Handling Advice/Tyre Advice

[clarky]

Hi all,

I'm just wondering if anybody can offer me some help or advice.

Ive got a 1995 1lt K11 and currently its running Adjustable Koni's on front and rear, Whiteline Panrod Arm kit and an OMP strut brace. The car itself handles very well but its still a bit "rolly" and it doesn't always inspire as much confidence as I think it should with how it rolls.

The car is used for Grass Auto tests and gets a lot of use down the lanes (country bumpkin that I am) so lowering it isn't really an option as Id have no sump left, what are my options in your opinions?

Ive just got the standard 13" Steel wheels with some Toyo tyres (just run of the mill shopper ones) on it and while they seem to stick quite well, I was wondering how wider tyre can I go for on a standard steel and if anyone has any suggestions as I think a lot of the roll is on the tyre wall looking at photos of the car when its been cornering.

The other option would be anti-roll bars but I have neither the knowledge or the funds to fabricate brackets for the rear or change the Axle, which I believe is the only way to fit them onto a pre-face-lift model? If that is the case, is it possible to just a fit a front one or would this not help or worse, upset the balance of the car if only the front was done.

Many thanks for reading and I look forward to your advice!

Chris

 

[Swiper]

i can't see just fitting a front one a major problem. some cars only came with a front one as standard, like the fiat seicento for example. because of the forward motion, most of the roll happens at the front anyway.
i think 185/55x13 tyres are ok for standard steelies. but you'll still get some tyre roll.

 

[Courior]

bigger wheels, with lower profie tyres?? or maybe bigger wheels with normal profile tyres to make the car higher a bit, then lower it via springs so they are stiffer? or is that a waste of time? lol

maybe stiffer shoks?

 

[clarky]

I wouldnt imagine I could get much stiffer shocks than the Konis, which I do like because I can adjust them for wether Im driving to work or in full attack mode so to speak!

Thank you for the advice about the rollbar and the tyres.

I will price a whiteline front roll bar up, then consider changing the tyres afterwards for some wider Falkens perhaps?

I'm not too keen on going for anything bigger than a 13" wheel as Ive been told that is the best sized wheel to stick with gearing wise for the sort of use the car has.

 

[Robb]

Bigger wheels with top quality tyres will improve handling no end but you will suffer a drop in performance.

For example on my old k11 1.0 i briefly had some old Almera gti 15" alloys with 195mm wide tyres on (same as on Robert's micra - see k11 blogs) and the tyres were good Toyos. The car stuck to the road like glue but it killed the acceleration! Could get away with it in a 1.3 but not in a 1.0!

 

[Low Rider]

With regard to the anti-roll bars, you'd need to specify if you have one as standard on the rear, (which I'm assuming you do not), and also specify if there are chassis brackets on the car if you were to fit one, as some people have said they didn't have any......never seen photos to prove this though.

Whiteline do several anti-roll bar kits for the K11, one of which included a kit with special clamps, so you can retro-fit one to a K11 model which wasn't fitted with an anti-roll bar from the factory. Some 1.0 pre facelifts were and some were not depending on model and age IIRC.

That aside the Whiteline anti-roll bars do make a big difference in the way the car handles and I would also recommend replacing the standard springs for some uprated ones, I recommend Eibach myself but there are a lot to chose from these days.

 

[clarky]

I would change the springs but the majority of spring kits I have seen seem to lower the car quite dramatically which is something that practically speaking wouldn't be advisable, a slight drop would be fine but nothing above say 10/15mm.

 

[sonic]

On the standard rims 175 or 185/60x13 would be about the limit, that would keep the gearing about right, personaly I would use the 175s. Anti roll bars definately stiffen the car up, especially at the front, thats where the weight is after all.