Hey guys, wondering if I could get some help with some handling issues. I've only done about 5 track days so I'm still pretty much a noob tuning wise.

My setup is
Skunk2 Pro-C coilovers (10k rates all around i think) Front set to full stiff, rear 5 clicks from full stiff (13 total)
17x9 +45 w/ 255 NT05 x4
F - 2.4, R 2.8
all other alighnemt settings are stock
stock otherwise

Im getting a fair amount of understeer mid corner and alot on corner exit. Much more so than completely stock 215/245 which confuses me. I cant get the car to rotate at all during corner exit. I'm also getting alot of lift off oversteer. Also, during initial turn-in the outside front engages VSA almost imediately (mainly on the street), way earlier than it should.

Also on the street in the rain it snap oversteers like crazy. Stock it would progressively slide out in a very controllable and enjoyable manner. Now I cant push hard at all in the rain or leave VSA on.

Dont know if i can correct this with one fix or several. I see alot of people running similar setups and i dont think i sould be having these issues. The car is not as enjoyable to drive as it was stock.

 

I would start by softening the front damping. Stock sway bars?

 

Yup, that makes sense. Also, you are a new/novice driver, correct?

A few things:

Why are you running VSA? Turn that off, that will solve the problem. I turn VSA off when I daily my car. To be honest, VSA scares me. It can cut power at very weird times. No likey.

Lift off oversteer is going to happen in this car. It's the rear suspension working properly. You have also now increased rear spring rate relative to the front compared to stock. This will increase the tendency to oversteer all things being equal. You have also increased front grip via more tire relative to the rear, more oversteer.

I agree with above, turn down the rebound on the front shocks by 5 clicks and see how you like it. After that, turn up the rebound in the back. This should help the car understeer less.

Keep in mind, you may very well/ most likely driving the car in to understeer with improper steering technique. It takes years of competitive driving (carting, autox, hpde etc.) to really refine a proper steering/throttle/braking technique. Some guys never get there. If you're just starting out, chances are you are driving the car in to understeer by using too much steering angle and not unwinding the wheel as you apply power (seems to be exactly the case.) You can also easily encourage rotation by trailbraking/left foot braking at entry. It seems like your driving could also use some work to better extract the setup on your car (which, once you get the shocks adjusted, will be oversteery.)

Good luck.

Nick

 

Listen to Nick. VSA is horrible, I turn it off even when I drive down the block to the gas station. Even my mother would make VSA engage around corners (not actually tested, but I bet it's true ).

As for your rain comments - are you driving on NT05's on the street? Obviously those will be significantly less good in the rain than a more normal tire like the stock ones, especially since they're now wider.

One other big thing is you say "stock" alignment, but this car is pretty sensitive to toe when you're at the limit. The stock range is pretty big. Maybe your toe changed when you installed the coilovers.

Finally, especially in the rain, I would try running way less damping and see what it does. Try turning it close to all the way down and see how it is in the rain. If the car's super bouncy then turn it up some but try it on the softer bouncier side. I have no experience with those coilovers but it is very possible you're running way too much shock and that will be particularly bad in the rain. It's pretty quick to test out going to the other extreme to see if that's the case. If it helps, then you can try stiffening it in steps to get to the ideal point.

Another thing I'd suggest is trying to find some experienced driver or instructor to drive your car to get more of an idea of whether the handling characteristics you're seeing are a result of driving technique or car setup. It sounds like you have opposite issues at different times which generally points to driver technique.

Good luck.

 

Thanks a lot guys. Good stuff. Looks like I need a little more time getting comfortable with this setup. Stock I could get it to do just what I wanted. Just a little frustrated at the amount of push I'm getting from a setup that is supposed to oversteer like crazy.

 

What are your ride heights at each corner? Lower rear would induce understeer

 

Pretty close to even, front may be slightly lower.