Heres one for you handling/chassis wizzards (Jon etc. )

Having fitted some grippier tyres to my octy I have now exposed the shortcomings of the Elegance chassis.

When cornering at speed the rear end seems to go very light, I suspect its because the front is no longer understeering but it really does make me feel a bit nervous - especially given SWMBO will soon be usin gthe Octavia as her car every day. It doesnt feel comfortable not understeering like a "propper" car does it just feels totally off balance.

Tyre pressures are as per the label on the fuel flap for an un-laden car.

So what can be done to reduce this feeling?

I'm running Elegance Shocks and ARB with VRS springs. Would a front ARB sorth things out at all? Its a lot of money for something that may not improve things. I certainally dont want to fit a rear ARB now as that would (IMHO) make things feel worse.

Any ideas?

Try dropping the tyre pressures a tad...'tis cheap to try and easily reversible...

Rob.

I have no where near the amount of knowledge of experience as Jon etc.

However I'm wondering whether this is due to the springs being stiffer...you now have grip and with the front being under load the rear will go light.

Apparently the best combo for UK roads is softish springs and firm damping....you've got it the other way road...stiff springs and softish dampers...as I said I have no real idea about this....jsut rhowing up ideas for people to discuss.

Try dropping the tyre pressures a tad...'tis cheap to try and easily reversible...

Rob.

All round or just the rear?

Its all bo11ox!

You have new tyres on the rear, they will still be rubbing off the release agents. Give it about 1-2k miles before they work as they should.

Then, if it's still doing it, check your tyre pressures.

Adrian, its un herring rouge about the springs and dampers - they are the same as before he changed his tyres

Before you drop em, check if they are correct.....

The are correct, I adjusted them on the evening after they were fitted.

Before you drop em, check if they are correct.....

I always find the "Skoda recommended" values tend to make the car slide more...admittedly it's pov-*** tyres on a pov-*** model so it's probably just me who finds this...

Rob.

Know what you mean Rob, I use theirs as a guide but I have my own "pet" settings for mine.

Could be he is running the wrong size tyres

No. They are the correct size tyres - not sure why I have 195's on the brain but I have 205's on the car

I have 205's on the car

Put them on the wheels? It's not a Superb, so you don't need them as mooring buffers

Sing to the tune of the well know Queen record:

dum, dum, dum, another thread bites the dust.......

Hi

If the gripper tyres are also stiffer in the sidewalls, this may put further demands on the damping, so Adrians comment is a good one to consider. Tend to agree that on UK roads, best setups are softer / longer travel with really good damping.

Is the car light at the back or does it settle with a bit of leaning on? Some tyres have a bigger slip angle for a given amount of cornering than ohers making it seem like the car is more sideways. I have found treads with a V pattern like Toyo T1S can feel more like this than tyres with a solid circumfrencial rib layout like the Cont Sport II.

Last thing to consider is that you are now driving a RWD car, so you are getting used to using the gas to settle the rears end and get it dug in. cantdo that much with a FWD car.

Chris

I have an octy elegancy TDI and am curious as to wether getting adjustable dampers and VRs springs would be better than getting the whole damper/spring kits. Any ideas?

Last thing to consider is that you are now driving a RWD car' date=' so you are getting used to using the gas to settle the rears end and get it dug in. cantdo that much with a FWD car.

Chris[/quote']

I'm talking about the Octavia

The other point I would like to mention, is that you more than likely changed your tyres as your old ones were low on tread. Your new tyres have 10mm (iirc) of brand new soft squishy tread on that hasnt "bedded" in yet, thus giving the sensations you are experiencing.

I'm no handling expert, but just an observation I have made over the years.

Get the release agent of, get the pressures sorted. Remember the new tyres will loose /adjust in the first week. Then try Jon's tyres settings, they are good

Try a bag of sand in the boot.

Mine rarely understeers unexpectedly, does not feel like a FWD car, nor a RWD, takes time to adjust to change in tyres, coming from my summer tyres to toyo's I trimmed 20mph off my local slip road, maybe more, building up again now it's drying up...my drive home last night up the A49 I was hitting esp and limits of toyo's t1-r's they felt slippery, time to change to summer spec tyres...

I'm talking about the Octavia

Yep, gathered that, but thought you had the 350Z to compare it with now.

Chris

He hasn't got the 350Z yet.

To my mind, a FWD car ALWAYS feels like a FWD car - or I've never had the money to add enough mods to it to make it otherwise. You put power down in a corner, you drift wide...

He hasn't got the 350Z yet.

To my mind' date=' a FWD car ALWAYS feels like a FWD car - or I've never had the money to add enough mods to it to make it otherwise. You put power down in a corner, you drift wide...[/quote']

Found in another thread, ages to wait. Dont help with my jealousy problem though:D

Front wheel drive cannot be made to feel like rear wheel drive, however, chassis designers engineer in a quality caller roll oversteer. This helps the car balance slip angles front to rear when cornering hard, but it does require the driver to pitch it in quite hard before the effect starts to work. Applying gas once the roll oversteer is set up is OK and unless you apply too much and wash out the front end, the car will hold its attitude through the corner if the chassis is configured to do it. This is one of the Fiestas clever tricks.

If you have a set of tyres that have a solid rib pattern, they often have quite small optimum slip angles (the angle of tyre to road for maximum cornering force). If you then fit tyres with a greater slip angle, and I remember for example Toyo T1s being like this, the rear feels like it is going round further and can be disconcerting until you get used to it. It is just that the tyre may be taking an extra 2 or 3 degrees to reach optimum.

May be this, may not.

Chris