Griff steering on uneven roads
Discussion
I've only just got back in the Griff after a long, long layoff and getting used to it again. When driving on uneven roads, especially if the camber on the left hand side is worse than towards the middle of the road or if it's bumpy, I get a lot of kickback through the steering, to the extend I have to slow right down to stop leaving the road or hitting an oncoming car. Is this normal or should I be looking at getting the geometry or something else looked at? It's a non-PAS one if that makes any difference, and standard wheels etc
TVR 15" wheels at the front, with Falken Ziex, 225/50R15, tyres about 5-6 years old
TVR 16" wheels at the back with Bridgestone S-02 245/45Z16, tyres 2 weeks old (that's what the MoT garage put on in their wisdom, I've already read on here that the sidewalls are too stiff for the Griff, but too late now).
Not sure about the dampers, I know they're aftermarket adjustable ones, but they've been on the car since I got it around 7 or 8 years ago, so probably getting on for around 10 years old. Not sure about the springs, again as long as I've had the car.
Also not sure about tyre pressures - the car was only MoT'ed 2 weeks ago, they fitted the rear tyres and would have hoped they inflated the tyre pressures appropriately - will check tomorrow.
And yes, I'm an adrenaline junkie, but the handling at the minute on anything but smooth roads, even in a straight line is terrifying, and worse when accelerating hard. The car also suffers from snap oversteer under acceleration, which I can rarely catch (have a local airfield to practice these antics on), so would like to make that a bit more progressive if possible
TVR 16" wheels at the back with Bridgestone S-02 245/45Z16, tyres 2 weeks old (that's what the MoT garage put on in their wisdom, I've already read on here that the sidewalls are too stiff for the Griff, but too late now).
Not sure about the dampers, I know they're aftermarket adjustable ones, but they've been on the car since I got it around 7 or 8 years ago, so probably getting on for around 10 years old. Not sure about the springs, again as long as I've had the car.
Also not sure about tyre pressures - the car was only MoT'ed 2 weeks ago, they fitted the rear tyres and would have hoped they inflated the tyre pressures appropriately - will check tomorrow.
And yes, I'm an adrenaline junkie, but the handling at the minute on anything but smooth roads, even in a straight line is terrifying, and worse when accelerating hard. The car also suffers from snap oversteer under acceleration, which I can rarely catch (have a local airfield to practice these antics on), so would like to make that a bit more progressive if possible
Just checked pressures - 30 in the fronts and 40 in the rears! Dropped these to 23/25, hopefully will get a chance later tonight to go out and see if there's any improvement in the handling. Am I right in thinking the suspension would have been working too hard with such high pressures and couldn't cope on the rough roads?
Actually quite amazed the garage just stuffed so much air into the tyres.
I'll likely drop the front tyre size down to 205 when I get the chance but keep 245 on the rears. I'm hoping this will give less front grip relative to the back and give me more feedback about how much grip I have and can temper the throttle accordingly?
Actually quite amazed the garage just stuffed so much air into the tyres.
I'll likely drop the front tyre size down to 205 when I get the chance but keep 245 on the rears. I'm hoping this will give less front grip relative to the back and give me more feedback about how much grip I have and can temper the throttle accordingly?
stevesprint said:
40 psi, you must have been bouncing down the road like a football. Glad to hear you've identified the problem.
Good Luck
Steve
Yes I was - when I drove home having picked the car up from the garage, I remember accelerating hard in 3rd on a straight, hit a few bumps and was all over the place, fighting the steering to stay out of the ditch and oncoming traffic. I struggled to keep up with 1.0 Micras on the twisty stuff it was so bad. The car felt very crashy in ride too, but tonight with the lower pressures it was a different car, so much better, much more confidence inspiring. Very happy now, thanks all.Good Luck
Steve
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