Frisky

Posted this in Scrooger's earlier "2001 v 2002" thread but it was a bit off the topic and got lost in subsequent replies to the main topic ....

Something I have not yet understood about getting a pre '02 car changed to the '02 geo settings - is this really the answer to the '02's better handling?? My understanding is that the '02 also has revised spring and damper settings which I would attribute more to the more 'planted on the road' feel rather than just the geo settings(?). Could this be why some people who have made the change have not really felt much difference whereas Scrooger notices a big difference even with "normal" driving?

My '00 registered car makes me very nervous at higher speeds and definitely does not feel planted on the road. I am considering whether to get the geo changed but wondering if it should also have the spring and damper changes to match the '02 model?

- Frisky.

Frenchie

I'm a bit confused about this "planted" word that's often used on the forum. I've never felt insecure in my 00MY at high speed. It skips and jumps sometimes, but I've never yet felt like it was going to fly off the road (have just touched wood ). Maybe I'll discover something on Oct 31st at the airfield day

Pete


PS
Did you know that, in Italy, they "touch iron"?

AlexC

I agree with Pete - after previous cars I can definitely feel the S2k skipping about at the rear, but I find this quite fun and entertaining - a friend says gets similar feel in Nissan 200 SX - with my Mitsu 3000 GTO, this was probably the ultimate "planted" car, due to being very wide, low, and H-E-A-V-Y - this gives you nice feeling of security, but whether it is actuallly any better I don't know. At the moment I'm still enjoying skipping, and feel it is more sports-car-like.

rahula

I have posted this info before too but I can agree that even the 02 car is a bit nervous and twitchy (not planted) at high speed. This seems to be case only on rough and bumby country roads. The car will not stick to the road and sometimes gets into a rythym when it feels that the backend will break away. Very nervy for me....But on smooth roads it is brill.

Frisky

I guess it could be me just getting used to the car having come from a much heavier car. What I am trying to determine is if it is worth spending

Tonky

There are people with pre 02 cars who've had the new alignment done and say they see a marked difference.

My 2 cents...

I haven't had my '00 alignment changed, I can't see anything wrong with the handiling at all. My tyres are wearing perfectly evenly, so I'm satisfied that that my settings are OK.

It's just possible though that the steering geometry varies wildly from car to car, and some could be way out of alignment tolerances which would explain why some people notice such a difference.

I personally wouldn't spend

Turtle

I'm wondering if you're not confusing the revised recommended alignment issued by Honda UK for MY2000/MY2001 with the different suspension setup on MY2002+ cars.

Honda UK issued a new set of recommended alignment settings. I'm one owner who changed, and I liked the change. Nothing to do with feeling planted at speed though - I never had a problem with that.

For MY2002 Honda changed the suspension. Anti-roll bars, spring rates, and the dampers are all different. The pre-MY2002 cars were tuned with stiff anti-roll bars, and softer damping. The MY2002 cars, have higher spring rates, different dampers, and softer anti-roll bars. If you want to change to this, you need to do everything. That means new shocks, anti-roll bars, and using the alignment Honda recommend for MY2002 cars.

-Brian.

AlexC

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Frisky
[B]I guess it could be me just getting used to the car having come from a much heavier car.

Nick Graves

I think some early cars were misaligned anyway.

Or people were over-accelerating on cold tyres.

I have only experienced the snap oversteer in corners, when I've bloody asked for it and therefore been ready for it.

The rear anti-roll bar possibly is too stiff with 20/20 hindsight, resulting in that whiplash reaction that some people discovered.

Trouble is, I've got used to the sharpness of the car, and don't want to change it.

JamesM

I never had any problems with the older Geo settings on my car, I thought that the car was very well sorted. However, I spoke to a few of the guys on the board who said that they felt a marked improvement in handling and high speed grip, and after having mine done I must agree.

I was never nervous about the car at high speed, but in the wet I felt that the old settings seemed a little flaky and the car would sometimes skip if push too hard. This still happens with the new settings, but not until higher speeds or if pushing very hard through corners.

IMHO, get the Geo settings done, I much happier with a car that I was already very happy with!