Note: braking instability is one of the biggest handling challenges in RR especially under hard braking, trail braking, or when braking over uneven surfaces. In RR cars, most of the weight is over the rear axle, so RR cars behave differently than front- or mid-engined cars during deceleration.

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Causes

 

• light front end: not enough load on front tires reduces stability and steering control

• brake bias too rearward: unloads rear tires under deceleration so rear becomes twitchy or rotates to easily (rear tires are also more likely to lock up due to rear brake bias and forward weight shift under braking)

• abrupt weight transfer forward: rear gets light quickly so may step out or slide

• rear rebound damping too stiff: rear can’t settle which causes hop or instability as weight transfers

• front suspension too soft: allows excessive nose dive which disrupts front-rear balance

• aggressive trail braking: unloads rear and adds yaw momentum which can cause snap oversteer

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RR-Specific Notes

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• springs and dampers are critical because RR cars respond dramatically to weight shift

• overly stiff rear setups can cause snap oversteer under braking

• aero can stabilize the front but should be balanced — if front lift is happening under braking, add front downforce

• camber and ARB tune the amount of grip and rotation you’re allowing under load — critical in trail braking scenarios

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Fixes

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• balance rear aero (keeps rear planted under braking especially into fast corners and fast sweeping bends. Too much rear aero may overload the rear and lift the front)

• balance front aero (helps press the front tires into the ground during braking, improving straight line and trail braking stability)

• increase forward brake balance (reduced chance of rear lock up and keeps the rear more stable on corner entry and deceleration)

• slightly stiffen front springs (reduces nose dive and helps keep weight transfer under control thus keeps front stable under braking)

• soften (or balance) rear springs (allows rear to compress and follow weight shift and prevents rear lift and bounce)

• stiffen front damper compression (controls how fast the front compresses under braking, preventing sudden nose dive and instability)

• soften rear damper compression (allows rear suspension to compress smoothly, preventing lift and loss of grip at the rear and increases rear compliance during braking)

• slightly stiffen front damper rebound (

• soften rear damper rebound (helps the rear squat down gently and maintain traction and prevents rear from snapping back and unloading)

• soften front ARB (lets the front wheels move more independently under load, improving front-end compliance under trail braking)

• moderately soften rear ARB (increases stability and grip during turn in. Too stiff can cause rear to become unstable under trail braking or hard deceleration)

• increase front negative camber (increases the front tires' ability to maintain grip under braking and during turn-in)

• increase rear negative camber (to increase grip under load / deceleration)