Honda CR-Z Stage 1 FRS geometry upgrade package
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 [email protected] for more information.
