Understeer

[sprint355]

Picked up the p + j after two weeks slogging round the riviera with the family sprint. Warmed all the juices and black bits well before taking back to the old hacienda fron the holiday hidey hole. With mini sprint yelling faster faster and half a tank, normally enough for decent mid corner bite, woah understeer, bad understeer. Was I asking too much, too used to the taxi handling of the day to day ride or are the brigdestones not the best.

Advice please and help this is the first time mini sprint has said slower.

[domster]

I used to curse understeer all the time, but a driving course proved I was creating most of it... and the 'natural' understeer that was dialled into the car for safety could be removed by some trail braking or left foot braking. Now my slushbucket merc estate can be tipped in neutrally into the odd fast corner if I trail brake. You could of course just whack some Dunlop Forumla Rs on the front, but that isn't an ideal fix - your driving style and some techniques like trail braking will make the most difference.
ATB
Domster

[clubsport]

I find the Dunlop Formula R accentuate the chassis set up issues...I found a little more understeer than I expected with them especially when pressing on in the wet.

I would suggest you play around with tyre pressures and roll bar suspension settings( if you have adjustability on your car?)

Here is a link that gives the basics on under/oversteer and settings.

www.germanmotorcars.com/techtips_handling.htm

>> Edited by clubsport on Wednesday 24th August 11:15

[verysideways]

I reckon you forgot your balance. If you've been throwing a front-engine/front-drive car around you have to balance it very differently to a 964.

Plough on in and then lift off so the nose bites, that's the standard FWD croner technique right?
Don't think you'll be trying that in the porker...

[domster]

Trail braking can work very well for 911s... ask oldtimer or tony.t - they did an Andrew Walsh course in their 911s and saw the benefits for themselves. If anything, it is even more necessary with so little weight over the front axle.

I think the problem is lifting off after turn in, not before... if you trail brake as you turn in, the weight is over the front wheels and turn in/grip increased. If you lift off midway through the corner after a healthy bout of understeer, then the results could be dramatically different... car will suddenly shift weight and the transition from understeer to oversteer will be snappy and almost impossible to catch in a rear engined car.

All from what I gather, being a bit stoopid and all

[Don]

Interesting.

Must try a 911 back to back with my Box and see how different the understeer is one day.

I haven't got into trail braking to assist turn in - not found the need, so far, - too many other things to improve first...

[leosayer]

domster said:

Trail braking can work very well for 911s... ask oldtimer or tony.t - they did an Andrew Walsh course in their 911s and saw the benefits for themselves.

I did this course in the pi$$ing rain earlier this week and learned so much. As well as reducing understeer, trail braking is a nice way to get the tail waggling at low speeds. Very nice, but do not practice this on the open road!

[marx]

had the 993 for a year now. understeer seems to get greater - probably me getting used to the car - could also probably be porsche dialling in understeer for us cabriolet driving muppets.....
need to attack corners more ...

[sprint355]

Thanks for the advice, having driven the same road today in the rep mobile I had been driving the same way, must try harder to adjust. Shame as it means much more practise is required.