Reduce understeer please!!

[brit911]

Hi Guys, got my first track day this weekend and as I already struggle with understeer on the roads I am concerned that a crappy hothatch with a spotty teenager is gonna mess with me in the corners!!!!

My cars is a 1988 3.2 Carrera Turbo Body with 17 cup alloys from a 996 carrera 4. I'm sunning stock road tyres. Perhaps some help with tyre pressures?

I havnt left myself / you guys much time to help as this is happening tomorrow at 12.00!!! I'm really looking forward to it and boy is my car going to get a thrapping!!!!!!

Any help?? Oh yeah, the car has been lowered and I've just had the suspension re-aligned my an expert!!

Thanks
Jay

[Bill Verburg]

about all you can do at this point is play w/ tire pressures
to reduce understeer
higher front tire pressure and/or lower rear tire pressure

[stlrj]

Oh yeah, the car has been lowered

Usually that makes it understeer even more since negative camber usually increases as the suspension goes down the tire contact patch gets smaller, less adhesion, less control in cornering, less fun!

Joe

[masraum]

What size tires are you running front and rear? Have you ever had an alignment done and what were the specs. And lastly, how do you drive. It could be that the car is completely neutral, but your driving style makes it understeer. Like Bill said, you may not have time to get the alignment checked and fixed if you have problems, but that could also be the culprit as well as having tires that are too different in size. Do you have the same make/model of tire front and rear? That's another possibility.

Since this is your first track day you may potentially be passed by lots of stuff. Better to learn to drive well before you try to go fast. You'll eventually be much faster that way.

[GrantG]

If the tire pressure suggestion doesn't fix the problem, I'd consider some adjustable swaybars for your next time out (alignment can help too).

[sjanes]

Driving style can have a big effect on how much understeer you have. If you over brake for corners and then accelerate into the corner, you will understeer no matter what your swaybars or tires pressures are. Also, trailbraking to rotate the car on corner entry is a good way to remove understeer, but it isn't as easy as it sounds.

Now, having said that, this is going to be your first track event, so I assume you'll have an instructor. Listen to him/her. You may find understeer is not going to be a problem at all.

[aftermath]

I agree, understeer can have a lot to do with your driving, early apexing is common mistake, on the throttle too soon is another. Since you refer to your first track day, I will make a assumption on that. If you listen and learn from others instead of thinking your fast or worrying about being passed, start slow and in control, no screatching tires, then build up your speed. If you havnt done so, I recommend a driving school.

[brit911]

Thanks for the tips guys, I have driven on curcuits before but mainly for evaluation, not fun. Also this is the first time it will be my car, which of course makes a difference. Last time I went to Silverstone and had a supercar test day which was instructed and loads of fun, especially in the 993 carrera 2!!! (The ferrari F355 was ok too)

I'll wait and see who I get on, I know I can be abit heavy handed so I'll try the conservitive approach first.

Cheers Guys

[Chuck Moreland]

Don't worry about getting passed. This is your first track day and you'll get passed plenty, and by much slower and less capable cars. Everyone does.

Just go have fun and start learning. If you start doing this regularly, soon you'll be fast too. It's all about seat time.

Unless there is a real "problem" with your car - created by a broken part or some unmentioned modification, then don't concern yourself with the perceived understeer. For your first track day focus on the driver, the car is pretty much irrelevent. We all have a steep learning curve when we first show up to the track.

Have fun

[brit911]

WOW- what a day!!!!!!!

I own my car for several reasons, a thing of beauty, engine noise at full chat, that sort of stuff and a huge one for me, in the 80's when i was growing up all the magazines said if you can master driving a 911, you've just about cracked it.

How much did I learn on my first track day, loads!!! Couldnt believe I was that slow to begin with and managed to get faster and faster as the day went on. Every Porsche owner/any car owner should try that at least once. Its bloody awsome. Now I'm off to modify some bits and have another go, I wonder if I have started something here!!!

We'll See (Oh yeah, by adjusting my driving style I managed to dial out nearly all the understeer, unless I needed it)

And my car is still running!!!!
Thanks for the tips
J

[masraum]

Excellent! Good to hear.

[Miguel Antonett]

You are just HOOKED now... enjoy it and be carefull, recognize yours and the cars' capabilities before doing something stupid...

[bkreigsr]

No big surprise that the car is still running.
I've been driving to/from track events many, many, years, often over 5 hours one-way, several times sharing the car with my sons. Only needed a tow home once when we let the fuel get too low and cooked the pump on the track.

Try that with any other marque!
It's true, every P-car made is a race car.
enjoy
Bill K

[stlrj]

Oh yeah, the car has been lowered and I've just had the suspension re-aligned my an expert!!

How was the understeer before it was lowered? Did lowering increase or decrease your understeer?

That might be your answer.

Cheers,

Joe

[Miguel Antonett]

Higher tire pressure up front - a tad.

Set the car going into the turn by a hard break to lower the nose and let the front tires "bite"; then control the back with the throtle - there's where the fun really begins...

Go into the turns slow and come out fast until you learn to compensate between under and oversteering.

After that, torsion bars, sway bars, wheels and tire size...