Hi Folks,

Appreciate any help here. I'm driving an 03 blob eye, but struggling getting used to the dynamics.

In the fresh rain I was coming off the motor way, onto a roundabout and then going straight back onto the motorway (avoiding road works on the motorway) and almost lost the car on the corner exit.

More detail -

1. I entered the roundabout at about 35 tops just coming off the brakes. I recon about a 40 or so degree corner (http://maps.google.co.uk/?ie=UTF8&ll...11362&t=h&z=17 (coming in from the right, off at the round about and straight back on)

2. Throttle off since coming off the brakes from entry at around the apex I started turning in, and gracefully as ever the back end came out pointing me straight into the corner, after two overcorrections (swerving) on my part I was able to get it back on the road but it was a mess and I had very little to do with getting it back. Thankfully it was late and no one else was on the road.

So thinking about car...

- 03 plate as far as i can tell as all OE stuff to do with handling, and probably original with 80k miles
- tyres are not all the same mfn (or particularly good make) but correct spec and direction
- tyres have good tread depth, one rear tyre was replace when the car was sold to me a few months ago
- feels like a lot of body roll as I tend to feel "pulled" away from corners

About the driver

- Coming off an 06 mazda RX8 I am used to putting the power down at the apex but not until then, not used to accelerating into a corner which could have caused this but thoughts were I was going to slow for it to matter

- The RX8 had far less body roll and I currently felt more confident behind the wheel, never losing it once (intentionally)

- Aside of sight, it was almost impossible to feel any feedback on grip/no grip and made a mess of trying to correct. Never tried putting the power down to correct, I was too busy trying to figure out what was softer to hit

- Braking a bit too late would have lightened the back end on entry but again 35mph at best was my entry speed

- Its not a one off, as the first day I purchased it I almost ran off another corner (onto the road below) that I knew I was safe in the RX8 in and doing less speed into it. That corner was off camber but on wet road.

If you made it this far, any thoughts appreciated. I may try to drive a new one and see what that's like, to see if its me or the car.....

Thx.

 

Sounds like ****e tyres if it's a LOT worse in the wet. I'd check pressures and try and get 4 decent tyres on there and see if the balance pleases you more. See if you can have a go of another, or better still do a track day in yours and see if there's an instructor available to tell you if it 'feels' right.

 

Didn't think to check pressures. Still it's much worse in the wet. I do plan to change the tyres, maybe sooner than I expected. Something this wrong made me think there was more at play, but really yeah it could be a simple as that...Track day is a good idea, beats taking it to the dealer assuming the could do anything other than run down a list...ta!

 

Tyres are EVERYTHING. They are your only contact between car the road!

The difference can be night and day between budget tyres and say, Bridgestones.......talking of which I would recommend 4 Bridgestone RE 050's or something similar, and you'll notice a massive improvement. The beauty about an Impreza is wet weather driving is not much different to dry weather.

Greg

 

In the morning I will go take inventory of what atrocities they have put on the car. I've always went with reccomended spec, and I think just taken it for granted regardless of whatever car I've owned. This is probably the first time I said I'll just suck it and see given they have tread.... Bridgestones then the weapon of choice?

 

tyres mate, for sure, i have the same problem at the moment, have mix and match jobs with great tread but don't handle well in the wet, i'll be getting a full set of toyo proxes as soon as, but to reitterate, tyres are everything. ..

p.s, i got anti roll bars and car is lowered and i'm still sliding!

 

deffo tyres....cant understand why people have a high performance car and budget tyres.....

not saying yours are, but a decent tyre is a must in my eyes...

 

the OE Bridgestones are verra nice but do cost. I like Toyos - they are 90% the tyre of the Bridgestone at <50% of the cost.

9 times out of 10 if you get a massive unexpected loss of grip in the wet, it's the tyres.

 

Im getting avon tyres fitted tomorow, £130 a tyre! Be worth it though

 

Maybe just a diesel spill on the road and nothing to do with tyres at all.......

 

Yeah that did occur to me as well

 

I've got the exact same car as you and have owned it for 16 months now. It came with 4 Goodyear Eagle F1 GSD3's and when they wore out, I promptly replaced all four with the new model, Asymetrics.

