Volkswagen Cornering Enhancements

Volkswagen Cornering EnhancementsDoes your Volkswagen feel like it is leaning over
If you enjoy taking a corner or two a bit crazysideways when you tear around a turn? This is
once in a while like me you may find yourwhat is known as body roll. There are a couple
Volkswagen's current handling performance a bitmain ways to combat this problem.
lacking. There are a few key things that affectThe easiest of which that is also the thing that
the way a car handles corners. Improving any orhas the least effect on ride comfort is to install a
all of these elements will greatly increase theset of sway bars or anti-roll bars. Depending on
handling capabilities of your car.your car there may be aftermarket bars for the
Sliding off the road:front, rear, or both for your vehicle. They are
One of key components to how well your carusually thicker than the stock sway bars, which
corners is the tires. The tire width and compoundflex less and keep your VW from leaning as
of the rubber play crucial roles in keeping yourmuch during cornering. The difference these bars
VW from sliding off the road.make is tremendous. They can be installed
Wider tires have more surface area in contactyourself in a few hours and shouldn't cost more
with the road which will improve traction. It alsothan a few hundred dollars at most. This is the
has the unfortunate side effect of decreasingfirst modification I did to my car and wouldn't
your gas mileage due to increased friction withhesitate to do it again to every other car I drive
the road. It is not uncommon for people to installin the future.
wider tires and see their gas mileage go down byAnother thing that effects body roll is your car's
50 miles per tank! If you have ever wonderedcenter of gravity. The closer your car is to the
why car makers put such skinny tires on theirground the less effect the forces of cornering will
vehicles this is one of the main reasons. Widerhave on it. Installing a set of lowering springs
tires also tend to turn into skis in winter drivingwhich bring your car an inch or two closer to the
conditions.ground will improve handling considerably.
Installing stickier tires will help your dry tractionYou should be aware though that putting lowering
considerably. One thing to keep in mind though issprings on your stock shocks will cause them to
the softer and stickier the tire, the faster it willwear out faster, so it is recommended that you
wear out. High performance summer tires mayreplace both at the same time to save money on
also perform very poorly in wet and icylabor in the future. Lowering springs also have a
conditions, which means you'll probably wantdifferent spring rate than the stock springs and
another set of tires for winter driving.will most likely result in a much stiffer ride than
If you get bigger wheels to go with your tiresyou're used to. While some people can get used
you will probably end up with a tire that has ato this, I've read many stories about people that
shorter sidewall, which makes the new tiresspent all day installing new springs themselves only
nearly the same diameter as the old ones. Theseto have their spouse hate it and make them
shorter sidewalls will improve handling slightly. Havechange it back.
you ever gone around a corner at high speed andSince cornering capability and ride comfort are at
felt like your tires were flopping over sideways?odds with each other you must find your own
They actually do. The shorter the sidewalls arecomfortable compromise where you are happy
the less likely this is to happen, but unfortunatelywith the way your VW handles and the way you
this also leads to a slightly rougher ride as there isand your passengers feel riding in the car.
less tire height to absorb bumps in the road.Remember: Drive safe, wear your seatbelt, and
Body Roll:have fun!