Lost control of my SHO yesterday....

[jasonty]

Hey folks,
Well, I was out driving yesterday, and I took this corner at 105mph... (Don't worry, NO traffic on this street) Not a very sharp turn at all, it's a very gradual turn, and the recommended speed for the turn was posted as 55mph. But anyways, my SHO started losing its grip on the pavement or something like that, and then I suddenly found myself over compensating for the car, which actually made things a bit worse. It's like, the suspension was waayyy too soft to take a corner at that speed. Kinda like my right side dipped a bit when I took the corner, and the left side had no weight on it, so it just tried to slide into the other lane.... It was scary as all ****!!! What would cause something like this? Worn out struts? Sagging springs that are too soft? Sidewalls too tall? (I have cheap donut tires on my car) I know my springs are bad, not sure about the struts... but if I installed a set of Koni's, some IPT coilovers, and some lo-pro tires, does anybody think this will fix the problem? I know there are many many more factors that I need to consider with my suspension, but these just seem like the foundation... Any help is appreciated, thanks yall....

<small>[ May 09, 2003, 09:31 PM: Message edited by: jasonty ]</small>

 

[AutoSHO]

The tires are the root of the problem. think about when you slide in your socks on a wood floor versus when you wear shoes. The tires are your car's shoes, and they make a big difference. After that, all the things you mentioned, along with some good sway bars, will really help the car.

 

[snake396]

get on tirerack and order a good set of tires, and slow it down just a tad. the tires well help alot, the slowing down part is just for peace of mind. you may need new springs you may not. Sergio (god amongst sho fans, and a damned good mechanic and driver) uses stock springs with koni's and lightweight 16x7.5" wheels with 225/50/16 tires, and that thing can handle. and it wont cost an arm and a leg like those coilovers. *puts on running shoes* (sorry shawn)

 

[PAracer]

Be advised that if you try to order 225/50- 16 tires for your slicers, they will not sell them to you. It has to do with liability and other legal problems that can happen when your tread separated from the rest of the tire and causes your car to flip and explode. You can avoid the problem by telling them that the tires are for another car. 1996 BMW 328i worked for me

 

[Chris Kauffman]

Just order the tires on the internet, then you don't have to talk to anyone and you don't even have to tell them what the tires are for, anyways........... I think you should go the lowered route first (just my opinion, even though it is more expensive).

I can take turns like you mentioned above at well over 100, and the only reason I know this is because when I used to come home from work there was a nice big angled offramp and I would hit it everyday increasing the speed in small increments everyday, until I got it over 100, then I gave up and decicided it wasn't worth the wear and tear on the tires or the risk of crashing,

This is the way I look at it, ( I might not be right, but this is how I think about your situation ), if your car started sliding out from underneath you then tires would help you grip the surface more, but if your suspension is too soft and you go flying into a corner at 105mph all of the cars weight is going to go onto the front wheel and then on the outer wheels making the car tranfer all of it's weight to the outside and wanna tip over sort-of, so that's where the coil overs would help out with the lower center of gravity and stiffer spring rates, so you would feel like your on rails, it's an awesome feeling, but I will stop rambling about all of this,

I'm not trying to preech about any of this because I do not know everything, so if something I said above is wrong or off in any way, sorry, I hope this advice helps

AND DUDE, be safe driving your sho, I wouldn't want you to get hurt

good luck

 

[shojuan]

Chris Kauffman:
Just order the tires on the internet, then you don't have to talk to anyone and you don't even have to tell them what the tires are for

Actually when you order from tirerack over the internet they'll want to know your car and phone number. I got a call from one of their "consultants" when I ordered 225/60ZR-15 tires for my basketweaves. "Yes I know the stock tire size is 215/65-15. Yes I want the 225's anyways". Simple as that, the guy said that's fine and sent the order through.

I'll have to remember that about the load rating thing when I order some 215/50-17 tires for my SHO. I can tell them it's for a Lexus IS-300. Actually I remember a tirerack salesman telling me that 215/50-17 was one of their recommended tire sizes for my car. Guess the superior light weight of the '89 doesn't require as high a load rating hehehe.

