Valkeerie

I have a standard UK 2001 bugeye WRX. I am puzzled by the handling. When cornering (and not that hard) I am sure I can feel the back end moving out. In the wet I have lost the back a few times in an alarming way at mediocre speeds.

I was travelling through the damp and twisties in Wales recently, pursued by Farmer Jim in an antique Volvo (the definitive barge-on-wheels), and I felt the WRX was a liability in corners - the back was ready to let go in a serious way.

What am I doing wrong? I thought this car ate corners? I used to throw my old 1991 Passat into corners with a lot more gusto, the tyres would howl, but I never felt I was about to go sideways in a hurry.

MattW

How long have you had the car?
What tyres are on the back? (Make, model and size)
Are they the same on both axles and both sides?
What is the wear like?
What size wheels?
Has the car been in any sort of accident?
Any modifications to suspension?

mgg

Some people recomend upgrading the suspension. Other to that it might be worth checking your tyre pressures, to low and you get ****e handling and if they are too hard you will get ****e handling.

IN THE STICKS

Just to repeat some of the above , have you got the same make/tread pattern on the front and rear , if not this can upset the roadholding on 4wd

davegtt

must admit Ive only had my car for about 5weeks now and to begin with the scoob felt really good on the corners (dissapointed with straight line performance) but the tyres on the rear needed replacing, this was highlighted on a roundabout where the back end over took me whilst I went around the roundabout gently, Ive since had 2 new tyres on the rear fitted (avons) and I dont feel comfortable in the car anymore on corner I can feel it slipping/bouncing around the corners and Ive lost alot of the enthusiasm I had for it before, doesnt feel like the same car. really disapointed in it, cant wait to get my renault back on the road

DJ140

Most people on here will recommend Goodyear F1's or Toyo Proxy tyres, for the Impreza. A bit late for you, but take note for next time.

It sounds like there is some sort of problem with the car, not just pressures or type of tyre. If it were mine I'd take it to a company that specialises in trracking and alignment and get it set up properly and checked over mechanically - Suspension, bushes etc.

Hope you get it sorted as during 5 years of ownership I've only had one moment, when really pushing my 00MY, on a dry country lane. Other than that, even in very wet conditions, never had a problem during spirited driving, except for a bit of understeer on tight corners and roundabouts!

Get it sorted and enjoy.

Dan

AvalancheS8

Goodyear F1s all round and a geometry check will fix it. Cheap tyres are a huge false economy.

Carl2

Put the Avons on the front and see if your problem changes to understeer. I've seen some Avon tyres slated as very very poor.

KennyMck

your not snapping the throttle shut mid corner are you?or running 62Psi in the rears?

Valkeerie

Had the car since Xmas. Rear tyres are 17" Courier Monza 215/45, wear medium. Rims are subaru 17". No accidents, no mods. All pretty much vanilla.

davegtt

dont think the tyres were cheap mate.. was hesitant to buying them cause they was bl00dy expensive

davegtt

anyways thoght AVONS was spposed to be good.

either way still think it was too dodgy good tyre or bad tyres.

what PSI should I be running then?

KennyMck

Avons are shyte ,ZZ1`s possibly the worst tyre i`ve ever come across, look pretty though which is good because the car will normally be on its roof.

IN THE STICKS

Yeah but have you got the same on the fronts ? if not this could be your answer

Valkeerie

Avons on the front ;-)

But I don't see why that would cause the back to let go?? Or why my antique Passat on much crappier tyres was capable of sticking to the road.

IN THE STICKS

Try a search on here as I know I've read about it before , but due to the scoobie being 4wd you shouldn't mix tyres .

greasemonkey

It's impossible for any of us to say for sure what this is, without actually getting in the car and either driving it ourselves . It could be:

1) Rear tyres being different brand from front ones
2) Rear tyres being different size (i.e, width/aspect ratio) from front ones
3) Front tyres being old and well worn while rears are new (or vice versa)
4) The "Courier" tyres you talk about being w*nk
5) The suspension geometry at one end, the other, or both being incorrect
6) The tyre pressures at one end or the other being incorrect
7) Your driving - as others have said, backing out of the throttle mid-corner.
8) There is nothing "wrong" and you are actually finding the limits of the chassis.

