I've mentioned before about the unpredictable handling of my STi7 in the wet. I've kind of got used to it and I accept that if I go round a roundabout casually at anything more than a sedate pace, the front understeers. The only way to stop this happening is to nail the throttle before turn-in to activate the front LSD - aggressive tactics for everyday driving I think.

Anyway a week ago, I decided to swap my front/rear tyres around so that all 4 tyres wear out at the same time. Both have about 5-7 mm of tread, but the rears were a bit better.

I experienced the result on the way home from work tonight. Roads were wet, series of smallish roundabouts and I was following an old Honda Prelude (and I mean about 10 years old). He was driving a little faster than average. What surprised me was that I struggled to keep up at the roundabouts. Choice was either slight understeer or significant oversteer.

This car is desperate for better tyres but should the handling be this bad. What does anyone else think of the wet handling?

D.

 

Yup its the tyres, time for some 18's and better tyres and its a decent excuse to tell the missus too

Tony

 

Mines handling is very perdictable...understeer...more power...neutral...oversteer...

I won't say the handling is bad or unpredictable, it's rather un-intuitive...

I think you should get it on a skidpan, to learn to drive it...Don't blame your own inexperience on the car...it has excellent handling, but very different to a WRX, or old shape...you have to learn to drive it.

 

What tyres are on the car ?

 

I'm assuming you're on standard tyres and wheels? I never drove my STi in the wet as about a week into ownership, I put the P-FF7's with Toyo Proxies on it.

In the wet it doesn't understeer unless I go into a corner/roundabout way to fast and I can go in faster than I could in my MY00UK. Mid bend and on the exit it wants to either do a 4 wheel drift sideways or the back starts to push out, but thats only if you let it and/or are in a low gear.

It certainly takes more skill to drive it than my MY00UK but that's why I like it. Involvement is the key to a great drivers car.

I suspect that your problem is mainly down to your tyres.

Matt

 

The tyres on the STI 7 have the same amount of rubber on the road as an 18" tyre so the levels of grip would not be any greater unless you're cornering at some silly speeds then the lower profile 18" would be only slightly better, than would look nicer though.

Arron.

 

Arron,

I wasn't implying that 18" tyres have more grip. What is more important is tyre compound and treat pattern. In the wet, the tread pattern can make a huge difference, and the compound similar.

Like I said, I've not driven the RE040's in the wet so I can't comment but the Toyo's in the wet are top (which was my main point )

Matt

 

This is also being discussed in this thread. As the other tread is more advanced, perhaps we should all post in that one instead.

Matt

[Edited by mutant_matt - 10/15/2002 8:36:21 AM]

 

I was told once to pump the rears to 38psi when i did a track day and they saw my MY02 WRX. Although it's not an sti, you might want to try it. It wasnt wet though.

 

On the track one of the reasons you increase the tyre pressures is to strengthen the sidewalls as on the track, the car will roll more and scrub more of the side of the tyre.

Increasing the pressure will help this but will reduce overall grip and increase the harshness of the ride. On the track this is not an issue but I would expect it would not be great on the road.

What works on the track is usually terrible on the road!!

Matt

 

Definatley check the tyre pressures.

My STI handles like an understeery thingy bitch with tyre pressures of below 32. I now run 34 front, and 34 rear, which for me transforms the car to how I like it(pointy and squirty).

Some people prefer 34 front, 32 rear so try that first.

 

Good info, but to confuse things a little bit more what about 19" wheels? I am running 32psi all round at the moment and if I went to say 34 - 35 would there be any benefit? Would tyre wear become an issue?

Sam

 

Sam

Do you want the wheels ?

Please reply !!

 

I seem to remember a couple of years ago one of the Formula One teams pitting a car in because it had lost a fraction of a psi in tyre pressure on one wheel! I guess they are a bit more sensitive to tyre pressure than road cars though

 

F1 cars are rather a special case, 50% of the suspension movement is in the sidewall. They fill these with inert gas to try and minimise presure change over temperature change. They usually work in 1/10th of a PSI and the presure used is much lower than you would use in a road tyre. They also have presure relief valves in the tyre valve, so they dont go higher than a set value. What seems to affect them most is the construction quality, being hand made they are all slightly diferent. You also have to condition them, which is why the driver may do one lap in warm up then come in and swap tyres, they have to go through a heat/load cycle.

Road tyres and F1 tyres are very diferent animals.

 

I find the p1/Sti V5 has more predicatble handling than the Sti V7. The V7 kicks you into line and this can be unnerving.

Take care out there.

 

Handling on the way home from work was even worse today - oversteer on minimal provocation. I thought something must be seriously wrong. I got out and checked the tyres. Near-side rear nearly flat with large screw in middle of tread.

Feel a bit stupid now.

D.

[Edited by DJB - 10/15/2002 10:00:27 PM]

 

It could happen to any of us

 

Nowt stupid about that. Glad you didn't find out by going off the road!

 

[Edited by gossythevaleter - 10/16/2002 2:57:37 AM]

 

Like Barnaby said glad it didnt make go of the road going round a

























corner


[Edited by gossythevaleter - 10/16/2002 3:09:57 AM]

 

and another bites the dust

 

Muppet!! Lurking for the corners and you couldn't even get that right

Matt