Hi All

I think this is the right section.

I have just got my first valver and first VW too and loving it.

However, i was out having a slightly spirited drive and found the understeer was crazy! i know it has not rained in ages so very greasy but just wondered if this was normal.

It has new tyres but they look budget...although do have good drainage as far as i can see.

I tihnk i might need some new rubber!

Sounds like you've answered your own question there! Get yourself some nice toyo proxes or similar cos they have nice a soft compound. Have you considered some aftermarket suspension? That would help cut down the body roll

Decent tyres are a must as they are the only thing that have contact with the road. However on a greasy road most tyres would struggle.

It might be worth just checking your tyre pressure to make sure they are ok. You could even perhaps check the tracking to see if everything is ok there as well. But at the end of the day FWD cars understeer... :)

oh yeah i know, i have had a lot of cars, my FTO was FWD so i know its to be expected, i just wondered if they were known for it.

I was tihnking 30mm drop on coilovers.

What pressures do people recomend on here?

i was thinking of looking for some wheels so might hang on for tyres until i work out if wheels are doable.

Are there any cheap easy to find VW wheels from GTI's etc that will go straight on?

2 to 2.2 bar i'd say probably, but it depends on what wheels & tyres you're running. For valvers, any 4 stud vw ones should go straight on with the right size tyres (go for less than 16" though)

Coilovers should help, you can fiddle with your set up too

yeah i was thinking 15's

what's the pressures in PSI? lol

If I were you I'd run 28 up front and about 30 rear and see how you get on from there.

Oooooh about 30 to 32

Firmer suspension can/will, in general, increase understeer. Especially on bumpy UK roads :) As for tyre pressures stick to figures around that quoted by VW

great thanks guys i check em tomorrow

Meh cuts out body roll though - associated with understeer. Good tyres and chassis stiffness will help reduce the slip angle.

meh?

lol i thought meh was some type of mod ha ha ha ha ha

yeah i know stiffer will increase understeer, but slightly lower should make it sit lower so its a mix of both

Meh cuts out body roll though - associated with understeer.

I'm not sure that is true but I'm not an expert. Firmer suspension will reduce body roll but on its own I don't think it will reduce understeer. But as there is less body roll it is more fun to drive! :)

Softer front suspension and anti-roll bars, stiffer rear suspension and anti-roll bars, as Toby mentioned; lower front tyre pressure, higher rear tyre pressure, negative camber on the front wheels, less negative (basically straight) on the rear, rake (low front, high rear)..

A decent set of tyres and full adjustable suspension and top mounts would be a start.

Edited 10 August, 201016 yr by smithy_6n

Softer front suspension and anti-roll bars, stiffer rear suspension and anti-roll bars, as Toby mentioned; lower front tyre pressure, higher rear tyre pressure, negative camber on the front wheels, less negative (basically straight) on the rear, rake (low front, high rear)..

A decent set of tyres and full adjustable suspension and top mounts would be a start.

how do you put anti rolebars on the 6n? what would the donor car be? a mk3 golf? what do you mean negative camber? bottom kiking out is it?

as for tyre presures id agree with tobyk 28 up front 30 rear. I've just a 1l 6n, no power steering. had mahoosive understeer but shes sittin on the ground and its a dream. most people who drive it say they find understeer but you just have to get used to how to take the corners, dont come into them flat and expect the car to just through into it, ease off coming into the bends, have the balls to lob her into the apex and power down when your there, granted only give here full if you know you can keep it down. i find it best keep ing a smooth pace rather than jumpin on throtle and brake e.2 min. hope this helps.

There are a few adjustable antiroll bar kits available for the 6n.. negative camber means bottom out, top in.

Most people think slamming a car on rock hard coilies will make it handle like a go kart, whereas in most cases it won't help, it'll just make it unpredictable..

I put the handling of my old 6n down to the wheel setup more than the cheap ass coilies, 195 section tyres all round made a huge difference over standard, and when I put my old skinny wheels and crap tyres back on with the car still slammed it handled like crap...

'Slow in, fast out' is a basic rule of cornering, I always applied some brake when going round the first half of the corner so the front end dipped, this reduced the chance of understeer. If the bend was gentle, say for instance you're driving straight across a mini roundabout where you can just do a quick ''left-right-left' then there's no need to brake..

thanks guys! as this car is meant to save me money I'm not going crazy on mods.

So I think perhaps some nice new rubber will do the trick!

BUT do i get some wheels, then get the tyres....the 16v ones are not to crappy but the "lady" owner before me has curbed them a bit.......

2 words.

Scandinavian flick =]

In a front wheel drive car?

meh?

Think it's a polish for people who can't be arsed to clean their car.

drive it better

Bodyroll is often mistaken for understeer by non-car types!

In a front wheel drive car?

Yup.. just use the hand brake to lock the wheels to get them to break traction and the 'Flick' helps to bring the rear end round

Bodyroll is often mistaken for understeer by non-car types!

Is it...? how do people survive!!! :-D

drive it better

Ha thanks for that, i know how to drive! I'm just saying saying compared to my other cars a 306 XSi, and FTO both FWD this really really understeers.

So i thought i would ask and see what other people felt about it and any tweeks to reduce it a bit.

Body roll and understeer are 2 diferent things, when i can feel the front wheels sliding, and spinning on throttle and I'm going in a straight line on a corner it's definately understeer!