ooer why am I sideways??

[El Sid]

Hi new to the fun of ownership having bought a stock and very clean 96 1.9 Z3 from a cousin, I could not resist taking it out in the rain today. So on my way to work this morning I came out of a roundabout and suddenly and without warning the back end slewed round and I just managed to correct this as it fishtailed back and forth (no wheel spin) - very exciting! I thought I was headed over the central reservation and into the trees.

It's on newish tyres that are properly inflated and I was not driving hard (my focus or my wifes 1 series would have sailed around unfussed). The car has not been modified and I believe the rear suspension is original could this be the problem? It does seem to step out in corners if I hit a bump even in the dry.

I've bounced the back of the car up and down and it is clearly damped though it feels stiff is there a known issue with the rear ends??

Help!

El Sid

[Robert T]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

There is clearly something wrong, as in 11 years of ownership, my 1.9 has been very well behaved.

What tyres are currently running - make, model and size please.

I run Michelins on mine and they are absolutely fine in the rain. I do remember the first set of tyres got rather lairy once they got below 3mm of tread, but they were 6 years old. The second set got changed again at 3mm, but were not as old and were quite tame by comparison.

In my case I noticed more that the traction control was activating when it shouldn't have been, rather than been a handful in the wet. My other car is a handful in the wet, but it very easy to control, I think mainly because it is so light.

Cheers R.

[TitanTim]

Could be allsorts I guess, broken spring? mismatched tyres, damaged suspension, hitting a patch of oil. Like Robert says, it doesn't sound right. My 1.9 is usually very well hehaved and can push hard in tight bends, roundabouts without too much fuss on 8.5x18s shod with Falken 452s. Only time it gets unsettled and skittish is at the front on broken tarmac or crossing centrelines where it can tramline a little.

Tim.

[swamper]

i had mine backward on the snake pass in the wet....................its because your used to driving front wheeled drive cars..............you'll learn same as me

[El Sid]

Hi and thanks for the quick response. Bought the car on Monday and it nearly had me off roading by Friday!

It's not because I'm unused to rear wheel drive because I am. But the tyre question got me thinking. It has Federal Supersteel 225/55 x 16 S35's all round and I was just pleased to buy an old car with nearly new rubber.

However a quick search and I find that there are numerous reports of these tyres (I'd never heard of them) letting go in the wet - they'll have to go new or not. Oh and I wasn't going for it in fact once my Z had settled down a tiny toyota came scooting by the driver must have been nearly as spooked as me.

Thanks all.

I'll try better tyres and new bushes as a starting point.

El Sid

[stu]

You're an anagram of Slide aren't you, what did you expect?

Back ends are twitchy, specially in lift off, and Z3's are sensitive to tyres.

Oversteer's great!

[Mike123]

It's a clear warning that the tyres are inadequate. It's really good that it's happened, you are aware, and still here to discuss it.

Sliding the tail can be fun if you're trying, and in the right place, but potentially lethal if it catches you unawares.

Invest £330 ish in a set of Falken 452s and after 500 miles of being careful to wear off the initial coating, the handling wet and dry will be both safe and rewarding. This is the most effective and highest value mod you will make.

[DC]

Are the tyres new or do they just look new, very low mileage older tyres even with perfect tread go hard and loose an incredible amount of grip.
You can check the age from the figures on the side wall, can't remember how but google will find it.

[Robert T]

Can you double check your tyre size - I am almost certain mine are 222/50 R16. The correct size is printed on a sticker on the drivers side door pillar along with the tyre pressures.

The right tyres can make such a difference to the handling. My zed has always felt very composed in the wet - apart from when the first set of tyres neared the end of their life.

I am contemplating changing the tyres on the frog for the exact same wet handling problems you are having - in the dry I'd have a job to spin the wheels up in first - in the wet I can spin them up just under the accelerator alone in third! Funnily enough, it's actually running Falkens at the moment, but I don't know how old they are and they are probably designed for use on a shopping trolley rather than a rear wheel drive sports car - the 452s are highly rated on here and have a completely different compound and tread pattern.

Cheers R.

[Phil]

Interesting comments about wet handling with those tyres

http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Tyre/Feder ... -STEEL.htm

[Springer]

To tell the age of the tyre look at the "DOT" code on the sidewall.

Tyres made before year 2000 have a 3 figure number, the first 2 figures are the month of manufacture,the second the year in the 90's decade
i.e. 106 = Oct 1996.

Since year 2000 they have a 4 figure number, first 2 figures denote week of manufacture, second 2 the year.
i.e. 0508 = 5th week 2008.

Be warned DO NOT use tyres over 5 years old, they degrade with age and are likely to blow out.
People have been killed using old tyres, this warning was given out by the VSCC some time ago after a vintage car crashed. The tyres had lots of tread but were about 10/15 years old