Your antique Passat was front wheel drive and undoubtedly had a lot less power than your Subaru, so chances are you wouldn't be going anywhere near as quick round the same corner in that as you are trying to now.

Suggest you work through the list above, eliminating each possible explanation. Whichever is left will be the reason(s).

minor_threat

Definitely pay attention to this comment! How are you driving around corners, are you backing off on the throttle mid corner or braking mid corner? ? It seems like a silly question and I'm not implying you can't drive, but the handling and response of an AWD Impreza is very different to that of a front wheel drive Passat.

Valkeerie

I'm not aware of doing either of these things ... but yes, that was the point of the original post i.e. how does WRX AWD handling differ due to different power delivery/traction/weight etc.

In FWD cars I am used to powering around corners. In the WRX I've been applying gentle power around corners, trying to get the feel of it. I've been doing the same stretch of twisty Cotswold country road daily for 15 years, so I have a reasonable idea of how hard I can push different cars around its bends.

The consensus of opinion at the moment is that I should consider the tyres, check the geometry, and go away until I've done that!

Graz

WTF are "Courier Monza" tyres. Never heard of them but I guessing its some cheap and nasty budget brand Are these tyres at least V rated? If not get shot of them, some insurance companies will invalidate your policy in the event of a claim if you don't use tyres of the proper speed rating.

Anyway that's where I would start, get some Goodyear F1s instead. As some have already said Avons can also be a bit hit and miss

AvalancheS8

Really just making a point about making any compromises at all on tyres with a performance car.
Yes, tyres are expensive, but to look at it another way, a full set of tyres is less money than 10 tanks of petrol, which won't last you very long, is that so bad ?
The difference between the best tyres and slightly more "budget" ones can be huge, far more than you'd think from the difference in price, even different quality tyres can have very different characteristics. When I got my Scoob it had Pirellis on it - generally considered to be a good brand. I had the rear end step out twice while accelerating off damp roundabouts before I changed them for F1s. The difference is HUGE, the car is completely planted now and needs a big deliberate turn in and lift off sharply then floor it to get the back end to let go, where before it would step out just on the throttle.

For all the Avon tyres were expensive, they unfortunately have a pretty poor reputation, and for a little more money F1s would be massively better.

There is far more to tyres than just a black rubber ring, given that there is nothing else actually physically holding the car onto the road does it not make sense to get the best tyres you can ?

Having flogged that one to death, on a slightly different tack, how many miles have you done on the Avons? Most tyres need a few hundred miles to wear off the release compound from the molding process, so they will be quite slippery until this happens as they are effectively greased.

Valkeerie

It is a Pirelli brand. I didn't fit the tyres, I inherited them (it was an ex-Suburu UK car before I bought it).

vindaloo

This sounds familiar. I'd swap the tyres fronts to backs and run the dubious ones on the front until you can upgrade. Otherwise it might be a case of bye-bye road, hello verge, hedge or wall

EVO magazine's tyre choices were....

1) Goodyear F1 GSD3
2) ContiSportContact
3) Toyo Proxes

Good things have been written about Uniroyal rainsports but they're probably not the ultimate dry weather tyre.

J.

pappasmurf

.....As the posts say above get a full set of Goodyear Eagle F1's, the difference will be massive.
My Subaru had a set of Avons on when i bourght it......absolutely horrific tyres. Back end all over the place. I put a set of F1's on and it was a new car...best 'mod' i've ever done.
The F1's give astonishing grip in wet and dry and you can apply the trottle into corners at crazy speeds while 3 Litre BMW Z4's just look on and cry in your rear view mirror....very satisfying.

smurfy.