Traction Please!!

[foxtrot]

Had my car for just on a month now..

AU 1 XR6 5 speed.

Anyone else have the problem that in the wet it just wants to slide all over the freekin road!!

I wasn't getting up it.. the engine was cold.. im on my way to work this morning, 1st, 2nd, 3rd gear, sideways up the road trying to correct the car and stay in my damn lane!

Anyone else have this problem I WAS NOT even getting up the car! the tyres maybe cheap (dealer fitted) but they have plenty of tread!

Anyone else got some scary storys and close calls.. geese scary in the wet!!!

[foxtrot]

Once again I will add i was not being an idiot the *** just wants to break loose once the revs go over about 2200 lol .. and i have to slip the clutch like all hell just to keep traction off the mark

[Casper]

Your tyres must be shockers. Even with my setup I dont have anywhere near that sort of problem.

[Pinkbits]

Prior to today, when was the last time it rained? If it has been a while, oil and other rubbish on the road surface will be a factor.

[justa6]

when mine was standard it had the original tires (bloody expensive) and it got good drive in the wet, and that's a ute. so yeah it's not the car it's the tire's

[sfr rob]

my old AU is fine to drive in the wet, there isnt enough power to mess up in it, plus it has 18's on it which have good treat that helps. :P

If your saying that you are all over the place... maybe you need to take the car back to the dealer and get better tyres put on the rims, or get them to turn them around.. maybe they are directional tyres.
IT sounds pretty dangerous to you and others on the road.
In my ba fairmont ghia V8 it is near on impossible to drive in the wet with 17's, now with 20's it is still hairy, but you can manage it with traction control on, but i dont think that is an option on the AU's.

[foxtrot]

Originally Posted by REDXR8BLOKE

Prior to today, when was the last time it rained? If it has been a while, oil and other rubbish on the road surface will be a factor.

Yeah it was really really wet when i bought the car i remember accidently breaking the rear loose at the lights so i started slipping the clutch a hell of a lot in the test drive but none of this sideways crazy stuff like this morning.. it has been a while since a good rain i suppose. Maybe the tires are really dodgy cheap? I'll check the brand out later.

[TheSneakiness]

It's been a while since we got any rain here, it's more than likely oil and grime on the road. I was extra careful this morning on my way into work, cause my rear tyres aren't exactly in the best condition.

[nat_daly]

the tires could be put on the wrong way and may be running against the specified rotational direction. That would cause you to have amazing problems in the wet..
my tyres are knackered, and they arent that bad...

[foxtrot]

Tyres are rotational but rotating the right way, might help when I get my 18's rather than the stock 16's

[JeffAU1]

Originally Posted by foxtrot

Tyres are rotational but rotating the right way, might help when I get my 18's rather than the stock 16's

the difference will be huge.

I went from 15's which spun alot on the dry, and HEAPS in the wet

But now ive got my 17"'s which are a bit wider plus a better tyre, the difference is amazing.

[hilly1981]

My AU with 17's and budget tyres with about 60% tread break traction if I gun it in the wet doing anything up to 60km/hr. Good thing is the car doesnt fish tail or anything on the straights. No way I would ever gun it in a car in the wet on a corner.

I think it is just because it is not a high quality type of tyre. In the dry however they are quite good and grip the road on the corners very well.

[LG]

I'd say, the 16s, plus the skinny tyres, plus the manual isn't a good combination. The 18s will definately help you out.

LG

[The Monty]

Foxtrot, are you coming on the queensland cruise this weekend? If not you should. And I think its just the tyres, cross with a bit of oil on the road as it hasnt rained in a while.

[EvilChief]

Tyre size, width, tread pattern and compound are the key to traction.

You will have to evaluate what you expect from you tyres; comfort, traction (wet & dry), long live, racing or daily driving, load ratings (heavy or light loads) and budget. Once you know these aspects it is best to contact your local tyre dealer and tell them exactly what you need.

I used Azenis ST115 R17 225 for daily driving, lots of traction in the dry, ****ouse in the wet, good handling, 25thou km to the tyre, suitable for racing, light loads. A little bit more expensive than normal tyres.

Also used Gt Radials R16 225 for daily driving, great traction in both wet and dry, good handling, sliced the tyres up after lockup after only 5thou kms, well priced.

Azenis RT215 R17 295 for racing only, traction in dry wicked, wet never tested, excellent handling, ****house tyre wear, expensive, suits racing.

