[davebem]

hi all, I have a V6 156 that I love, but mainly use for track days, Im interested to hear if anyone has any recommendations on the best suspension setup for handling? The car is standard suspension wise, it has sport pack suspension, and it is in excellent mechanical order (new roll bar bushes and TRW arms fitted all round and wheel alignment). It has a Quaife LSD diff fitted.

In the wet the car does understeer under power, on slippy corners (such as mcleans at donnington) when lifting off slightly can trigger the car to drift, possibly helped by the passive rear steering. I have mastered this and it obviously can be very fun but can be dangerous on track days if someone is nearby into a corner.

In the dry the car does handle well, but there is a lot of tyre screeching when cornering, the car also leans slightly into the corners, and round the twistys it can be best described as being a bit 'wobbly'.

Finally, im wandering if a 2.0 twinny would be a more suitable balanced track car, anyone experienced both?

 

[ALFADOIT]

I would kick off with the well trodden path of eibach uprated ARB kit. Totally transforms steering feel and cancels out most if not all of the under steer. Yes its that good. Then to consider a quality coil over setup. I went with Eibach pro coils and they have been brilliant. The other alternative is KW v3's which are more adjustable. But to be brutally honest the Eibach pro S coils are so well set up from the factory, i am not sure whether the extra premium for the KW V3's is worth it? Also the eibach coils come with high quality KW shock bodies which after 2 winters on my GT look like new. Unlike my previous Bilstein b16 coils which looked like they had been at the bottom of the ocean for 60 years after 2 winters. Autolusso stock the Eibach coil kit and ARB kit. The low centre of gravity and the uprated ARB kit really makes our chassis into a go cart. Such a noticeable difference. :thumbup:

Brakes are of course another very important factor on track. I went for the GTA 330 brembo kit with uprated performance friction pads. Once bedded in this is an awesome package. The PF pads made a hell of a difference.

I am planning my first track day at snetterton soon in my modified GT. I think she will be awesome on track. Will let you know how i get on.

Damien.

 

[115686]

+1 on the ARB kit. That and the quaife are the best upgrades.

 

[cannotstop]

I have driven both 2.0 and GTA on track.
Yes, the 2.0 is more balanced and more nimble, but that only goes so far. The extra horsepower and torque of the GTA more than makes up for it

For your car: Yes, Eibach antiroll bars are a must. Best suspension upgrade on the 156, ever.
Coilovers.. well a lot of track folks swear by the Intrax HDA kits, so they must be good. I havent tried them myself, though. (Still havent bought any coilovers )
For brakes, the GTA setup of 305 / 330 is great, but most importantly, get good brake pads and fluid.
You already have the diff, so well done on that.
Engine tuning is going to be limited for a 2.5 What you really want is to get a 3.0 or 3.2 engine. No point in spending money on engine tuning for a 2.5 really.
And apart from that, weight saving... add all the lightness that you can to the car.

And have fun with it!

 

[davebem]

Thanks for suggestions so far, im not going to tune the engine, infact quite happy with the performance so far. Im going to try a thicker rear anti roll bar and looking into uprated brakes and investigating a better oil cooler (possibly fit 3.2 setup).

 

[Shimmerydolmeo]

Powerflex/strongflex the rear. Remove the AC unit.

 

[Gertie]

Pretty much what cannotstop said - strip weight - it helps with acceleration, braking AND cornering.

The 2.0 TS (without LSD) also go into one-tire-fire powering through tight bends. The 70kg difference does help achieving higher corner speeds, but lower power means slower top end at the straights.

What tyres are you running? MUST go semi-slicks - Toyo R888, Bidgestone RE11, Dunlop DZ03 - any will be better than road tyres. If you can choose, go for the smaller circumference wheel, rotational inertia is a speed killer

Having the rear slightly loose is a good thing on a FWD track car - have the rear come out a bit that the car points the direction you want, straighten the steering, then use your right foot to let the car pull you straight.

EDIT: I have had my 3.0 V6 156 SW (stock weight) around my local track at 1.19.2 and my 2.0 156 sedan racer - lightened (1080kg with full tank, rollcage, etc) at 1:18.0 with similar suspension, but more aggressive toe out and camber in rear and it is not my daily that I care for more