thomas.rousseau

What would the effect be on road handling going from stiff suspension in the front and relatively soft in the rear (my stock setup (RoW)) to something stiffer in the rear and softening things a bit in the front ?

Why is the setup like that from factory with a rather soft suspension in the rear and stiff in the front, although most weight is in the rear?

/Thomas

911/Q45

The change would increase oversteer. The factory knows that hamhanded drivers are safer with understeer, so that's the stock setup.

Jay993turbo

Softer rear would increase rear grip, and hence cause more understeer. Going softer in the front will increase oversteer.

I believe the factory used a smaller rear sway bar in the rear for US cars in order to increase the car's tendancy to understeer, for liability issues maybe? Understeer will reduce the chances spinning the rear around in the corners. Hope that helps.

ca993twin

Porsche with stiff front and soft rear sway bars:

Jay993turbo

Stiff in the rear and soft in the front will get you OVERSTEER. The front will have more grip than the rear causing the rear to want to slide out.

thomas.rousseau

Thanks for the info.
I thought that stiffer suspension increased grip but you seem all in overwhelming agreement!

Maybe it is the relation in stiffness between rear and front axle that is important.

Jean

Correct Thomas,

For braking. You will improve braking distances with stiffer front compression as you reduce the mass transfer off (away from) the rear tires and you distribute braking power over 4 tires more evenly.

Jean

WHB Porsche

So, adding a thicker rear swaybar would increase oversteer compared to the stock setup, correct?

Basal Skull

correct - if you have adjustable rear sways, using the more proximal holes (closer to the bar) has the same effect.

also I think changing the sway bar settings have more effect than changing compression settings on the rear socks...