car feels very dicy and skittish at 70+mph- why?
car feels very dicy and skittish at 70+mph- why?
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Discussion

huddscerbie

Original Poster:

43 posts

247 months

Monday 22nd May 2006
quotequote all
i think it may be because the rear of the car is quite low now the new suspension has settled but unsure. car feels like im doing 150mph (skates on the road slightly and feels a bit scary.

anyone else has this?

GreenV8S

31,017 posts

313 months

Monday 22nd May 2006
quotequote all
New suspension "settled"? It shouldn't settle significantly, although it's possible the spring seats have slipped (which would be a problem). If the ride height has changed, the geometry may have been thrown out. I suggest you take it back to the people who set it up when you had your new suspension fitted, and ask them to check it over.

Cyclone1

2,614 posts

275 months

Tuesday 23rd May 2006
quotequote all
huddscerbie said:
i think it may be because the rear of the car is quite low now the new suspension has settled but unsure. car feels like im doing 150mph (skates on the road slightly and feels a bit scary.

anyone else has this?


Contact the people who fitted the suspension as it sounds like it has not been set up properly, it also sounds quite dangerous and you wouldn't want to put yourself and other road users at risk. Hopefully you've checked all of the basics such as tyre pressures etc? The last thing you want is to run the risk of an accident especially in this weather, so get in contact with the people who fitted and set it up and they will hopefully identify and rectify the problem. There are not too many people I would trust with setting up the suspension on a Cerb, so if it's not one of the recognised specialists who has done yours, then I would consider one of them in the future.

jensena

5,671 posts

259 months

Tuesday 23rd May 2006
quotequote all
I'd agree with the advice of seein one of the suspension specialists. I had mine set up by Steve Howard at Euphoria. Went there to have my shocks fitted, and he rejected the ones supplied to me because they were just 5mm to short, even though they fitted perfectly. A non-specialist would have just bolted them on and said 'There you are Sir' As fas as I know the Cerb should be slightly higher at the back, not a lot, its something line 20mm higher at the back than the front (measuerd from the chassis rail jacking points to the floor, don't quote me on that being exact measurement though, see a specialist

trackcar

6,453 posts

255 months

Tuesday 23rd May 2006
quotequote all
As I said when I looked over your car the other day:
the whole car is too low, the rear especially so, it won't be far off the bump stops. The other two cars I showed you are where yours should be.
The front will be going up on power and the rear down, air will be lifting the front of the car causing the steering to go light and generally making the car directionally unstable. You need a definate downwards rake on the car to combat this and I would recommend stiffer springs if you want the aero lift effect to be delayed as far as possible; your car is virtually level static with no-one in it - it only gets worse from there.
You have 1/4 degree camber on one front wheel and 1 1/4 degree on the other from what i remember - certainly a big discrepency across the car. The back wheels are near enough ok but I suspect that's just luck rather than deliberate.

It was obvious in a very short space of time that your car had "slipped through the alignment net".

You must get those issues sorted, plus going stiffer on the springs bearing in mind the driving you do with extra passengers etc if you are going to get any driving pleasure from your car.

Your car isn't pointing straight ahead so there's no wonder it wants to wander all over the road ...

carl_w

10,741 posts

287 months

Tuesday 23rd May 2006
quotequote all
Bit confused as to why you asked the question on here after joolz already diagnosed the problem and solution?

huddscerbie

Original Poster:

43 posts

247 months

Tuesday 23rd May 2006
quotequote all
carl_w said:
Bit confused as to why you asked the question on here after joolz already diagnosed the problem and solution?


to be honest, i just wanted to make sure that this isnt how the car should handle (pretty scarily)

shame about having to lift the rear though- looks great at the mo!!

carl_w

10,741 posts

287 months

Tuesday 23rd May 2006
quotequote all
Well mine was a bugger to keep pointing straight on a bumpy road like the A12 until it had the joolz magic treatment.

philcerbera

5,902 posts

279 months

Tuesday 23rd May 2006
quotequote all
Joolz sorted mine too and its VERY stable now at high speed and over B-road bumps

There are few experts on this forum and many others with opinions. You've been given some FREE expert advice so why don't you take it?

Cyclone1

2,614 posts

275 months

Wednesday 24th May 2006
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huddscerbie said:
carl_w said:
Bit confused as to why you asked the question on here after joolz already diagnosed the problem and solution?


to be honest, i just wanted to make sure that this isnt how the car should handle (pretty scarily)

shame about having to lift the rear though- looks great at the mo!!


Get it back to whoever fitted the kit and insist they set it up properly so that you can enjoy the car, and be re-assured of your safety, alternatively get one of the specialists to set it up properly then present whoever fitted the suspension with the bill, at least you get the job done properly and you get re-imbursed (however the company who have fitted it should have first refusal on correcting the issue).

Cyclone1

2,614 posts

275 months

Thursday 1st June 2006
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Is the suspension now sorted out?

huddscerbie

Original Poster:

43 posts

247 months

Thursday 1st June 2006
quotequote all
yes thanks cyclone.

put some stiffer springs on, tweaked the damper settings, did the geometry and hey presto- its like a different car!!

Cyclone1

2,614 posts

275 months

Thursday 1st June 2006
quotequote all
That's really good news. At least you can get out and enjoy it now.

Did you take it back to the garage who fitted them?

ps How many miles before the engine is run-in?

TT Tim

4,168 posts

276 months

Sunday 4th June 2006
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So, what ride heights are people running front and rear? Mine is running standard 16" rims if that makes a difference.

I need to set mine as it felt unstable at 100+ yesterday, with 3-up in the car.

So, I'm off to a retail park, with a metal rule and a C-spanner later this afternoon, when the shops have closed

Tim