RE: Alfas in the magazines

["Glenn Wasserman" <glennwa@domain.elided>]

As fas as how the car "feels", I can tell you, both my GTV-6 and Milano
- both of which were stock suspensions - felt like they sluggish in
terms of initial turn-in.

I wasn't as aware of my driving then as I am now (a couple of years of
occasional autocrossing can do wonders for your awareness of a car) -
but really, I remember being frustrated that either car felt like it was
understeering a LOT. My 164, on the other hand, turns in readily and
never complains - unless you're REALLY pushing it, in which case the fwd
character really comes out. The GTV-6/Milano were the opposite - felt
like understeering pigs until you really got them working, and then
things got better.

I wish I'd known then what I know now, that playing with tire pressures
and maybe fiddling with the shock settings (the Milano had Konis!!)
would have taken care of that. Oh well. Live and learn.

And by the way, my '93 Spider turns in REAL good....!

-----Original Message-----
From: Ben Bishop [mailto:la_strega_nera@domain.elided]
Sent: Tuesday, October 08, 2002 8:49 PM
To: alfa-digest@domain.elided
Subject: Re: Alfas in the magazines


Will, Having played with my '77GTV in various states of trim, from bog
standard to lowered, stiffened and extra ponies, and my Dad's '86 GTV6
GP, I
can conclusively say that an Early Alfetta GT/GTV on the same tires as a

GTV6 is much more flickable and will change direction alot faster.....
But
the GTV6 is much easier to induce power oversteer in, but has more
understeer on that initial flick in.... Personally, i love the way my
tweaked GTV responds now, but when it was still stock, the extra 120+kg
that
the late GTV6 carried over the early Alfetta GTV, combined with the fuel

tank mounted *Over* the rear axle in the GTV6 raising the rear CofG made
the
GTV6 feel bigger and more sluggish handler, more of GT than Veloce...but

saying that, i'm currently contemplating the stuffing of an Alfa 2.5l V6

into a '66 GT....now that would still handle better than a Capri V6....I

should hope anyway, cos everything I've read about the Capri V6 is that
its
an understeerer, but can be provoked into oversteer with throttle...

Ben Bishop

Will wrote:
>Hey, kids -

*snip*

What surprised me was the rather disparaging remarks about the handling,
both from the staff writer and one of the two owners interviewed. Under
"Alternatives," one of the choices was the '81-'87 Ford Capri, of which
the writer said, "Goes and sounds great, and friendlier handling than
the Alfa." I have to admit that my 116 driving experience is limited to
V6 Milanos, which I consider to be damn near flawless in the
chuck-it-about department (and I think a bit of lowering and tightening
would get rid of the "damn near"). Am I just a fool in love here, or are
the GTs less wieldy, or what?

Will Owen
Pasadena, CA





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