I was reading over my MAF kit instructions and i realized i can't put 91 octane which i have been doing. Now i put 94 octane today and the car spools up quicker. The K27#6 turbo, MAF and chips is really fast for me i think. i never driven any turbo car before this and the last car i had that was fast was a VW GTI VR6 with 174 stock horses.

I almost never can bring this guy up to speed with getting really scared. Also some of our highways here have deep curves that are dug in from heavy semi trucks and the car really wobbles though them even with the car lowered and stiff. i shouldn't say wobble, but it turns directions and i have to compensate really quicker as it starts to veer left to right. I had a bit of scare today.

 

ball joints? incorrect tire sizing?

that doesn't sound normal at all. My car is stable as a rock.

 

As i was writing this, i was thinking it might be my tires too. Up front i have Bridgestone Potenza S0-1 which have about 50% tread left. In the back i have brand new Sumitumo HTR Z. Maybe the difference in tire brands and treadwear is a big part of the problem? Do you guys regularly have this problem with deep grooves in highways from heavy trucks?

 

Ball joints were rebuilt and replaced last month. Sizes are

225/50/16 front
245/45/16 rear

 

you can certainlly be pulled around the road if the surface itself isn't smooth.

hows the surface your driving on?

 

parts of our hwys in toronto are not flat. almost a ripple because of the heavy trucks. Maybe my suspension is too stiff and i'm not getting enough damping? i should probably just avoid those parts of the highway i guess. The point is you just never know.

Canadian highways are really bad when compared to USA.

 

well that very well could be your problem then. My suspension is rather stiff as well and I can certainly be pulled around some if the surface is damaged.

if your accelerating while over a bad surface like that it could be really bad. Considering the rear of the car wants to step out anyways. It sounds like what you need it just seat time in the car.

Any tracks locally you can get to where you can take the car to the limit of adheasion and heyond in a safe enviorment.?

 

Yes there is many. Mosport, Shannonville to name a few. Before i track it i need to save some money because obviously tracking tripples your repairs i.e brakes, tires.. I just bought the car with a large part of my savings. I need to save some more. Next summer i will bring her to the the track.

These cars are scary fast though

 

My car does the exact thing when I drive on freeways. The grooves pull my car right and left. Its nothing serious or anything, just a very small gentle pull to either side.

4th gear 40-110 the other night was scary fast haha..

 

yeah that sounds exactly what i'm talking about. It's the only time i sense loss of control then it quickly comes back. This happens mostly when changing lanes.

 

Sounds like the car is lower than stock with a non-stock front strut. You are having a bump steer issue. The front steering linkage is not properly aligned to the spindle hight and ruts will send it in either direction. If you put a bump steer kit on it will be fixed. Or, you can change the hight of the steering rack with a spacer. Eithr one will do the trick. If you have fatter tires in the front it will REALLY pull hard in the ruts. No amount of learning to drive will fix this. It is a steering geometry problem. Tha't why aftermarket A-arms come with custom sized pin hights... see the Racers Edge products or call them...

 

BTW, if that happens on a "stock" car there is something wrong in the PS rack, tie rods, ball joints, adjustment of all of the above, or some other problem. A stock hight car in good working order should not have any noticeable bump steer; maybe just a smidge.

 

It's not that bad. When i hit a bump or quickly accelerate through a turn and dip into uneven road it sticks really nice. The front and rear struts are adjustable koni's. I have it on the stiffest setting. When i soften the front then the problem is much worse. But that's just because the rear's are set stiff. The height of the car is about an inch lower than stock on eibach springs.

I think what is happening is the car is low enough to follow through and sit through every change of the road. When it goes through these hwy "lane valleys" as i like to call them .. one tire is turning out and the other is turning in because the half of the car is on the edge or over as i change lanes.

When i had my honda del sol lowered 2.5" on wide tires i had a simliar situation but not as bad. Also on the Honda, the problem was much worse with Snow Tires on dry road and at higher speeds.

 

I noticed something similar to what you describe on certain parts of the highways I drive. After I put on new tires it stopped. I think it was a function of the tread wear on the old tires. Previously the problem did not exist.

I only noticed it in certain areas where there were "ruts" in the road, probably from trucks. It didn't occur elsewhere, so I feel it wasn't an alignment issue.

ymmv

 

Grow a pair.