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Re: boge pro gas shocks and non-stock suspension settings for v8q
In a previous message,Eliot Lim writes:
>now as many of you know, the v8 carries over 400 pounds of hardware
>in front of the front wheels, not exactly the receipe for razor
>sharp turn in responses. i am now concerned that with stiffer
>front shocks i have increased the propensity for understeer.
>
>as part of the installation, i will have to have a 4 wheel alignment
>performed so i figured that this would be a good opportunity to
>experiment with a mildly different setup.
>
>does anybody here (especially you racers) have any general rule of thumb
>suggestions? i am not looking for a radical racing setup, just a few mild
>tweaks to sharpen the front as well as to complement the stiffer shocks. i
>was thinking of perhaps adding one degree of additional negative camber. i
>also run 45 pounds of pressure on the front wheels typically.
Really, the only things I can think of to cure the understeer is:
a) decrease front roll stiffness
b) increase front roll stiffness
c) use that throttle!!! ;-)
Understeer is difficult to get rid of (as I've found). Mine understeers quite
a bit, as all sedans seem to. It's designed in as a "safer" failure mode of
going in too hot. To recover from understeer, you turn the wheel MORE in the
direction you want to go...a natural reaction. To recover from oversteer, you
turn the wheel OPPOSITE the direction you want to go....not a natural reaction
for retirees or housewives.
If you read Puhn's book, "How to make your car handle," (HP Books), he
explains the mechanics behind understeer and oversteer, and the causes of
each. Fortunately, you have adjustable shocks in the front (right?) so you
can soften the front and stiffen the rear. This should bring the rear out
nicely. Stiffening the front, in very few cases, will help handling by
reducing camber changes and lessening body roll. You might be able to,
however, leave the front stiffness alone and tighten the hell out of the rear.
Chris
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