Sunday, July 24, 2011 - 11:41 pm, by: Yang Gao(Ryugen)
So just had a track day today with my Soarer. Drives beautifully, loud as a mudaphaha (we were tracking next to detuned V8 Supercars and my noise could compare ho ho ho).
Two major complaints: This thing is a LAND BEAST, throwing all that weight around is so tiring. And being a rear wheel car, i am understeering a LOT. I just can't seem to get my tail out around corners.
Now good chance this is all because im not driving right, still used to whipping around 1.2kkg S chassis. Friend suggested a thicker rear sway bar to stiffen it up a bit.
But yes first time proper experience with a soarer, bit disappointed in the corners but still very fun to drive.
Monday, July 25, 2011 - 08:42 am, by: Nathan Richardson(Richtheblack)
I assume your beast still has air bags, did you use a short to harden up the ride? This can help a bit.
Like you said technique may also be a factor, particularly with vehicle balance and brake usage into the corner, i.e. Are you off the brakes completely when you turn in or are you still trailing off the brakes during this time?
The main thing is you got out and had some fun.
It's good to see you get out and have a go, should be more of it
Monday, July 25, 2011 - 11:10 am, by: Yang Gao(Ryugen)
@Shane Yeah have seen that supra sways easily fit. And my car is a W58 manual converted. FUN at launch =D
@Nathan Most of the time I'm off the brakes before the turn and am on the accel. I think one of the problems is that my rear tires have got some decent grip where as the fronts are cheapy china tires. I accel out of a corner and it just understeers like mad.
@Jerzy Yeah looks like gonna have to find me a set of whitelines. Recommend just rears or both? And the airbag suspension, i still plan to keep this as a comfortable daily so im pretty inclined to keep the airbags lol.
Hmm september I might be a bit strapped for cash but will see. Definitely want to get more experience taming that land beast.
Monday, July 25, 2011 - 06:00 pm, by: Yang Gao(Ryugen)
@David Friend took all the pics and videos, just waiting editing and uploading. Will link them once i get
@Dave I don't know...hahaha I could spin the rears fine at launch and keep em spinning up to shifting to second so i just assumed they were off..For future reference though, wheres the switch for traction control?
LOVE launching the V8, spins so easily soo fun..not fast i know but we weren't timing =P
Ben Lipman Goo Roo SA Soarer TT manual, plus TT track car
Monday, July 25, 2011 - 06:33 pm, by: Ben Lipman(Ben12a)
Yang Gao wrote on Monday, July 25, 2011 - 11:10 am:
Recommend just rears or both?
both.
The whitelines and selby's are adjustable and reasonably cheap. Stomps is onto it- sway bars are absolutely the best bang for buck handling upgrade you will ever buy. A stiff sway bar can have the same effect as stiffer springs, in a corner greatly improving weight transfer and reducing body roll, but you maintain a good ride for day to day driving. You also still have dive (under brakes) and squat( under acceleration) which can be useful or a pain depending on what you are doing.
Monday, July 25, 2011 - 07:45 pm, by: Nathan Richardson(Richtheblack)
Yang Gao wrote on Monday, July 25, 2011 - 03:24 pm:
jumper lead? not sure what that is. I had height set to fairly low and TEMs on?
The short will make a world of difference now that you have been out on the track without it.
Yang Gao wrote on Monday, July 25, 2011 - 11:10 am:
@Nathan Most of the time I'm off the brakes before the turn and am on the accel. I think one of the problems is that my rear tires have got some decent grip where as the fronts are cheapy china tires. I accel out of a corner and it just understeers like mad.
Being off the brakes and on the accelerator when you turn in will lead to understeer as all the weight was on the front of the car and then if you are off the brakes and on the accelerator as you turn in, the weight transfer is moving rearwards.
Generally, from the turn in you want to be trailing off the brakes to be on the throttle by the apex or at the apex depending on the corner as a smooth transition so that you have full throttle at the exit. If it understeers on the way out, smoothly back off the throttle to transfer more weight onto the front wheels.
Do a google search and you will find a fair bit of info out there but the best thing is to get out there as much as you can. Mind you I haven't been on the track since I've been in Darwin but I'm hoping to get out for at least one run prior to the wet season.
Yang Gao wrote on Monday, July 25, 2011 - 06:00 pm:
@Dave I don't know...hahaha I could spin the rears fine at launch and keep em spinning up to shifting to second so i just assumed they were off..For future reference though, wheres the switch for traction control?
If you have done a W58 conversion with no other mods I would say that you TRC would be off and I would think you would have a TRC warning?
The TRC button is next to the rest of your buttons near the shifter.
Monday, July 25, 2011 - 08:08 pm, by: Yang Gao(Ryugen)
Only warning i have is the ECT warning... Only buttons i have near my shifter is TEMs, factory low/high height switch, a red button which i have read allows you to engage gears when the car is off on an auto, and the ECT PWR switch which i have been led to believe is the Autos overdrive.
Monday, July 25, 2011 - 09:12 pm, by: Nathan Richardson(Richtheblack)
Yang Gao wrote on Monday, July 25, 2011 - 08:08 pm:
Only warning i have is the ECT warning... Only buttons i have near my shifter is TEMs, factory low/high height switch, a red button which i have read allows you to engage gears when the car is off on an auto, and the ECT PWR switch which i have been led to believe is the Autos overdrive.
Actually, now I think about it the ECT error will disable the TRC as there is insufficient input for it, I think.
