Loren

This could get deeper than this thread needs to be... but why on earth would you do that? Start soft and adjust up to critical damping. (meaning that you have enough damping to positively control the spring) Then you can tweak the front or rear stiffer as needed to fine-tune handling balance.

Full stiff is not the answer.

My favorite Colin Chapman quote: "Any suspension will work if you don't let it."

S60R

As much as I may not like the big cracked pavement seams and the weeds that grow out of them at a few of our area courses, one of the few good things about our auto-x locations is that they are pretty flat if you don't count these minor imperfections and the occasional pothole.

I'm not suggesting he stiffen his dampening for the sake of his springs or verticle wheel movement, I'm suggesting he minimises his chassis movement via dampening since its not like his wheels are going to be moving up and down more than a few millimeters at most auto-xes around here.

That being the case I say full stiffness FTW.

Its not like the kid needs to start learning in some handicapped mode. The kid probably has much to learn, but sheesh, its not like he needs to leave his car in its least competitive state to do so.

omgwtfbbq!

Yeah those surfaces aren't as flat as you'd think they are. I spend probably a full second of every run in the kart completely off the ground at every event, we're the definiteion of full stiff.

Loren

Stiffer is not inherently better. Going full stiff with the shocks could very well be more of a handicap than leaving them full soft. Steering response will be better with them full stiff, but a "forgiving" car is easier to drive than a "twitchy" car. When the driver doesn't know where the limits are, putting a razor's edge on the limits isn't going to help.

S60R

LOL, I remember that kind of fun stuff from my own carting days.

And yes, there is a thing as too stiff, but on a typical auto-x course and adjustable street shocks I don't think the OP is going to get on the wrong side of that curve.

The volvo gets knocked around pretty good when locks down its shocks when the suspension is switched to 'advanced' mode, but those old runways are still smoother than most of the roads I travel here in the bay area. I usually never dare run in advanced mode in town since its the kind of ride that feels like it will knock out your fillings and break something on the car, lol.

For those that might be curious, here is a cool vid about the active suspension and yaw control on the volvo. I almost feel like its cheating when I think about what a bear my porsche was to control.

S60R V70R Promo Video

The more detailed tech stuff begins about 1:15 into the video . . .

Skip the engineer dude in the middle, he's boring and redundant, but the guy in the end that does 360s in the car is pretty cool, lol.

pullg

Hah...from the guy who pioneered ground effects that pretty much negated suspension....

omgwtfbbq!

Ground effects don't negate suspension at all, it just requires a much stiffer suspension than a vehicle without aero, which means you lose low speed bump softness which can lead to instability over curbing/uneven surfaces.

treekiller

I'm sounding the off topic alarm. This guy is looking to get started out, don't confuse him with preferences or theory. Just enjoy the drive. In a year he can make his own determinations on what suits him best. That's why I used to reccomend bilstein shocks to begineer autocrossers no adjustment you can't f them up

s60r or you could listen to Jeremy clarkson. When discussing the "advanced setting" it's still aweful at going round corners, just now it's uncomfortable.

S60R

LOL, yes, much TMI and off topic, but it keeps the forum interesting.

And Clarkson was right, volvo had some good ideas when they first created the R, but between trying to make it tame and comfortable they toned it down a bit too much for the public.

Between the upgraded sways, and other mods, short of shitty tires my R is right about where she needs to be now.

yamaha731

I'm kind of new to autocross but if you want to throw money at the car get a good set of tires (Dunlop Star Specs) it made a big difference in how my car felt.