Looking Foir A Bit More Cornering Stability.

[ShetlandC1]

I'm looking for a bit more stability around corners but do not want to compromise top speed, mpg or acceleration by fitting wider tyres, has anyone fitted wheel spacers?

 

Wheel Spacers...........link

 

 

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[downsman]

I followed the link, but just got a general page with lots of brands :blink:

 

From the description "wheel spacers" I assume that you are looking at spacers to fit between hub and wheel to widen the track with some longer wheel bolts. Sorry if I've got the wrong end of the stick :(

 

By moving the wheels out, the track will be wider so the car should be marginally more stable. However, it will affect the steering and will alter the suspension geometry.

 

I must admit I tend to believe the manufacturers would have widened the track already if they felt it would improve the car.

 

I'm also surprised you need more stability. I find my C1 has amazing levels of grip on the standard tyres. I used to own a Lotus Elan Sprint which had 155 x 13 80 section tyres and weighed the same as a C1. That car had a similar feel in corners to the C1. On initial turn in there was slight feeling of settling into the bend as the high tyre sidewalls distorted and then it just gripped at amazingly high speeds. I wonder whether this tyre deflection is what you feel as lack of stability. Once my C1 is set up in a bend it handles very nicely :angry:

 

If it is the tyres you could test it by over inflating them for a run round your favourite route. When I used to take my Elan to Goodwood I used to raise the tyre pressures by 8 psi all round, to sharpen the handling :blink:

[ShetlandC1]

Thanks for the reply downsman, i think the problem with the link is because they use flash on their site, if you use the search by car option it leads you to wheel spacers.

 

I think you could be correct about the unsettling feeling i have when driving my C1 hard into a corner being related to tyre distortion, i have not pushed it overly hard but it just feels limited.....my son had a Saxo VTS with low profile tyres and stiff suspension.....it cornered like on rails... i know the C1 can't be compared to the VTS and a lot of my problem could be in the mind, will try your suggestion of over inflation to see how it feels.

 

Thanks again

 

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[ColinC1]

Wheel spaces can also increase wear on your wheel bearings.

 

This was a common problem on Smart Fortwos for those who wanted wider spacing (the fortwo was my last car)

 

How about wider wheels instead?

[Ronin]

Wheel spacers do indeed put extra wear on the bearings as well as the hubs, cv joints and wheel bolts. Trust me, its not the way to go m8.

I would suggest getting hold of some light alloys 1" bigger in diameter and fitting tyres that are 10mm wider with a side wall percentage to match the rolling circumference of the original wheels to keep your speedo accurate.

This will improve traction, braking and cornering grip dramatically. Try directional rain tyres too for extra confidence in wet weather, they are truly awsome : example 60 mph+ on a large roundabout in an AX GT during a down pour & it stuck like glue with Uniroyal 480's 175-60-hr14.

 

Forget about lowered, uprated spings... They are a gimmick that only work on a dry road as a car needs body roll and some give in the wet to prevent lateral understeer. Thats why so many boy racers crash into trees in wet weather! They think the car handles better when lowered and stiffened and presume its the same on wet roads...! Given how many days we have rain, sleet and snow, it's not worth it.

 

If you want the car to corner like it's on rails, go for a slightly stiffer anti-rollbar set up, combine this with the tyre & wheel combination and I promise you will see a massive difference.

 

Try L.A.D. Motorsport who have had a long history with race/rally citroens. They know what they are talking about. Advice is free and you can get many parts from them that are tried and tested. In fact go and visit them if you can. They probably have a C1 demo so you could compare. I did that with my AX GT and drove theirs. The difference was unbelievable! :unsure:

[ShetlandC1]

Wheel spacers do indeed put extra wear on the bearings as well as the hubs, cv joints and wheel bolts. Trust me, its not the way to go m8.

I would suggest getting hold of some light alloys 1" bigger in diameter and fitting tyres that are 10mm wider with a side wall percentage to match the rolling circumference of the original wheels to keep your speedo accurate.

This will improve traction, braking and cornering grip dramatically. Try directional rain tyres too for extra confidence in wet weather, they are truly awsome : example 60 mph+ on a large roundabout in an AX GT during a down pour & it stuck like glue with Uniroyal 480's 175-60-hr14.

 

Forget about lowered, uprated spings... They are a gimmick that only work on a dry road as a car needs body roll and some give in the wet to prevent lateral understeer. Thats why so many boy racers crash into trees in wet weather! They think the car handles better when lowered and stiffened and presume its the same on wet roads...! Given how many days we have rain, sleet and snow, it's not worth it.

 

If you want the car to corner like it's on rails, go for a slightly stiffer anti-rollbar set up, combine this with the tyre & wheel combination and I promise you will see a massive difference.

 

Try L.A.D. Motorsport who have had a long history with race/rally citroens. They know what they are talking about. Advice is free and you can get many parts from them that are tried and tested. In fact go and visit them if you can. They probably have a C1 demo so you could compare. I did that with my AX GT and drove theirs. The difference was unbelievable! :unsure:

 

 

Thanks for the advice Ronin and ColinC1, guess i'll not go down the wheel spacer road on my wee C1.

 

L.A.D. info.....

 

L.A.D. Motorsport

Unit 1 Woodgate Park, White Lund Industrial Estate

Morecambe, Lancs.

LA3 3PS

 

Tel 01524 62748

Fax 01524 380579

 

enquiries@ladmotorsport.co.uk

 

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