Too Low – Under Steer?

[Nismo_Boy]

Would being too low have much effect towards making my R32 under steer? Roughly measuring the front from guard to wheel centre, it came to approx 315. Roughly mesasuring the rear from guard to wheel centre it came to 290.

On a scale of 1 – 10 I would rate the under steer a 4.

I have only just recently installed caster rods – before they were installed I’d rate the under steer to only be around a 2. I have had them checked and I’m told the car is behaving how it is due to its height, which I’m sure isn’t helping – However, why would I notice such a difference AFTER caster rods being installed?

Car has awful Teins and a shimmed diff equal to a 90% lock, which I’m aware, is not helping, but I never had these issues before the caster rods went in!!

As you can see from the photo’s, the car needs to be this low to accommodate my rims.. So going higher isn’t going to be my number 1 choice to help solve the under steering – Any suggestions?

[bradsm87]

What caster setting did you get after you installed the caster rods? You did get an alignment didn't you?

What are all the alignment specs you're using?

I'd suggest to at least raise the rear up by 10mm to make it about 15mm less from wheel centre to guard than the front like it should be.

I just read the bit about it needing to be that low to accomodate ur rims. That's BS IMO. If anything, it looks sorta retarded bein so low at the back compared to the front and would look better higher in general. If the coilovers are only height adjustable at the base of the coil and not at the mount, it's probably riding on bump stops which is BAD.

Also try turning the shocks up stiffer at the back and softer at the front.

Edited August 4, 2009 by bradsm87

[Nismo_Boy]

Yeap front and rear alignment – No idea on specs, I paid Option1 in QLD install and dial in the caster rods and to the align the car.

The wheels physically do not fit under the car if it’s higher. Fronts are 18x10.25 and the rears are 18x11 – I require an obscene amount of camber, in saying that going up in height and putting in after market camber arms could also work?

The height is off the spring preload. They’re old, shitty Tein HA’s. They still have a fair bit of thread left until they would wound down 100%

I quite simply will not have a high car, or a car I can fit my hand between the tire and guards..

[Nismo_Boy]

They quite simply do not fit inside or under. There is no adjustment/not enough to bring the camber in, you can by all means continue to tell me what my car can and can’t do however. I might as well drive around like this when the car is higher:

Arms are factory, bush's might not be.

.........................................................

Any suggestions on known alignment settings & caster rod spec settings would be great, it will give me a base line to have someone else look at it

[bradsm87]

By the looks of that pic, it looks like it already has some form of aftermarket camber adjustment. WHeels not fitting if car is higher makes no sense at all. When it's raised, the camber goes positive but it's corrected with a wheel alignment. then when it does hit a bump, it'll have more negative camber when it retracts into the guards and more clearance.

[toddlls]

more castor helps the front wheels re-align when controlling a slide & is typically used as a correction for the bum hangin out, it does affect turn in if too much camber is dialed in or it did on mine Joshywah, I am now runnin 6deg as a trade off.

Also when I had the car too low all it would do is slide, which was great at stadium drift but dangerous for everyday drives & straight out lethal in the wet.

I am going to raise the front back up to 350mm & the rear to 340-5mm (recommended) to get abit of the suspension travel back & help the suspension do its job properly.

As it sits now my front lower arms are angled up & the ball joints have quite a bit of load on them at 330mm ctr to guard which for me is way to low as I have already cracked the front bar going up my driveway & I cant be stuffed tracking down roll ctr adjusters for a daily streeter to correct for the low height & re-align suspension geometry, whereas if & when it becomes my trackie thats the first thing I will be on the hunt for.

By setting the car up with too much rear squat-you will affect the vehicles ability to turn also as the grip is heavily rear orientated rather than being domininant front rake as the old school boys used to run which made the backside step out with little prompting.

However- I ran the car at QR 2 weeks ago & as it is the car was quick & very predictable, so will keep you informed how it runs with the new height levels stated above. I will be doing another skidpan day to get used to the change in dynamics be4 putting it back on the track too.

Hope this helps

Fr Camber (L&R)2deg, toe-in L 2mm, R 2mm

Rr Camber (L&R)1deg, toe-in L 1mm, R 1mm

[_Ryan_]

mine is 320/280, raising it too 345/335 to avoid bump steer and correct geometry. I know it wont look as "sick", but i rather be driving it, not staring at it. Front toe out and some negative camber will help the understeer, or it did on my datto(and from what i have been told on 32's)

going to try this alignment:

Front:

castor +6deg per side

camber -2deg per side

toe: 2mm toe out total

Rear:

camber ~ -1-1.5deg per side

toe 1mm toe in total

Edited August 4, 2009 by RB_Ryan

[blind_elk]

If it's not working, take it back to Option1 and get them to fix it.

As it stands, the car is too low. Everything in motoring is a compromise. Do you want the car to not understeer, or do you want it so you can't fit your hand between the tyre and the guard? You can't have both.