Morning,

I need some advice what to do with regards to my vRS.

As the weather is gradually getting worse, I'm concerned about the handling of my car, basically I'm running 17s on a standard vRS but I've noticed the front end always struggles for traction when the ground is slightly damp and on roundabouts/ sharp bends etc! I know the tyres I've got on it are budget and probably don't help, but what can I do to give more confidence in the car when driving?! Would better tyres and rear ARB make that much difference? Also the car had a upper front strut brace when I bought and that made it worse!

Also similar situation with brakes, they strike no confidence in me when braking!!! I know the 312mm upgrade is an option - how much would this be set up?

Sorry for such a big essay at this time of morning!!

Any help would be great!

Thanks

Chris

Better tyres and a rear arb would make a world of difference ( better tyres could save your life...)

Bigger front brakes should cost about 400 pounds fitted, although the standard ones are usually fine on a standard car.

HTH.

Cheers pal. Looks like its going to be a costly couple of months then! Got my mot and service due aswell!

You could just drive within the limits of the car!?!

The Fabia's a fundamentally under-steery beast (as someone else said just a few days ago!), and the big heavy engine and massive torque of the vRS just make things worse. Once I'd got this sussed, I was perfectly able to make a decent fist of car control on a training day with no handling mods, and only uprated pads (still on 288mm discs, although grooved / dimpled ones) to help counteract the increased power from my Dragon box.

When the car was newer and everything was standard, I only once had cause to call the braking into question on a long, fast, and very twisty run. Then again, with a remap, you probably should be looking at uprated pads at the very least, and maybe the 312mm upgrade if your power's up above about 160-170bhp.

TBH as far as handling and understeer goes, if I'm going to lose control, I'd rather see the wall I'm about to hit than run into it backwards!!! Therefore, I'd be wary of doing too much in the suspension / ARB department...

HTH

Interesting points there, thanks. To be honest i don't push the car at all compared to my previous car! I've noticed once when i turned sharply at around 15 mph then front end just lost traction straight away. Would good tyres say toyo proxies and a rear arb sort this out?

The Toyos are pretty good grip-wise (I've had several sets), although they do make the steering a bit 'stodgy' IME - probably less so with the thinner rubber your 17" rims use. The rear ARB will help in slow, tight bends (think roundabouts mainly), but will also make the car more prone to oversteer, so don't go mad until you're used to it (doesn't sound like you would, though...)

At this time of year, traction's always going to be at a bit of a premium, so it's important to feed steering input in gently to reduce the rate of change of steering angle, and help the tyres stay stuck. TBH, I'm not sure any improved tyres or handling modes would have helped in the situation you describe above - I think it was just a slippery road!

If you have half an hour or so to spare, I suggest you give this a read:

Don Palmer's Driving Handbook

...especially sections 6-10, which explain what I'm going on about. And if you find that interesting, give this a go:

Don Palmer's Driving Handbook

(Same title, but it's different, I assure you!!!)

Without sounding too preachy, the guy behind the wheel has far more influence over the way a car handles than anything on the car itself - just look at how well Cristiano Ronaldo's 599 GTB handled yesterday on a dry, wide, clear road with only a slight bend...

Police appeal for witnesses to Cristiano Ronaldo Ferrari crash - Telegraph

Hi mate, I had the same concers as you about 3 weeks ago, I was running Falken budget tyres all round. I then had to get a new front set as mine were on the lmit. I opted for a set of Coopers and they set me back £105 a corner. I should of looked around as i found them cheeper at other places now, but not by much. and I have to say the diffrence in grip and traction on the same road conditions is amazing. I never thought tyres would realy be diffrent in conditions like we are having now but I was honestly amazed.

One thing to remember, and I lernt this the hard way, is that if you have the fronts changed, you still have the ditch finders on the rear. I have gone into a few round abouts and lost the back because the traction on the back is less then the front.

Another thing i would say mate while you still have the ditch finders, is to check the PSI in them.

Without sounding too preachy, the guy behind the wheel has far more influence over the way a car handles than anything on the car itself - just look at how well Cristiano Ronaldo's 599 GTB handled yesterday on a dry, wide, clear road with only a slight bend...

Police appeal for witnesses to Cristiano Ronaldo Ferrari crash - Telegraph

lol - I wonder if he rolled round on the floor after clutching his leg appealing to the poice that someone had touched him.

I was given a ride by a very good driver in a bog standard mark 3 comfort-level specced (ie not sporty) Fiesta the other day.

His ability of driving > mine (by a long way) and he made that car go around corners with loads of grip at speeds higher than I'd dream of doing in my vRS (for fear of grip levels alone) - and I'm running expensive tyres on the front of my car! (goodyear eagle f1s)

I've got a rear anti roll bar sat in my garage and I will fit it at some point, but am considering waiting until spring/summer when there's more grip available on the roads - just in case.

I've read so many mixed reviews on here - some people say it's the best £200 you can spend on the fabia and others say it turns it in to a "likely to roll on to it's roof" car.

I guess if you drive at the same speeds as you do with a standard car once you have the rear anti roll bar fitted, you're unlikely to have problems. But if you exploit the extra grip available and run out of talent/grip/hit a diesel spill (thought you'd like that one Chris..) you'll be in much more trouble than without an anti roll bar and at lower speeds.

