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Thread: Biggest effect on fun-to-drive handling - Better tires or rear sway bar?

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    Biggest effect on fun-to-drive handling - Better tires or rear sway bar?

    So, which is going to have the most noticeable effect on the "fun to drive" aspect?



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    Senior Member laceygirl's Avatar
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    After speaking to the Mitsubishi mechanic and a chick at a performance racing store in Sydney and talking to people on here, go for tyres first... Then replace the springs.... The shocks are fine, but the springs could be firmer.... IMHO...

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        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage LS 1.2 manual: 38.0 mpg (US) ... 16.2 km/L ... 6.2 L/100 km ... 45.7 mpg (Imp)


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    From what others are saying, an Ultra Racing rear sway bar has a major effect on sway... like 40% improvement.

    It's the first thing I'll be doing, after taking a look underneath and seeing how the rear beams aren't tied together.
    Last edited by Littlestan; 08-16-2015 at 03:28 AM. Reason: 40%, not 70%

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    Personally, I love my new BC Racing coilover sets and certainly made me more foot heavy on the corners! The stock tyres have to go sooner or later, I just wear mine out so I can upgrade.

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    laceygirl (08-15-2015)

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    Senior Member laceygirl's Avatar
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    Mistah JT is a guy who is a regular on here and he has all the front struts and sway bars and he reckons they make little difference....

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        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage LS 1.2 manual: 38.0 mpg (US) ... 16.2 km/L ... 6.2 L/100 km ... 45.7 mpg (Imp)


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    Senior Member laceygirl's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by mousee View Post
    Personally, I love my new BC Racing coilover sets and certainly made me more foot heavy on the corners! The stock tyres have to go sooner or later, I just wear mine out so I can upgrade.
    I'm getting GAB SS coilovers... Can't wait to install them... No sway bar or struts for me... :-)

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        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage LS 1.2 manual: 38.0 mpg (US) ... 16.2 km/L ... 6.2 L/100 km ... 45.7 mpg (Imp)


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    Here is my take on it after 20 min of driving: the springs are too soft and rear shocks need more damping. Before you do something about it everything else does not matter. Second thing to upgrade are tires, b/c before you have some grip you can't tell if it has issues with understeer.

    People complain about body roll and in case of Mirage it is overly huge. However some roll can be helpful to generate more grip. Swaybar helps to reduce ro ll. It also helps to correct understeer. So does negative camber. What would be needed is hard to say without getting springs/shocks/tires. As is it feels more or less balanced, so it may not need sway bar after all

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        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage DE 1.2 manual: 46.4 mpg (US) ... 19.7 km/L ... 5.1 L/100 km ... 55.7 mpg (Imp)


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    Quote Originally Posted by laceygirl View Post
    I'm getting GAB SS coilovers... Can't wait to install them... No sway bar or struts for me... :-)
    Tell us how you go with the GABs. Apparently they're manufactured by BCs as well. My spring rates from BC are 4K in the front and 2.4K in the rear. I now think the front could probably do 4.5K comfortably... Confirm the GABs spring rates when you get them. Seems to be a few contradicting posts about the spring rates I couldn't verify elsewhere.

    Quote Originally Posted by cyclopathic View Post
    Here is my take on it after 20 min of driving: the springs are too soft and rear shocks need more damping. Before you do something about it everything else does not matter. Second thing to upgrade are tires, b/c before you have some grip you can't tell if it has issues with understeer.

    People complain about body roll and in case of Mirage it is overly huge. However some roll can be helpful to generate more grip. Swaybar helps to reduce ro ll. It also helps to correct understeer. So does negative camber. What would be needed is hard to say without getting springs/shocks/tires. As is it feels more or less balanced, so it may not need sway bar after all
    Couldn't agree more!! Front springs too soft, rear springs too soft and shocks extremely under-damped. Rear shocks leaking oil after 15,000km and I took the opportunity to upgrade them all to BCs. The way it handles was very mild understeer with the new coilovers. After I installed most of the UltraRacing stuff (Except rear tower strut and anti-roll bar), the car is in very near perfect balance now.

    The only weird thing it does now is, it seems to be hunting for grip. Front and rear will alternately lose gain traction along a single turn/corner, so I end up having a dance-like motion.. Waiting for my 17" wheels, hopefully it'll solve the problem. (Or maybe I do need the rear anti-roll bar afterall..)

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    Senior Member Cobrajet's Avatar
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    "Where the rubber meets the road" is an old adage pertaining to things that are important which might be relevant here.

    If the car can't grip the road then everything else is academic.

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    Senior Member laceygirl's Avatar
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    I'm just waiting to wear the rubber out on these first tyres so I can buy a set of five 15 x 7's....


        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage LS 1.2 manual: 38.0 mpg (US) ... 16.2 km/L ... 6.2 L/100 km ... 45.7 mpg (Imp)


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