Roadway 5.0
Strassejager
- Joined
- Dec 19, 2016
- Threads
- 57
- Messages
- 1,483
- Reaction score
- 1,780
- Location
- New York - USA
- First Name
- Mike
- Vehicle(s)
- 2016GT PP 6MT
- Vehicle Showcase
- 1
- Thread starter
- #1
My Alpine Tour is complete, and the 2,000 kilometer adventure is sadly over. With that said, I have some feedback to my current suspension setup following the high-distance road trip that included over 30 hours of driving, 10 of which were intense, full-throttled, corner carving:
___________________________________________________
The Good:
Sharp! steering response, transitioning from left to right and right to left is insanely awesome, ride quality surprisingly good on backroads (even the choppy Hahntennjoch Pass in Austria), full-stiff sway bar allowed perfect balance (for me) of under vs oversteer. Chassis bracing shone the largest, with the new IRS braces really showing how well they stabilize the rear end even on rougher roads. The car was never unpredictable, never lost traction (also surprising considering the way I was driving), and I experienced zero wheel hop.
The new Steeda splitter was exceptional at highway speeds and provided a heavier steering wheel feel throughout my Tour; the weather-stripping I added to the top of my headlights worked perfectly in nearly eliminating all of the hood flutter I once experienced at speed. My upholstered steering wheel was a pleasure to handle throughout the drive and its enlarged thumb grips really helped control the twisties.
The FRPP/Borla Touring exhaust's gorgeous noise ignited my loins and even drew the attention (and a revving competition) with a Ferrari in a Swiss tunnel (epic).
Needs Improvement:
Long sweeping turns at speed (60mph or higher) is the Achilles heel of my setup. There are no issues concerning traction and I never lost control (or even close), but the LACK of roll and/or feel of transition in my setup actually gives me an uneasiness when steering the way. Yes, this is probably odd to hear if you are a seasoned racer, but I was actually yearning for a bit of roll/feel of transition to ease into these long sweepers. RECOMMENDED FIX: I am strongly considering the Steeda progressive or dual rate springs for next year's Tour (probably Romania). (Edit: it has been recommended by many to soften my adjustable rear sway bar to improve rotation, so I will certainly try this.)
180 degree elevated hairpins caused a touch of chirping with the inside rear tire; my aggressive rear camber or the extra stiff rear sway bar is probably the root cause. Either way, I drive these types of turns often in the mountains so I'll have to dial-in a fix. RECOMMENDED FIX: drop the rear sway bar one notch; if that doesn't work then dial back the rear camber a half-degree from -2.0 to -1.5 or so.
2nd gear pulls are weak: my car is untuned, in fact it has zero engine modifications. The lack of low-end grunt in the factory tune is VERY apparent when at 6000-7000 feet and pulling a 180 degree elevated turn at 20mph. Damn this car is heavy. Anyway, 20mph is a touch too fast for 1st gear, and bogs in 2nd. RECOMMENDED FIX: I'll be considering a 93 octane tune in the future to give some pizzazz into the low end.
Well known fact, but I'll reiterate, the factory wheels are far too heavy. I need to lighten these up to allow the suspension to react even faster and to make rotation a touch easier on the engine.
My "change oil soon" light came on only 3 mountain passes in. Yes, I drove the absolute **** out of my car prior, but it seems I need a tougher oil for deliberate thrashing Tours like this. I'm open for recommendations on weight and brand.
Interesting Findings
The stock Pirellis felt very good at 29psi cold and ~32/33 hot. I've previously mentioned that starting at 32psi was solid, but I think this is only true for casual daily driving.
I found "Normal" steering mode provided the best feedback, and that "Normal" mode also felt the most like my hands were attached to the front tires of the car. "Sport" was just to on/off switchy and caused uneasiness in long sweepers or at Autobahn speeds. The same relates to the throttle response; "Normal" had a touch of finesse where the sport and track was very abrupt in engagement, though this is a big give and take considering the programming changes.
The Italians were MUCH more up front on liking the Mustang and the decals...I heard "bella" often and received waves and honks throughout my time going to and on the Stelvio Pass.
