Stable (SAFE) TOP SPEEDS

[jmaz87]

This is for Track purposes so in all fairness it shouldn't get locked

I've been trying to dial-in what types of courses i can set up for and i know traditionally ae92's are for AutoX, hill-climbs and other circuit-style races.

I've been getting on some diff road-courses lately and i think Sebring will be my next attempt once cage is done.

so far i've consistantly been able to get up to 140 but i'm practically whacking the limiter...

[SCT]

If you're racing, you'll have to accept the fact that you run a fair amount of risk of blowing the engine.

[jmaz87]

i was more concerned with the car's handling truthfully...

for instance everybody complains about Ksports being too stiff but at those speeds when you turn and load the springs there is so much more force u need stiffer springs...

it still felt snappy (not necessarily ideal) but i was almost maxing travel on street tires...

[Flashmn]

Stiff suspension does have one big problem, you can easily lose rear wheel traction on a bump and at a high speed, thats something you dont want. instant loss of control and spin out.

[jmaz87]

Exactly!!!
this is why so-far i don't have any plans for upgrading rear-sway and i may even soften rear more on larger courses for just that reason...

for those of us who have had 70mph plus spins, definitely not something i'm making a habit of...

also several local tracks have Nasty walls or Barriers or even worse sometimes they use Tractor Tires filled with sand on the inside of the turn... ALL= ONE F***ed Car

[Flashmn]

Now you gotta remember on a FWD a soft rear and stiff front sucks aswell during turning. Your suspension should be balanced, but not too stiff. Your front should be softer than the rear.

[jmaz87]

they are... i mean the spring rates are way stiffer up front but thats due to weigh diff.

right now 40-50mph turns i can get into a neutral spot between over/understeer but anything higher and transfers (between turns) become an issue the weight transfer is very snappy and u have to be absolutely ready or u spin out...

i don't want to change anything i don't have to so i went ahead and ordered some Kumho Ecsta XS 215/45-16 and raised rear 1cm hopefully that will counter any dampening settings i mess with...

[bcp477]

Just a thought, but have you upgraded all of your suspension bushings to hard urethane ? The stock rear (rubber) Corolla bushings do allow some bump steer.....especially under hard cornering. This can be a definite cause of "tail happy" syndrome...... actually, "throttle steer", to be exact. As you probably already know, without getting rid of as much unwanted geometry change as possible, it is really impossible to truly "tune" your suspension for maximum handling/ lowest lap times.

[jmaz87]

Thankyou you make a very valid point!

I've been *avoiding the bushing situation just because i've been told it's a giant PIA also GTS suspension parts are few/far between so i just slapped the whole sub-frame on when i finally found a set...

Does anybody have experience replacing these? i've never seen Energy or Prothane but i've seen Superpro & Dobinson out of AUS.

Any Suggestions???

[bcp477]

Bushings ARE a PIA. But, you don't necessarily HAVE to find part #'s specifically for your car. All that is needed is that the bushings be of the correct dimensions. Further, bushing sizes are FAIRLY standard between cars of the same size/ weight class. So, for example, if you can't find urethane bushing part #'s for your AE92..... it is POSSIBLE that ones for a Honda Civic (or some other similar car) MIGHT fit. What is required is some legwork on your part. The first thing that I would do is wrangle a set of stock rubber bushings to MEASURE. You could measure the ones already on your car....or measure a (stock) replacement set, probably even without purchasing them, if you can find a sympathetic counterman at your local purveyor of auto parts. Armed with that information.....and some companies to contact that carry urethane bushings.....I'll bet you can find what you need.

I'll most likely be pursuing this approach myself, when I get into working over my newly acquired AE92....in the spring (unless I find the right urethane part #'s for my car, of course).

[Flashmn]

Or convert them to bronze bushings or bearings if you're hardcore. Theres lot more to bumpsteer than bushings and bushings really dont cause bumpsteer, bumpsteer is caused by streering part angle changes, from toe in to toe out. It gets worse when your car gets lower than stock. Limit for the lower A arms is if they are in a straight line. If they go upwards towards the wheels, your car is too low and your suspension is ultimately shit. It might look good, but its not good as a performer.

[jmaz87]

* ALSO

Last night i installed 215/45 on 16x8 Rotas Kumho Ecsta XS the compound and pattern are very aggressive so only time will tell how it will perform..

I had to flare the crap out of my fenders and used a 5mm spacer for Rear

i will probably change my alignment settings. LMK what you guys think
2 deg Front Camber
1/16" Front Toe in
1 deg Rear Camber
0 total Rear Toe

[jmaz87]

My A-arms are Dead-Level i wanted to make sure my car could be lifted on a hydraulic Jack so it's not too low.

Whiteline Australia has sub-division Superpro that DOES stock Aftermarket Urethane for AE92's but it's not cheap.

how would brass bushings work? would this be hard??? this is pretty much just a track car (i only drive it when i feel like it)
so the "hard-core" part is no question

[Bitter]

i think brass bushings would not last too well, they would probably break everything else. bushings also serve the purpose of absorbing shock and vibration from the road and keeping them isolated to the suspension arms and not transmitting them to the rest of the car. sounds like a comfort thing, but its not just that. hit a bump and you could tweak the rear subframe, smack something with the wheel and you could bend the front frame where the arm bolts to. not to mention, brass bushings would probably egg out around the center holes and get sloppy. you could cast your own urethane bushings, just need to get a set of stockers to make molds from and steal the center pins from.

[Flashmn]

bronze bushings last pretty well. Casting your own urethane bushings isnt gonna work out too good, material isnt going to be uniformed, better to get some POM plastic (most "urethane" bushings is made from that) and then have it lathed to the exact sizes.

For a street car, its good to have bushings that are soft, so that you wont lose the fillings from your teeth, its not really going to tweak the car even if they're hard, car bodies are quite strong if they arent rusted through.