losing the rear end...

[joey]

in the last week or two my little Z has stepped out on me a couple of times...without provocation...

I managed to recover it both times without incident but it only go on so long before an unhappy ending!

worryingly there was absolutely no warning on either occasion and having had no issues with the tires before now, I wanted to ask you learned gents what other possible causes could there be for this happening?...

I have the 205/60/15 on the pepper pots, and the tires i'm running are prestivo sport (came new with the car),which I am aware are not a "name brand" but TBH I have found they normally give good feedback and are sticky enough, I have driven in all conditions including torrential rain on the A303 down to devon and back and all over dartmoor and until now no problems...can a set of tires just suddenly "go off"? the tread is good and wear appears to be even enough..I would say they have another 8-10k in them judging on current wear.

I will be changing the wheels in the very near future at which point I will go for pirelli,michelin,or one of the big names..but in the meantime as well as driving carefully where else should I be looking to improve this issue?

thanks in advance for your help on this one..

joe

 

[GazHyde]

Interesting that there is such a dramatic change in handling. Are your tyre pressure right?

The roads get much greasier this time of year and my traction control light takes much less provocation to come on.

 

[joey]

have checked pressures and they are as they should be,and I have noticed gaz that the traction control does not need much to blink at me right now,but further to this, is the rear just "letting go" without any warning at all, I must mention that it has been whilst turning right on both occasions and thankfully not at any real speed..not sure if this sheds any light?

maybe its just that my 15 yr old car needs various bushings refreshed? an I would imagine 15" wheels don't help much with handling either, it might just be that the current road conditions are highlighting some issues that were already there, I have only owned the car since may and although I have done 14k (yes 14k!) this is my first ever winter with a RWD car...maybe I have unrealistic expectations of it, although I have done plenty of winters on motorbikes so know how to adjust for weather.

 

[Boysie]

in the last week or two my little Z has stepped out on me a couple of times...without provocation

I am assuming this whilst accelerating on a slight bend
I have to push my ///M to lose the back, and I don't hang about

this is my first ever winter with a RWD

You either have problem with tyres as you suggested on ease your right foot off
Be very careful when the snow arrives

 

[zedonist]

If the problem has only just started and its not spirited driving or deisel on a roundabout, it sounds like something has changed with either the tyres or the suspension, as a minimum check the following:

Tyre pressures
Tyre condition on the inside edge (wear from speed bumps)
Shock absorber condition
broken rear spring (common problem)
Rear ARB drop link, can sometimes detach (common problem)

 

[z3cade]

Get a set of decent winter tyres on your pepper pots and use them through the winter months. eBay is a good way to find cheaper part worns. It's mostly due to the damp greasy road conditions we have at the moment. These conditions are worse than very wet roads. Tyres will be the main issue I would have thought.

 

[joey]

thanks for all the replies,

I will check the ARB drop links at the weekend as well as the springs,and maybe some winter tires are in order ,as I will be using the Z for work until at least the end of Jan when I purchase my "work runabout"....

it is really nice to have somewhere to go when you hit a snag with your Z, there would be mechanics all over surrey rubbing their hands together when they saw me coming if it wasn't for the info I have learnt on this forum...

 

[Aceman]

I would say tyres too, premium tyres use rubber which can cope with wider temperature variations so I suspect as the ambient temp now is regularly below 5 degrees the tyres you have fitted are not coping in the conditions.

 

[EnthuZiaZT]

Its quite possible the compound is too hard and that's what is causing you to loose grip. If the suspension components are ok, I would change tyre brands, perhaps go a little wider, 225s should fit.

Mike

 

[bonzo]

Turned the ASC off the other day and provoked a fishtail exiting a roundabout! the roads are greasier than usual.

 

[Boysie]

Turned the ASC off the other day and provoked a fishtail exiting a roundabout! the roads are greasier than usual.

What's ASC lol
I don't have that in the ///M
Would I want it Nah

 

[DutchScorpion]

this one crashed yesterday in holland

http://www.omroepbrabant.nl/?news/2...+lantaarnpaal,+weinig+over+van+dure+auto.aspx

 

[Boysie]

Shame
That's exactly the colour soft top I want and Hopefully have next
He hit a lamp post slippery conditions
I bet he was upset
S50 or S54 trying to determine by the wheel colour

Sent from Boysie via Tapatalk

 

[DutchScorpion]

He spinned and hit a lamppost

 

[Boysie]

Thank you
It took a bit of time to translate
Downloaded app lol
Did he have ASC that is the question ?

Sent from Boysie via Tapatalk

 

[DutchScorpion]

nothing told about ASC, so i dont know

 

[Boysie]

Once again he must have been totally gutted the car looked in pristine condition


Sent from Boysie via Tapatalk

 

[FRANKIE]

Springs and particularly shocks are meant to keep wheels in constant contact with the road. As shocks wear they become less and less efficient allowing you to break traction. Also, when there has bee dry road conditions for a while, the roadway accumulates a buildup of residue from gas and oil from cars. In the first few minutes when the road becomes wet. it becomes far more slippery than when it has been wet for a while since the residues haven't had a chance to 'wash' away. You can become acutely aware of this if you've ever tried to stop suddenly on a road near the entrance of a gas station just as it begins to rain.

 

[FRANKIE]

I forgot to add something extremely important. As shocks wear, they allow a car to 'sway'. This is very apparent around corners. In doing this, the car tire is no longer flat on the road surface but rides more on the edge of the tire allowing the tire to easily break traction especially around corners. It was your description of losing traction around corners that triggered me to remember this fact.

 

[Boysie]

if you've ever tried to stop suddenly on a road near the entrance of a gas station just as it begins to rain.

I used to have fun in my youth in my Austin Cooper screeching away from the forecourts of garage's because of their slippery surfaces,
I spilt some Diesel once, I stepped back and went flying, this and water on the road is a recipe for disaster, more so on a bike