Reduce Subaru Understeer! | Track Suspension Setup

This week we are walking through the suspension setup in the Impreza track car build. This setup has greatly reduced the understeer problems that plague Subarus. It also takes comfort and throws it out the window, so it's probably not going to be great for your daily driver.

[@doaSkid69]

My wrx wagon (gf8) has 27way coilys fully polybushed inc rack! That makes a big difference Ally front arms Roll center correction Free castor mod Standard sti sway bars Rear adjustable laterals and trailing arms Newage subframe Locking bolts too Front and rear strut bars and some chassis mods for extra rigidity And a newish set of toyo Tr1s Just trying to dial my own geometry in at the moment But.... Can confirm it's a go kart Just realized how old this video is 😂 doubt it was worth writing all this lol

[@eduardogarcia1512]

My friend it was. Buying my brothers 01 2.5 rs gc8. Would love to have fun without a turbo so I wanna have it dialed.

[@MultiAlex1530]

The bushing one of the most under looked upgrades on all the older subarus I think whiteline anti lift did more for handling then coilovers

[@infidel900rr]

stiffer rear sway bar, more negative camber up front, and a good square tire setup.

[@Scotty-vs4lf]

even just square tire setup on its own makes a major difference on my impreza, which says to use 33 front 30 rear

[@PedroFTeixeira]

I've done alot of trackdays... and to me, the 2 top mods are: - front H brace - the steering is alot more direct. - Anti rollbars: either go Stock front | 22mm rear, or 22 front 24 rear. Next: 2.5" camber front 1.5" camber rear. And yes coilovers with a bit softer front than rear, as said on the video. Then... if you have an LSD you can reduce understeer with throttle.

[@CBcallofduty]

i have a wax 2006, and will put a bc racing suspensions. Could you say me how much kg on front and rear spring I need to put in?. And, the front H brace... if I install, I can't remove easily the downpipe? or I don't need deinstall and re-install the front H bar.

[@PedroFTeixeira]

@@CBcallofduty 2006 is a bit different from a GC, it's a heavier car, can't really recommend anything. Yes, if you install the H brace you can still remove the downpipe.

[@CBcallofduty]

@@PedroFTeixeira but stabilizer bar too?. i was thinking put 22 front and 24 rear. Thechnically if u put rigid part at the rear and softer in front, that make more easily oversteering ?

[@PedroFTeixeira]

@@CBcallofduty yes, that is correct. 22/24 will be very nice on a Subaru.

[@ozzysgarage]

I will say that once I installed Whiteline front and rear swaybars with corresponding endlinks it made a huge difference. It is also nice having the ability to change the stiffness on each sway bar. Coilovers and wheels is next, but I am super happy with how the car handles now compared to oem!

[@Steeboohken]

I've been dabbling in simracing and this video really helped me out! Thanks!

[@Salpeteroxid]

Play Gran Turmismo 1-4 and learn all the settings on the car.

[@HeidiFegles]

A lot of understear is braking distribution. I set it up towards the back so my front doesn’t lock up. Also having the correct suspension drop so that inside wheel doesn’t come off the ground.

[@DespaceMan]

Just get Whiteline anti lift kits with all bushing, springs & front/rear sway bars no more understeer best thing I ever did to my GC8 it rides likes if it's on train rails :)

[@fredastaire6156]

wow!! This was super helpful and informative. Thank you for sharing your expertise! I just got a 04 STi a few weeks ago and plan to keep it stock and just keep up with the maintenance. Lately, I was looking at how to make the suspension more pleasant as a driving experience. Now the car seems very bouncy and shifty; if that makes any sense, lol!

[@HeidiFegles]

Also most Subaru owners think the forward rake bias is good. Physics says otherwise. Understear in also caused from that. I drop the back down about 30mm in ther rear lower than the front, I also use a scale to make sure the front and rear bias is equal with me in it. A roll cage ads weight to the back. Also rear battery relocate. Getting all 4 corners equal is the key. Then track width, camber, and brake bias. Spring rates are a band aid to a poor braking technique.