The switches across the top of the shifter surround (below the ashtray) should include TEMS-Sport/Norm, Height-Low/Norm, TRC-On/Off.
I thought TRC was standard on the UZZ31/2? Maybe it's not? Did you do the conversion your self? Do you have TRC, and is there an amber light on the dash saying TRC off?
Dan McColl Goo Roo Victoria (The Nazi State) Pretty Red Thing and The Black Beast
Tuesday, July 26, 2011 - 11:12 am, by: Phil Gibson(Sciflyer)
There is nothing wrong with the handling of an airbagged soarer, in fact they perform better than a stock coil non-tems one. What you need to be aware of is wheel alignment and handling will change a lot between a fully-lowered car and a fully raised one. Also, any Soarer, airbagged or not on the original suspension will likely have dampers that are stuffed or at least well past their best, this is the biggest cause of the sloppy, boatlike handling.
Secondly, Supra rear sway bars *will not fit* on a soarer without the Supra subframe mounts and brackets (front bars are bolt-on though)
Phil Gibson Goo Roo WA '91 UZZ30, '91 manual UZZ31 track bunky, '94 blk/blk UZZ31
Tuesday, July 26, 2011 - 11:18 am, by: Phil Gibson(Sciflyer)
This is my track car when it still had the stock airbag suspension in
THis is my daily 31, same deal
I have footage of a stock-coil UZZ30 at the same venue, there is noticeably more body roll and general sloppiness (in fact, also a stock suspension R33 Skyline which was worse too!)
Yang Gao Tinkerer Western Australia Soarer UZZ31 V8
Tuesday, July 26, 2011 - 11:54 am, by: Yang Gao(Ryugen)
No i don't have anything that says or implies TRC. I didn't do the conversion myself, bought it as is. I'm gonna say i probably don't have TRC.
@Paul Yeah i do have an aftermarket height controller, initially had it WAY too low, getting some mad bouncing around corners. Raised it a bit and all good.
And yes I do have a TEMs switch to control soft/hard but if the jumper setting makes it harder than hard...will give it a shot next time
Yang Gao Tinkerer Western Australia Soarer UZZ31 V8
RAC track is a fair bit different to a wide race track with sweeping corners though.. how is the air suspension on tight and quick direction changes?
such as the middle section of this:
and a 3 cone slalom etc...
does it react quickly enough? actually curious, mate just bought a z31..
a lot of it comes with time at a track though.. getting used to your car..- like the braking technique that was talked about...
i find that with my car i can go in hard on the brakes, turn in just a tiny bit to get the tires to bite, then jump off the brakes and let the weight transfer slide the tail around... then just control how much slide with my right foot..
if it's not changing direction as fast as i want.. (slide entry into the 2 wide hairpins at either end in vid above) a sharp turn of the wheel combined with a little bit of handbrake helps.. not enough to get the tail all the way around, just enough to shift the weight.. its all about developing a technique that suits you and the car..
i've lost count of how many motorkhanas i've done at AHG/RAC.. at least 30 in the last few years.. plus more in my old a70.. i can honestly say that the 3 biggest things that have made a difference in the feel of the car are:
1. swaybars 2. coilovers (16kg front 14kg rear) 3. LSD (welded in my case)
each modification has affected the car in a different way and forced some form of driver adjustment... especially the weldy... BEST MOD EVER!! lol..
if you plan to do a lot of these, one other thing i would recommend is a decent bucket seat.. you dont necessarily need to keep it in the car all the time, just swap seats before events.. it only takes 5 mins to swap seats.. and is well worth it.. having decent lateral support means you can keep your mind on driving and not on holding yourself in place with your knees..
Im rebuilding my R154 at the moment so will be out again in September.. you should definitely come along..
Tuesday, July 26, 2011 - 04:32 pm, by: Yang Gao(Ryugen)
@Jerzy The 3 Cone slalom actually isn't too bad, just a bit of weight moving around. Quick direction changes make the car roll a bit on airbags/TEMs though.
Definitely be getting some whitelines, anyone know where to source? I've already got a TRD Diff and want to roll on airbags for street driving still.
Bucket seats is an interesting idea though....are electric seats hard to remove/reinstall?
Yang Gao Tinkerer Western Australia Soarer UZZ31 V8
Tuesday, July 26, 2011 - 05:39 pm, by: Phil Gibson(Sciflyer)
With totally stock airbag suspension and a controller (or with a jumper pin in the port) i guarantee your car will handle better than a stock-coil sprung Soarer, and better than other similar-sized cars too
Jerzy is right though, LSDs and sway bars make a big difference
Yang Gao Tinkerer Western Australia Soarer UZZ31 V8
Tuesday, July 26, 2011 - 08:43 pm, by: Allan Langford(Allan)
i'll tell you once I cut them open!
hopefully I can make up a collar that will weld to the bottom section of the airbag that contains a O ring to seal to the body of the koni, not sure on the top damper mount yet that will have to wait till i pull it to bits and see how it compares to the koni...
Yang Gao Tinkerer Western Australia Soarer UZZ31 V8
Tuesday, July 26, 2011 - 10:48 pm, by: Yang Gao(Ryugen)
Sigh noticed a clutch issue T.T will see if it develops more over the next couple weeks.
Basically clutch is sitting slightly lower than it was before, in neutral and stationary there is a not so faint mech grinding/whirling sound that goes away when you engage the clutch. Driving, the gears feel slightly more loose =\
Theres a album on my facebook of teaser photos for the vid (I'm only in 2 so far T.T). Here's the link, should be public viewable but if not let me know.
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