I'm going to get my S2000 re-alligned soon and I want them to dial in a bit more understeer. My 'problem' is that when the raod/tyres are cold (ie. Oz winter) then I find it almost impossible to get my car to understeer. What that means is that I often find out about the 'lack of grip' by my back stepping out (and I don't mean just under power).

Anyway, as I mentioned - I'd like to dial in a bit more understeer and I want to do it via allignment. What changes would you suggest in the allignment in order to give the car more understeer (or the back moe grip)?

 

Honda does that by using toe-in in the rear, but you probably don't want much more than the factory spec. Past that it will take more than alignment to change the balance.

 

a stiffer front sway bar will give you plenty.

 

I don't know what S2000 owners think of this suggestion but back in college when tuning our SAE race car if we needed more understeer "quick" you can try running the front tires a couple of psi higher than the rears.

NS2000X

 

See I want less understeer. If I want ot take an abrubt.90 degree turn, I find tht there isn't enough grip from the frot wheels.

While the manager was on vacation at the alignment shop, his fill-in was the biggest butt to me. I won't take your car out of spec, it's just not how to do business.

Maybe he didn't realize how much $ of mine they already had.

Anyway, should I just ask for a little bit more negative camber up front, or ask him to give me less understeer?

Thanks...

 

I wouldn't ask an alignment technician to do something as abstract as "make the car understeer more". Give them exact specifications so that you take their thinking and interpretation of your request out of the loop. Check out the "post your alignment" thread for some good alignment specifications.

IMHO the best way to fix the oversteer problem, especially in a stock car, is to change your driving style. Unless your alignment is way out of whack, your car handles pretty close to neutral, and it's the inputs it is receiving that are causing the under/over steer.

However, wet/cold/slick conditions call for extra-delicate inputs, especially on S02s. If such conditions are what you're driving in most often, you might want to consider a tire better suited to the task.

Good luck!

 

IMHO the best way to fix the oversteer problem, especially in a stock car, is to change your driving style. Unless your alignment is way out of whack, your car handles pretty close to neutral, and it's the inputs it is receiving that are causing the under/over steer.

I dissagree with that. In colder temperatures the S2000 has a rear-biased bahaviour (at least my one). The only thing I can change about the "driving style" is to drive slower and get on power later, which is not what I'm after because I'd say that I'm going relatively slow and it happens when I'm as smooth as humany possible (to me).

On neatral-trottle (or light throttle) the back of the car will step out when I load it up with cornering forces. This is the situation where I'd like the back to be planted and the front tyres to be understeering "if" I am running out of grip.

ps. In summer (when the road/tyres are nice and warm) then I agree that the 'stock' S2000 is very neutral and I don't have the above mentioned 'problem'.

However, wet/cold/slick conditions call for extra-delicate inputs, especially on S02s. If such conditions are what you're driving in most often, you might want to consider a tire better suited to the task.

Again, I dissagree with that. I've had the S02s on my MR2, had them on the S2000 as well on a HSV R8 and it is the best high-preformance tyre that I've experienced (even in cold/wet ... that is the "cold and wet" that we get here). I have not had a problem with any other car but the S2000 so it's not the tyres.

Also, I have different tyres now and it's still the same thing when it's cold. IMHO, it is the car and not the tyres.

 

what would you suggest?

how about an x-brace?

 

I want a frickin' billet x brace, but they are on back order.

 

What are your current alignment specifications? To "dial in more understeer" you need to have a starting point. There have been several reports of cars being sold with wacky alignments, presumably due to mishandling during shipping. That could be the issue.

If alignment and tire pressures are all in check and the car works fine in the dry, I can't help you. It's something of a philosphical matter concerning the S2000's design and its ramifications in less than ideal traction situations. I stand by my suggestion of compensating via driving style. Failing that, you could do what the hardcore guys do when it rains at the track, and disconnect the rear sway bar.

Good luck!