After receiving critical acclaim on our chassis development and upgrades for other Porsche models, we were given the opportunity to evaluate a 964 Carrera, which we welcomed with relish!

Although the owner of the car was happy with the handling performance, our initial impressions were that the front axle had a numb feeling around the centre line, an imbalanced response from left to right and that the rear axle felt light at high speeds with a non-linear response when approaching the grip limit.

Our development programme resulted in a sharper steering response around the centre line, an equal and linear response to steering input gain, and the rear end provided a more stable and progressive response around the grip limit.

Altogether this package makes for a more confidence inspiring and enjoyable drive.

Our stage 1 FRS dynamic handling upgrade package can be reviewed and purchased here.

Following on from our recent successful chassis development programmes for the 997 GT3 and 997 Turbo, we pleased to get the opportunity of working with a 996 Turbo.

The owner of the car was satisfied with the handling performance and was quite sceptical over whether we could make any improvments. After our initial evaluation we concluded that the front end was acceptible at normal road speeds but rapidly gave up grip at higher speeds when pushed hard, and the rear end was generally stable but had inconsistent grip from one side to the other.

Our development programme consisted of optimizing the geomery settings which resulted in the front response being more linear to steering inputs, the rear end having equal grip and improved response, and the chassis now being better balanced.

We offer this service as our stage 1 FRS package which can be reviewed and purchased here.

Great looking and environmentally friendly, the Honda CR-Z hybrid coupe is proving to be much in demand. That said, it’s not perfect – a case in point being the standard chassis dynamics which are less than involving and lean towards numbing understeer on the limit. Generating solutions to handling issues like this are Torque Developments speciality, through our renowned ‘FRS’ geometry set-ups for fast road use, but could we improve the hybrid sports coupe Honda with some of our suspension wizardry?

In the case of the CR-Z this task was greatly simplified by the Honda’s rear suspension design – it’s a beam axle with fixed geometry.  ”There’s nothing you can adjust on it, you can’t even shim a stub axle, so whatever you’ve got, you’re stuck with,” says TDi’s Sam Borgman.

Therefore with efforts switched to the front of the car, Torque Development’s used it’s suspension expertise and state of the art John Bean optical chassis rig to pinpoint the cause of the problems and implement a solution. “We decided to add some geometric pre-load to the front tyres by adding some negative camber, plus a hint of ‘toe-in’ which sharpens the steering response.”

The results are a Honda CR-Z with greatly improved handling – “the turn in is more crisp, there’s more steering feel and feedback. The car feels much tighter and the front geometry alterations have greatly reduced the understeer,” Borgman explains.

So what does the Honda CR-Z think of Torque Development’s work? “He’s very pleased,” says Borgman. “He commented that the CR-Z now ‘feels alive through the palms of his hands’ and he’s delighted with it.” So, if you would like to sharpen the handling on your Honda CR-Z, the Torque Development’s FRS geometry set up is available now, priced at just £150.00 plus VAT – please contact us using sales@tdi-plc.com for more information.

Here at Torque developments we speak to many Aston Martin DB9 owners and whilst most are very happy with the way their car looks and sounds, allied to its strong straight line performance, many are dissatisfied with the way that the car actually feels to drive. Common complaints about the standard DB9’s handling abilities range from the front of the car feeling “fidgety,” to the rear of the Aston Martin feeling unpredictable with a limited amount of grip when exiting corners.

Over recent years the Torque developments chassis dynamics team have tackled and comprehensively defeated the handling gremlins of large variety of Aston Martin cars including the Vanquish S, the Vantage V8 and Vantage V8 Volante, and now we can add the DB9 to that list. From the very first test drive our technicians were able to diagnose multiple layers of issues that corresponded to the owner’s list of complaints and from there we were then able to drill down into the DB9’s chassis detail to isolate the various causes of the problems.

After a period of extensive testing, including workshop and live driving measurements, Torque Developments now has a detailed understanding of the DB9 chassis and has arrived at a set-up for the chassis geometry that we can offer to other Aston Martin DB9 owners who are in search of a nicer, more user-friendly chassis performance. For more information please call Torque Developments Plc on 0800 107 3250.