Toyo Campino (sp) R17 255 for street, great all rounder, good traction in dry and less in the wet, tread pattern of a ST115 with a softer compound but same milage, slightly cheaoer than ST115s, can be used for racing.

Had some Chinese R18 235 for a while, even with bigger rolling diameter it had less traction wet, dry, ****house handling, all around crap

[LowEL2XR8]

The compound of the tyre is probably a bit too hard as well.
I have a similar problem in my EF XR6. Plenty of tread left but the tyres are so old the rubber has hardened a bit and in the wet I have to take corners very slow. Not so much a problem in a straight line though.

[foxtrot]

There's a cruise? sweeet, fill me in on all the details or link me up to the info. My mates AU Forte 5 speed with nice 20's just ran out of rego or he could come too ahh PLUS i could have my BA XR 18's on by now had i not gone stupid on the pokies last week. :|

[foxtrot]

Im just hoping the 18's i purchased (I'll get them soon, the BA XR ones) help. They come with Firestone tyres which are probably also cheap... being 18's though im guessing will improve over 16's anyway.

[xr8ute]

Originally Posted by foxtrot

Tyres are rotational but rotating the right way, might help when I get my 18's rather than the stock 16's

The rim diametre really has no affect on the quality of the tyre.

Foxtrot, check the brand of tyre you have got. Sounds like they are cheap rubbish....possibly Falken ZE-326?

[foxtrot]

Srixon4's on the back and Sava Intensa's on the front

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....eModel=SRIXON4

[foxtrot]

In all honesty it felt like I was on skateboard that was speed wobbling for a while this morning

[The Monty]

http://www.fordforums.com.au/showthread.php?t=59986

[Mechan1k]

Put the Sava's on the back at least for now .... they are OK-ish ... but Srixon ... never heard of them ... so in other words ... absolute rubbish indeed.

Still Sava Intensa's in 17" fitment still wasn't the best in the wet. But i still had traction of some sort though.

[Abacus]

His problem doesn't sound like tyres. Sounds more like there's something bent or out of alignment.

Foxtrot, you've only had the car a month - are you sure it hasn't been pranged? I'd be taking it to a steering & suspension place and get them to make sure everything lines up.

[Mechan1k]

could be that ... but when running a set of "no name" tyres on the rear of a RWD vehicle with decent power ... especially in slippery conditions is going to cause traction issues ... LOL

I used to be able to an a stock 5-sp XF well out of shape in the wet with "no-name" rubber ... and without trying either.

[foxtrot]

Originally Posted by Abacus

His problem doesn't sound like tyres. Sounds more like there's something bent or out of alignment.

Foxtrot, you've only had the car a month - are you sure it hasn't been pranged? I'd be taking it to a steering & suspension place and get them to make sure everything lines up.

If you take your hands off the wheel it goes in a perfect straight line... i had lots of warranty repairs done after i got the car from the dealer (bulbs, new front brake pads, filler bottle, 2 new front wheel bearings)

I really do think it was just the combo of fairly decent power from a manual box on skinny 16's. I'll just have to drive like a granny next time its that wet although it really isnt that safe.. i have to shift gears and let the engine lug on small rises so im using torque to move rather than power or the rear breaks loose that easily.

[Dazza XLT]

Originally Posted by Mechan1k

Put the Sava's on the back at least for now .... they are OK-ish ... but Srixon ... never heard of them ... so in other words ... absolute rubbish indeed.

Still Sava Intensa's in 17" fitment still wasn't the best in the wet. But i still had traction of some sort though.

Srixon... Golf ball manufacturer?

[Abacus]

Rotate the tyres like Mechan1k says. If that doesn't fix it, you will have to look at your geometry.

Before you spend $$$$ on 18s, you will want to make sure everything is straight anyway, otherwise you'll be buying your **second** set of 18s a lot sooner than you would expect.

My car's IRS, but I drove for 3 years on 215x16s without this drama. And that's with a V8.

My last car was a 6cly EL, basically the same chassis as what you've got. It was a bit tail happy in the wet on 225x15 GIIIs, but only when I was playing silly buggers.

My gut feel is you have a problem that goes beyond tyres.

[Mr Hardware]

In the Taxis the AU1's with 205/65/15s used to skate all over the place.

100kg's worth of full gas tank in the boot don't help with cornering either.

the AU2's with 215/60/16s make a big difference. They're still spinny, but if you got 225/60/16's with good bridgestone/goodyear/dunlop rubber, you wouldn't have much of a problem anymore i'd reckon.

[Abacus]

He's already on 16s.