Torque steer on 200bhp+ cars

[JerzyBondov]

Went back up North for the weekend just gone and got a good chance to explore the performance of my (relatively) newly tuned MCS. It's pretty quick (not so scientific timing with my brother revealed 0-60 in 6.4sec and 30-70 in 5.3 through the gears).

However one other thing that has certainly changed since the tuning is the propensity of the car to torque steer. I can't say I'd ever really noticed it before, but now if I pull out to overtake and floor it in 3rd gear, any undue camber or truck grooves in the road really do make themselves felt. Can be quite alarming in fact...

Is this something that LSD cars cope better with? (Mine is a facelift, but pre LSD car) How do you guys with north of 240bhp deal with it? Quaifes and stuff? I'm running non-runflats on 16" wheels, so I don't think there's too much more I can do in that department...

Anybody else found this?

[batou]

I "had" this exact problem too:

http://www.mini2.com/forum/suspensio...ml#post3402436

It has now completely gone all for £233 inc VAT

[JerzyBondov]

Good stuff... to be honest I'm not massively surprised something like this might sort it out. I was actually thinking on the weekend that I was really noticing what felt like chassis flex - I did a trackday in the car when it had just 2k on the clock and I didn't remember it feeling quite so lurchy when changing direction then. (It's got 26k on the clock now).

How many miles had you done when you changed the bushes Batou? And which ones did you go for?

I'm tempted to get them sorted pronto if this is the case - going to the Nurburgring in a couple of weeks so would rather have a car with sorted handling for it!
The car also feels a little bit edgy when cornering reasonably hard at 70ish mph - like the weight is shifting from front to back, and it's very sensitive on the steering (i.e. small input makes it feel like the weight goes all over the place, relatively speaking). Anybody else had this?

[Bhozar]

Suplerflex bushings have made a huge difference to my car too.

[Ant FR]

Quote: Originally Posted by JerzyBondov (original)

Good stuff... to be honest I'm not massively surprised something like this might sort it out. I was actually thinking on the weekend that I was really noticing what felt like chassis flex - I did a trackday in the car when it had just 2k on the clock and I didn't remember it feeling quite so lurchy when changing direction then. (It's got 26k on the clock now).

How many miles had you done when you changed the bushes Batou? And which ones did you go for?

I'm tempted to get them sorted pronto if this is the case - going to the Nurburgring in a couple of weeks so would rather have a car with sorted handling for it!
The car also feels a little bit edgy when cornering reasonably hard at 70ish mph - like the weight is shifting from front to back, and it's very sensitive on the steering (i.e. small input makes it feel like the weight goes all over the place, relatively speaking). Anybody else had this?

just makesure your brakes are good for the ring, thats all i'll say

[JerzyBondov]

Quote: Originally Posted by Ant FR (original)

just makesure your brakes are good for the ring, thats all i'll say

Reassuring advice

We all know R53s don't have the best brakes in the world - I do have Roland's spiroslots on the back though, and the OEM fronts are new at least...

[batou]

Quote: Originally Posted by JerzyBondov (original)

How many miles had you done when you changed the bushes Batou? And which ones did you go for?

I'm tempted to get them sorted pronto if this is the case - going to the Nurburgring in a couple of weeks so would rather have a car with sorted handling for it!

Mine were both split after 30k miles. One of the most noticeable improvements I've made to my car to date

[Bhozar]

Quote: Originally Posted by JerzyBondov (original)

Reassuring advice

We all know R53s don't have the best brakes in the world - I do have Roland's spiroslots on the back though, and the OEM fronts are new at least...

I managed to cook stock brakes quite easily, the Spirolot ones lasted a bit longer, but I could eventually cook them too. Both tested on Castle Combe, but I am quite heavy on the brakes.

[batou]

Change your fluid to 5.1. I switched to 5.1 and fitted some Mintex 1144's and not had any brake fade yet

[Bhozar]

Quote: Originally Posted by batou (original)

Change your fluid to 5.1. I switched to 5.1 and fitted some Mintex 1144's and not had any brake fade yet

Motul RBF 600 in mine now. Has a very high wet and dry boiling point, and its a fairly decent price for the performance you get.

[batou]

Cool, I just used what ever 1320 use . Tbh, I was really surprised at the difference it made considering I didn't change the brake lines. Great bang for book at around £6 !

[JerzyBondov]

I thought the fluid that was standard in the MCS's was 5.1? Is this a piece of terribly wishful thinking?! I do have a spare 500mls of 5.1 - will that stretch to replace the fluid for the fronts?

[MINI-Morgan]

stock is dot4 so far as I remember. Spare? being old? If you have any open bottles then bin them as they will have gone off. Brake fluid soaks up the moister out of the air and then becomes spongy. You need brand new 5.1 but sadly in most cases you will waste 3/4 of a bottle.

[JerzyBondov]

One other point on the bushes - do people only tend to replace the front ones? Do the back ones not wear as quickly, and is it not worth replacing those too?

[batou]

Quote: Originally Posted by JerzyBondov (original)

One other point on the bushes - do people only tend to replace the front ones? Do the back ones not wear as quickly, and is it not worth replacing those too?

I only did the fronts on mine, will do the backs when needed