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by **fiesta_fras** on Mon Mar 10, 2003 11:33 am

righio, my mk3 as with most FWD cars has built in understeer, im gonna try a few things to fix this and make it more neutral. Alex showed me a site on the basics of fixing understeer/oversteer. it basically states that to reduce understeer you must soften the front, stiffen the rear. so here are my plans, il post the results as i go along.

Begin with present setup:-
Front FRST hubs/driveshafts spax ride adjustable suspension, NO ARB or undertray. standard bushes throughout.
Rear standard mk3.5 beam, standard bushes throughout, NO ARB.

Stage 1 - COMPLETE
fitted a ford sports S shaped undertry, this made it feel more stable at speed and does seem to ride a little better on bumpy surfaces. not a massive difference but it all helps.

Stage 2 - TODAY
gonna fit a 12mm front ARB from a ghia, i was gonna skip this and go for a 16mm one until i read up on understeer (thxs al :wink:

) , this will be fitted along with powerflex bushes from there universal range. results as they happen will follow.

Stage 3 - Next Week
Rear beam coming off!, welding on some metal in certain places as seen on mk4s and pumas etc. also welding on brackets for my already acquired FRST rear ARB. this will be refitted using poweflex void bushes and powerflex ARB bushes. i hope these mods will go someway to reducing all understeer.

Stage 4 - EASTER
junking the spax adjustables in favour of some koni or bilstein adjustables, I want to avoid coil overs if possilble, I think they are a bit OTT for my liking, even a lot of very sporty cars never come with coil overs from the factory. I think this stage wil make a big difference to the overall ride and feel of the car.

Stage 5 - As Needed
If all these do not work then I will fit powerflex front wishbone bushes and try a front strut brace.

If I cant get my handling sorted after this lot, il give up and whack on some new body styling and buy a focus.

discuss!

by **AdrianFRST** on Mon Mar 10, 2003 7:21 pm

I would go for coilovers, but with a difference. The reasons they aren't used on production cars is due to a) cost and b) no real need to adjust ride height.

With coilovers you'll be able to use the massive range of 2.25" ID springs out there and find the perfect balance between ride comfort and handling. Springs are only £10-£15 a corner.

Having seen the stance of your car I reckon levelling it out will help a bit. At the moment the back is lower than the front. When I got the coilovers on my 2i it was higher at the back by an inch or so and it handled really well. Looked a bit strange though...

by **Fezzy Turbo** on Mon Mar 10, 2003 7:49 pm

My experience....

I have Spax PSX adjustable shock with -60mm drop, poly bushes on ARB's and front and rear Sparco strut braces.
The shocks have ten settings....1 soft ..... 10 hard.....
On my car i have it set as 8 front and 6 back.....not the usual thinking, but yes understeer is a problem on wet roads, but understeer is more managable than losing the back end (which has happened to me)...in my opinion.
In the dry my car is superb with great cornering ability.

I would recommend strut braces to help stiffen the struts if your wanting to improve handling.

by **fiesta_fras** on Tue Mar 11, 2003 2:40 pm

got poly front ARB bushes but they dnt fit the insulator, need 16mm insulator and hope it will fit the 12mm ARB, soon find out. ordering them today.

by **XR2iT** on Thu Mar 20, 2003 4:37 pm

Interesting!!!
I am glad that somebody else is concerned with ARBs and don't forget the drop links! Let us know how you go and I will compare with my XR2iT. It has Bilstein coil-overs on the front and Leda adjs on the back. The car is actually in several hundred pieces at the moment but I hope to have it up and competing in July.
I am particularly interested in the effect of ARBs and what quick changes can be made to help wet handling. I am thinking about going from wet to dry conditions.
Anyway I am off to find hoses for my newly fitted PAS (from a Saxo).

by **fiesta_fras** on Thu Mar 20, 2003 5:05 pm

well i got new link arms and the poly bushes for the front ARB, will be fitting it on monday.

