|
Brakes & Suspension Forum sponsored by The Tire Rack |
|
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
04-03-2013, 02:05 AM | #1 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 253442
Join Date: Jul 2010
|
Car plows like a FWD car
So I was going around on circle on ramp getting onto the freeway. Going at a moderately fast pace and realized some a hole was on the inner land hovering right next to me ( it merges at the bottom ). So I decided to enjoy my awd monster ( so I thought ). I was in third coming onto the on ramp and kept it there pickin up speed as I was going around. By the time I decided to hop on it towards the last bit of the circle I was right in the sweat spot of my vf39 power band. So I got on it pretty good and as the car started to pull I noticed my my apex or my line I was trying to keep started to drift away from me. As I got going faster I turned the wheel further around to try and keep it in the lane and not drift towards the outside, but the car almost felt like my Jetta I had light years ago. It started to almost plow straight forward and I increased the power , instead of feeling like a neutral AWD slight loss of traction and equal distribution of it?
For example. My buddy used to have a straight 5 k20 turbo'd audio cs2000 and when I would rip it around a turn, the nose of the car would stay pointed in the direction we where heading but the car would just push a little further wider. I guess it was just way more natural feeling. Felt way more in control of the car than with this currently instance with my wrx. I hope that rambling made sense. Kinda hard using the IPhone. My suspension mods are. ALK Kit Roll center kit 22 non adjustable front sway bar on stock endlinks 22 rear sway bar adjustable with white line endlinks BC BR coil overs dampened to 16F 14R Stock OEM 17x7 wheels on 215/45/17 Togo proxe 4's The rear sway bar is also on the hardest setting. Kinda looking for insight on how I can maybe tweak the suspension to get a more neutral/natural feeling when pushing the tires beyond their traction points around corners.
* Registered users of the site do not see these ads.
|
04-03-2013, 02:19 AM | #2 |
Scooby Guru
Member#: 22825
Join Date: Aug 2002
Chapter/Region:
NWIC
Location: Seattle, WA
|
alignment and tire pressures help just as much as the hard parts installed.
|
04-03-2013, 02:23 AM | #3 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 254851
Join Date: Aug 2010
Chapter/Region:
BAIC
Location: Nor-Cal Bay Area
Vehicle:2002 WRX wagon 5mt PSM |
What are your alignment numbers? This is very important.
Also how is the car set up? Ride hight, etc.? Not a fan of BC at all, but they are probably not the problem. |
04-03-2013, 02:51 AM | #4 | |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 253442
Join Date: Jul 2010
|
Quote:
Fronts are 16 Rears are 14 Right height is 1 finger gap in the rear 1.5/almost 2 in the front. Low, but not by any means slammed. Which, with the RCA Kit, keeps the geometry of the suspension closer to spec when lowered. Tire pressure is I want to say 40psi? All around. Alignment wise I'm not totally sure, within OEM spec, I had les Schwab do it, so it's not exactly a "performance" alignment. Do u suggest taking it to someone that does "performance" alignments. Front sway bar isn't adjustable so it's set the only way it can be. Rear sway bar is adjustable and is set on full stiff. Farthest hole from the end. I can look around and see if I still have the paper work from les Schwab to get the exact numbers. Let me know if I can provide any more information. |
|
04-03-2013, 02:52 AM | #5 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 253442
Join Date: Jul 2010
|
Tires also have a good amount of meat left on them.
|
04-03-2013, 03:06 AM | #6 |
*** Banned ***
Member#: 16200
Join Date: Mar 2002
Vehicle:OK buy Nates beans westcoastroasting.com |
first of all the tires are total garbage
next is the alignment.....id BET that it is garbage....total garbage and a 17x7 with a 215/45 is WAY not anything performance oriented |
04-03-2013, 04:31 AM | #7 | |
Scooby Guru
Member#: 22825
Join Date: Aug 2002
Chapter/Region:
NWIC
Location: Seattle, WA
|
Quote:
Hint: The longer one. Same goes for your sway bar. Mounted at the end, is the softest. Closer to the center line should be harder to bend. Your alignment is crap, your tires not great, and tire pressure not even tweaked a bit. Oh and you don't measure ride height by finger gap. You measure fender lip to center of wheel. Who's to say you don't have girly hands, or you are a heffer? |
|
04-03-2013, 07:17 AM | #8 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 271525
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: BagEnd
Vehicle:7/2 STi/WRX wagon SWP/AW |
Because of their heavy weight forward bias and relatively poor dynamic camber curve, Imprezas act like Front wheel drive cars, particularly under power. Given your current mods, softening the front damper settings will help some as will lowering the tire pressures. You might try something like 36psi front and rear. As stated, Imprezas really benefit from a performance alignment and I'd go for something in the range of -2 camber up front (more is better but will also accelerate tire wear) and -1 in back. 225/45/17 tires would improve your situation in a summer spec. Also, what are your spring rates?
|
04-03-2013, 08:55 AM | #9 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 254851
Join Date: Aug 2010
Chapter/Region:
BAIC
Location: Nor-Cal Bay Area
Vehicle:2002 WRX wagon 5mt PSM |
OP, as was stated above, the tires are a limiting factor.
