T/Atime

I've noticed (could be my imagination) since i installed new lower control arms and relocation brackets my car gets tail happy around corners. It's still smooth and controlled.

Is this typical of these cars when lowering. It's sitting on a pro kit with koni yellows. I'm thinking of switching to 275/40/17 vs stock 245.

Anyone upgrade from the stock gta rear sway bar. I figured these sway bars were perfect for my set up.

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iTrader: (14)

Dod you lower the control arm at the axle with the lcerb or is the arm still level. A smaller rear sway bar will reduce some of the oversteer over the big stocker

T/Atime

I lowered the control arm to about level with the idea of restoring factory specs.

The way I understand is the control arm should be level with the ground for a good balance of different driving habits. In terms of strait line acceleration the control arm should be lowered a few notches at the axel.

Your saying a smaller sway bar will reduce oversteer???

paul_huryk

Depending on the material the bushings are made of, LCA can change the handling of your car. You can put a smaller sway bar on (18/19/21mm) or (what I would do first) is play with the adjustments on the rear Konis to try to bring the handling a bit more into "neutral".

T/Atime

I have the front set to full soft which is great for booting around town and highway speeds. The rear is set to 1 being one setting above full soft. I'm assuming you would stiffen the rear an additional notch to 2. ??

This car is intended for city driving and would like it tuned for mostly comfort and stop light acceleration. If I can get this oversteer just a tad bit improved then it's a bonus. It's really not that bad. It's actually quite fun. I have 3:73 in the back so this could also play a roll.

Really all this car could be missing is 275/40/17 , then it's a mild modded beast just what I intended.

Lonnie P

You would actually loosen the rear.

It's best to start full soft & work your way up.
It doesn't take much rear rebound to start breaking the tail loose on initial turn-in with these cars.

If it feels like the rear starts sliding & then gradually recovers, it's often the rear rebound that is too tight.

The unfortunate thing is (at least on my car) that the car feels way more responsive & stable during normal driving with the rear shocks set stiffer. After experiencing a sudden snap oversteer moment at 80mph, I now live with the softer shock setting.
It's amazing how the car can feel less stable & still handle better at the same time.

For reference, mine works best with the fronts near the middle range & the rears full soft.

As for the rear control arms, (urethane bushings) can reduce the tendency for the rear to roll as they bind the rear suspension. This can help to lift the inside tire in a turn causing oversteer. Typically drag race parts don't work well for cornering. The roto-joint versions do both quite well.

T/Atime

If a smaller sway bar keeps the inside wheel on the ground more around a corner... What do I sacrifice in strait line traction? Will the car pull to the right more?

Lonnie P

It depends on your power level. Essentially limiting the rear suspension to vertical movement, will enhance straight line traction. If you look at drag race rear sway bars, you will see they are very short & stiff to keep the car from twisting in relation to the rear tires. As you add more torque, you create more potential for lifting the right rear tire off the ground. You can then adjust the rear bar to preload the suspension to add more weight on the right side tire to counteract the torque. Obviously this destroys the ability to corner as well, but you cannot have the ultimate in both at the same time.

dahuntin

T/Atime, I have almost the exact setup as you but with hiem joints in the rear and del-alum bushings in the front. I run my koni's at full soft in the front in rear while Auto-Xing and the fronts a little stiffer while street driving. My biggest difference from you is that I run a stock 19mm in the rear, it allows the car to roll a bit in the rear and really plant the outside tires. I ran the car at first with a stock 24mm bar and had a hard time keeping it from oversteering. You could also try lowering your rear tire pressure a bit to effectively lower the spring rate. This would at least give you confidence that going to a smaller bar would help.

SilverChicken

iTrader: (1)

The driving situation it sounds like you're discussing, very low speeds on city streets, a rear sway bar has almost no effect on handling. It sounds to me like you're just overwhelming the tires' ability to manage the torque you're applying which you might be able to slightly dial out with perfecting suspension geometry, spring rate and damping but more will be accomplished through tire compound improving traction. Unless, that is, you are actually hauling the mail through city streets at the limit of your car's ability to maintain adhesion to the road through turns. In that case I'd just suggest you slow down.

PS: I don't even run a rear bar anymore but I'm running 160lbs springs with Bilstein shocks. The tail end is plenty lively, enough that I'm considering dropping my rear rate.

T/Atime

I was trying to best describe the slight changes I've made to a car I've owned for 14 years and think I came across as an irresponsible driver with a disregard for people's safety. I've use this car on the street but I'd eventually like to participate in auto cross and maybe take it to the track. I don't take driver safety lightly and hope to lead as a positive example and still enjoy the car hobby.
Ps I agree larger tires would be more suitable for future modifications and track use.

SilverChicken

iTrader: (1)

Didn't mean that to come across as a lecture, I was just differentiating between 2 handling situations on the street. If you are talking about traction out of tight turns on a course I've heard of several guys not running rear bars in autox to giving the rear suspension a little more compliance allowing both the tires to stay planted. A rear bar tends to lift the inside tire as the body leans. The lack of the bar is made up through spring rate, like I've done. It makes the car ride a little rougher but it's manageable, 780/160 is what I run. I'm not a serious autox guy by any means but it makes for a very snappy and fun handling car.