THSCC Forums

Ok, so the protege understeered really badly at the Test+Tune, so I decided to buy some adjustable end links. I installed them today, by making them the same length as the stock ones. They are, as expected, exactly the same performance-wise as the stock ones. Now the challenge. Which way do you turn them to tighten the sway bar????? Make them shorter or longer?? I feel dumb.
-Matt McBride
-'03.5 Mazdaspeed Protege

What you want to do can't be done with end links.

End links don't have any effect on sway bar stiffness, the only reason to have adjustable ones is for:

1) Setting proper sway bar geometry when ride height cahnges.
2) Setting zero pre-load when corner weighting the car.

Sorry.

Scott

The limited slip in that car is going to make it understeer when entering a corner, unless you're on the gas. Try slowing down more for the corners so that you can get back on the gas sooner and the lsd will work for you.

_________________
In need of car.

I'm not trying to criticize (in a bad way) here...

Learn how to drive it so that YOU can do what THE CAR wants YOU to do, before you start changing stuff to try and make THE CAR do what YOU want it to do. Know what I mean?

The MS Protege is supposed to have better handling than an Integra Type R, according to some magazines, and that ain't too bad. I thought the handling felt pretty good when I drove it at the test & tune, but I didn't get a bunch of runs to really figure out what I would need to do to go fast in it (plus, I was having to hold myself in place too much to really put a whole lot of effort into driving - you need a nice lap restraint).

One thing I remember is that you had the tire pressures at 35 front/ 50 rear (or something like that). The low front pressures could be causing the tires to squish and help it understeer. Try starting out at 40 psi front & rear, and see what you can do to kick the back end out without adjusting the pressures. Then, add 5 psi to the rear and drive exactly the same. See if you can tell a difference.

And yeah, what Jason said - slow in, fast out. If you have to brake while steering into the corner to get the back end to rotate the way it needs to, do it. And if you're understeering in a sweeper, lift a little bit and I assure you that it will rotate; but make sure you're ready to catch it.

I remember my very first autox, Tom Hoppe rode with me. I was complaining about how much my car understeered in the first 180 (and this was after I had added a bigger rear sway bar - but the only suspension mod I'd done at the time). Know what he said to me? "Dude, just slow down." It's really that simple.

Good luck,

Kevin Allen

I would like to add one thing, this is something I wish I would have done LONG, LONG ago....

Buy a book on car setup.

I have been reading How To Make Your Car Handle by Fred Puhn. Its a bit dated in some places but it will give you an basic understanding of how start tweeking your car to make it handle better. Blindly throwing parts at a car is the LONG route to a good handling car.

Just my 2 cents

_________________
02 Focus SVT
STF 9

gracias!! Glad they didn't cost too much! At least they are there for the inevitable move to a larger rear sway bar... And thanks for all the driving tips. Now if anyone would like to help me convince my mom to let me on track, we'll be in good shape.