The main thing is without a good performance oriented alignment, you are leaving your suspension "unfinished". Les Schwab (like Sears, Firestone, etc.) is almost always not a good place for a good alignment. In general, you would probably like your front camber at -2.0° even, with your rears at the stockish -1.5°. Then set toe to zero all around. I'm not sure if you can get that much negative camber with the components you have and if you can't, they should max out the front as much as they can go even from side to side. If you are not familiar with these numbers, it's time to do research. Get a good alignment. |
04-03-2013, 09:56 AM | #10 |
Scooby Guru
Member#: 306478
Join Date: Jan 2012
Chapter/Region:
South East
Location: chattanooga, TN
Vehicle:2016 Focus RS stock |
I am on my mobile device so I can't see your car in your profile but our cars lend themselves to understeer. You can't just keep turning through a curve and smash the gas pedal and expect oversteer. Be glad you understeered at almost highway speeds and not oversteered bc would you have been able to countersteer it through the rest of the curve? Not try to say you are a bad driver bc you could be like Rhys Millen I don't know.
I would try to find a big parking lot and mess around in after you get the alignment and everything sorted out. Autox would be a good idea too just to mess around and practice. |
04-03-2013, 10:05 AM | #11 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 213130
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Alberta, Canada
|
get good tires
|
04-03-2013, 11:30 AM | #12 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 253442
Join Date: Jul 2010
|
Thanks everyone for your input and help.
I will max my front camber plates, lower my tire pressure, and look on my local forum for a place or someone that can do a good alignment. I will measure my ride height in a few, good point about the finger thing lol. Also, should I re adjust my rear sway bar? And what does everyone suggest I put the dampening on my coil overs at? For some reason I always put the front a little stiffer than the rear. Guess its time for a new wheel and tire set up. Been eyeing some 17x9 rota dpt's +42. 245/40/17 should fit well with a slight roll. |
04-03-2013, 11:36 AM | #13 | |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 253442
Join Date: Jul 2010
|
Quote:
I do plan on going to thunder hill for a couple fun training course though. Most likely after my motor refresh, and when I'm in a comfortable spot to replace my glass box transmission that is on borrowed time already. |
|
04-03-2013, 11:38 AM | #14 | |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 253442
Join Date: Jul 2010
|
Quote:
Front is 12k Rear is 10k I know it's stiff... If I could do it again I would. |
|
04-03-2013, 12:04 PM | #15 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 271525
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: BagEnd
Vehicle:7/2 STi/WRX wagon SWP/AW |
Ugh. You may not be able to soften the damping very much due to those high spring rates. You could always swap to some 7K/5K Swift springs and improve the situation a great deal. Not real expensive if you can do the swap yourself.
|
04-03-2013, 12:11 PM | #16 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 20952
Join Date: Jul 2002
Chapter/Region:
MAIC
Location: Baltimore, MD
Vehicle:BRZ & Datsun White & White |
Way too stiff for those tires.
|
04-03-2013, 12:35 PM | #17 | |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 253442
Join Date: Jul 2010
|
Quote:
Would u keep the higher spring rate up front, equal, or reversed. I just maxed the camber plates. Will adjust tire pressure on my way to work. Ride height is Front 13.75" Rear 13.5" |
|
04-03-2013, 12:51 PM | #18 | |
*** Banned ***
Member#: 16200
Join Date: Mar 2002
Vehicle:OK buy Nates beans westcoastroasting.com |
Quote:
i can not imagine driving 12/10 on the street....and with those crappy tires, they are masking the full harshness of the suspension...you put good tires on and it will be and didnt anybody warn you that those struts werent street struts and 12/10 was not street spring rates???? |
|
04-03-2013, 01:20 PM | #19 | |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 253442
Join Date: Jul 2010
|
Quote:
8/7 sounds good. I'll trust your judgment on that. That is 8F/7R correct. The lady is gonna kill me lol. Gonna also start doing some research on tires, since I do already plan on finally getting a "nice"set, I've heard good things about star spec, and with 17x9 +42 I should be able to get a 245 in with a little work. |
|
04-03-2013, 02:23 PM | #20 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 253442
Join Date: Jul 2010
|
Any objections to 8/7K swift springs? Having my finger on the trigger.
|
04-03-2013, 03:02 PM | #21 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 254851
Join Date: Aug 2010
Chapter/Region:
BAIC
Location: Nor-Cal Bay Area
Vehicle:2002 WRX wagon 5mt PSM |
Before calling BC about a revalve, call Feal first. Talk to them about springs too.
I would bet they can work their magic for less than BC AND do a better job too. Look them up, they do great work. |
04-03-2013, 03:08 PM | #22 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 253442
Join Date: Jul 2010
|
Okay, will do this. I contacted import image on a quote for swifts. Not too too steep.
|
04-03-2013, 03:45 PM | #23 |
Scooby Guru
Member#: 139955
Join Date: Feb 2007
Chapter/Region:
NESIC
Location: Boston
Vehicle:2015 Subaru STI 17Forester / 18Crosstrek |
More front camber, less rear camber.
|
04-03-2013, 03:53 PM | #24 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 253442
Join Date: Jul 2010
|
|
04-03-2013, 03:54 PM | #25 |
Scooby Guru
Member#: 139955
Join Date: Feb 2007
Chapter/Region:
NESIC
Location: Boston
Vehicle:2015 Subaru STI 17Forester / 18Crosstrek |
Theres also driving technique, too. If you're decelerating the car will want to plow.
|
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|