MUGEN Euro is developing a highly-tuned version of Honda’s CR-Z, which will deliver “Type R-like” performance from the hybrid’s petrol-electric powertrain – and may offer even better fuel economy.

This faster, more powerful car will make its world debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July.

The CR-Z MUGEN will feature enhancements to both the 1.5-litre i-VTEC petrol engine and the Honda IMA system to boost power and torque, while bespoke brakes and suspension will be fitted to improve the chassis dynamics.

The major engine changes, and those made to exhaust and induction, may even result in greater mpg and lower CO2 emissions during some conditions. However, at this early development stage, final power, torque and fuel economy figures are not yet known.

Lightweight components, including a carbon fibre bonnet, will be employed to lower the overall weight, and the car will use MUGEN alloy wheels to reduce unsprung mass.

To improve aerodynamics and give the car an even more sporting look, MUGEN body parts will be added, including front and rear bumpers, and a spoiler.

 ”We wanted to extend the performance of the CR-Z,” says Hiro Toyoda of MUGEN Euro. “It is already a fun car to drive, with an excellent chassis, but we thought that with more power and enhanced torque delivery it could be even more exciting. However, as with all MUGEN projects, we have stayed true to the Honda design and philosophy, and the electric motor is still a vital ingredient to boost performance and economy.”

The CR-Z MUGEN is a joint project between Honda (UK) and MUGEN Euro – the Northampton-based subsidiary of Honda’s long standing tuning partner MUGEN. In 2009, MUGEN Euro produced the Civic Type R MUGEN, an extreme, 240PS version of Honda popular hot hatch.

“This will be one quick hybrid,” says Martin Moll, Head of Marketing for Honda (UK). “With more torque, more power and MUGEN’s experience of working with Honda cars, we’re expecting great things. It promises to show how hybrid cars can be even more exciting to drive.”

At this stage, the CR-Z MUGEN is being developed purely as a one-off prototype, with no plans for a production version.

MUGEN’s range of performance, dynamic and styling upgrades for the Honda CR-Z are available now from Torque Developments International Plc, click on http://www.tdi-plc.com/catalog/parts-c-107_108_3069_3070.html

Having successfully validated a revised ‘Fast Road’ suspension geometry package for the Vanquish S, Torque Developments was commissioned by an enthusiastic Aston Martin Vantage V8 owner to assess whether similar improvements could be made to the 380bhp, 175mph baby supercar.

Happily, TDi’s Technical team, lead by Sam Borgman, was able to undertake a detailed analysis of the suspension settings using its state of the art John Bean 38-angle optical chassis dynamics rig.

This revealed dynamic shortcomings, much like those discovered on the Vanquish S, so a similar prescription of ‘Fast Road’ suspension geometry settings was administered. What was the result on the Aston Martin Vantage V8? Well, we will let the owner speak on our behalf:-

“The geometry revisions are simply sensational!! To say I’m pleased with the work is a massive understatement…My feedback:

• Steering wheel now centred
• Much sharper turn in
• Far more accuracy on cornering, especially the initial turn in, which is now far easier to judge
• Greater feel through the steering wheel
• Car feels like a single unit now – was rather “disjointed” before
• The ride seems more compliant, with less shimmying over bumps
• Massively improved stability during hard braking

Sam was pleased to take me through this fix in detail (and the geo’ changes) which was an added bonus.”

Not only does the Torque Developments ‘Fast Road’ improve the dynamic qualities of the Aston Martin Vantage V8, the reduction in scrub will promote longer tyre life, making it a ‘win-win’ for owners.

The Aston Martin Vantage V8  ‘Stage 1″ geometry set up is available now from TDi-plc, by appointment only at http://www.tdi-plc.com/catalog/suspension-technology-c-1_2_22_23_29.html

Stop Press: Our “Stage 2″ upgrade which incorporate revised spring rates to further enhance the dynamic performance is now available at http://www.tdi-plc.com/catalog/fast-road-geometry-calibration-coupe-stage-p-19290.html for the Coupe, and at http://www.tdi-plc.com/catalog/fast-road-geometry-calibration-volante-stage-p-19291.html for the

Volante