i am considering Koni adj shocks and eibach springs, should b nice.

which coil overs apart from H&R are any good?

by **Quantum** on Thu Mar 20, 2003 11:34 pm

The trouble with coil-overs is finding the correct springs from the car. I have the AVO coil0over kit and the springs are probably too hard and definately too short. The car hits full rebound too easily meaning that it will lift a wheel going over bumps in the road. I have to take severe spped hump at a crawl in first gear because of this. I just need to spend some time with someone who know enough about suspension to set the car up properly - this will probably be Dean at Sheppard Motors in Chelmsford.

Regards,
Stephen

by **AdrianFRST** on Fri Mar 21, 2003 9:08 am

Demon Tweeks do the full range of 2.25" ID springs.

If you get the red Motorsport catalogue they are all in there.

by **Quantum** on Fri Mar 21, 2003 10:54 am

Thanks Ade, but getting the springs is not the problem. Getting the right ones is and that's beyond my knowledge.

Regards,
Stephen

by **MtY** on Fri Mar 21, 2003 11:31 pm

only problem with having stiffer rear and softer front is that ur car will bounce round alot more, due to all the weight being at the front.
if you want to make it more neutral, try lowering it, but lower the front more than the rear, this will make the car turn in more as the COG is lower. but it depends when you want the most steering, on the entry to a bend, or on the exit...

by **fiesta_fras** on Sat Mar 22, 2003 1:14 am

update on front ARB fitment, my lower arm carriers have no thread for the ARB braket, there is no room to tap them in situ so until I get a chance to take them off il use nuts and bolts to hold the bar on.

il keep you informed,

by **df908** on Mon Mar 31, 2003 2:53 pm

Just wondering how the Spax front adjustables are adjusted, I bought some 2nd hand a while back but don't know how hard they're set! Anyone help pls?

by **fiesta_fras** on Wed May 21, 2003 2:27 pm

got al the following bits now...

Front: -
reconned Front ARB 16mm
new insulators and bolts
poly bushes
new ARB link arms

Rear: -
mk3.5 beam (to be painted) with some custom welding planned
rear 20mm ARB, to be painted
poly bushes for the ARB and void bushes
new bolts for everythg

finish uni on friday so il try and get it all fitted for this time next week, keep u informed

by **Fezzy Turbo** on Thu May 22, 2003 8:00 am

df908 :Just wondering how the Spax front adjustables are adjusted, I bought some 2nd hand a while back but don't know how hard they're set! Anyone help pls?

The fronts are adjusted by a top mounted "key" and the rears by a little screw near the base.

by **Fiestasi-Andy** on Fri May 23, 2003 10:22 am

front & rear strut brace will help alot

by **df908** on Fri May 23, 2003 10:36 am

Fezzy Turbo :The fronts are adjusted by a top mounted "key" and the rears by a little screw near the base.

Cheers Fezzy Turbo

Got them set on the half way setting now, front end feels more secure over bumps in corners now

Rears are gmax fixed, btw, no adjustment there but everything feels about right. I think. In my limited experience. Etc... :lol:

by **iceman** on Sat May 24, 2003 2:20 pm

Try using this setup. -60mm all round uprated shocks. 2 deg toe in at front. Powerflex bushes at front ARB. Rear ARB as standard. Handling is pretty good but not as good as my mini :lol:

by **Fez** on Tue Jun 10, 2003 9:40 am

My car need some serious work in the suspension department so I'll do the "FRST treatment".
I'm trying to find second hand parts but FRST parts are very rare here.

Can you tell me the finis codes for:
-S shaped undertray
-FRST front ARB
-FRST rear ARB
-ARB connecting links
-front ARB mounting bracket
-rear ARB mounting bracket

by **Phil Si** on Tue Jun 10, 2003 10:19 am

lolol forgot about them coloured i things i did, how bored was i :lol:

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