TX Region SCCA Autocross #8 - Sunday, October 19, 2014 - TMS Bus Lot

[jrj512]

I have never been so happy to drive an understeering pig of a car as I was Sunday. Since I got the Corvette I have been battling trying to get the rear to hook up, nothing I did seemed to work for very long, from huge front sway bars to a ton of rear tow in. It turns out that it had bad control arm bushings, they looked fine but I replaced them and it’s now a different car. I just need to work out the set-up now.

Hooray! I was worried you were going to give up.

[OZMDD]

Good to hear. I thought it seemed like that car wasn't letting you drive like you used to.

[wrx74]

Pics from Jim Bunch:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/766094...7648452609787/

[Steve E]

+1 .... Tough crowd to play with. Kudos to the winners.

4 STS cars in top 10 on PAX recognizing we were 4th heat.

[Robert]

Yep jrj512, I was pretty much ready to give up on the car. Changing the control arms was pretty much a desperation move sense they looked OK.

[BMcCann]

That's great to hear Robert! Educate me...what exactly happens when the control arm bushings go bad (outside of no rear grip)?

[Robert]

BMcCann, I am not sure I can explain it, I don’t even know which ones were bad, I just changed all of them. Under normal driving the car felt like it had bump steer in the back if I went over small bumps in a turn. Being the only Corvette I had driven I through it was just the way they were. The last NTAXS event the car had wicked throttle lift over steer. It went down the highway fine.

The only real symptoms I noticed was the bump steer felling in turns under normal driving. I guess that they were still good enough that it didn’t have many symptoms until it was pushed hard then the back would not stick in the corners and if I spun the wheels too hard on the start it would wheel hop some times. I am guessing that the back tires were going into tow out or positive camber under high loads.