I'm sure I'm likely to be corrected on that but that's my understanding of it at the moment. If you car can currently go around a corner at 57mph then it will be able to do with rear anti roll bar, but if you push the limit further and go to say 65mph and then decide it's too fast and lift off, you're in big trouble

The ARB won't increase traction in the circumstances you describe, but better tyres and/or a bit less right foot will.

The high level of torque and the way it is delivered (with a surge) tends to make the car prone to this.

Thanks guy, really good advice, everyone on this forum are great and by far the best i'm a member of. i'm going to change all 4 ditch finders i reckon. Heard nothing but good things bout the proxies, so i'll go with them unless anybody else has some highly recommended. Looks like 2009 is going to be an expensive year!

I've read so many mixed reviews on here - some people say it's the best £200 you can spend on the fabia and others say it turns it in to a "likely to roll on to it's roof" car.

I think the issue is that it does totally transform the car and make it so much better round corners that it can sometimes (initially) inspire too much confidence unless you have the technical understanding of what it's doing and why. So you just need to feel out how it affects the car and make sure you're thinking about any corners your driving quickly rather than throwing it round with a "Briskoda said this ARB makes me a Ferrarri" attitude.

I'm not a good driver, but I've had the ARB for three years now I think. Only twice has it caught me out with lift-off oversteer, and one of those times was when I was actively trying to get the back round. From my experience driving the ARB on my car I truly sometimes wonder how people are driving when they post stories about how they managed to suddenly lose it when driving normally/briskly.

The Goodyear Eagle F1's were one of the best changes I made to my car. But with current temperatures and likelihood of ice/snow I'd skip them until Summer. The Toyos I have now are a little better in the cold though.

Hi mate, I had the same concers as you about 3 weeks ago, I was running Falken budget tyres all round. I then had to get a new front set as mine were on the lmit. I opted for a set of Coopers and they set me back £105 a corner. I should of looked around as i found them cheeper at other places now, but not by much. and I have to say the diffrence in grip and traction on the same road conditions is amazing. I never thought tyres would realy be diffrent in conditions like we are having now but I was honestly amazed.

One thing to remember, and I lernt this the hard way, is that if you have the fronts changed, you still have the ditch finders on the rear. I have gone into a few round abouts and lost the back because the traction on the back is less then the front.

Another thing i would say mate while you still have the ditch finders, is to check the PSI in them.

I would have put the new tyres on the rear and put the rears on the front until you get more new ones.

I have never used budget tyres on any car, remember, it's the only thing that touches the road and you have to think that your life could depend on them in an emergency.

If people know they are going to need them soon, then save up for an extra month, Could be the difference between feeling your ar*e bite the seat while you stop and hospital.

When my rears run out I'll be putting the goodyears on the back of my car and try some toyos on the front

When my rears run out I'll be putting the goodyears on the back of my car and try some toyos on the front

The better tyres should be on the rears anyway.

I have Bridgestones on the rear and Proxy TR1's on the front, seem Ok to me.

Actually I prefer my car with better tyres on the front - I don't push it enough to ever worry about the tail coming out really.

I'd tend to agree with that on the Fabia (certainly without an RARB), as it's so under-steery that unless the rears were nearing the limit, you're always going to lose traction at the front first. Therefore, giving the fronts as much help as possible to hold on is probably a good idea!!!

Thanks, i'm looking at changing the tyres first then maybe a arb if/ when it warms up. Looking at getting some toyo's for all 4 corner's, its working out at around £96 per corner, is this a good price? I'll probably changed the front's first, as ed say i don't push it enough...yet to get the back end out.

I have Eagle F1 GSD3s all round - paid about £360 at Kwik Fit, they are truly awesome and although a summer tyre they're not doing too bad this time of year (I am wary when cold though). I can highly reccommend them, have you checked your current tyre pressures as well? as this wont help much if they're all different or over inflated?

good luck sorting it though, John

Looking at getting some toyo's for all 4 corner's, its working out at around £96 per corner, is this a good price?

I'd probably say no: TOYO TYRES / CAR / TOYO T1R PROXES TOYO T1 R - 205/40R17 84W XL TL :: £56.22 :: Car Tyres - MPV Tyres - People Carrier Tyres :: R17" - 205/40/17, 205/40 R 17 ::

Yea going to check them tonight, what do everyone run? I'm sure i'm running 36 front/ 34 rear.

36 front 34 rear at the moment

I constantly change the rears though - can never really get the balance right between comfort and feel

I'd probably say no: TOYO TYRES / CAR / TOYO T1R PROXES TOYO T1 R - 205/40R17 84W XL TL :: £56.22 :: Car Tyres - MPV Tyres - People Carrier Tyres :: R17" - 205/40/17, 205/40 R 17 ::

Cheers Mort, great price! You had any experience with them?

Thanks

36 front 34 rear at the moment

I constantly change the rears though - can never really get the balance right between comfort and feel

What tyre size you running with them?

Thanks

Whatever the standard size is for Fabia vRS alloys (16")

Possibly! 205/45 R16