djinuk 2 Posted February 20, 2008 Ok i have a 1.9 205 gti that i have rebuilt ground up . i have lowered the rear beam , and rebuilt the front spax suspension. I brought it out for the first time 2 days ago, and although i know the roads are icy, although today has been better, the front end is not willing to grip at all, it is impossible for me to put any decent amount of power down with out spinning, and on corners (going at a slow speed) i can feel the car wanting to slip out. Is there chance i have rebuilt the suspension incorrectly (putting the rubbers upside down or something daft) , or could it be that my tracking is out, (i have not touched the track rod ends). The rear end of the car does sit lower than the front , i am guessing this could be the problem. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Teacher 0 Posted February 20, 2008 I'd bet tracking mate, had similar issues with my car when i stripped and rebuilt that although that was heaps of understeer and you seem to have oversteer. I thought the rear rubbers would only go on one way or the bolts won't line up I had the rear beam on my old xs lowered (1 spline) and had to drive it for a week with standard suspension up front and it hugged the road pretty well. Bouncy ride when lowered though Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
djinuk 2 Posted February 20, 2008 glad to hear that its possibly the tracking , will get that checked this weekend then, the rubbers i meant was on the front, i put the harder bbm ones one it. Solid mounts on the back, . Thanks for the feedback Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bren_1.3 1 Posted February 20, 2008 sounds like its set up to understeer! too hard spax front end, and nose high...always going to understeer. you need to uprate the rear suitably to match the hard front, and raise the rear end/lower the front so that the car sits at the very least parrallel. you ideally want it nose down though.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
djinuk 2 Posted February 20, 2008 i think i may go purchase myself a set of coilovers Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hodgy 0 Posted February 20, 2008 im getting the saME problem. group a 309 rear beam and gaz adjustables on front and i keep getting undeer steer and ont know why Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
djinuk 2 Posted February 20, 2008 mine seems so bad thought, virtually un-driveable , i may be a chance , find some standard springs, chop them put them on and take it out just to see if by lowering the front end i clear my understear, if i do then i may go and buy some coilovers Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
danpug 1 Posted February 20, 2008 Get your tracking checked first before doing anything else. A 1.9 should grip pretty well, even with poor tyres. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
djinuk 2 Posted February 20, 2008 ok , will get that sorted . Thanks for the advice the forums are great. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bren_1.3 1 Posted February 20, 2008 im getting the saME problem. group a 309 rear beam and gaz adjustables on front and i keep getting undeer steer and ont know why whats the spring rate on the front with the gaz adjustables? and is the 309 beam only solid mounted? no uprated torsion bars or anti-roll bar? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jrod 7 Posted February 20, 2008 My car understeered awfully with very bad loo (so much so not paying attention on a wet roundabout led to some pretty cool looking drifting! ) This was with standard TB's and 240lb springs up front. After stiffening up the rear with 23mmTB's and 25 ARB is was sooooo much more balanced. I've now got 185lb up front with 20mm bars and it still feels really well balanced but alot more useable on the road. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
djinuk 2 Posted February 20, 2008 Are you saying that if i upgraded my standard 19mm arb to somthing thicker and possibly my tbs it would sort the problem ? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rippthrough 98 Posted February 21, 2008 Had the same problem when my dampers lost compression damping on one front corner, felt like that wheel was a castor. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bren_1.3 1 Posted February 21, 2008 Are you saying that if i upgraded my standard 19mm arb to somthing thicker and possibly my tbs it would sort the problem ? correct. but really go the other way round. fit bigger torsion bars first. you need to find out the spring rates on the front first and then pick the bars to match. or alternatively soften the front..... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
brianthemagical 1 Posted February 21, 2008 personally, speaking with experiance of enough toe out to fill my tyres, i don't think it's tracking. how low is the back? what spec is the front suspention? mine, being billie b4's with 20mm springs and a standard rear, level car and 309 wishbones, oversteers unless i'm giving it loads of power. on a generic note, soften the end thats steering is the usual cure. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
djinuk 2 Posted February 21, 2008 back end is roughly i would say 70mm, front end is 60mm i think on spax dampers ans springs, (brought the car like it) not really sure how to go about softening it up. Yesterday i lowered my front tyres to 27psi and it helped the problem a bit. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Batfink 201 Posted February 21, 2008 you need to match front and rear spring rates and that means upgrading the torsion bars at the rear. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
brianthemagical 1 Posted February 21, 2008 i'm thinking raising it a bit will help, give a starting point at least. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
number2301 1 1 Cars Posted February 21, 2008 That's awfully low, and aren't Spax not very good? Get it at a sensible height and decent dampers and you'll see an improvement. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
keith 0 Posted February 23, 2008 was going to post something similar to this topic, i've found out it was my tracking. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites