Coilovers installed

[Paul]

Thanks to Dean and Jeremy the STi now has pretty new german coilovers. Sits a bit lower too. Prolly take me a year to get them sorted out. =/

[McCall]

Re: Coilovers installed

now you need to schedule some time at Hanchey's to try and corner weight that biotch!

[hancheyb]

Re: Coilovers installed

Boy I love physics. Here's what we ended up with on Paul's car. Not bad, 3100 pounds without driver. Cross weights are nearly perfect. How I love prepping the competition's car to beat me.

http://www.bimmerhausoftexas.com/tamscc/paul.htm

[Dean!]

Re: Coilovers installed

Okay, can you 'splain some of that physics to me...

What are the priorities in cross-weight versus nose-tail weight ?

I see the driver side front is super heavy, can you shift the height to put more of the nose heavy cross weights to the rear, so cross weight is still even, but more of it is in the rears on each side ?

So more of a 50/50 nose-tail distribution, while also maintaining a close cross weight ?

I thought McCall's car had a super close 50/50 nose-tail and cross weight distribution....

[hancheyb]

Re: Coilovers installed

You cannot change F/R weight distribution. Any ride height changes you make only shifts weight on the crosses. If you raise one corner, it lowers the adjacent corners and raises the corner you're on and the opposite corner.

Paul's car is heavy on the LF, but there's only so much you can do. You want the cross weights to be the same, but if a corner is light or heavy moving the weight off that corner will just screw up the cross weights. Notice his RR is light too, a bad combination. If we lowered the LF enough to equal out the weights on the front of the car the LF would be sitting on the ground and the RF would be 2" higher. Plus the RR would be REALLY low on weight since lowering the LF affects the RR. That doesn't do much for handling.

Since his car is light on the RR, pay attention at the next event. I bet he lifts in the rear tire in RH turns more than left.

Jason's car was 60/40 too, or close to that.

[Dean!]

Re: Coilovers installed

Wow, very interesting... I wonder what a stock Evo looks like, I bet it looks ideal, even stock - since a stock Evo to stock STi, the handling edge is on the Evo.

[hancheyb]

Re: Coilovers installed

Jim Harris can bring his car over for $50.

[Tommy R]

Re: Coilovers installed

I'll be corner weighting the car soon after I install the new LCA bushings front and rear....and raise the nose. The front's too low at the moment. I'd like to lower the rear more, but I can't. :\

I think I posted my numbers from the white car here. With a driver, the front/rear distribution is nothing short of darn impressive for a plebian-mobile.

Tommy

[Paul]

Re: Coilovers installed

Wow, very interesting... I wonder what a stock Evo looks like, I bet it looks ideal, even stock - since a stock Evo to stock STi, the handling edge is on the Evo.

Get off the crack pipe. Evo is worse for front end weight bias. The only thing the Evo has stock better than a STi is steering.

[Paul]

Re: Coilovers installed

I don't understand all this hoopla about 50/50 weight split. The only thing it is better than is my 60/40. I would rather have rear weight bias is a RWD car.

[Tommy R]

Re: Coilovers installed

More weight in the rear (to an extent) is better. However, for most cars it's a pipe dream at best. So 50/50 is often used as a more realistic possibility. You sure wouldn't want a 40/60 split!

Tommy

[hancheyb]

Re: Coilovers installed

50/50 in a front engine/rear drive car is almost as good as it gets. You have to have mid engine or rear engine to get better. A 911 hooks up like nothing else, but spins like nothing else too.

[Paul]

Re: Coilovers installed

Yes, I realize 50/50 is about as good as it gets with front engine/rwd. It certainly gives you better balance and throttle control (in theory at least) than the 60/40 I have. At least I have AWD to help on corner exit, and oh what a help it is. =) To bad it hurts my braking compared to the e36 cars who make better use of their rears and don't abuse the fronts as much.

BTW, thanks Brian, not sure if the corner balance means a lot in feel but it does feel better. Prolly the shocks set to full soft on rebound did that. Much better ride on the street now.

[instigator]

Re: Coilovers installed

Jim Harris can bring his car over for $50.

Can I bring mine over for $0?

[instigator]

Re: Coilovers installed

Wow, very interesting... I wonder what a stock Evo looks like, I bet it looks ideal, even stock - since a stock Evo to stock STi, the handling edge is on the Evo.

Get off the crack pipe. Evo is worse for front end weight bias. The only thing the Evo has stock better than a STi is steering.

and gearing...and turbo...and...