back end stepped out...

[Pete69zx]

When giving my car some beans around a roundabout earlier... the back end managed to step out on me as i took my foot off the gas.

I dont know if its still me getting used to a turbo'd car, or due to the suspension mods i have just had fitted?

Suspension is FK/Koni adjustable damping coilover kit (front set @ maximum stiffness & the rears i believe to be set at around half way).

I also have full powerflex bushes fitted front & rear, & a dogbone engine mount finnishing off with an alloy upper front strut brace.

Could it just be that the rear needs to be a little stiffer perhaps, & lower?
(rear could sit quite a lot lower IMHO).

What else can i do the rear of the car to make further improvements?

Is it worthwhile getting some new ARB's fitted?

Cheers.

 

[neil.c]

Lift off oversteer, occurs because the car goes from 4wd to 2wd when you lift off(plus weight tranfers forwards), if you don't want it to happen change your driving style slightly or experiment and have some fun

 

[Pete69zx]

I forgot to mention that my car is 2WD 1.8T with an APR? remap.

 

[neil.c]

Just be the weight transfer making the backend light then. I once came around a bend in a 30 at about 50 in the wet(in the wifes mk3 Golf Gti 16v only to see a police car waiting at the traffic lights, so I lifted off sharpish and proceeded towards the traffic lights sideways. I don't know what would have been worse, carrying on and losing speed for the traffic lights or the drifting to the lights sideways

 

[LaSarthe&Back]

I managed to do this around a roundabout, it was a great feeling as I caught the slide and came off the roundabout!! I was pointing right with wheels turned full left lock and the look on the peoples faces as they were coming onto the roundabout was a picture!!

Great fun when you get it right, nightmare if it goes wrong!

 

[pablo]

its the same in the 106gti and 205gti i have - lift off and the back goes light - you can get a wee slide going but tbh its why most pugs end up wrecked!

 

[Ess_Three]

Suspension is FK/Koni adjustable damping coilover kit (front set @ maximum stiffness & the rears i believe to be set at around half way).

I fair to understand how it does anything but understeer everywhere if you have the fronts turned up full!
In my view, that's to high to get any sort of handling out of it...unless the dampers are soft as ***** to start with...which I doubt, being Koni.

On my G0lf GTI (similar set up) I have my koni dampers set about 1/4 turn up from minimum at the front...and about 1/2 from minimum at the rear.

Front harder than the rear doesn't make sense for Koni dampers on a FWD car.


Lift off oversteer can be found..but I've never found it on an A3...are your rear tyres crap?

 

[Pete69zx]

I fair to understand how it does anything but understeer everywhere if you have the fronts turned up full!
In my view, that's to high to get any sort of handling out of it...unless the dampers are soft as ***** to start with...which I doubt, being Koni.

On my G0lf GTI (similar set up) I have my koni dampers set about 1/4 turn up from minimum at the front...and about 1/2 from minimum at the rear.

Front harder than the rear doesn't make sense for Koni dampers on a FWD car.


Lift off oversteer can be found..but I've never found it on an A3...are your rear tyres crap?

I will try using the 1/4 setting on the front shox setting then & see how things feel.

Cheers.

 

[leecs3]

When giving my car some beans around a roundabout earlier... the back end managed to step out on me as i took my foot off the gas.

the problem is YOU. You never lift on on a bend or roundabout if your pushing on. Get yourself on a karting track and learn the basic principals of how to drive quickly and this will dramatical improve your road driving. You'll be much quicker A to B without the need to speed.

 

[Pete69zx]

the problem is YOU. You never lift on on a bend or roundabout if your pushing on. Get yourself on a karting track and learn the basic principals of how to drive quickly and this will dramatical improve your road driving. You'll be much quicker A to B without the need to speed.

Good point.
I was pushing it hard around the inside lane of a roundabout (r/b over the top of a main dual carriage way, meaning large roundabout). I was overtaking another car as the turbo really started to sing in 2nd gear. Obvioulsy the car reached it limitaitions/current setup & started to slide the front end towards the other car. Obviously not wannting to hit the breaks, as i was still out of danger of hitting the other car, i took my foot completely of the gas pedal. Then, the back end stepped out & i had to aplly a little opposite lock to correct it.

Just wanted to fully explain the situation of my posts question.

Cheers.

 

[Ess_Three]

Good point.
I was pushing it hard around the inside lane of a roundabout (r/b over the top of a main dual carriage way, meaning large roundabout). I was overtaking another car as the turbo really started to sing in 2nd gear. Obvioulsy the car reached it limitaitions/current setup & started to slide the front end towards the other car. Obviously not wannting to hit the breaks, as i was still out of danger of hitting the other car, i took my foot completely of the gas pedal. Then, the back end stepped out & i had to aplly a little opposite lock to correct it.

Ahh...so the initial cause of the problem was understeer under power. It makes sense now...

If you had the grip at the front you'd not have needed to do the worst thing you could do - lift off.

You'll probably find softening your front dampers will reduce the understeer, as will stiffening up the rear.
Hopefully then you'll be able to corner quicker without the front pushing wide...and remove the cause of the little scare completely.

 

[phantom photon]

Have you checked your tire pressures at the rear?

 

[neil.c]

There is always more to the story