Aftermarket Modifications and Adjustments
Lowering the center of gravity will always help the handling (as well as reduce the chance of roll-over). This can be done to some extent by using plastic windows (or none) and light roof, hood (bonnet) and trunk (boot) lid materials, by reducing the ground clearance, etc. Increasing the track with "reversed" wheels will have a similar effect, but remember that the wider the car the less spare room it has on the road and the farther you may have to swerve to miss an obstacle. Stiffer springs and/or shocks, both front and rear, will generally improve handling on close to perfect surfaces, while worsening handling on less-than-perfect road conditions by "skipping" the car (and destroying grip), thus making handling the vehicle difficult. Aftermarket performance suspension kits are usually readily available.
Lighter (mostly aluminum or magnesium alloy) wheels improve handling as well as ride comfort, by lessening unsprung weight.
Moment of inertia can be reduced by using lighter bumpers and wings (fenders), or none at all.
| Component | Reduce Under-steer | Reduce Over-steer |
|---|---|---|
| Weight distribution | center of gravity towards rear | center of gravity towards front |
| Front shock absorber | softer | stiffer |
| Rear shock absorber | stiffer | softer |
| Front sway bar | softer | stiffer |
| Rear sway bar | stiffer | softer |
| Front tire selection1 | larger contact area² | smaller contact area |
| Rear tire selection | smaller contact area | larger contact area² |
| Front wheel rim width or diameter | larger² | smaller |
| Rear wheel rim width or diameter | smaller | larger² |
| Front tire pressure | lower pressure | higher pressure |
| Rear tire pressure | higher pressure | lower pressure |
| Front wheel camber | increase negative camber | reduce negative camber |
| Rear wheel camber | reduce negative camber | increase negative camber |
| Rear spoiler | smaller | larger |
| Front height (because these usually affect camber and roll resistance) |
lower front end | raise front end |
| Rear height | raise rear end | lower rear end |
| Front toe in | decrease | increase |
| Rear toe in | decrease | increase |
| 1) Tire contact area can be increased by using wider tires, or tires with fewer grooves in the tread pattern. Of course fewer grooves has the opposite effect in wet weather or other poor road conditions.
2) These also improve road holding, under most conditions. |
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Read more about this topic: Automobile Handling