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thought this was the right place rather than suspension section....

I have been steadily going faster around a round about, (dont think you have these in the US) and today it felt as though the back end was stepping out a bit, i was wondering if this was over steer, but being front wheel drive it didnt make sense to me, I was under the impression that fwd generally understeered?

Im running the zx2 struts and -45mm springs with front and rear strut brace, the feels tight around corners, no body roll, was there just a lack of grip? or is it normal on a fast corner?

My guess this is what you're describing It's good fun, everyday on the quiet roundabout on the way to work I'm at it I like getting the oversteer then putting my foot down for a front wheel understeer drift

The MX-3 used Mazda's proprietary Twin-Trapezoidal Link (TTL) for the rear suspension. It passively allowed the rear wheels to turn slightly in order to enhance handling. It has been used on a range of Mazda vehicles, providing a smooth ride, yet delivering responsive handling while minimizing body lean.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazda_MX-3

MX-3s seem to handle a little better than the honda civics you see flying around. A little oversteer is definitely normal in some situations. I have found my car to have extremely neutral handling with ZX-2 struts, H&R springs, strut bars, and soft tires.

bigger rear sway bar and good bushings will help your rear from going out a bit, and grippy tires will help ALOT.

was looking at the whiteline sway bar, but its the same diameter as mine i think at 22mm is it stiffer with the poly bushings?

Im pretty sure the whiteline swaybar is solid also, which would make a big difference while the stock one is hollow.

good stuff! what are thoughts on durometer for these PU bushings then? comfy-ish ride but good handling? can it be done?

Oversteer, and under, usually describe how how a car handles going into a quick turn.
The Whiteline is solid, and I also belive the OEM are not, but are an improvement over the A-spec ones. Before I got my Whiteline, and Wytbishop endlinks, I was keeping up with an M6 on an onramp, in a 4 wheel drift, like Marc was saying. The rear wheels were sliding, and the fronts were spinning, to keep forward momentum. With the setup now, I have neutral handling, and it's very predictable.

everyone keeps forgettin about Mazda's amazing work on our cars ...
S V S .. remember guys ?
a well balanced MX3 will allways oversteer in roundabout's ... if you push it more it will lose its grip in all 4's
been there, done that

jamesmx3 wrote:thought this was the right place rather than suspension section....

I have been steadily going faster around a round about, (dont think you have these in the US) and today it felt as though the back end was stepping out a bit, i was wondering if this was over steer, but being front wheel drive it didnt make sense to me, I was under the impression that fwd generally understeered?

Im running the zx2 struts and -45mm springs with front and rear strut brace, the feels tight around corners, no body roll, was there just a lack of grip? or is it normal on a fast corner?

Remember that rear end steers a bit on these cars.

Could be your suspension setup, and a bit of contribution of passive rear steering. I've gotten it to oversteer on damp pavement around tight corners, so it's possible. Never experienced it on dry pavement, though. My setup is fairly balanced and designed to combat understeer, but even through tight turns/hairpins at the racetrack the car still has a bit of understeer. Only way to make it oversteer is to lift off the throttle in a hard turn, so the front end bites, but that would probably result in a spin.

I've noticed only through tight, shorter radius corners, the car tends to oversteer. However, going through higher speed corners, the car tends to understeer heavily. High have the usual mods, MS struts, GC coilovers, Whiteline rear sway bar. MS rear arms and bushings. Kumho 710 slicks. My car still leans a bit and heavily loads the front tires. The only cure really is stiffer springs, more rebound control, and thicker sway bars. Wider tires and more aggresive camber can also improve grip.

I know this is revival, but people need to be aware of the TTLs... MX-3s have passive rear wheel steering. Roundabouts WILL cause the TTLs to turn, especially if you go into them enthusiastically(in other words quickly).

FWD cars typically don't oversteer, they understeer. This is caused by the fact that your turning wheels are also your drive wheels. They want to go straight, so you have to fight them when cornering at high speed. RWD will be the opposite, it wants to push your car forward in a straight line, regardless of the angle of the front wheels.

I hope this helps people, because it's kind of important...