Sketchy ride / handling

Mattharvey12

Member
Messages
18
Afternoon all,

I recently just got my dc5 and got some issues with the way it rides and how it feels under hard acceleration. When I pull hard it feels like it has a bit of a mind of its own, even sometimes when driving normally if I hit a slight bump or pothole the whole car sketches out. I‘ve seen a couple threads and it sounds similar to what I‘m experiencing and no one really has a definitive answer. This is the hardest car I‘ve ever had to drive and currently my old stage2 S14 felt like it had better handling and I know that isn‘t right.

I‘ve had a mechanic get it on a ramp and check the bushes and they all seem solid. I‘m going to get an alignment done next week and see how that helps but the alignment doesn‘t look bad to the naked eye but I know it still needs doing.

Tyres - AD08 - pressure‘s already checked.
Here is a list of mods
Bilstein B14
SuperPro PolyBushed full car
SuperPro Caster Increase front LCA bushes
Skunk2 adj rear camber arms
Eibach front camber bolts
Buddy club roll centre adjusters
Tegiwa rack raiser

The guy that built this car said it was setup by someone who now races in BTCC.

Any ideas?

Cheers
Matt
 

skengdR

Advanced Member
Messages
342
I would try to revert it as close to oem as possible and then take it from there.

Based on the mods you have there could possibly be too much or too little camber on front or rear or both.

Ask someone for the oem geo settings and then go from there .

Just my opinion , Im sure someone else will have better advice.

Sent from my SM-G970F using Tapatalk
 

rsmithinfo

Advanced Member
Messages
161
Also if it‘s been set up to be a true track car it won‘t do well on the road in my opinion. My old 944 race car was awful on the road. Far too low and stiff


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

carl hammond

Advanced Member
Messages
3,737
With those mods it‘s very limited with how far it can go for track use (and can‘t get anywhere near a full track cars settings so you‘re actually in a pretty good place). and

The amount of front camber is very limited as it‘s only on camber bolts so I would do as follows:

1) Remove the camber arms and bolts for oem items.

2) Check the Bilsteins - B14‘s again are limited as they are only height adjustable so get the height checked and ensure they are all the same

3) Get a competent garage to geo it properly and to oem specs and see how it feels (so no additional camber or toe in/out

Once it‘s driving as you‘d expect tweak from there to your requirements. Where are you based etc
 

Mattharvey12

Member
Messages
18
Thanks for the response guys.

It‘s definitely not low at the moment, if anything the front could probably do with coming down a touch.

Does anyone have the OEM Geo specs?

Im based in Bracknell, near Reading. I‘m not a million miles away from TGM
 

carl hammond

Advanced Member
Messages
3,737
Mattharvey12 said:
Thanks for the response guys.

It‘s definitely not low at the moment, if anything the front could probably do with coming down a touch.

Does anyone have the OEM Geo specs?

Im based in Bracknell, near Reading. I‘m not a million miles away from TGM
I believe these are the factory alignment settings (found on here)

Total Toe: +0.0mm +/-1.9mm
Half Toe : +0.0mm, +/-0.9mm
Camber : -.50deg , +/-1deg
caster :+1.17deg, +/- 1.0deg

Rear:
total toe : +1.9mm, -0.9mm,+1.9mm
half toe : +0.9mm, -.5mm, +09mm
camber : -.75deg, -1deg, +.75deg

If your near TGM just give Tom a call book in and they will sort it mate :)

I‘m not too far either, the other direction though as in Kent, what car did you buy in the end ? Any pics, wonder if it‘s one we here may know if ?
 

Mattharvey12

Member
Messages
18
Cheers mate!

My mates a tyre fitter and said the company they use can do 4 wheel laser alignment so will ask them to do to those specs. Will go to Tom if its still not right. I just wonder if the car is simply to stiff for crappy road

Its Aaron Stiles‘ old car, not sure if he‘s on here but I know he‘s on the FB group. Let me try and work out how to upload a picture from my phone, it‘s been a while since I‘ve used forums.



 

carl hammond

Advanced Member
Messages
3,737
Mattharvey12 said:
Cheers mate!

