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for those of you in the know, I have been looking at drifting setups for a while, I've noticed that a lot of guys run harder springs like 10K in front and softer in back like 8K. That's kind of the norm as far as I know, but recently I have seen a different trend. DX might know what I'm talking about, some guys are running harder springs in back than in the front. I can understand this as it would make the rear end come out easier, but is this translating into some street setups or is it purely track and not really a good idea for the street? I am just wondering as it is a trend that I have been seeing recently on some D1 cars.
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thats somthing I've been thinkin about lately too. Does an easliy driftable car have a fast drift or a controlable drift? I don't know, I would think the easier it is to make the back end come out the harder it would be to control. I think it all comes down to balance. There are some drift cars that have understeer problems and fiting softer springs to the front will reduce understeer. Would you do somthing like fitting harder springs to the rear of an mr2, Again Idon't know but I would think you would have to be somewhat harder then average springs in the rear just cause the engine is back there. -
Most cars are front heavy. To make a neutral or oversteer setup, you'd need have stiffer rear springs. It's not necessary to have stiffer rear springs than the front though. Doing so will guaranty oversteer unless you were driving a rear heavy car. Running your setup like this helps get the car sideways a whole lot easier. However, you do lose the failsafe understeer normally designed into the average consumer car. With a neutral or oversteer setup, braking gets more technical and can be sketchy at times. It's not as suitable for normal driving because of this. You don't want your rear end coming out in traffic or during emergency maneuvers when surrounded by other cars. I may be making it sound worse than it would be, but it is something you have to be aware of. If it's that much easier to get the car sideways when drifting, it's that much easier to get the car sideways during normal driving.Comment
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Well, I wouldnt say you are making it seem worse than it is, because you are correct and are just warning ppl who may not know otherwise, however, the ideal weight distribution is 48/52 (for auto-x and performance motorsport/grip driving). So rear heavy is actually favorable. You have to consider where your weight is under braking, however we are talking about drifting so neutral and balanced are desirable but you wouldnt really want a rear biased car.Comment
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yeah seriously most average joe drivers aren't familiar enough with the concept of countersteering to be able to get that oversteer put into their cars. safer with understeer. speaking of which, I know a guy who had his s13 fall off a cliff because of oversteer that he purposefully put into the car. He hadn't much experience with the car either. he came out ok but the car was a loss.Comment
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man, all that II get over s13 understeer...
what a ride? whas th story, howd he get out in time?Comment
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tryiian, if you were referring to my friend, he didnt. He was in the car when it fell about 20 feet to the bottom. He broke his leg and was pretty shook up about it. We laugh about it now...and at him too. ha ha haComment
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whoa mayn...
krazy! iBet he was skared II mess durin his... flight. but iGuess if yu kan laugh bou tit now...Comment
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ksna win isknw o;la kndew asd wfy dxcfv
-MRComment
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seriousally...
"Ideal weight distrobution" is up to the driver. F1 cars are mostly 51 or 52% rear-bias while some WRC cars are more front heavy. JGTC Xanavi GT-R was almost 60% front-biased at one point in the '02 season after putting in the VQ (IIRC). I like my cars slightly front-heavy with a polar moment of inertia as low as possible.
As for springs, it usually depends on what works the best and is most comfortable. A lower rate in the rear may help the rear break loose before the front does and could also perhaps make for a dirtier launch.
The notion that stiffer suspension makes for better handling is true up to a certian point, usually dictated by the road condition. a zillion lb/ft springs and megastiff dampers would suck on a bumpy road in Ohio or New England and cause the car to be uncontrollable but at the same time may grip like mad at the track.
...one more reason that race cars don't make good daily drivers and vice versa.
-MRComment
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Absolutely.Originally posted by mranlet
"Ideal weight distrobution" is up to the driverComment
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Also please note that the suspension geometries are not always equal in the front and the rear, so you might not be able to directly compare spring rates.
See attached picture for example. The top "car" has a longer control arm, so the spring would need to be stiffer to achieve the same effective spring rate as the bottom car.Attached FilesComment
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I think there's a suspension modeling program on download.com that is often talked about at eng-forums.com
You can model pushrod activated, dual control arm, strut, leaf, and just about everything else in between, including a pull-rod Holden...
If anyone is interested, I have it on my computer and could find the name or a place to D/L it.
-MRComment
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