little loose

[hotrice]

now i am an avid driver. i love to drive and have while doing it. but i was driving up the highway doing 80 and went for a shift change and then i had to get back over drastically and car felt a little bit loose from being top heavy. now don't get me wrong i'm all about getting a little crazy you know i have pulled the e brake and spun the car around in the neighborhood. but that day it didn't feel right. anyway just curios if any body else have had that issue.

[oneday]

What you experienced has little to do with "top heaviness." You say that you downshifted right before you did an emergency lane change maneuver? When you slowed down/downshifted you shifted the weight forward off of the rear wheels. I promise that if you had kept in the throttle to maintain your speed (held even at 80) then made the same move the car would have felt much more stable because it would have left the mass more equal on all four corners.

[hotrice]

yeah i see where your coming from but i still think that i need to do something to stabalize the car a little bit better because in a couple months i'm putting my baby on the track out here in va (road course) there are going to be lots of turns with even more speed.

[oneday]

I have had my car on Summit and on Watkins Glen and every instructor I've had has commented on how stable the car is at speed. It might have to do with driving technique/ability it might be that you don't really do emergency lane changes while on a racetrack (hopefully).

If you want to get more stability and are taking the car to the track then I'd suggest the following upgrades:
4. Better shocks/springs
3. Better tires.
2. Better brake pads/fluid.
1. Improved input nut.

I'm not saying that to be an ass and I'm not saying you don't know how to drive. I'm only saying the best performance upgrade you can do for your car is getting better at driving.

[hotrice]

yeah i know about the driving. i'm still getting use to the car. you say that you have been to summit. where about do you live???

[oneday]

North of Philly, PA. It's about four and a half hours from Summit. We did the Shenendoah Circuit last fall for the Red Line Time Attack (not the tC) and I was there once before for a track day.

[hotrice]

ah well that sucks because i have been trying to find people that live around me that love their cars as much as i do. i need people that i can relate to with my car. right now i am hanging out with a guy that has an 07 sti and i can't hang on the road with him at least not yet.

[Hitt_and_Run]

Funny you should say that dude, my best friend has a 06' STI. Can't hang off the line cause he has AWD, but get going bout 50mph and I can give him a run for his money. lol.

[hotrice]

i tried to hang with him going up and down a mountain and he just walked on me. damn that awd!!!

[oneday]

Originally Posted by Hitt_and_Run

Funny you should say that dude, my best friend has a 06' STI. Can't hang off the line cause he has AWD, but get going bout 50mph and I can give him a run for his money. lol.

What have you got done to your car? You're talking 150 whp against 250+whp (stock for stock). Either you have some very nice mods or your friend can't drive to save his life (or both).

[hotrice]

ha ha i agree with oneday

[Hitt_and_Run]

Don't remeber stating anything about stock vs stock. Neither my car or my friends car are stock... read my profile. =P

[hotrice]

ah i see no wonder you are sitting next to him. well for us guys who don't have all the juice in our cars yet we are sitting in the dust of the sti's.