Suspension Guro help please??

[714guy]

Hello

so a few weeks ago i go cruising with a full load 3 friends + my big ass. Anyways i was driving thru the curvy canyons and my car rocked. I loved the feeling of it, the car was nice and stiff. My friend said my car handled those curve/turns really well and was pretty fast also. the only slow part is getting up to speed again.

My question for the suspension gurus is How do i get my car to feel like this when I am driving by myself?? I already H & Rs and bilsteins.

thanks

jason

[cian36n]

One of the best things that I have done to my old car to make it handle really well (1987 W124 300) was put on bigger sway bars, both front and rear. They made it handle a whole lot better, and made daily driving more fun. Just my two cents.

Ian

[J Irwan]

Jason,

If I interpret you question correctly is that you want the car to handle very well with 3 passenger in the car as well as if there was only 1 passenger..?

The answer is really tough, and almost impossible unless you have "active suspension" setup similar founds on the newer AMG lines (SL55, E55, CL55, etc).

The reason is this.
No matter how good the upgrade is done to particular car, the biggest enemy is always weight..
Sure with one passenger (just the driver) the car handle well, but with 3 passenger the car handle a little more loosely.
Which is expected.. Now supposedly you tweek the suspension are tight are perfect to 3 passenger, then you swicth back to 1 passenger (just the driver in the car), the car will handle different than you expected.
(i.e. to stiff, more understeer, etc.)...


Now with the active suspension, all that can be overcome, as the suspension has it's own computer to calulcate weight shifting during cornering, hard accelaration, hard brake and it could adjust the right component accordingly (i.e: active Swaybar, and active air-suspension) to the condition that the car in at the time..



Otherwise the you just have to accept the fact that the car will handle at its best with 1 passenger... (not multiple passenger)..


Regardz,

[manny]

To answer your question in a more simple manner.
When you had all your buddies in the car, the springs would be more compressed.
Because you have progressive springs, they get stiffer, when you place a greater load on them. ;)

[MrSpace]

put some weight in the car when you don't have other people

like sandbagging it:P

Etienne

[Denlasoul]

Maybe you have to resort to driving 3 deep all the time. ;)

[MrSpace]

[1am bad joke]
Date a very huge girl and you'll be fine
or, be a pimp and date 3 girls at a time:P
[/1am bad joke¸]

[714guy]

Originally posted by J Irwan
Jason,

If I interpret you question correctly is that you want the car to handle very well with 3 passenger in the car as well as if there was only 1 passenger..?

The answer is really tough, and almost impossible unless you have "active suspension" setup similar founds on the newer AMG lines (SL55, E55, CL55, etc).

The reason is this.
No matter how good the upgrade is done to particular car, the biggest enemy is always weight..
Sure with one passenger (just the driver) the car handle well, but with 3 passenger the car handle a little more loosely.
Which is expected.. Now supposedly you tweek the suspension are tight are perfect to 3 passenger, then you swicth back to 1 passenger (just the driver in the car), the car will handle different than you expected.
(i.e. to stiff, more understeer, etc.)...


Now with the active suspension, all that can be overcome, as the suspension has it's own computer to calulcate weight shifting during cornering, hard accelaration, hard brake and it could adjust the right component accordingly (i.e: active Swaybar, and active air-suspension) to the condition that the car in at the time..



Otherwise the you just have to accept the fact that the car will handle at its best with 1 passenger... (not multiple passenger)..


Regardz,

actually i want to know to get it to handle like when i have a full load when i am in there my self. the car just sticks in the corners and i dont feel scared like its goin to lose it.


cian36

I will probably try out sways soon.

[speedybenz]

714Guy,

What you felt could have been the increase of sprung wt (the car itself) to unsprung wt, ( the tires and wheels, springs, etc).

With the extra weight in your car when it hits a bump it is easier for just the wheels to move up and down and not the car too.

Also as stated before the springs are under a higher load so the suspension moves less and can feel more planted.

So to get some of this feeling you can go to lighter wheels, shocks and springs.

Bigger swaybars will help reduce body roll and very well damped shocks can help here also.

But the bottom line is the lighter the car the better the tire grip will be.

Jeff