

artowar

iTrader: (1)

For purposes of this discussion, let’s say that “driving” consists of driving talent and driving skills. Talent includes the ability to sense and react to the environment and what the car is doing. Skills include, among other things, the ability to identify and communicate what is going on with the car in a given situation, and to evaluate the effect of changes to the car.

You may have fantastic talent-- that’s not what I was getting at. But everyone, including you and me, can improve driving skills. The non-specific nature of your post suggests that you have not developed the skills (“… i have oversteer…im shur this is the problem that a lot of us have…”) to identify what, if anything, is wrong with what you have, or to know what you really want (“…i want to have perfact handling…and also be able to tack shap bends.”). Remember that if you are going to be a driving instructor, you need to be able to communicate what the car is doing, even if you don’t necessary know why it’s happening.

Quote:

The question was what would be the best way to stop oversteer not how do you improve driving.

Frankly, I had a tough time extracting a real question from your post. You did not tell us how the car is currently set up (e.g., tires, suspension, etc.), or under what conditions oversteer occurs. Nor did you give us a clear picture of what you want the car to do best (“i use the car for a bit of every thing, Track, Drag and street…”).

Based on the lack of information and the way that you presented the question, I concluded that you probably didn’t know enough to tell us that information. I also suspected that you didn’t really know whether you have an oversteering problem to fix. Hence I suggested that you improve your skills instead of trying to improve the car. That would give you a foundation to know better what is wrong, what you want, and how to go about getting it. It would also save you a lot of time and money.

Erdin

Ok guys, what i would like to no is what is the best option in terms of modifying the standard suspension. Engine wise it is modifyed with single TO4 and all the rest of the engin mods. I dont have a problem controlling the car nor am i saying that my driving is perfact but what i would like to do is improve the overall factory set up and regarding my driving instruction im a trainee not qualified, im simpley asking what is the best way of improve the overall hendeling of the car aside from changing the tires. The problem im having is lift off oversteer and apart from useing my driving skills what would be recommeneded and yes i do not know alot regarding the technical side of suspension set up thats way i came heare for help.

Erdin

And 'Artowar' i think i did make it obvious by saying i use the the car for a bit of everything, track, drag and street that i whant a car that could have resonable hadeling on a wide rage of conditions and not have a car that is purely for track or drag also if you read my post i said in one part, should i go softer then stenderd, shurly this would imply i have a stenderd set up, and regarding knowing what was needed to fix i did suggest that by stiffening up the rear that the oversteer would increase so hear i was also asking for opiones and
recommendations. i appreciate that i could have been more precise but at the time i thought that would give a good indication to what i wanted to know.

7racer

Erdin,

I think you have gotten very good and patient advice in this thread. The difficulty is that your question depends on your driving skill and the trade offs that you are willing to take. Like you know a set up to take corners fast is not as good as a drag setup.

But if your primary concern is the oversteer in the stock setup, you could go with a staggered tire set up with smaller in front and/or a softer rear swaybar

The only problem is that you will have a more difficult time rotating the rear around when you are autocrossing.

The car in its stock setup is more car than my current abilities. I had the chance to run shotgun in DamonB's car on a couple autocrosses...he runs the stock class with the stock suspension and racing slicks....he easily controls the car and rotates the car around corners...beating my best time by MANY seconds!

I have upgraded to JIC coilovers and still can't keep up with him due mostly from my lack of driving talent. I would get into trouble with oversteer, braking understeer, braking oversteer...you name it! Instead of making additions to the car to fix a problem not inherent in our cars...and realizing that someone who could drive could really make the car shine in its stock form...I realized that it isn't the car but the driver. Erdin, I would get more seat time and driving experience..

but, if you are strictly looking to fix oversteer, you can go staggered and soften the rear sway....that will probably be the cheapest...

Erdin

well maybe i should stay with stock set up, im gona look around a bit more and see what otheres are useing.
But thanks everyone anyway cus you have given me some ideas

artowar

iTrader: (1)

Hmmm, well assuming that you don't mean a drastic difference like an old 911 (lift & spin), but the car just rotates more than you want when you lift, I think that the easiest (and cheapest) thing to try would be to adjust tire pressures to give the rear tires more grip.

Erdin

Thanks Artowar il give it a go.

apex_sideway

Take your foot off full throtle during turns?

apexhittinbull

iTrader: (21)

so many things you can do, i'm sure you know already, try alignment with little bit more toe in at the back, or any suspension mods that goes little softer at the back, or get good LSD, whatevery your money, your driving style, suits you.

SleepR1

Don't lift off of the throttle through the turn unless the nose pushes wide. Stay in the gas. If the rear suspension is working properly, the rear will plant nicely. Of course with all your power, you'll need to feather the throttle a bit. I agree with 7racer. This is not a suspension problem. This is a driver problem.

Erdin

Ok guys il try it all out.

maxcooper

A stiffer front sway bar will help.

As a cheap test, you can disable the rear sway bar by disconnecting one end link and replacing it with a regular bolt.

Understeer sucks, though, so be sure not to change the balance too far in the other direction. I like the following (paraphrased) explanation of understeer and oversteer:

Oversteer -- scares your passengers
Understeer -- scares the driver

-Max

Erdin

Oversteer -- scares your passengers
Understeer -- scares the driver

LOL tell me about it.

DamonB

Understeer: You see what you are going to crash into.

Oversteer: You don't see what you are going to crash into

POM HB

Love this post!!!

Both educational and fun.