Peugeot 306 GTi-6, Question Time.
Discussion
So I'm pretty dead set on getting a 306 GTi-6 as a sort of 'mega birthday present' to myself when I hit 19 come April.
I've been doing silly amounts of research into them for the last 2 months-ish and one thing in particular is kinda worrying me.
Everyone harps on about the mega handling (I have driven one very briefly on some narrow B roads) and a recurring theme is the lift off oversteer. While my car will just about lift off oversteer on the right sorta corner, I don't like the idea of a car that doe sit a whole lot, if I don't want to, being a relatively speaking, inexperienced driver.
Do I just need to man up about it and not be such a heffalump with the throttle in corners?
Any help or input would be much obliged.
Thanks,
Tom.
I've been doing silly amounts of research into them for the last 2 months-ish and one thing in particular is kinda worrying me.
Everyone harps on about the mega handling (I have driven one very briefly on some narrow B roads) and a recurring theme is the lift off oversteer. While my car will just about lift off oversteer on the right sorta corner, I don't like the idea of a car that doe sit a whole lot, if I don't want to, being a relatively speaking, inexperienced driver.
Do I just need to man up about it and not be such a heffalump with the throttle in corners?
Any help or input would be much obliged.
Thanks,
Tom.
First things first, tyres!
Make sure you have 4 matching ones with the same tread. If its prone to lift off overseer and you have a pair of ditch finders on the back you'll be crossing your arms more than a toddler on supernanny.
Secondly the key to driving a fwd fast is smooth inputs. Don't thrash up to a corner slam on the anchors and turn in, the back will go out and probably put you in the nearest tree.
Drive smoothly and don't ever lift off the throttle suddenly, approach corner and brake, some trailing throttle then punch out the exit whilst unwinding the lock.
I've had a fair play with lift off oversteer in my car and I can tell you that smoothness is the best way to make sure it doesn't catch you out.
Make sure you have 4 matching ones with the same tread. If its prone to lift off overseer and you have a pair of ditch finders on the back you'll be crossing your arms more than a toddler on supernanny.
Secondly the key to driving a fwd fast is smooth inputs. Don't thrash up to a corner slam on the anchors and turn in, the back will go out and probably put you in the nearest tree.
Drive smoothly and don't ever lift off the throttle suddenly, approach corner and brake, some trailing throttle then punch out the exit whilst unwinding the lock.
I've had a fair play with lift off oversteer in my car and I can tell you that smoothness is the best way to make sure it doesn't catch you out.
tomcrowther said:
Sounds about righ then. it's just the reputation they've got for it is scaring me slightly. I'm going to make a forum on 306gti6.com about it (when i figure out how to do it) just to see if I can get a good few opinions
Just be careful and build up your confidence, you'll get to a stage where you'll be confident to lift off in a corner and not die in a fireball.Ok, decent tyres are important, but for the old pugs and citroens that had an "active steer" rear axle (i.e. gti-6 etc) then the condition of the bushes that attach that axle to the body shell are CRITICAL!
By now, i'd suggest that most of these cars will have shagged bushes, and that makes then infinitely more likely to suddenly oversteer unexpectedly. It's relatively easy to change these bushes, and combined with a nice new set of dampers will ensure your car handles like it was intended!
By now, i'd suggest that most of these cars will have shagged bushes, and that makes then infinitely more likely to suddenly oversteer unexpectedly. It's relatively easy to change these bushes, and combined with a nice new set of dampers will ensure your car handles like it was intended!
k' moments 
now to make a serious attempt at saving up for one...Max_Torque said:
Ok, decent tyres are important, but for the old pugs and citroens that had an "active steer" rear axle (i.e. gti-6 etc) then the condition of the bushes that attach that axle to the body shell are CRITICAL!
By now, i'd suggest that most of these cars will have shagged bushes, and that makes then infinitely more likely to suddenly oversteer unexpectedly. It's relatively easy to change these bushes, and combined with a nice new set of dampers will ensure your car handles like it was intended!
Nailed it - the rear beam bushes are the key, you can feel the rear beam start to move around in the corners, and you can definitely tell when they're shagged.By now, i'd suggest that most of these cars will have shagged bushes, and that makes then infinitely more likely to suddenly oversteer unexpectedly. It's relatively easy to change these bushes, and combined with a nice new set of dampers will ensure your car handles like it was intended!
tomcrowther said:
Do I just need to man up about it and not be such a heffalump with the throttle in corners?
It's not so much what you do with the throttle as it is your corner entry. If they go in too hot, the inexperienced driver will tend to lift off the throttle or brake, both things which will cause LOOS. If you haven't gone into the corner too fast you should be okay, because then you can just balance the throttle and open it once the corner is opening up. So primarily, go in slow and go out fast and you shouldn't have any frights that will take you off the throttle in a hurry!Not quite the same as I had heavy diesels up front, but both my ZX and 306 had the same suspension as the GTI6. Only ever worried myself with LOOS once in 150k miles and that was when I wasn't paying enough attention, went in to a corner too fast and lifted off part way round. The back stepped out a bit but it was surprisingly controllable
I've driven a few miles in our 306 Rallye and never suffered lift-off oversteer. Best way to avoid it is to drive within the distance you can see is clear ahead. Of course some like to delibrately provoke it but I'm not really that way inclined, as desperately boring as that makes me.
The GTI-6 / Rallye is a phenomenal ground coverer. I reckon I cross roads I'm unfamiliar with at significantly greater pace in the Rallye than in my Exige. In the four years we've had ours just about everything has broken but we'll never sell the old thing - just incredible, fun, cars. Enjoy!
The GTI-6 / Rallye is a phenomenal ground coverer. I reckon I cross roads I'm unfamiliar with at significantly greater pace in the Rallye than in my Exige. In the four years we've had ours just about everything has broken but we'll never sell the old thing - just incredible, fun, cars. Enjoy!
)See, I only every panic brake if someone else is coming round a corner on the wrong side of the rode and it's a bit narrow, which typically is when it'd be worst to do it 
i had a hoon last night just to see how I actually drive when i think about it, and i generally roll around the apex of a corner then plant it afterwards, doing all my braking in a straight line beforehand.
i had a hoon last night just to see how I actually drive when i think about it, and i generally roll around the apex of a corner then plant it afterwards, doing all my braking in a straight line beforehand.Krikkit said:
Max_Torque said:
Ok, decent tyres are important, but for the old pugs and citroens that had an "active steer" rear axle (i.e. gti-6 etc) then the condition of the bushes that attach that axle to the body shell are CRITICAL!
By now, i'd suggest that most of these cars will have shagged bushes, and that makes then infinitely more likely to suddenly oversteer unexpectedly. It's relatively easy to change these bushes, and combined with a nice new set of dampers will ensure your car handles like it was intended!
Nailed it - the rear beam bushes are the key, you can feel the rear beam start to move around in the corners, and you can definitely tell when they're shagged.By now, i'd suggest that most of these cars will have shagged bushes, and that makes then infinitely more likely to suddenly oversteer unexpectedly. It's relatively easy to change these bushes, and combined with a nice new set of dampers will ensure your car handles like it was intended!
I had a 1995 2.0 XSi a few years ago and me and my dad changed all four bushes in an afternoon. They giveaway for me was a metallic knocking sound from the rear when going around a fairly low speed bumpy corner. Changing the bushes improved the handling immensely. Any 306 still standing that hasn't had these changed will almost certainly need doing.
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