 

[NotSoSlowSHO]

I have much more of a problem with my SHO actually leaving the ground and spinning the tires than sliding around corners shrug

The suspension in my '89 is still so tight that it likes to leave the ground on big humps and bumps when Im heavy on the throttle. oh_my

Maybe itd due to my sagging rear springs

Anyhow...
Im running Bridgestone Turanza's. ClickHERE They are considered a "gand touring all season" tire but I have been very impressed with adhesion to the road thumb

They are pricy though... @ $91 from tirerack

 

[Chris Kauffman]

shojuan:

Chris Kauffman:
Just order the tires on the internet, then you don't have to talk to anyone and you don't even have to tell them what the tires are for

Actually when you order from tirerack over the internet they'll want to know your car and phone number. I got a call from one of their "consultants" when I ordered 225/60ZR-15 tires for my basketweaves. "Yes I know the stock tire size is 215/65-15. Yes I want the 225's anyways". Simple as that, the guy said that's fine and sent the order through.

I'll have to remember that about the load rating thing when I order some 215/50-17 tires for my SHO. I can tell them it's for a Lexus IS-300. Actually I remember a tirerack salesman telling me that 215/50-17 was one of their recommended tire sizes for my car. Guess the superior light weight of the '89 doesn't require as high a load rating hehehe.

Sorry about that, I thought when I ordered the tires for my girlfriends focus they didn't ask me what they were for,

But heck, I can't remember what I ate for lunch two days ago either, LOL

 

[twr]

It doesn't matter how low the car is - ****** tires are ****** tires. Not to bright to be driving a 105 around a corner in a car that has bad springs, struts and tires. You're lucky you didn't **** yourself.

<small>[ May 12, 2003, 10:50 AM: Message edited by: twrsho ]</small>

 

[jasonty]

I didn't know the struts were bad until I checked them after the incident. The springs were sagging in the rear, but I didn't think anything of it. Needless to say, I won't be going that fast around a corner until I get this car ready for that kinda action. But thanks for your concern. wink Don't worry folks, I'll be careful about the corners from now on...

 

[centaurus3200]

good to see you learned your lesson.

i don't think i'd take a 55 mph turn at 105 mph on a public road. even with the mods and tires i have.

see ya,
Robby

 

[tnrussell50]

PAracer, where are you buying tires? Never heard of anybody not selling tires because of liability.

Around here, if you pay for them, they give the tires to you, no questions asked. (Discount Tire etc.)

 

[jasonty]

I remember a few years back I was buying tires for my SHO at Sears. I asked them for the cheapest tires for my car, and they looked it up on the computer and said they had a set for $200 but I couldn't buy them for the SHO because the SHO requires a higher speed rated tire. They said it was illegal and dangerous. But then the guy came out and looked at my car and noticed I already had cheap low speed rated tires on my car, and he sold me another cheap set. But I dunno why you wouldn't be able to get better tires for the SHO... That's pretty ******...

 

[autobahnsho]

jasonty:
I took this corner at 105mph... and the recommended speed for the turn was posted as 55mph.

I think you're missing an important point. Any corner that is marked with a specific speed limit means it's going to be sharper than the roads around it. You can usually bet that the corner would be perfectly safe 10-20 mph higher than what the sign says. (With a car in mechanincally sound condition.)

But 50mph over the marked sign?? That presents problems even in the Need 4 Speed games, not to mention real life... eek!
Will

 

[jasonty]

Well, my friends 00 Rustang took the corner with no problems at all, and his car is bone stock, so I figured I'd be alright, but I guess I overlooked the age factor, and the fact that the titanic handled better then my SHO. Hey, where are you in Germany? I'm in the Air Force and I just got back from Ramstein AB in Kaiserslautern in January... Good fun on that autobahn, eh?

 

[TimboSHO]

PAracer:
Be advised that if you try to order 225/50- 16 tires for your slicers, they will not sell them to you.

I just got that size for my slicers on my 89. They called and told me they couldn't be used in the snow, and to make sure i knew it wouldn't fit the stock rim (weaves). That is all. No questions on liability. Still got the full warranty.