Cordia GSR Turbo Handing Characteristics
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The Cordia Turbo is quite a competent
handler considering its low price and target market
of the time. Some would say that the Cordia Turbos handling
qualities exceeded that of its competitors in the early
to mid 1980s where the 'hot hatch' faze began. In standard
trim the Cordia Turbo came with sports MacPherson front
struts, a beam rear axle, high-rate coil springs and
hydraulic dampers front and rear. The Cordia Turbo also
received larger and heavier sway bars front and rear
than the naturally aspirated Cordia GSL.
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Braking is satisfactory with front vented
discs and rear drums although when pushed hard a few
times the braking feel will deteriorate dramatically.
However, the AC's larger discs greatly improved the
Cordia Turbos stopping abilities. The AA and AB Cordias
came factory with 13 inch alloy wheels with 185/60 series
tyres. The unleaded AC model received polished 14 inch
alloys. Even though the stocky rims are small they are
a real improvement over the steel wheels on the GSL
Cordia. With a set of good grippy road tyres and a good
suspension setup the Cordia Turbo could be an decent
handler. In stock trim, the handling and braking of
the Cordia Turbo is a little insufficient in comparison
to its performance.
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Although the Cordia is a front wheel
driven car, its handling can match that of a properly
set up rear wheel drive car with the correct suspension
setup. With the Cordia Turbos amount of power and light
weight, torque steer is very apparent when pushed hard.
This can be especially noticed when modifications are
done to increase performance. To reduce the negative
effects of torque steer the front and rear suspension
needs to be tied down well with a good set of lowered
sports springs and shocks. The car handles quite well
when lowered about 2 to 2.5 inches. Any more and complications
come into play that affect the general ride and long
levity of the car on normal roads.
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Images courtesy of
AutoSpeed
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Related Pages:
UK Autotest,
Cordia Specifications,
Interior Details
& Performance
Modifications.
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