steering problems

[DEREK FLEMING]

Hi.
I've just refurbished my 88 k1b. Its had a full overall with all suspension replaced and ball joints etc to leave the car in A1 condition. I've put on all original equipment with a lot of it from the local dealer and two's r us. The car was then finished off yesterday with a new set of 15" alloys & Pirelli P2000 which really suits it.

Then came the test drive. What a downer. The steering is so light the car feels dangerous and not pleasent to drive. It's as if the trolloy jack is still under ther front wheels on the main road.

The car was a pleaseure to drive last summer when I bought it but now it may remain garaged. I've checked all the obvious items are tight and all sitting correctly but nothing looks out of place.

Anyone any ideas whats gone wrong. Derek :rant:

[Jiff Lemon]

Had your tracking checked?

Whats the offset on the 15's?

[MartG]

Get a full 4 wheel suspension alignment check done

[DEREK FLEMING]

Hi Jeff. Thanks for coming back to me. I've contacted the alloy wheel supplier for the offset and will let you know as soon as they have confirmed this. The car's booked in this Friday for an alinement & camber check after doing the suspension, to ensure all is correct. Would this make it so light? I'll let you know the offset once they come back to me. Regards Derek

[MartG]

If the alignment is off it can cause all sorts of scary handling traits, including overlight steering

[DEREK FLEMING]

If the alignment is off it can cause all sorts of scary handling traits, including overlight steering
Cheers and thanks for your knowledge. the cars booked in for this to be checked so hopefully i'll get to enjoy it this year. lol

[DEREK FLEMING]

Had your tracking checked?

Whats the offset on the 15's?

The wheels are mac extreme ET40 OFFSET.

Derek

[Jim-SR]

the front end on MR2's is fairly light to begin with. have you ever driven another mk1 prior to this one?

alignment could very well be the cause, id fully expect it to be miles off if youve had everything apart and replaced lots of items. so that might solve it. im not a big fan of Pirelli's though, they tend to use super-hard compounds on their road tyres which can make the front end lack any real bite, also you might want to experiment with tyre pressures as they can also be a problem for the front end feeling "loose". invest £20 in a decent tyre pressure gauge (ideally one with a bleed button too so you can let the pressure down with it) and then set your pressures at about 30psi. if it still feels light at the front drop the pressures 2psi (and repeat if necessary), if it doesnt feel too bad then try cornering hard, and if the tyres are folding under on tight corners you might want to go up a bit on pressure until the balance between grip and tyre stability feels right

[DEREK FLEMING]

tHANKS. I'm Going back to the garage tomorrow to discuss this also. I had previously bought conti continetials for the new rims but they had only 55 on the 15 " rim and they wouldn't clear the struts. Hence they had only got Pirelli's in 50 for the rim and they cleared, but I think I'll get them to order me the conti's again in the 50 profile. What would you recommend for decent grip. Maximising milage would not be a priority and grip is more important.

Regards Derek :idea:

[Jim-SR]

i quite like Goodyear Eagle F1's on the road at about 32psi all round (as they get lower on tread they become very light though at 32psi so mine are down at 28psi now that they are getting low (about 3mm tread left, il replace them very soon)

but tyres can be quite subjective. Eagle F1's have a fairly soft sidewall which can cause them to fold under on hard cornering which some people dont like too much.

Uniroyal Rainsports are meant to be pretty good, im wanting to try some Yokohama S-Drives, but they tend to be stiffer tyre and you either get on with them or you dont. Marangoni's are probably the most fun road tyre, theyre super soft compound and stick like glue. but they wear quite fast (too fast really lol, but theyre so worth it) and im not sure what they are like in the wet. Toyo's tend to be a fairly safe bet, i dont personally get on with them, but most people do. they can wear a bit fast as well, but you should still get 8k from them comfortably on an MR2 (MR2's are excessively hard on tyres unless you run really stiff springs)

i havent used Continentals properly (driven a couple of cars with them on, but not hard enough to make judgements) so if you have used them before and like them they might be worth a shot! as said, tyres are quite subjective, and most people have their preferred brands