Simon_16v
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Registered: 14th Aug 06
Location: Yorkshire
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Just been thinking about this recently but due to lack of any handling knowledge i dont get anywhere.
What makes the corsa handle worser than other hatchbacks? There must be a reason to it being quite an understeering hatchback?
I'd like some serious replies and none about how amazing 106's are too thanks.
Si
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Eck
Premium Member
Registered: 17th Apr 06
Location: Lundin Links, Fife
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106's, Saxo's etc are all good handling from the start as they have the tried and tested Torsion Bar rear setup. Plus they are lighter than a Corsa. Things like CTR's etc obviously have better handling as they are hot hatchbacks, unfortunately no Corsa B ever got beyond slightly mild 
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Rob B
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Registered: 8th Jan 04
Location: Area Motorsport Drives: Race EP3
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poor chassis
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Simon_16v
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Registered: 14th Aug 06
Location: Yorkshire
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quote:
Originally posted by Rob B
poor chassis
Please elaborate. Due to it being a weak chassis?
[Edited on 05-05-2008 by Simon_16v]
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Rob B
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Registered: 8th Jan 04
Location: Area Motorsport Drives: Race EP3
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Just not a particularly good design, you can probably make it handle well with a few 1000 pounds.
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Paul_J
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Registered: 6th Jun 02
Location: London
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softness of standard suspension, weight distribution, no anti roll bar on the rear etc.
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Simon_16v
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Registered: 14th Aug 06
Location: Yorkshire
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I though the sport/gsi had rear arb? Or is it not a proper design?
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Kurt
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Registered: 23rd Oct 05
Location: Hi
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mine handles fine 
then again, its not like i can carry a huge amount of speed into a corner
[Edited on 05-05-2008 by Kurt]
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Simon_16v
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Registered: 14th Aug 06
Location: Yorkshire
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Well i meant comparing against other hot hatches like 206's.
They can go round corners with more ease and with the car being less twitchy
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Paul_J
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Registered: 6th Jun 02
Location: London
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I'm unsure really what you mean by 'handling' - especially since you just mentioned 206's which imo handle quite barge like generally.
Twitchy / oversteery car = a good handling car in my opinion
Soft / Wallowy / understeering car = a bad handling car.
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Novaneil
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Registered: 26th Oct 06
Location: Leamington Spa
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I'd say poor dampers/spring combo. Put a Bilstein "Yellow" suspension kit on a corsa and its fine. Obviously it can be improved further still but its the original shock/spring setup that lets it down in my opinion.
[Edited on 05-05-2008 by Novaneil]
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jr
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Registered: 20th May 02
Location: Kent
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the issue is people compare a 1.4 16v cosa agaist a saxo vtr etc, which will allways be better, plus its usually a 14 year old car agaist a 5 year old one, with bushes and other bits worn out etc etc
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Richardhhha
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Registered: 29th Sep 07
Location: Croydon, Greater London
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replace ALL bushes with uprated motorsport ones.
good suspension like a set of blistines(sp) or FK coil overs.
good set of ARB front and rear.
Strut braces front and rear.
Wider tyres (than standared... my gls had 165/65/13 on it now has 195/50/15 and grips better)
last but not least. good pair of boots.
after that you will see a noticable difference in handeling
[Edited on 05-05-2008 by Richardhhha]
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Mike
Organiser: North West and North Wales
Premium Member
Registered: 20th May 06
Location: nr. Skipton, North Yorkshire
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quote:
Originally posted by Novaneil
I'd say poor dampers/spring combo. Put a Bilstein "Yellow" suspension kit on a corsa and its fine. Obviously it can be improved further still but its the original shock/spring setup that lets it down in my opinion.
[Edited on 05-05-2008 by Novaneil]
When mine was standard, it did seem to want to kill me on a regular basis, fitted a bilstein sprintline kit and it was a lot better, understeered a lot tho, and the back end stuck like glue. I've now stripped quite a bit out of it and fitted a 22mm rear arb. There's a lot less understeer, slight oversteer but a lot more predictable and usable than when it just 'let go' as standard. Hopefully I'll be getting some powerflex bushes at some point, which will hopefully make a nice bit of difference too 
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Ste L
Member
Registered: 3rd Jul 06
Location: Manchester Drives: 106 16v Rallye
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by Richardhhha
replace ALL bushes with uprated motorsport ones.
good suspension like a set of blistines(sp) or FK coil overs.
good set of ARB front and rear.
Strut braces front and rear.
Wider tyres (than standared... my gls had 165/65/13 on it now has 195/50/15 and grips better)
last but not least. good pair of boots.
after that you will see a noticable difference in handeling
[Edited on 05-05-2008 by Richardhhha]
from personal experiance, i'd always remove the front arb, as it make it more understeering, and not handle as well as they can..
plus it's a crap design of one too,
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Novaneil
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Registered: 26th Oct 06
Location: Leamington Spa
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Yeah, on every corsa/nova i've owned. And mates ones, we've always removed the front ARB. We've found it makes a BIG difference to the cars "Turn in" Would never run one again to be honest. For those that haven't tried it, do it... You can always put it back on if you don't like it.
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Vaux Lad
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Registered: 15th Dec 04
Location: Stoke-on-Trent
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quote:
Originally posted by Kurt
mine handles fine
then again, its not like i can carry a huge amount of speed into a corner
[Edited on 05-05-2008 by Kurt]
Handling on the road, and round a track are entirely different things. You can never really fully test how well a car handles on the road
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Fad
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Registered: 1st Feb 01
Location: Dartford Kent Drives: 330cd
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The thing is people say their Corsa handles well etc what else have you driven to compare it to?
I though my XE Corsa was the bollocks with its Konis and Eibachs. Tbh it was acceptable but no matter how much you throw at Corsa coilovers arb's and powerflex bushes etc its never going to be that great. You'll notice a great difference but it will never say be as good as say the equivilant saxo/106/clio/fiesta just as it has a flaw chasis.
But another way at looking at it is another limiting factor is the driver
[Edited on 05-05-2008 by Fad]
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Huffski
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Registered: 23rd Mar 08
Location: Linconlshire-Horncastle
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the shock and spring are poor also re polybush you Anti roll bar and strut brace it can help. Thing is with Corsa the sit narrow and tall where as a ford fiesta sits wide and low giving a better centre of gravity
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Adam_B
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Registered: 13th Dec 00
Location: Lancashire
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theres no feedback thought the steering in a corsa, and when the back starts to go pulling it back in without it snapping the other way is really difficult. There is very little warning that it is going to go.
Im similar to Fad, thought mine was amazing and it was really quick, but then i drove other cars and they could do everything the corsa could but without me throwing a load of money at it.
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jr
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Registered: 20th May 02
Location: Kent
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yeah but thats no fun adam 
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Adam_B
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Registered: 13th Dec 00
Location: Lancashire
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I loved mine, and if i had chance i wouldnt not do it. But im a sad twat so hey
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