Tyre squeal on takeoff

[jrathgen]

Hi GTi owners - I have a question that can hopefully be answered here in the Polo thread as I see some active discussion on tyres etc. I have a Fabia RS and each time I give it more than 1/2 throttle at the lights, I get an embarrassing squeal from the tyres.

Now I know the obvious answer is dont give it more than 1/2 throttle, or put a brick under the accelerator, but I want to enjoy the car.
I have switched from the factory hard Dunlops on the front to a softer Bridgestone RE002 which have only made a small difference. I run relatively standard tyre pressure, maybe +1-2 extra psi.

I'm thinking a change in suspension may help prevent the lift at the front, but not wanting to spend a fortune.
Any constructive ideas welcome
Cheers, John

[brad]

What is "relatively standard tyre pressure"?

Unfortunately you probably need to adjust the throttle technique a bit. I assume you have traction control still engaged?

RE002 are good, sporty tyres but you can get stickier. Maybe the next step is some decent dampers like Koni Sport (Yellows) or possibly an upgrade to the dogbone mount.

[bigaxe]

Feed the power on progressively, just don't jump on the throttle, takes a few goes to get the right amount throttle for no wheel spin then an early change for a nice chirpy into 2nd

[h100vw]

What is "relatively standard tyre pressure"?

Unfortunately you probably need to adjust the throttle technique a bit. I assume you have traction control still engaged?

RE002 are good, sporty tyres but you can get stickier. Maybe the next step is some decent dampers like Koni Sport (Yellows) or possibly an upgrade to the dogbone mount.

I have those tyres on my 9N with a lot more power than a Fabia, I can set off without wheels spin or with lots. Fitting the Superpro rear LCA bushes helped but by no means is it the fix, neither is the coilovers that just went on.

I don't think you can be binary in your throttle application. The ECU also looks at rate of change of throttle position I reckon. As with progressive application you can prevent a DSG downchange to a certain extent. Where a stab, will always cause one.

I don't see pressure being the fix either.

I'll be doing softer tyres next time. As the Bridgestones have gone off, as they are nearly 2 years old. Coming up on 40K for the set but I can suffer replacing more often, for more grip.
Gavin

[jrathgen]

Thanks for the replies folks
Looks like I will just have to put up with the squeal if I want to keep my nose in front.
Std pressure is 36 at the front, I add 1-2 psi for a little better cornering.
Would love to do a quarter mile where noise isn't an issue for a good launch - know of any coming up (or Dyno days?)
Cheers, John

[brad]

Drop back to 36 or even 34. You'll get more ultimate grip with the lower pressure but turn-in won't be as crisp.

[jrathgen]

Thanks for the feedback Brad, yes I figured that but at the end of the day cornering is more important on the daily drive than the rare traffic light blat. Wouldn't it be fun to have an in-car pressure adjuster!
Cheers, John

[wai]

The thing is that if you are causing the drive wheels to slip, you are not getting the best acceleration as the coefficient of static friction (when the wheel does not slip) is much greater than the coefficient of sliding friction (when the wheel slips).

As with everything, you need to adjust how you squeeze the accelerator.

[brad]

Thanks for the feedback Brad, yes I figured that but at the end of the day cornering is more important on the daily drive than the rare traffic light blat. Wouldn't it be fun to have an in-car pressure adjuster!
Cheers, John

You'll corner faster, maintain grip longer & have a higher corner speed with the lower pressures but will have to adjust your driving style and be a lot smoother - similar to what people are saying about calibrating the right foot properly.

You'll look slower but ultimately smooth & slow looking is dangerously fast.

[jrathgen]

If I read both your last 2 comments right Brad, a lower than factory tyre pressure is best for cornering and grip off the line (the last bit I understand from drag racing observations), as long as the throttle is correctly used.

[brad]

Yep. You still have to be a bit sympathetic & get rolling. There's no silver bullet

[jrathgen]

Those 4WD Golf R boys must be laughing their tits off....
Thanks for chatting Brad.

[brad]

We've had 3 AWD vehicles and I can confirm that you need no brains or mechanical sympathy to launch without tyre squeal in any of them

[jrathgen]

Same mate, used to do a bit of track stuff in NZ in a few manual 4WD Jap imports, but never had a reasonably powered FWD and DSG to contend with, driving these quick is an art (and certainly not in D).