Car Drifting, Less Grip ?
Car Drifting, Less Grip ? I have a question. I recently had my alignment redone to some autox/ street specs
Camber (°) Caster (°) Toe (°)
-0.5 to -1.0 +4.0 to +5.0 0.0
Well it feels like the car turns faster, but it seems it has less grip. Now it turns faster but it feels like the car drifts more in sharp turns. It feels like I used to be able to take sharper turns without loosing traction, The tires arent completely bald but they have bout 10k miles on them. Now my question, is this normal? Now that I have a different setup, Do I need better tires up front ? This morning I had the chance to run an empty parking lot and I took a sharp turn and the car just turned but drifted at the same time. By the way I'm talkin bout turning around 35-40mph. I'm new to suspension setups so any comments would help. Thanx
Camber (°) Caster (°) Toe (°)
-0.5 to -1.0 +4.0 to +5.0 0.0
Well it feels like the car turns faster, but it seems it has less grip. Now it turns faster but it feels like the car drifts more in sharp turns. It feels like I used to be able to take sharper turns without loosing traction, The tires arent completely bald but they have bout 10k miles on them. Now my question, is this normal? Now that I have a different setup, Do I need better tires up front ? This morning I had the chance to run an empty parking lot and I took a sharp turn and the car just turned but drifted at the same time. By the way I'm talkin bout turning around 35-40mph. I'm new to suspension setups so any comments would help. Thanx
By drifting do you mean the tail hangs out? If so, that's because with the new alignment the front has more grip than the rear. If you are in a four wheel drift, it may be a tire issue; rubber too cold or not the right air pressure. Also, some parking lots have a very slick sealed surface.
also from your mods list it looks like you are on stock shocks, thats a big problem, those springs need much better shocks, the stockers were poor matches to the stock springs, now they are way outclassed
yea when it drifts its a four wheel drift, its a good feeling cuz its a controlled drift but what happened to my traction? Ive known for a while i need shocks, but gosh it hadnt been a problem yet. Oh and my tire pressure is 30psi all around. On Kumho Supras
Just the change of seasons can make a substantial
difference in traction. Some compounds lose their
stickiness at merely cool temps (my Goodyears
would not grab at all below 40F, who knows what
others' temperature profile might be?).
Do things improve once you've given them some
good-natured abuse?
difference in traction. Some compounds lose their
stickiness at merely cool temps (my Goodyears
would not grab at all below 40F, who knows what
others' temperature profile might be?).
Do things improve once you've given them some
good-natured abuse?
40psi in the front? dayuum...! Is that safe for street driving ? Seems like its a lil high, I thought lower tire pressure gives you more traction. I guess thats for drag racing. I guess it has to do with the tire temps, since I did notice during the day increased traction. I appreciate the advice cal, you must know what you're talkin bout. 
Trending Topics
Yeah lower pressure in the rear tires makes the car launch better, but we are talking about cornering traction here. You'll have to experiment with tire pressures; it depends a lot on the type of tire, and the temperature the tire is getting to, as well as the tire size and wheel size. Check the tires when they are at full operating temperature; the cold presure will probably be a lot lower. That 40 psi for the front I sugested might need to be less than that, or even more. If you had smaller sized BFG KD's it will probably have to be a lot higher (an fbody buddy had to run 50 psi in his.) I think that is because the KD's have a stiff sidewall but soft tread. The bigger the tire, the less pressure it needs also.
The way to find out is to chalk the shoulder of the tire, and see how far they are rolling over; should be about 3/16" past the tire shoulder (onto the sidewall) when you do a max effort turn. This should be measured with the tire at rated operating temperature, so it is good to have a way to measure tire temperature.
Since your car has a big weight bias on the front, you need more pressure in the front tires. And since you have a solid axle in the back and less weight back there, lower pressure works better in the rear. The front tires are also what gives you good turn in response, which is another reason to have more pressure in the front.
If you are serious about handling, you need to collect more data and accurate data, so get an accurate tire presure gauge and a pyrometer to measure tire temperature.
The way to find out is to chalk the shoulder of the tire, and see how far they are rolling over; should be about 3/16" past the tire shoulder (onto the sidewall) when you do a max effort turn. This should be measured with the tire at rated operating temperature, so it is good to have a way to measure tire temperature.
Since your car has a big weight bias on the front, you need more pressure in the front tires. And since you have a solid axle in the back and less weight back there, lower pressure works better in the rear. The front tires are also what gives you good turn in response, which is another reason to have more pressure in the front.
If you are serious about handling, you need to collect more data and accurate data, so get an accurate tire presure gauge and a pyrometer to measure tire temperature.
Last edited by Cal; Nov 3, 2005 at 04:21 PM.
LS1 Tech Stories
The Best V8 Stories One Small Block at Time
6 Common C5 Corvette Failures and What's Involved In Repairing Them
Pouria Savadkouei
Retro Modern Bandit Pontiac Trans AM Comes With Burt Reynolds' Autograph
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Greatest Cadillac V Series Performance Models Ever, Ranked
Pouria Savadkouei
Top 10 Most Powerful Chevy Trucks Ever Made!
Hennessey's New Supercharged Silverado ZR2 Has 700 HP
Verdad Gallardo
Coachbuilt N2A Anteros Is an LS2-Powered C6 Corvette In Italian Clothes
Verdad Gallardo
Awesome K5 Blazer Restomod Comes With C7 Corvette Power
Verdad Gallardo
10 Camaros You Should Never Buy