___________________________________________________
That's all I have for now. If you're interested in seeing me tear-up 5 of the best Alpine mountain passes, then check out my YouTube link below. Episode 3 will release on 15 September. If you have any ideas on how to further improve/expand on my setup I'm open for suggestions. Have a good one,
- Mike
www.youtube.com/c/roadway50
___________________________________________________
The Good:
Sharp! steering response, transitioning from left to right and right to left is insanely awesome, ride quality surprisingly good on backroads (even the choppy Hahntennjoch Pass in Austria), full-stiff sway bar allowed perfect balance (for me) of under vs oversteer. Chassis bracing shone the largest, with the new IRS braces really showing how well they stabilize the rear end even on rougher roads. The car was never unpredictable, never lost traction (also surprising considering the way I was driving), and I experienced zero wheel hop.
The new Steeda splitter was exceptional at highway speeds and provided a heavier steering wheel feel throughout my Tour; the weather-stripping I added to the top of my headlights worked perfectly in nearly eliminating all of the hood flutter I once experienced at speed. My upholstered steering wheel was a pleasure to handle throughout the drive and its enlarged thumb grips really helped control the twisties.
The FRPP/Borla Touring exhaust's gorgeous noise ignited my loins and even drew the attention (and a revving competition) with a Ferrari in a Swiss tunnel (epic).
Needs Improvement:
Long sweeping turns at speed (60mph or higher) is the Achilles heel of my setup. There are no issues concerning traction and I never lost control (or even close), but the LACK of roll and/or feel of transition in my setup actually gives me an uneasiness when steering the way. Yes, this is probably odd to hear if you are a seasoned racer, but I was actually yearning for a bit of roll/feel of transition to ease into these long sweepers. RECOMMENDED FIX: I am strongly considering the Steeda progressive or dual rate springs for next year's Tour (probably Romania). (Edit: it has been recommended by many to soften my adjustable rear sway bar to improve rotation, so I will certainly try this.)
180 degree elevated hairpins caused a touch of chirping with the inside rear tire; my aggressive rear camber or the extra stiff rear sway bar is probably the root cause. Either way, I drive these types of turns often in the mountains so I'll have to dial-in a fix. RECOMMENDED FIX: drop the rear sway bar one notch; if that doesn't work then dial back the rear camber a half-degree from -2.0 to -1.5 or so.
2nd gear pulls are weak: my car is untuned, in fact it has zero engine modifications. The lack of low-end grunt in the factory tune is VERY apparent when at 6000-7000 feet and pulling a 180 degree elevated turn at 20mph. Damn this car is heavy. Anyway, 20mph is a touch too fast for 1st gear, and bogs in 2nd. RECOMMENDED FIX: I'll be considering a 93 octane tune in the future to give some pizzazz into the low end.
Well known fact, but I'll reiterate, the factory wheels are far too heavy. I need to lighten these up to allow the suspension to react even faster and to make rotation a touch easier on the engine.
My "change oil soon" light came on only 3 mountain passes in. Yes, I drove the absolute **** out of my car prior, but it seems I need a tougher oil for deliberate thrashing Tours like this. I'm open for recommendations on weight and brand.
Interesting Findings
The stock Pirellis felt very good at 29psi cold and ~32/33 hot. I've previously mentioned that starting at 32psi was solid, but I think this is only true for casual daily driving.
I found "Normal" steering mode provided the best feedback, and that "Normal" mode also felt the most like my hands were attached to the front tires of the car. "Sport" was just to on/off switchy and caused uneasiness in long sweepers or at Autobahn speeds. The same relates to the throttle response; "Normal" had a touch of finesse where the sport and track was very abrupt in engagement, though this is a big give and take considering the programming changes.
The Italians were MUCH more up front on liking the Mustang and the decals...I heard "bella" often and received waves and honks throughout my time going to and on the Stelvio Pass.
___________________________________________________
That's all I have for now. If you're interested in seeing me tear-up 5 of the best Alpine mountain passes, then check out my YouTube link below. Episode 3 will release on 15 September. If you have any ideas on how to further improve/expand on my setup I'm open for suggestions. Have a good one,
- Mike
www.youtube.com/c/roadway50
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Last edited:
