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Re: shocks

To: Stephen Sorenson <math1@ix.netcom.com>, mjb2@home.com
Subject: Re: shocks
From: Bob Palmer <rpalmer@ames.ucsd.edu>
Date: Wed, 25 Aug 1999 08:30:47 -0700
Steve,

I am truly surprised to hear anyone say that a Tiger "oversteers". Or maybe 
you are implying something a little different when you say they are "prone 
to oversteer". Now, a Porsche is a car that I believe is "prone to 
oversteer" because of the large rear weight bias. Of course, if we go all 
the way back to the original setup, stock springs and skinny bias ply 
tires, just keeping a Tiger going straight under full power was a real 
challenge; also attributable in large part to the car having such a short 
wheel base.

If we test over/understeer by running the Tiger on a skid pad, I think a 
more-or-less stock Tiger will tend to "plow" or understeer; at least that 
was my experience. Have you experienced the opposite with your Tiger in 
anything near "stock" configuration? Of course, I completely agree that you 
need to match the shocks to the springs to get them close to "critical 
damping". If Mike likes the way his Tiger behaves in corners now, then 
matching the new shocks to the springs will keep the oversteer/understeer 
characteristics unchanged, but provide more control relative to bumps. On 
the other hand, adding a pair of really stiff shocks in just the rear could 
have disastrous consequences. 8-(

Bob

At 11:01 PM 8/24/99 -0700, Stephen Sorenson wrote:
>Mike,
>
>Tigers are prone to oversteer.  The Roger Kraus web site has a table
>that shows possible corrections to oversteer.  I recommend reading that
>table (at a minimum) before making suspension modifications- even those
>as seemingly benign as shocks.
>
>To greatly over-simplify, to correct for oversteer, set up the front
>suspension tight and the rear suspension loose.  With this in mind, you
>may not benefit from assuming that the same brand of shock should be
>used on the front and rear.  Match the shock to your suspension set up.
>
>You mentioned that you "don't mind spending bucks on a good shock".  I
>have experimented with several shocks on the track over the last few
>months.  I have found a correlation between cost and the quality of
>materials used in the shock, but I have not found a correlation between
>cost and suitability to the car.
>
>One caveat: If performance is secondary to period correctness, disregard
>the above, and call Norm for advice.
>
>Steve Sorenson

Robert L. Palmer
UCSD, Dept. of AMES
619-822-1037 (o)
760-599-9927 (h)
rpalmer@ucsd.edu
rpalmer@cts.com

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