A couple of days ago, I decided to adjust my seating position and steering column. The steering column is now in the fully up/forward position and I'm noticing an improvement in handling.
Before the adjustment, going too fast into a turn at an intersection, the front tires would sometimes squeal, and the car felt like it was leaning excessively up front.
Now, not only can I go faster into the turns, there’s no more tire squealing, and, from what I can tell so far, once the limit of the tires is reached the car just drifts out with no drama. The feeling that the front suspension was causing the tires to roll onto their sidewalls in the turns is practically gone. The car also turns-in much better too.

Can someone with suspension knowledge/experience tell me what’s been affected?


Thanks

 

the handling most definitvely does not change with you changing your driving or wheel position. What is probably changing is the amount of input you are providing, and the feedback you are now getting as a result of your new driving position.

 

agreed. seating and steering column position has no affect on the car's handling abilities... you're only noticing a difference because you're able to provide more or less input.

 

Probably sitting so close to the wheel that more of your weight is transfered up front for better traction.

 

I have over 25k miles on my car and have changed seating and steering position several times. But have never really noticed any change in the cars handling. I've always noticed that when I changed position the car felt different, but this largly because I changed positon. Now the front end feels different; better in fact.

Maybe this is my imagination, or maybe the front suspension is being affected somehow.

 

you are not chanign anything about the suspension or the steering ratio by changing your seat or steering wheel position. What you are noticing is perception....you are now making different movements at different angles and that is adding to, or taking away from teh overall feedback you are feeling.

Try this: move the seat all the way back and the seatback all the way back and try to take a turn fast..the car will feel all over the place as you will feel very detached from the car. Now try the reverse - sit very close, seatback very straight and do the same - it will seem like you need far less steering input to take the same turn. The reason is because in the first sceanrio, you have to make large movements with your arms to get hte wheel to turn a slight amount; in the second however, you see how relatively small inputs of steering truly affect the car's behavior

 

Serious tho, if he is 400+ lbs over weight wouldnt it make a diff where he sits. J/K lol.

All I notice when changing the angle of the steering wheel column is it changes the stiffness of the steering wheel. More angle up the less strength it takes to turn the wheel.

 

Z1,
1) I understand everything you've said, and, from what I know about front suspensions, agree with you.

2) You don't know this to be a fact: "What you are noticing is perception...."

3) I'm well aware that moving the seat and adjusting the steering column changes the driving experience.

4) I'm quite discerning: I have the Crawford crossbar and can tell a difference in the handling and feel with the bar set at different tensions. And this is without adjusting the steering column and seat.

5)You're comments have yet to address the tire squealing I was experiencing.

I have tire feathering and some clunking noises in the front suspension. The clunking actually went away about a month ago but is returning since the steering column adjustment.
My thought is there is something abnormal going in the front suspension, otherwise adjusting the steering column shouldn't affect the handling.

 

I cannot speak for the clunks or feathering issue as I have an 04. I also ahve coilovers, so noise is something I've learned to live with

As for tire squeal, it will vary by pavement, road temperature, tire condition and of course tire pressure.