My mates a tyre fitter and said the company they use can do 4 wheel laser alignment so will ask them to do to those specs. Will go to Tom if its still not right. I just wonder if the car is simply to stiff for crappy road

Its Aaron Stiles‘ old car, not sure if he‘s on here but I know he‘s on the FB group. Let me try and work out how to upload a picture from my phone, it‘s been a while since I‘ve used forums.
I‘ve been trough 4 suspension types with ever hanging geo‘s from road to track focussed over the past 4 yrs and never found any issues with it being sketchy. One of my setups was Bilstein B16‘s, I wonder if you have the 14‘s too low? Everyone I know hats run them said how amazing they were on the road and I have to admit my b16‘s were amazing on the road also.

Deffo worth getting it done and work from there, remove the front camber bolts and fit normal to ensure 100% oem front.

Maybe worth checking with Tom the settings as I got them off of here.

Not sure who he is so not sure I know the car (May when I see it)
 

Mattharvey12

Member
Messages
18
Pics above.

Blimey. A few fair changes there then.
Im amazed at how they don‘t feel like a stiff coilover (apart from poor road conditions) but i can‘t believe that this is how it drives is meant to be right and it‘s not just down to me
 

carl hammond

Advanced Member
Messages
3,737
Mattharvey12 said:
Pics above.

Blimey. A few fair changes there then.
Im amazed at how they don‘t feel like a stiff coilover (apart from poor road conditions) but i can‘t believe that this is how it drives is meant to be right and it‘s not just down to me
I recognise it as thought it was a mates old car (but the last letters are diff on the plate).

Yeah I‘ve never felt mine was sketchy and the roads here are awful which is why mines now only used on track pretty much, road legal but not really used hay much on the road.

Hope resetting things works for you mate, you‘d be better off with all that done and tweak from there to your liking anyway I‘d mainly a road car as everyone likes a car to drive differently
 

Mattharvey12

Member
Messages
18
I took to TGM this weekend for a few things and got the tracking done to see if its helped the issue.

Toe was out which is what I expected so it‘s definitely made a a good difference but it‘s still not perfect.

Tom said the same as what has been said on here, it‘s got a few unnecessary mods which are probably having a reverse effect because I‘m not actually that low, so I either go lower or take the rack raiser and the roll adjusters off.





Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

carl hammond

Advanced Member
Messages
3,737
Mate the rack raiser is a complete waste of time and an easy removal and I would 10% do that, SHG even posted a video to the negative impacts it has. I have never considered and never would consider one but unfortunately in the world we are in (all web based and forums based) it's hard to know what's right and what to do so many just follow the last person who followed the one prior and so on. Prob same goes for roll adjusters etc, I don't have them and no issues with my car ever on how it feels and drives and others on here that have met me and driven it have all said how well it drives.

Luckily when I started doing car's none of this forum stuff existed so I and my friends just did it all as we went, learned and trial and error showed us.

I will try and get the SHG video for you if you like, but will be when I have a phone again as been without one since Saturday due to breaking my screen and have the video saved on it
 

carl hammond

Advanced Member
Messages
3,737
Yeh if you find it then send it over but no biggie if you can't. Cheers
As soon as the screen for the phone arrives I will get it fixed and the link over mate, they show about the Rack Raiser, the Slider etc.
 

Mattharvey12

Member
Messages
18
Update -

I started hearing a noise which I quickly worked out was the rack slider, so when replacing that I got rid of the rack raiser. It helped my original issue of bad handling but it didnt fix it. The garage continued to look for issues and found nothing else wrong with it.
My last hope before I started thinking it could be the diff was the tyres (AD08’s). So I just stuck on 4 brand new Mich PS4’s and I cannot believe the difference, it has completely transformed the car and I’m over the moon with how it feels now.
Just thought I’d share as this seem quite a common problem with a few people now
 

Mattharvey12

Member
Messages
18
Nice, my car has been fully polly bushed and I’m pretty sure it has had new engine mount inserts fitted!

brakes next on the list now
 

VtecPaul

Advanced Member
Messages
332
Interesting read - I’m Basingstoke and have been to TGM with my Teg too. Similar experience with you I think, front end feels really light and loose, a bit wild on the naff roads we have.
I don’t have a lot of the mods you do, but I do have the AD08 tyres which I really want to replace but I need to wear them out first!
 
Top