Suspension settings...

[Endless]

Hey guys, new guy here. I just got a nitro 4-tec about 3 months ago and i noticed that the handling is very poopy. :arrr: I bought the sway bars but they don't seem to be any help. For those that have the same car, (Or any on-road sedan) can you help me with the suspension settings? How to set up the sway bars? Right now: There are 8 settings for the front and the rear. (4 up front, 4 rear) Rear, i put it on the 3rd stiffest setting, and up front, i put it to the highest/stiffest setting. Still oversteers, need help. ALso, i was wondering if it's worth it to replace the shocks with something else. (I don't race, just bash the parking lots) Any help would be great, thanks guys.

 

[FRIDGE]

the 4-tec is meant for speed theres really no good reviews about it. oversteer. try to soften up on the front suspension

 

[MustangMan]

Sway bars should be used for fine tuning only, not to change suspension firmness. You should find out what springs the company makes for the car or what aftermarket springs the car will take and work on your springs first. Take the sway bars off and start with springs and shock oil. Do you even know what weight the shock oil is?

When you say handling is $hitty, in what way? Does it oversteer, understeer, spin out, twitchy? Read up on handling terms so you know how to describe your problem more accurately and then you'll get more precise help and answers from the group...

 

[Endless]

Sway bars should be used for fine tuning only, not to change suspension firmness. You should find out what springs the company makes for the car or what aftermarket springs the car will take and work on your springs first. Take the sway bars off and start with springs and shock oil. Do you even know what weight the shock oil is?

When you say handling is $hitty, in what way? Does it oversteer, understeer, spin out, twitchy? Read up on handling terms so you know how to describe your problem more accurately and then you'll get more precise help and answers from the group...

Understood. It usually oversteers when making left handed turns, ONLY on left handed turns. As for the shocks, they are stock, never changed. I do not know the shock oil weight, though i have been contemplating on upgrading to aftermarket shocks. Can you just buy the springs and use the stock shock? What's a good type of oil? (I apologize for the newbie questions) Also, when i try to get the top speed, after say, about 30mph, the car will spin out on it's own.

 

[Diver6127]

I would check the Toe and camber on both the front and rear. .5 deg toe out in the front/2 degrees of camber ... for the rear, 2 degrees toe in/3 degrees camber. Unfortunately, the only real way to do this is with setup board (HUDY or Integy). BUT before you do any of this, the suspension must be taken care of first. 5 1/2 mm ride height, about 4 on the droop guage (more for high traction, lower # for bumpy, low traction surface). Then take it to the suspension tweak tool and balance it.

A HUDY or Integy setup board and a suspension tweak tool are what a lot of the competative racers use to get their car handeling correctly but are costly items. They do sell cheap camber tools that will probably help you get the settings. For setting the toe on these tools, you have to stand the car on it's nose or tail. IF you do everything (except the suspension tweak) and it's still over steering, it's your shock load settings and/or your chassis may be a little bent.

Before you try anything, adjust your trim on the radio and if equipped, turn down your DRS (Dual Rate Steering). Also, throttle control is a big factor in over and under steering situations.

 

[Endless]

I would check the Toe and camber on both the front and rear. .5 deg toe out in the front/2 degrees of camber ... for the rear, 2 degrees toe in/3 degrees camber. Unfortunately, the only real way to do this is with setup board (HUDY or Integy). BUT before you do any of this, the suspension must be taken care of first. 5 1/2 mm ride height, about 4 on the droop guage (more for high traction, lower # for bumpy, low traction surface). Then take it to the suspension tweak tool and balance it.

A HUDY or Integy setup board and a suspension tweak tool are what a lot of the competative racers use to get their car handeling correctly but are costly items. They do sell cheap camber tools that will probably help you get the settings. For setting the toe on these tools, you have to stand the car on it's nose or tail. IF you do everything (except the suspension tweak) and it's still over steering, it's your shock load settings and/or your chassis may be a little bent.

Before you try anything, adjust your trim on the radio and if equipped, turn down your DRS (Dual Rate Steering). Also, throttle control is a big factor in over and under steering situations.

Thank you, i will try to change the settings today.

 

[shadey26 ntc3]

First thing take off the factory shocks, those things are junk ! I replaced mine with hpi threaded bodies shocks . I used the hpi set up and it worked fine. You can tune with diffrent shock oil and diffrent springs. Diver has perfect info on setting up your suspension , but some of the suspension is fixed. I.E rear toe-in etc. check to see if any of your arm are bent. One bent arm can cause havick. Plus are any of ur tires are worn down? If so replace . Hobby people use to have some aftermarket alum parts for the 4-tec , Just don't waste ur money on alot of parts for It like I did . If you want a good handling basher thats easy to adjust save up and by a ntc3. hope that helps ! :smoke:

 

[Endless]

Thanks guys. I played with it yesterday, or shall i say, tried to make it work, and after 2 hours of cleaning and removing the engine, it started right up! Handeling was pretty good, i just switched the sway bars. (They do help) NO more oversteering, but i will have to test it out on a bigger parking lot.