[@AirBajan]

I experienced understeer today, nearly crashed. Went on KZbin and search up how to counter it.

[@TonyPifer]

Good information. Covers just about everything. 👍 We enjoy seeing that car around

[@HeidiFegles]

Other fix is extend the steering wheel and ride in the back seat

[@77knives]

Interesting, im running the 4th stiffest setting in the rear and the 6th stiffest setting in the front, TEIN Super Streets on a '03 WRX Blob

[@Strakos0]

What it takes to drastically reduce Subaru understeer? The time you read this comment. I love that almost nobody knows about this. Buy Mr. Pavel Skácel's DCCD Differential control unit. The best update for Subaru/STi. Just maybe you heard about Ken Block. Or Travis Pastrana. OR... Colin McRae? These guys used/uses the exact same unit from mister Skácel EPS Electronics. Enough?

[@burdazza2711]

what does it do

[@rooramblingon895]

Good video. Very thorough. Thank you.

[@robk5745]

Great info, I’m assuming your camber isn’t that extreme because you do mostly auto x? Most track sti are running way more negative it seems. Thanks you for the amazing content

[@shiwanthagimhani6803]

thanks for the vid,, good advise 👍

[@touge_over_track1895]

Nice vid! And i feel ya i daily R compound tires so they last about 6 weeks -3 months 😅

[@MrBillDaBear]

6 weeks??? Ouch LOL just swap wheels my guy. Or you could daily on 200tw which isn't bad at all imo. Hankook RS4 lasted 15k miles with a track day every other month

[@jrcs-s7544]

Bill Peralta notice his handle, @Touge_over_Track...I think he may “track” a bit more often than every other month ;)

[@touge_over_track1895]

Yeah true brotha rs4’s, which I’ve had 4 sets of last me about 11 weeks or around 4 months which was around 6-8 k miles but so far they were the ones that consistently lasted and handled well the longest 🤙🏼 @Bill Peralta

[@HJ-sn5gt]

Great video thanks!

[@Black16STI]

only 1.5 negative camber in the front?

[@svrnclv]

That's what I said

[@louisthibault555]

Is a front strut (not sway) bar going to cause understeer?

[@MrNoNameForYou]

I have a n/a 09 legacy and I've experienced it a couple times. Dont really know how I corrected it. Once getting off freeway way too fast into corner and once in roundabout. Both times I probably should of wrecked.

[@christiandickson4553]

Very informative.

[@HackSquadGarage]

awesome video keep it up!

[@mfavrow540]

More air pressure up front less air pressure in the rear like 1 or 2 psi below the factory spec get good new suspension up front but keep your old struts in the rear because they are already softened go into a corner turn then breaks clutch kick in second gear and straighten out then your good works for 96 impreza outback wagon perfect for daily as well

[@mfavrow540]

P.s. impreza owner for 3 years had the suspension looked at and shook the car front was messed up in the suspension area so we got all freshys and left the rear alone parked my car with my rear in a carport and the front tires poking out in the hot sun and took it for a spin and figured that one out easy as heat makes the tires expand a little more than the ones in the back and of course the break setup bigger ones up front smaller ones on the rear 14 inch wheels and you just rocket through corners like its initial D

[@334trax2]

Interesting I was thinking more air pressure in rear tires and less in the front. My thinking is less air in front to get a wider contact patch than rear. Also your front tires build up more heat than rear increasing their air pressure as time goes on.

[@FuJiNF]

Adjust the front air pressure to get most grip work tire roll over. From there play with the rear and reduce the grip to where you're comfortable how much oversteer you're getting. Rear adjustment can be means of different spring rates, sway bar, damper adjustments, LSD, bushings, &/or alignment. Fine adjustments can be done with tire pressure to gain or reduce grip.

[@sansui1968]

nice i miss my slow baja

[@schizobipolarjoe]

understeer is when you ask the car to turn, and you turn the steering wheel but the car keeps going straight and gives you the middle finger.

[@WickedCrispy]

Nah man just light a cigarette, turn up the Eurobeat, and rip the E-brake.

