netural handling

[sundee]

i think there are alot of variables in getting a car neutraly balanced :

front to rear spring rate balance
front to rear ride height
front to rear shock balance
front to rear swaybar balance
front to rear track width
front to rear tyre choice and rim width

then front and rear wheel alignment

though their will always be a point that the car will go into either understeer or oversteer
if it didnt it would be the perfect race car and would be literally on train tracks.

[Chairs with flares]

If you have height adjustable coilovers, use them to evenly distibute corner weights.

[slydar]

more rear track.

not too much bar.

7/5/5.5 springs

equal ride height front to rear.

not too deep offset

not too much stretch

same tires front and back

etc. basically not too outlandish anything.

also make sure you have a decent amount of droop.

[Eason]

[Rice86]

only way to go about this is to use what you got on the track (grip)..

drive it to your limits, then push the car to another level itself...you'll reliese the weak points then... until you get some grip drive sessions pushing at 120%, you wont be sure of any changes you make will work as it should...

any car can handle like its on rails, just drive slower and it will...if you want to drive fast, you should think of a Plane..as its able to fly in any condition of any degree, planes > trains anyday

[Kid Karola]

First you can't really compare AE86/Corolla directly to old Holden/Fords as they were much bigger/heavier or the Mini much smaller/lighter and FWD. Apples and oranges. Also V8 Supercars mentioned - yes they have "soft" setups (actually lower spring rates than most of you run in Corollas that weigh 500kg less!) But the V8's also use much larger rims 17x11 and 285-680 R17 slick tyres offering a lot more mechanical grip than your average tyre. They take advantage of weight transfer and body roll to assist these barges around corners. Their suspension geometry is almost irrelavent in this discussion as they have completely custom everything: double wishbone (not Mcpherson strut) front uprights, custom 4-links and Watts-link, in-car adjustable swaybars, floating rear axles with camber and toe adjustment, etc.


Secondly if your car is set up for drift, that's almost opposite to how you'd set up for grip. There are some good pointers in the comments above on areas to look at. Especially about hitting the track to experiment with setup. You can then feel feedback from your adjustments by going around the same course. This way you will get to know the car, what it is doing and predict what it's going to do.
But you'll have to make adjustments to both the car and your driving technique/style. Driving grip and improving laptimes* is about smoothness, not just "chucking the car around". Sometimes doing less is more effective. Consistency - every corner needs to be right from braking, track position, entry-apex-exit points, acceleration.

The Locker will make you understeer into corners get a decent LSD!
Fresh brakes (even OEM size) quality pads and fluid. recommend braided lines.
Get R-compound semi-slick tyres, most street tyres won't cut it. (also note pressures)
Change/Lower spring rates, back off swaybars - more roll and weight transfer under braking and cornering. Make the tyres work to their full potential.
Alignment will do wonders too, numbers above are a good starting point.


(*not the same as just driving fast)

[redsprinter]

thanks all . havent got much to add . but will take all of it on board. and try them out.

[Rice86]

from experience
locked diff does understeer into corner, but in a way can use that to find a more straighter line of the corner, hence shortening the actuall corner of what it is = faster time

use what you got, driving skills!! it will and should be first obtained before a truely modified car...

i think its time to steer a row boat of a car in the touges again, if you can drive an unbalanced car smooth and also fast (i mean to the cars full potential), you can drive anything, and thats where it should begin, and thats where it began for me, and thats why im not going to run coilovers in my ae86 setup untill i can push the shock/spring setup to its limit with grip and drift =p

all hero talk but its the ideal way to become a good fast driver in a shorter amount of time in my point of view

[Juturna]

a car will neither under or over steer on its own..... its just a car, wont do anything without someone driving it.

[slydar]

lol. so all cars are the same?