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how does your RX drive?


JWX
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mine understeers like a pig, even in the wet, in low I couldn't get the rear out. is this normal? and I can say I DO NOT like powersteering on the street, I can't feel what my tires are doing. and how does your brake pedal feel? is it low and soft, high and soft, low and hard, high and hard, squshy? not really liking this car right now.

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mine understeers like a pig, even in the wet, in low I couldn't get the rear out. is this normal? and I can say I DO NOT like powersteering on the street, I can't feel what my tires are doing. and how does your brake pedal feel? is it low and soft, high and soft, low and hard, high and hard, squshy? not really liking this car right now.

Arrow through my heart...

 

I'm really small, so i do like the power steering in the RX, compared with my having to lead the brat around everyday. It feels like it turns on thought for me. But i can see how that could be annoying if you're not 5'2".

 

Brake petal; mine is kinda weird, it's not consistant. it won't brake at all for the first part, then litely brake, but to get her to stop, it doesn't need to be at the floor. for me, i can get used to it, but i wish it was more gradual than the "either on or off" that it is. so i guess it's high/soft and low/hard.

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mine understeers like a pig, even in the wet, in low I couldn't get the rear out. is this normal?
I think that’s more a lack of power (for available grip) as much as actual traction balance. Not to say my RX doesn’t understeer, nearly all cars do in stock form, its just safer for a novice driver. I have also noticed that with the EA82T’s modest power (read that no rear wheel spin) that the LSD tends to push the car straight contributing to the condition. I’ve learned to keep at good firm hand on the wheel as the boost hits. I find the turn in under braking well balanced and the switch to power-on understeer smooth and predictable, all and all pretty standard for a production car. If you are looking for racecar tossability you’re going to have to do some tuning.

 

and I can say I DO NOT like powersteering on the street, I can't feel what my tires are doing.
Yep, the power steering does isolate you a bit, but I wouldn’t want a daily driver without it. On the up side, the stiffer springs and shocks on the RX do offer some feedback.

 

and how does your brake pedal feel? is it low and soft, high and soft, low and hard, high and hard, squshy?
I don’t have any issues with the brake pedal feel, seems middle and medium to me, again typical of a production car, longer, softer pedals tend to be safer for the average driver. I do dislike that the front rotors always seem to develop warp after a few sessions of spirited driving… or is it just me being to hard on them?:-\

 

not really liking this car right now.
I think you might be expecting a little much from a stock RX, its not a sports car, just a bit sportier than the basic econobox. Good news is anything is tunable… its just time and money, and the RX is a better starting point that a lot of similar cars.

 

Just my thoughts

Gary

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well back when I was an RX owner:(

 

I only really pushed it in the dirt. and it would understeer into the corner and then grab and whip into it. made planing the approace and departure with out hitting cones a bit tricky.

 

use of the throttle seemed to be the key to make it turn properly. I had to sort of feather it into the corner and as soon as it whiped I just romped it.

 

the rally school I took it to was interesting. the car absolutly refused to swing out and maintain a constant slide for me and the instructor.

 

it needs more power and suspension for sure.

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my hatch was my daily for a while and I NEVER had a problem with the manual streering, now the RX is much heaver but I still don't think it will be a problem.

and the reason I didn't like it at the time was, I was comparing it my hatch which I think drives better (could just be the power issue)

I am going to try the 185s off of my hatch and see what it does then.

 

 

jay, what have you done with the engine?

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cornering is kinda scary compared to my legacy which has adjustable struts, adjustable rear sway bar, and rear strut tower bar. Has anyone swapped out their rear sway bar on the rx for something stiffer? Actually the Rx seems to come out of corners better, while the legacy goes into corners better, but thats due to the rx being a 5speed turbo, and the legacy being NA automatic.

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First post here, so don't flame the no0b until I do something REALLY dumb. Anyhoo:

 

Understeer is always going to be a problem on a car with a center diff. I was driving a '91 BMW 325iX (AWD) and had terrible understeer problems until I put 185s on the rears. That brought the car in a little tighter, but it was still tough to get the trunk end to rotate until I put in a 26mm rear sway bar (+9mmover stock). Then everything swung around the way I wanted it to.

 

It really came into its own in the snow: I could put it into a drift at any point I wanted, hold the drift as long as I needed, and exit pointing exactly where I wanted it to. Of course, it was a BMW, so it was a pretty expensive snowplow.

 

I just bought a 1989 Loyale Turbo. We'll see what happens--this forum has given me a bunch of ideas already!

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Yep, stiffer rear sway would help, its 17mm stock... the 21mm (or is it 19) off the XT6 should help a bit, and its a bolt on. A little stiffer rear spring would help... a set from a 4WD wagon cut down to size would be my first choice. And maybe just a bit more rear toe-out.

 

Gary

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Don't know how mquch of this applies since mine is a wagon and part time 4wd, so it only applies to dirt. Before I put the LSD in, I had a fair amount of understeer going in and out of the corners. Now she feels more neutral, doesn't want to over or under steer. Just kinda goes around the corner. I can induce a slide with a quick stab of the brakes to start sliding, then jump back on the throttle to straighten out. Kinda hard to 'splain. 180? Start tuning, jab the brakes to get sliding. At about 90 degrees, hit 1st, stab throttle, and aaarrrroounnnnd we go! WEEEE!!!

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ALL stock subies push. The onyl ones that are neutral for real are the H-6 outbacks really.

 

The 89 has an 18MM rear bar. The 88 has stock. the 87 is stock. The wagon has an XT6 4wd rear which is 20MM. Also has 19MM front.

 

Now....if you drive the RX a certin way...it doesnt have the typical stock subie push...you must bond with the car...feel what it wants, and let it guide you thru the course/track/road etc....

 

You cant over drive the front of the car...thats when it pushes. This does Not mean drive the car slower thru corners that it doesnt push out....you can DRIVE the car faster than simply powering it in/out.

 

Your RX with the BFGs handles alot better than most of the other stock ones on the same tires. The DL wagon was most cerintly the best stock handling older one i ever had.

 

I'll need to show you how to handle an RX if you come and see Jo thursday...;)

 

As a side note, I did not notice any difference in handling w/ or w/out an LSD or VLSD.

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...you must bond with the car...feel what it wants, and let it guide you thru the course/track/road etc....

Boy, do I know what THAT means. Was driving my bro's suby through our "dirt road course" and came too fast into the corner and hit an embankment. Oops.:banghead:

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my hatch with the BFGs doesn't understeer, just point and shoot really. my Rolla is the same with the 185s on the back, but a little more neutral. I think the reason for my hatch not understeering is from not having the power that the RX has, well that and the RX is FT4WD with the LSD in the back.

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