imported_Gatsby

Today I mounted and balanced my new 175/70/13, Dunlope Gasphic (is that right? Gasphic?.... Damn I forgot) and set the pressure at 32 psi, all around. Took a drive and I was VERY disappointed! The steering wheel has become soooo light, it feels like a Cadillac! My alignment is all messed, with steering wheel almost a 30 degrees off, and car runs like a damn boat! It float all over the road! Then I kept reducing pressure, so maybe the tires start to grip, and give me some steering feed-back. I'm now at 29 front, 31 back and its almost the same sh*t!!!

I understand winter tires are softer and give less responsive handeling, but this is just unacceptable! So I was wondering if anybody else has encountered such problems, and if there is any solutions to it.

kwikb16a2

get an alignment done.....if the tires look fine (as in, no belt shiftage) than its your car, and dont knock the GRASPICS i got em myself and had no problems

j9chan

Winter tires are no performance tires... I get the same thing on my 185/65-14's... they float quite a bit, but it's actually not bad since my springs are too hard and the ride was too rough on my 205/45-16's...

imported_Gatsby

Hmm.... But how in hell did my alignment got ruined? Its ridicules!

punkindrublic

i've get the lighter steering with snow tires but thats cause they have no grip... the alignment though is odd, expessially on new tires

imported_MS MSP

the steering wheel is lighter because the winter tires are harder and narrower than your summers.
There is no way in hell the steering wheel should be off 30 degrees unless you mismounted one of your front wheels or that your alignment was already off, but your worn summer tires hid that fact.

imported_nsr250

Yah never heard of a car's alignment getting screwed with new tires put on. Especially the steering wheel off 30 degrees. Makes no sense. The only logical thing I can think of is when you got those tires installed they hosited ur car in the air and maybe they lifed it by the control arms or something and something broke?

imported_Gatsby

Well I did this on my own, at my school. I lifted the car using the hoist and the factory jack points, so I know nothing was best.

Anyway, today I checked again, and it turned out to be the driver side, lower control arm, inner bushing! There is probably 2 inches of play in and out! So that describes it! It also probably describes the shaking wheel, at high speed brakes with perfect and balanced tires.

So tomorrow I will buy the lower arm bushings, along with the front wish-bone bushings (they are sagging) for both sides and will install them when I go to school. I'm just happy I found the problem.

bbarbulo

iTrader: (2)

there ya go champ!! I'm surprised you didn't notice it before even with the summer combo

cibs

ya wouldn't you notice is more with a wider tire?

imported_Gatsby

Well I guess bushings werent as bad when I had my summers on. So thats why this wasnt a problem back then. But then I sold my summer combo about 4 months ago,and was on all-seasons until recently that I put winters on. The problems had been coming for a while. I sold my H&R and Tokico suspension, rode stock for a while, but then 11 year old struts gave-out. I replaced them with a brand new stock set. Then came the rear brakes, then new tranny fluid, then came new tires, and now these bushings. God knows how much this would have cost me, if I didnt do it myself....

So I changed the bushings today, (what a pain in the a*ss) and car became as good as new! However, I must say that Winter tires SUCK! They have no grip god damn it! I cant wait until next spring to swotch to summers again.

BTW, today I also drained the castrol 80w90 gear oil that I put in last week, and filled it with Honda MTF. What a difference! Ever since last week my 3rd and 5th would grinde, and 1st wouldnt go in, unless I was at absolute stop!

So now everything is good, and back to new car condition!

Except the damn snow tires of course... I hate them!

TheModFather

most snow tires get impressive dry grip due to their soft compounds. much better then most all season tires

imported_Gatsby

Thats what I expected too. But they suck! So much body roll. They do have softer compound, true. But they also have much softer side-walls (to gain better traction in snow) therefore they have very poor dry-road traction. :cry:

the professor

I dunno, but I have a set of Bridgestone Blizak WS50's and there great

imported_winner007

U put 80w90 on your tranny oil? Do u have a rear wheel drive car? If u drive a honda why do u need 80w90? U don't use that for the tranny oil. Don't the people check your front end play while they are doing your alignment. The people that did your alignment did a bad job on it. Now your alignment is not properly done. I would go back to the guy and redo your alignment and make sure it is in spec otherwise your sidewalls is going to wear out pretty fast.

imported_Gatsby

My sidewalls will wear-out pretty fast? Hows that gonna happen? lol!

Well the oil was a mistake, due to not knowing Honda is the only company, who doesnt use conventional gear oil in its trannies. 80w90 ism't only for RWD cars. Alot of FWD, and AWD cars use it too. Just not Honda.

And my bushing were fine just till a few days ago, that they finally gave out. However, everything is good now. Oh and i never paid no one for alignement. I'm a auto technician apprentice myself. I can do a-lot of things....