What makes a car handle good

If it's a sports car, then you want to tune the suspension so that it delivers fast cornering, but this will come at the expense of soaking up bumps. And it's vice-versa for a car designed to deliver comfort over handling - although you don't want a car to be too soft, as it could make passengers feel queasy. The cars with perhaps the most work to do in terms of se-up are crossovers and SUVs. Car manufacturers don't start with a blank sheet when it comes to the mechanical parts of their cars - there's always a cost compromise to be factored in, too.

Small cars usually feature a basic suspension set-up that is cheap to manufacture, and this demands more compromises in terms of performance than the more sophisticated suspension seen in more expensive cars. On the whole, the steering systems in modern cars are largely the same, featuring a steering rack and a pinion gear connecting the wheels to the steering wheel.

However, again there are varying degrees of weight, speed and electronic assistance that are added to the rack to suit different requirements.

Modern cars will also come with a variety of other electronic aids to help them handle and steer better while improving safety. Electronic Stability Control ESC helps to keep a car on the road should the sensors detect the tyres losing grip, while cars with different drive settings can deliver comfort or sporty settings at the press of a button.

That's a basic overview of what makes a car handle well or poorly, but what about the ingredients themselves? Read on to find out more…. Whatever car you drive, its suspension will have been tuned and set up by the manufacturer to deliver a specific type of performance. Some cars get soft suspension so that they are comfortable to drive, but they will tend to roll in corners, while others get stiff suspension to deliver fast cornering speeds at the expense of comfort.

Either way, a car's suspension set-up is symmetrical, so the left side is the same as the right side, and a car handles exactly the same whether you're turning left or right. In basic terms, the suspension is made up of an arm or arms that hold an upright in place, and the car's brake and wheel is attached to this upright. Also included will be a spring that absorbs bumps, while a damper will work with the spring to smooth out the ride.

This is the basic arrangement, although variations between cars are broad, as manufacturers have to compromise on space, packaging, cost and the kind of ride performance they want from a car. While racing cars will have suspension that is set up to maximise performance, a road car will be given a conservative set-up to cope with general use and to deliver a safe and secure driving experience. This means the car will usually be set up with understeer dialled in, so that if the car loses traction, it will simply run wide and the situation will be easy to remedy.

Steering responsiveness combines steering weight and directness. Responsive steering will react immediately to your inputs, with the car obediently acknowledging any deliberate movement of the wheel. This can also improve how the car feels; responsive, feelsome steering will give you a real sense of confidence when driving the car on challenging road.

The brakes are arguably even more important than the steering when it comes to keeping a car in control. These days, with power-assisted braking systems, brake feel is a rather less distinct than it once was, but the two desirable characteristics of responsiveness and progressiveness remain all-important.

Responsiveness is where you want the car to respond immediately to the effort you put into the brake pedal; progressiveness refers to how you want the car to slow gradually with light brake pressure, or rapidly if you push the brakes really hard. The way a car's suspension is set up is determined by how heavy it is and how its designers expect it to be driven.

Soft springs will cushion bumps more effectively, but too much softness can cause a slow bouncing phenomenon that can lead to nausea and fatigue. A well designed suspension system will strike a good balance between the two. A car's suspension system is designed partly to give passengers a comfortable ride, but mostly to make sure that all four wheels stay in contact with the road when they need to. Physics dictates that a car often won't stay perfectly upright when cornering, and the angle of lean is usually greater in tall, softly-sprung cars.

If a car leans only slightly in a bend, the suspension is controlling the body well. The heavier or taller a car, the stiffer the springs need to be to reduce this leaning motion — and this may have an effect on ride comfort. This roadholding term describes just how well the car remains stuck to the road in corners. Imagine you're on a rollercoaster.

The forces you experience on a white-knuckle ride are an exaggerated version of those you experience when cornering quickly in your car. Your tyres and suspension work together to help the car 'grip' the road — the more 'grip' you have, the higher the cornering forces your car can withstand before you risk sliding off the road.

This describes the phenomenon of a car ploughing straight on when you're steering hard to the left or right, usually at higher speeds. It's a sign that the car has exceeded its capacity to grip the road. When understeer occurs, easing off the accelerator will usually lessen the effect and bring the car back on course.

The majority of modern cars will naturally understeer; it's a benign characteristic that can be avoided by correctly judging your cornering speed. However, applying the brakes or lifting off the accelerator abruptly while cornering heavily could cause understeer to turn into oversteer — as described next. Related News. Batu Tiga was once Malaysia's motor racing playground, what the heck happened?

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As mentioned before, the Turbo S has bhp and Nm of torque. However, this comes at the expense that it is the most expensive Turbo across the range and purist might find it a little too clinical for handling.

David ZW Plat Ong Choon Yen 0. Brand Model Year Variant Mileage. Add your car. Latest News. So put yourselves in our place for a moment. Would you take fun before fast? Related articles. Latest Drives.