There have been alot of threads about what suspension to use and what springs are best etc. etc. to make our cars handle...but what can we do to change the way the car behaves???
For thoe who don't know (and those that do just be patient) my car has JIC B15FLT-A2s with 7k/6k springs, a NISMO rear bar and the NISMO bushing kit. This is my particular setup, now lets see how it does. I've autocrossed the car extensively but not until I installed an in-car camera could I dissect my mistakes and correct them later on.
First off, the facts...rear beam suspensions don't like quick transitions. They're too heavy and too slow to react properly. But, its what we have, so we have to live with it. Now, once its planted and set in a corner, the amount of grip it can develop is pretty damned good...so how can we improve the transitions? This is where you, the driver, the nut behind the wheel comes into play.
I cannot emphasize smoothness enough. Example, last month I was autocrossing, came through a slalom on my first run and the rear came loose. Luckily I caught it and managed to finish without knocking down any cones...only scaring a few course workers. The rest of the day went without incident. So what was the difference??? Upon watching the video, I realized that on my first run while I was feeling out the course, I was going through the slalom in second at about 6K rpm. I let off of the throttle and the tail swung right, then left, then I mashed the gas and straightened it out. On the next run I was more familiar with the course so I was going about 5MPH faster through that section, in 3rd now, and the car just stuck and I dropped 2 seconds off of my time. Lesson learned, since working the throttle in 3rd unsettles the car less, the car maintained its line and stuck. Now, this doesn't mean you should go through all slaloms in third, but rather if you are in second, be smoother applying and getting out of the throttle so that weight transfer is minimized.
On to the track. I'll be honest, I was afraid that my car would be a handful due to its tail happy nature when i was autocrossing. I contemplated removing the rear sway bar but decided to run the car as is because it was the way that I was accustomed to running the car. I made the correct decision.
On a track, driving styles are very different from an autocross course and smoothness is extremely important. Pushing this Sentra to its cornering limits at 100+ MPH was almost easy, it cornered flat without threatening to swap ends or resorting to terminal understeer. By giving smooth, measured inputs at the correct moments the car was transformed to a neutral handling machine that exhibited more grip than I thought it ever had.
So, keep in mind while you're hacking at the wheel...slow the hands down...think ahead...look ahead...and keep those inputs smooth (brake, throttle and steering)!
For thoe who don't know (and those that do just be patient) my car has JIC B15FLT-A2s with 7k/6k springs, a NISMO rear bar and the NISMO bushing kit. This is my particular setup, now lets see how it does. I've autocrossed the car extensively but not until I installed an in-car camera could I dissect my mistakes and correct them later on.
First off, the facts...rear beam suspensions don't like quick transitions. They're too heavy and too slow to react properly. But, its what we have, so we have to live with it. Now, once its planted and set in a corner, the amount of grip it can develop is pretty damned good...so how can we improve the transitions? This is where you, the driver, the nut behind the wheel comes into play.
I cannot emphasize smoothness enough. Example, last month I was autocrossing, came through a slalom on my first run and the rear came loose. Luckily I caught it and managed to finish without knocking down any cones...only scaring a few course workers. The rest of the day went without incident. So what was the difference??? Upon watching the video, I realized that on my first run while I was feeling out the course, I was going through the slalom in second at about 6K rpm. I let off of the throttle and the tail swung right, then left, then I mashed the gas and straightened it out. On the next run I was more familiar with the course so I was going about 5MPH faster through that section, in 3rd now, and the car just stuck and I dropped 2 seconds off of my time. Lesson learned, since working the throttle in 3rd unsettles the car less, the car maintained its line and stuck. Now, this doesn't mean you should go through all slaloms in third, but rather if you are in second, be smoother applying and getting out of the throttle so that weight transfer is minimized.
On to the track. I'll be honest, I was afraid that my car would be a handful due to its tail happy nature when i was autocrossing. I contemplated removing the rear sway bar but decided to run the car as is because it was the way that I was accustomed to running the car. I made the correct decision.
On a track, driving styles are very different from an autocross course and smoothness is extremely important. Pushing this Sentra to its cornering limits at 100+ MPH was almost easy, it cornered flat without threatening to swap ends or resorting to terminal understeer. By giving smooth, measured inputs at the correct moments the car was transformed to a neutral handling machine that exhibited more grip than I thought it ever had.
So, keep in mind while you're hacking at the wheel...slow the hands down...think ahead...look ahead...and keep those inputs smooth (brake, throttle and steering)!