My car handles like a go cart and I have never had it slip or slide on me and no, I don't drive like miss daisy. Like others have said, these cars are nothing without decent tyres.

 

I thought that as well too, which is why I mentioned it happened in another place which in the 2 months I've had the car is the only other time I came anywhere near pushing it in the wet...

 

For that money your better off with Michelin Pilot Sport 3's, they cost less than 130 quid each too

Tony

 

My version of this story is the other way round, I bought two cheapies for the winter and had far less grip in the wet than a pair of 2mm Yokohamas.

dunx

P.S. Whiteline adjustable rear ARB is the best value mod on my car !

 

Sounds like the driver to me.

Are you sure you didn't still have your foot on the brake when you turned in.

Tyres and a greasy wet road probably helped.

Anyway - you should have used the throttle - the beauty of four wheel drive would have helped you regain control of the car.

 

No they are crap some korean brand x, here's what is on the car -

2x tornados
1x isunny
1x looks like barum or barium

Most of them look like a list of things I did at a theme park out east. Can ignorance ever be bliss?

 

Completely willing to accept that - I came off the brake late, but I was not on it for any of the entry to the corner (entrance to apex), as I said I did feel i was going in with a lightened back end, that combo'd with tyres could do it...

 

Folks thanks for all the help. I'm going to price some options over lunch based on what was mentioned. thx all.

 

In my opinion only.

You need recalibrating from a fine handling RWD to AWD, a track day sounds like a good idea

A typical example, The Scoob will initially want to push all the cars weight on the front outside tyre and you could then boot it and it would go round the corner terribly with a load of tyre squeal. The Mazda probably felt a lot more balanced at this point as the front wheels are just there for steering, nice tight turn in egging you to boot it to step the back end out.

The Impreza benefits from a few less mph going in until the car is balanced and has full 'pressure' on all four tyres, then identify your exit, and boot it as hard as you like..
...the RX8 at this point would require you to be balancing the throttle with grip to get you in a straight line and then boot.

On wet/greasy/diesel soaked roundabouts, with a heavy right foot in and then a snap off the throttle will induce a fair amount of 'lift off oversteer'.
You can use this to your benefit.
...takes a but of practice and always a bit of ***** (roundabout at Eddie Stobarts near Workington was a fantastic place for this, could get a fair way round there sideways with little or no throttle)
DCCD drivers, ignore the above...

The Impreza not as rewarding but far more effective!

...apart from that, sounds like tyres

 

re using the throttle, that is me not have ever driven awd and thinking more instinctivly about what was softer to hit asI was within a few feet of the curb, roadworks and grassy bank etc...

 

Yes you have really crap tyres, change asap! (and dont mix n match as those are, all the same is better than 2+2!)

Tony

 

tyres is the best starting point as they are shocking

 

good tyres and a full 4wheel geo setup will make the world of difference id had sunny`s on the back of the track car scoob for a while for a laugh so swideways even in the dry.

toyo t-1R very good

Falken FK542 work well too and can be got at a very good price

bit dearer Verdistien they get a great write up

 

p.s check out camskill for prices very good

 

The Toyo's and Falken are good mid range tyres, they are NOT a patch on a good performance tyre, if your going to spend then buy something decent to start with

Tony

 

im just gonne pitch in here my 2p.

Surtees at brands hatch is a good one to practise what your discussing.

Trick for this was to keep neutral power on, not to accellerate but to keep the weight balanced as you turn in as previously mentioned.

And if you want practise at keeping the power on at entry, Paddock hill will teach you quickly (or youll die )

When i bought my scoob it had 2 budget tyres o the front. This induced catostriphic understeer. 2 GSD3's later and it was 1000% improvement. Cant imagine what they would have been like on the rear!

 

iv just brought toyo t1r s all round i thought they were good

 

combination of tyres and lift off oversteer as said a million times two things not to scrimp on tyres and brakes

 

Agreed that it naturally felt I (given my abilities) would not enter at the same speed with the impreza, but as soon as I felt planted just give it full and inbetween that was the balance. That balance on the RX-8 was easy to spot and correct. Perhaps better tyres will give better feedback? This is going into realms I have not yet considered but logically there should be a wider margin between grip ------- no grip