GS - 2nd Gen (1998-2005) Discussion about the second generation GS300, GS400 and GS430 (1998 - 2005)

ouch! too much understeer?

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Old 02-26-08, 03:26 AM
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brit_lex
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Default ouch! too much understeer?

I have got Tein CS V2, TRD sways, upper and lower chassis braces front and rear, and had the geometry tuned after all this has been fitted.

I made a right turn a bit too fast and I just felt the car understeer in a big way and then the corner of the car hit the metal railing on the street.

Is understeer an issue on GSs that get modified in this manner?



Old 02-26-08, 04:46 AM
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dl5
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I have no idea, but i'm really sorry for your incident =(
Old 02-26-08, 05:14 AM
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Damn! Sorry to see that and glad you are ok.. I see a Euro plate on your car, so I take it you drive your car on those beautiful winding roads of Europe.. It boils down to chassis dynamics. I love the GS including my own, but these cars were built to be cruisers and not all out corner carvers (even when modded). Drive safely.
Old 02-26-08, 05:50 AM
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Dslexic
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Ouch! Was that the first time pulling off a maneuver like that?
Old 02-26-08, 07:15 AM
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DallasLex
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How was the LS400 totalled?
Old 02-26-08, 07:57 AM
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brit_lex
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Originally Posted by DASHOCKER
Damn! Sorry to see that and glad you are ok.. I see a Euro plate on your car, so I take it you drive your car on those beautiful winding roads of Europe.. It boils down to chassis dynamics. I love the GS including my own, but these cars were built to be cruisers and not all out corner carvers (even when modded). Drive safely.
Yes, I'm in London. We have lots of twisty roads in England, and the modifications in the GS pushed the grip levels sky high, compared to stock.

I was all set to take the car to Nurburgring in a months time, and now this!
Old 02-26-08, 07:58 AM
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brit_lex
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Originally Posted by Dslexic
Ouch! Was that the first time pulling off a maneuver like that?
Yes, I went in to the turn too quickly. Maybe it's a sign I need to be driving a Skyline!
Old 02-26-08, 07:59 AM
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brit_lex
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Originally Posted by DallasLex
How was the LS400 totalled?
I skidded and hit a tree at 50mph and rolled.
Old 02-26-08, 08:06 AM
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Here are your options:

1. Tires do not have the grip for the speed you're going at
2. Alignment is not spec'ed correctly for your car and the mods you have
3. Accept the fact that the GS is not a real sport sedan

Keep in mind that the GS steering ratio is pretty crappy too. It's going to take a good amount of turn before the wheels gets pointed in the direction you want it to go. You'll feel this affect more when you're driving faster.
Old 02-26-08, 08:48 AM
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SoCalSC4
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Any car will "push" if you carry too much speed into a turn and crank the wheel aggressively. I've even experienced this to some degree in a mid-engine car, although they can quickly transition to oversteer if you lift suddenly.

So, in extreme situations like this, you have two options"

Understeer: go off the road seeing where you're going
Oversteer: leave the road seeing where you came from

Understeer ain't so bad, considering.
Old 02-26-08, 09:50 AM
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Originally Posted by brit_lex
I skidded and hit a tree at 50mph and rolled.
Were you understeering also?


Maybe it was a user error.
Old 02-26-08, 10:18 AM
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upstateGS4
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Originally Posted by Caoboy
Were you understeering also?


Maybe it was a user error.

that and the totaled ls in his sig. they say a persons past is the best method in which to predict their future.

either way, sorry for your loss man, time to patch her back up and do it again.
Old 02-26-08, 11:17 AM
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Ding ding ding! That's what I was getting at.
Old 02-26-08, 02:12 PM
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Since I work for the Bondurant School of High Performance Driving, I can tell you that any front engine car is more prone to understeer, just like any rear engine car is prone to understeer. That mass wants to lead into the corner. The basics don't change, but you just manage the properties differently. Having 300lbs of torque, 300hp, and having rear wheel drive like our beauties certainly helps the situation. It doesn't matter what type of vehicle you are driving, the same basic laws of physics or vehicle dynamics apply.

One easy and affordable way to practice these concepts is to play Gran Tourismo and take all the traction control off. Pick some big horsepower beast from the 60's or 70's that handles like crap and take it to an easy road course. At first you'll plow the corners because you are carrying too much speed into the corners, but as you get better, you learn to set the front end and figure out something called weight transfer.

As someone more famous than I once said, "Slow in, fast out; fast in, dead out."
Old 02-26-08, 03:03 PM
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Caoboy
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Thank you, captain obvious.


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