Handling problems

[_Jake]

Hey, searched for handling but didnt really give me the answer i wanted :S

Basically i have a 1.2l 3door completely standard and it handles like a bag of sh*t. My mates Ax VTR pisses all over it :( i have some Pi 40mm lowering springs for it so obviously they might help a bit, what other things could i do to it without whapping on a set of coil overs? Thanks :)

[MK1_Ben]

Decent shocks and springs are a goodun.

I had bilstein short bodies with 60mm lowering springs on mine previously, handled absolutely awesome (on the lanes in particular). It's on 100mm springs with the same shocks now, handles "just as well" but is a very harsh ride on lanes and backroads (60 was alot better for overall handling).

[General Baxter]

what other things could i do
grow up and stop racing ?

+ he had double the bhp of you

[_Jake]

grow up and stop racing ?

+ he had double the bhp of you

Im not worried about speed, you cant go fast if your car handles like a whale.

&

MK1_BEN Cheers, shall invest in some decent shocks too :)

[Mieran]

You need good tyres.

Also decent dampers to go with the springs.

[_Jake]

You need good tyres.

Also decent dampers to go with the springs.

Have good tyres, 195/45s which are fairly new. There on cav slabs if that makes any difference

[Mieran]

What make are they?

Just because they have tread it doesn't make them good lol

[_Jake]

What make are they?

Just because they have tread it doesn't make them good lol
There accelera's Ive never heard of them before, but thats probably because im from a offroading/Landrover background :P

[Mieran]

I've never heard of them either

Good tyres and right pressure makes a huge difference on any car

[_Jake]

I've never heard of them either

Good tyres and right pressure makes a huge difference on any car

Just dont some research on the brand, and there owned by Vredestein Which are the tyres we have on all our trailers at work. So i dont think there crap, but there probably not that good either.

[Tony M]

Strut braces, good tyres and a good suspension setup. Do the AX's run torsion bar or are they on the later french ****ters?

[_Jake]

Strut braces, good tyres and a good suspension setup. Do the AX's run torsion bar or are they on the later french ****ters?
Forgot to say ive got a E-tech front upper strut brace on it too, been meaning to get a lower one. His Ax is on all Saxo gear, so i have no clue. Its a GTI shell aswell, fairly bloody rapid. revs all the way to 140mph, sure i could build a nova to beat that though :P

[Tony M]

Forgot to say ive got a E-tech front upper strut brace on it too, been meaning to get a lower one. His Ax is on all Saxo gear, so i have no clue. Its a GTI shell aswell, fairly bloody rapid. revs all the way to 140mph, sure i could build a nova to beat that though :P

It's probably safe to say that a Vauxhall Nova will never out handle a French car.

[Steve0011]

It's probably safe to say that a Vauxhall Nova will never out handle a French car.

i beg to differ my friend :)

[Tony M]

i beg to differ my friend :)

Enlighten me? lol

[Steve0011]

lol

on my last road rally (a while ago :( ) i ran in the semi-experts for the first time :) i was mixing it up with pug 205 gti's all night was great fun and i was for the most part catching them and sometimes passing them :d

i do run B6 billys and progressive rally springs though :) the only thing that let me down was the 1.4 singlepoint :( but i have an mpi on the way with a cam lol

straight line the 'french' ****e will have the edge but i would'nt say they could out handle a half setup nova

its allways overlooked that good suspension and brakes make for a better point to point car, closely followed by power mods

[swedge]

Good shocks with 60mm spring, front and rear strut brace, arb?, poly bushes

[mrT]

if the car is for the road only, you'll need decent shocks and matching progressive springs, imo dont go lower than 45mm or you'll bump steer all over the road, also a good quality tyre is a must and i'd replace all the bushes with new standard vauxhall ones, the most important bit is to have it all set up properly or your wasting your time and add 16valve brakes to avoid nearest wall, if you do all that then you might catch him on the twistys but i'd say he'll still waste you as they handle good out the box

[boyd_1989]

grow up and stop racing ?

+ he had double the bhp of you

racing is fun.... i do it everyday and never get bored lol

[General Baxter]

add 16valve brakes to avoid nearest wall, if you do all that then you might catch him on the twistys but i'd say he'll still waste you as they handle good out the box


2 weeks after test pass, :thumb:

[simonm]

I used to have Gabriel gas fronts and 60 ml springs and spax adjustable and 80 ml springs in the rear strut braces and discs all round and it used to handle awsomely also polly bushed there was nothing around could touch it on the windy roads

[MK1_Ben]

Agreeing with the above on strut-braces.

I run a welded in rear one, made a noticable difference to how the car "rolls" in the corners.

[_Jake]

Agreeing with the above on strut-braces.

I run a welded in rear one, made a noticable difference to how the car "rolls" in the corners.

Dont really want to run a welded in strut brace as i need to be able to get mine and my mates bikes in the back, But will look into it anyway :)

[Mieran]

you can make a removable one like this

http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/8877/novafuelcell001.jpg

[mowgli]

a horizontal strut brace will do pretty much sod all on a road spec nova on a std rear suspension setup.. the springs are what take the impact, and the dampers work vertically, so the strut brace is not much cop... on rear coilovers it might..

1. get it tracked & set up properly.
2. really don't bother going below 60mm
3. definitely make sure the tyre pressures are correct.
4. you actually have too much tyre for a 1.2.. more rubber might mean more grip, but it also means more friction.
5. driving a 1.2 is all about maintaining momentum, thus, you need to understand how to carry speed into corners.