[@tylerdimedio3740]

Problem solved

[@jrcs-s7544]

someone gets it

[@brother_maleik]

little camber aka -2 and under doesnt wear tires faster. toe does

[@NTRaiu]

Awesome work, really packed in with information you guys know what's up

[@HeidiFegles]

Actually the under steer is because new subarus have wider rear track than the front. Wider a arms in the front and correct camber in front and rear. As well as your braking distributed properly.

[@HeidiFegles]

I had to widen my rx turbo 30mm in the front on each side to run stock wrx axles in it. And then set the rear to 10mm narrower.

[@luisking4812]

Any updates on this car? Are you keeping the dccd rear biased for track use or are you changing to manually or automatically to eliminate as much understeer as possible?

[@TheAufis]

Does the damping setting (harder back, softer front) apply to any 60/40 awd vehicle?

[@rexxbare9255]

The street is where it’s needed the most, under steer causes most of the accidents Subarus are involved in, at least the ones I’ve seen

[@mcglsr237]

Mmmm, disagree. If you are getting that kind of push on the street, you are most likely breaking one or more laws as well. Just about every car is set up with understeer from the factory. This is because it is more predictable and in-line with the inputs a "normal" driver is likely to utilize during an emergency. If the cars came with oversteer instead, you would see A LOT more accidents. Typically to correct oversteer, you have to apply MORE throttle, which is completely counter-intuitive for normal drivers, who will lift off the gas. Lifting off during oversteer will cause even less traction at the rear and will spin the car. If you have to have one or the other, understeer is far safer for street driving. If we are talking about track driving with an experienced driver, this becomes an entirely different conversation.

[@sanluu]

I thought camber don't wear out tyres? Isn't bad toe does?

[@TIRESIDE]

Excessive camber will wear out tires because the contact patch is not even when going straight, but in a racing application more negative camber is better for maintaining a better contact patch when cornering.

[@kianrowe8083]

thanks for this.

[@Mskaterkid2]

damping*

[@K03sport]

Coilovers only work when you corner balance (whick ppl seldom do), otherwise they are glorified springs/shocks. Caster, camber, pmoi, tire compound, x, y, z all play a part in a car's disposition to understeer. What works on the track doesn't necessarily work in every day like.

[@unassailable6138]

Buy a Golf is the best way to reduce understeer in a Subaru. Subaru's engine is placed way in front of the front axle plane, resulting in terrible vectorial polar moment in cornering, or ultra-understeering (I'm a previous WRX owner), and which caused its string of losses on the WRC to Citroen. Height of engine matters little (dont tell Subaru's marketing that), if you want a car which turns well, you must have the engine behind the front axle, be it front engines, or behind the plane of the rear axle in back mounted engines (some porsches crash a lot of having engines behind the rear axle which accentuates oversteer).

[@bruhfr137]

Nigga what the fuck did u just say

[@FiendTheatre]

bruh fr he pretty much said Subaru’s can’t corner

[@jrcs-s7544]

yeah, they’re not designed to...but this means that in terms of speed, it’s not only about how you tune them, but also how you drive them; if you corner such that you reduce your need for rotational velocity and take advantage of the imbalanced weight distribution, you can fully appreciate what subaru and porsche have to offer. Cornering in the porsche, one would hit the throttle to unload the weight from the front, plant the rear, and bring the lightened front end around the corner at speed. Of course, you’d have to plan your corner entry (braking) accordingly. In the case of the subaru, you throw all the weight into the front while braking, allowing your lightened rear end to come around. Left foot braking and throttle control dictate your line through the corner, and the awd helps put down all the power you can. Please correct me if I’m wrong

[@Nbomber]

Any time I encounter understeer in my forester I just let off for a split second then plant it and the front just drags the car round the corner as asked. It has no issue keeping up with other cars through the corners. In fact, in tight corners, I can easily pull away from my friends mk5 diesel, which is tuned and can rip past me in the straights. I dunno how it would fare against the 4wd golf R, but seriously, you are massively overstating it.

[@mazmoismukti9496]

the audis didnt struggle in rally and they had engines much further forward of the strut towers :/