Making sharp turns with a FWD

[T-Brell]

I usually run a small track figure 8 with tight turns, and my car understeers every time, I almost have to come to a complete stop to turn. I have never used e-brake to turn, was going to try it this year but it kept seizing and I would have to beat it at the drum with a screw driver to get it to unlock.

I run donuts on the rear...are they hooking too much since their so narrow? Plus it's an escort 4 cyl, so it's super light...

Just wondering how others go through tight corners on dirt...

[68coupe351]

Throw the car into the corner

[m16]

Bank off other cars

[T-Brell]

I've tried that, it just understeers...

I bank off other cars all the time, sometimes there just isn't one there to bank off of...

[skunk]

Toe out the front wheels so their kind of looking away from each other. Go about a half inch for starters then adjust from there. Will help "pull" the car thru the corner. FWD's will usually have this problem. If its toe'd in, it wont turn at all. Keep toeing it out till you like it. Good front tires as well.

[T-Brell]

Wow thanks, I have always toed them in extra to keep it tracking straight, but now that I think about it the inside tire(the one with the most power when turning) will pull through the corner more if it's toed out, correct? I think this may help a lot.

[skunk]

yep. let us know how it works for ya.

[T-Brell]

Well, I ran my car last night with the wheels toed out, it definitely made a difference! I was able to get it to turn a lot better than I was. I did see something on someone else's car that I HAVE to try now, too. He had his rear tires toed WAY out, so that when you go around a corner the back swings out. Plus, I am thinking about putting on a steering quickener. With all three of those, I should be flying through the corners!

[kemble]

Remove the front swaybar and try again.

[T-Brell]

Sept 23, 2013 18:37:57 GMT -5 kemble said:

Remove the front swaybar and try again.

I haven't run a front sway bar in quite a few years, did notice traction difference from the beginning with that one. I'm gunna try a stiffer rear sway bar and maybe stiffer rear springs.

[T-Brell]

Has anyone ever put a steering quickener on a FWD? I have been on the search for a used one(don't wanna pay $100 to try something...) thinking it might help me negotiate corners a little better. Just wondering if snapping the steering that fast will cause understeer...

[BIGBADMERCURY]

depending on car but if its a GM. i would toe front tires out and only run rear brakes with bald lumina 16s and hold brake and gas and turn wheel and rear would slide around nice then just let foot off brake and haul ass. also ran a skinny mud tire or now tire. still dont understand why people put skid loader tires on a figure 8 car. you have any idea how heavy and how much hp it takes to turn them things

[13car]

or try and setup a hydraulic hand brake for the rears. Pedal runs the front brakes and the hand brake does the rears. That way you can have full front brakes if something happens in a straight away or rears and gas to get through a corner

[offroadohio]

Fix the ebrake so it doesnt stick. toe the fronts as you have done.

[T-Brell]

Still didn't fix the rear e-brake. That would require new shoes and hardware. I did try something else out though. I set the rear tires up at an extreme toe out, so that when I go through the corners and the weight transfers to the outside tire it will swing the back around. I'll let you know how it works...