Dreaded Understeer.
 

I have a mildly modified 02WRX who's power i am now happy with, but I cant believe how bad the handling is and how much understeer i get.

So, whats the best cures for understeer without replacing the whole suspension.

Mick

get the geometry setup properly and replace the front & rear ARB's for some stiffer ones.

Do you get understeer entering corners, mid-coner, on exit under power? or all the time.

All the time in the dry, cant power into a corner or understeer straight out. If i take the right line and pace on the way in then start to power out the car will understeer and i have to ease off a little. Oversteer and arse end slide only occur if i realy get the car swinging and shifting the weight or if its wet in first or second, any other time and its understeer city.

I had the geometry set up at scooby clinic, it helped only a little, on the track there was very little improvement.

Mick

What settings did they use for the geometry? You want loads of negative camber or positive static caster to dial it out.

Caster adjustment needs top-mounts to move the top of the struts. You'd need camber bolts to adjust the rear away from factory. You should get enough out of the OE front camber bolts.

Only downside with excess camber is tyre wear on cruising.

ARB's will make a BIG difference together with something like the geometry that Whiteline suggest.

Do a search on posts from "911" as he has a failsafe cure for understeer. Doesn't come very cheap, but less than a full suspension replacement.

Also, what tyres are you running?

Stefan

Just changed the rear arb and drop links to whiteline stuff on mine, superb impovement!! Will be getting springs and alignement done soon :D:D

Mick:

You will fix the understeer by some simple and very effective mods (IMHO)

Go to www.whiteline.com.au and read all about it.
Anti roll bars (IMO front and rear)
MRT top mounts, no need then for the ALK
Camber bolts at each corner
25mm lower/stiffer springs
Take the car to a REAL suspension independant specialist, ie PowerStation, Roger Clark motorsport Graham Goode, TSL etc.
Get the car spot-on.Set max caster.

Fit best tyres you can afford as the car will be so much faster you will need all the help you can get! :D

The car will be just as you dreamed/hoped it would be (and beyond)

You wont regret it.
Cost?, about £800 fitted without the tyres. Better than engine mods and Insurence friendly too.

What are you waiting for?

911.

Top mounts are a good move then, eh?? Can you really tell a difference with the front ARB replaced aswell?? Just after some info on my next move. :D

I am running on Khumo road/race tyres at the moment which im not too keen on, but it was just as bad on understeer when i had the goodyear F1's and before them the bridstone's.

Looking into the whiteline gear, think due to cost it will have to be done in stages so the ARB's and resetting of the geometry is first.

You want to get the top mounts and camber bolts before the geometry, otherwise you will be doig it twice ;)

Cambers bolts are cheap. You should be paying around £25 for a pair.

Top mounts can be expensive (well compared to ARB's).

Do you have any idea what the geometry is just now??

Mick02WRX> is it Kumho Ecsta MX you are running?

I have Kumho v70 soft compound road legal racing tyres on my car, rain or shine.

No tyre will kill the understeer. Parts that will enable the technician to dial in the geometry parameters will.

IMHO save up untill you can have the lot done, one technician, one alignment job, set-up forever.

The Top mounts will transform the car. Are easy to fit too.

Happy to post pics of the car's suspension mods on here if you wish. Been on for 3 years now, road and race so a bit tatty, but sure works!

911

go on please post some pics

is this the same route to go down on the classic wagon too ??

front and rear strut braces worthwhile ??

Here are some tatty pics, sorry for the quality, just poped the wheels off to take them!

Front end:

Top mounts
http://tinypic.com/20h92t
http://tinypic.com/20h947

Front end:
http://tinypic.com/20h98k
http://tinypic.com/20h9ab
http://tinypic.com/20h9c0
http://tinypic.com/20h9is

Rear end:
http://tinypic.com/20h9gy
http://tinypic.com/20h9n4
http://tinypic.com/20h9op
http://tinypic.com/20h9q0

Finally, this is how it looks set-up on the road/track:
http://tinypic.com/20h9vd

Hope those are of interest!
Everything is good for saloon + wagon.

911 :D

uprating the front ARB is bad advice IMO

911 : Good explanation and great photos for the less initiated.

S.M. : I too have not uprated my front ARB as I found it increased the problem. Infact, on the STi I took off the uprated roll bar and sold it along with the O.E. STi item and fitted one from a WRX.

IMO the scooby needs to lose grip from the rear to kill the understeer, it just grips to much from the back end.

stiffer rear bar will help lose sum of the rear grip, which will give you more oversteer, a front ARB only needs to be fitted in a very small minority of road car cases.

personaly i really could do with fitting the stiffer rear bar now, once this is done i wont be changing any thing else on my setup bar a few more uprated bushes here and there when the stock ones break down, i just never get around to ordering it!