I’m looking for technical help or recommendations on: I recently got my Eunos Mk 1 auto set up on the ‘Fast Road’ settings, having my 4 wheels aligned. My car drives pretty straight now and doesn’t seem to drift on the motorway.
I’m not sure if it’s just in my head, but it seems taking corners is not as fun now although that’s what ‘fast road’ set up ’ is meant to do (make the drive more fun). It drives more like a newer civilized modern car now rather than a fun, rugged, Go-cart which I enjoyed, feeling the weight of the car swinging, as i turned fast round corners! I guess it’s ‘horses for courses’,
Has anyone else had this ‘fast road’ setup done and noted this? any thoughts? I attach a printout of what the garage did. I’m not technically minded and have very little knowledge in this area, so replies in layman terms will be appreciated.
Hmm. I don’t regard my 1.5 as a great motorway car - it’s plenty fast enough, but road and traffic noise are high and people are wont to tailgate a car they can see over. I spend as little time as possible on motorways, although the mostly much less crowded French ones for example are also much less unpleasant.
In any case high speed stability on the ND is a non-issue if mine is typical. The steering weights up at speed rather than lightening, something that electric PAS facilitates, and it self-centres strongly. The ND has a lot of castor which presumably contributes too.
I like a fairly direct, darty feel anyway - I think the ND, out of the box, probably has a little less of that than say a Mk2 (I’m less familiar with the Mk3) but it certainly feels more direct than most everyday cars. I certainly wouldn’t want to suppress that.
A few of my experienced mechanic mates have not heard of the term ’ Fast road’ either. From what I have been told (in layman terms)is that they change the tilt of the wheels (inwards) to get more grip on the road.
I’ve always understood it to mean “for committed driving on normal roads” as distinct from track, which would be very focused for ten tenths driving but unsuited to much else. Fast Road is therefore for someone intending to drive quite hard and get the most from cornering feedback, etc.
If yours is planted and stable on the motorway but dull in the curves, it doesn’t sound very much like that!
I may have misunderstood its meaning but context of those conversations is what gave me that impression so I suspect not.
It was actually the thread title that drew my interest, i.e. “‘Fast Road’ settings”.
It’s a set up option that is often referred to without further explanation as to whether it means ‘(fast road) settings’ or 'fast (road settings) as implied by Jitsuka. You have helpfully produced a link to technical that I hadn’t seen and confirmed my suspicion that I don’t need that set up.
I apologise for the gratuitous information about the ND, in the Technical rather than discussion area. Feel free to remove my posts, if including this one, if you think it desirable.
Looking at those readouts, it does not seem ‘Fast Road’ is the setup. Compare with Bofi Racing’s range of setups for whatever the main application will be. As you can see, the race and track days cambers are much more aggressive than the Fast Road setup, which is more aggressive than what your’s has been set to.
Also, are the tyres all the same make, with similar wear? With a proper setup, and tyres scrubbed to those settings, the car should feel much better.
I use the tyre shop too for new tyres, however for a wheel alignment would go to a specialist in this field. On one of my previous sports cars the specialist said it would take 90 mins, a commercial tyre place said 20 minutes.
For me personally I would consider a fast road setup slightly more cambered in the back, I used to run my 182(obviously completely different) 0 toe -1.5 Deg camber and it felt amazing, I’m sure flying miata have a setup they use but once mines is back on the floor I’ll be going for something similar
But I think the term fast road is widely used, basically a normal alignment but with a pinch of camber for when you’re giving the b roads some punishment
But as stated - the more aggressive your alignment the worse itl be to drive on motorways etc
Just depends whether that bothers you or not
I was in a similar position to you. I had a really involving drive in my Eunos that would step out at the back in bends with just a little provocation and i mean that in a good way, it was a blast.
I went for a full alignment (‘fast road’ also) and cam away with a car that felt too civilised and grown up in it’s behaviour. The main changes to my car were a lot of toe out at the front was dialled out for their ‘fast road’ set up.
I’ve been back to have it tweaked and it’s getting back to where it was but for me I prefer a slightly more twitchy response that more front end toe out gives.
Thanks for your response. I’m not very technical minded but I am starting to understand what terms like negative and positive camber represent.
I totally agree with your comments.
Where i feel the difference (and I am yet to take it out on a bendy A road) is taking corners. Just a little turn on the steering and i have made the corner, not exciting at all. The steering feels a bit heavier - car feels more like a Mercedes SLK.
Whereas before the ‘Fast Road’ set up, the car just felt a bit wilder where you could feel the swing of the car around the corner. I think that’s part of the fun of the Mk1 MX5’s - light car and light steering. I understand some drivers may prefer the solid/planted feel but if i wanted that I would have bought a heavier roadster like a Mercedes SLK.
Anyway have spoken to the garage, they said they will return my car to my pre ‘fast car’ settings.
By the way, i think the term ‘Fast car’ can be a bit confusing to a naive, non technical person like me. Doesn’t do ‘what it says on the tin’ -Car does not go faster …lol
The Mk1 MX5 has rpm-sensitive (not speed sensitive, but close enough) power steering, that firms up with speed (the manual rack is a different matter). The 95-97 models are considered to have the best valving, closest to what the designers had in mind.
The SLK, with its recirculating ball steering, strikes me as precisely the sort of car to have poor, uncommunicative light steering.
Before returning to what you had before (which would have been the result of various knocks and clonks driving around London, throwing everything out of what), it might be worth researching the alignment settings some more.
Reducing caster from 5 degrees will lighten your steering, if that’s what is wanted.
…lol