Mmm sticky. Like uh... sticky stuff ahaha. For this post it's going to get real nerdy for me, i'm going to be talking about suspension & handling! I love handling, so i'll try to point out whatever I can to whoever is trying to make their car stick, turn and grip. Or just to look good, whatever. I'm on the fence :B.
Like my usual, we shall start with basics. Things you need to know about how to make your car handle are...
1. Springs.
2. Shock absorbers.
3. Anti-roll bars.
4. Tires.
5. Weight & Bracing.
Okay. Listed out, lets start explaining how it all works. ON a standard car, it has all of that, its just that they're usually designed to be soft and comfy, not much for handling. Now we'll go deeper into what each function does, pay attention yeh? ;)
1. Springs. This would be the easiest to explain, see-saws are a perfect example. If a spring is soft, a light person that sits on it would make it compress. A fat guy like me, would probably make it bottom out against the floor. Same thing goes with the car, AS a car turns, there is load of the whole car's weight on the opposite side of the turn, well guess what? Springs hold up weight of a see-saw, and do exactly the same for cars. Stiffer springs = Less roll, sorta.
However a spring in a car MUST be able to absorb bumps as well as counter rolling, having it harder than a turtle's shell wont help, it would be so stiff it just skips over bumps. Like literally. Cause it doesnt compress.
2. Shock absorbers: Like their name says, it absorbs shock. We'll use the see-saw again for an example. After it compresses, theres energy collected in the spring. The energy releases the spring, causing it to bouce up and down continously! Thats where the shock absorber ABSORBS that energy, stopping the movement. It controls wheel movement in comparision to weight.
The easiest way to actually make your car handle better IMO is this + anti-roll bars. Too stiff a shock also has the same effect as springs, it will be super harsh over bumps and cause the car to be very nervous in handling, kinda like a go-kart.
Too soft however, it has worse consequences.
Uhh imagine this. A see-saw. Yeah. It'll be bouncy if your shocks are too soft but your springs are hard? Proof? Google up lowering springs + standard shocks.
3. Anti-roll bars. This I think is one of the simplest parts of the suspension, it connects from the left suspension to the right.
It works the same way as a metal ruler does when you bend it, it bends to a certain point then stops. The thicker the metal is, the harder it is to bend = stiffer anti-roll bars = flatter more stable cornering without affecting the ride quality.
4.Tires. Its that black thing that hits the ground, the only thing that actually grips the road. Its one of the most important things so pay attention.
Tires have 3 things you should pay overall consideration to when modding your car, the thickness of its sidewall, width of its thread, and the overall size in inches".
Okay so first we'll start with the sidewall. The sidewall thickness should be considered when modding your car, what's the purpose of your car? The thinner the tire, the less sidewall flex it has, meaning lesser roll angle and
tire-slip. Too thin however the car wont have any feedback to actually 'tell' you when its going to lose its grip.
Width of tread... well wider is always better, more surface area, more grip. Too wide though it'll cause frictional drag, slows your car down, decreases fuel economy. Mmmm not good.
And lastly would be the size of the wheels, I wont go deeply into weight, but common sense is not to add too big a wheel for your chassis. Just add 2" on top of your original wheel size, that should be tops if you want handling. Oh and dont forget while upsizing the wheels, downsize the thickness of the sidewall and add width to the tires.
Example: 175.70.13 upped twice would be 195.50.15
5. Weight & Bracing. This is last from this post, and its really really simple. Lighter = faster. Its faster but not as fun, you see there is a different between being outright light and balanced.
Lighthen your car by any means possible to get it faster, leave out the dual 12" subwoofers, do you really need that? Lighter seats, lighther wheels, however you wanna lighthen the car its up to you. Carbon panels? They help a lot, they sure look good too :).
Bracing. A car's chassis is designed like a shell made of metal, its supposed to be strong. HOWEVER, after 100,000km's I doubt its as strong as new, it probably has fatigue'd along the way, so thats where bracing comes in.
Bracing is literally, another metal brace that ties one part of the car to another. You can go to
Ultra-Racing's website to see how it all works. Lastly would be foaming. Foaming works by injecting a polyurethane foam into the hollow points in the chassis, for ME personally, my parents did it for the whole car and the difference is night and day. The whole car feels super stable, no creaks from the chassis anymore.
Anyways i'm getting pretty tired typing, i'll prolly go into more detailed ones next time. Cheers :D!
