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Hey all,
I recently put on cont'l contact extremes size 205/55/15. At high speeds it was dangerous because I was very unaware of how it would react while turning. I lowered the front tire pressures and now the car handles with only a very slight oversteer.
I found a page that states if the rear suspension bushings were stiffened it would reduce the oversteer. That does NOT include the rear swaybar bushings, correct? I know that a larger swaybar would make it worste.
When the car from the factory had understeer I added a rear strut tower bar, and only bushings for the rear sway bar to lessen it. So just the addition of the tires put the car into oversteer.
So what is my next step to get it more neutral so I do not have to rely on tire pressure settings as much? or what did you do and was it the right choice?
Front sway bar
Front Sway bar bushings
Front strut tower bar
Thanks
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Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 3,867
Hard-core CEG'er
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Hard-core CEG'er
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What kind of Contique is it? What tire pressures are you running? Quote:
I found a page that states if the rear suspension bushings were stiffened it would reduce the oversteer.
Wrong. Stiffening the rear reduces understeer (to a point). On my 96 SE, with 205/60-15 all season radials, I replaced the rear bar bushings, including the endlink grommets, with ES poly bushings. Front bar and control arm bushings are probably uber-soft. Anyway, car feels pretty neutral right now, but I still want to replace bushings up front to tighten things up. I plan to replace the 20mm front bar with a 19mm from an SVT, which I hope will compensate for the stiffer, new bushings. Still debating on whether to use poly or OEM rubber bushings on the front bar.
Your choices are to loosen up the rear or tighten the front. I'd start with the cheapest solution, which would be to match the front bar bushings to your rears.
Function before fashion.
'96 Contour SE
"Toss the Contour into a corner, and it's as easy to catch as a softball thrown by a preschooler." -Edmunds, 1998
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Joined: May 2002
Posts: 21,653
I have no life
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I have no life
Joined: May 2002
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I can't believe just tires (especially all-seasons, same ones I have) gave you a dangerous amount of oversteer. Something doesn't sound rite.
98.5 SVT
91 Escort GT (almost sold)
96 ATX Zetec (i brake to watch you swerve)
FS: SVT rear sway bar
WTB: Very cheap beater
CEG Dragon Run - October 13-15
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Joined: May 2000
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Hard-core CEG'er
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Id go with perhaps the air pressure was too high or perhaps some left foot action was going on during the turn? Even when I had my ultra-high performance summer only tires on (same size) I never saw this kind of thing just happen. It only came around if I decided to give the Aussie Bar a little flex. 
· Jon Miconi
· Coming Soon!
· 01 Cougar
· 98 V70R
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Hard-core CEG\'er
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Hard-core CEG\'er
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the only time i have ever had oversteer in my csvt was when i had my pilots on the car and the oversteer was completely and utterly my own doing i.e. i induced it. other than that, no amount of normal goofing around has caused the slightest twitch.
00 black/tan svt, #2052 of 2150, born 2/1/00
formerly known as my csvt
"Nothing in the world is more dangerous than a sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity." -Martin Luther King, Jr.
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Joined: Nov 2000
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Originally posted by arseum:
Hey all,
I recently put on cont'l contact extremes size 205/55/15. At high speeds it was dangerous because I was very unaware of how it would react while turning. I lowered the front tire pressures and now the car handles with only a very slight oversteer.
I found a page that states if the rear suspension bushings were stiffened it would reduce the oversteer. That does NOT include the rear swaybar bushings, correct? I know that a larger swaybar would make it worste.
When the car from the factory had understeer I added a rear strut tower bar, and only bushings for the rear sway bar to lessen it. So just the addition of the tires put the car into oversteer.
So what is my next step to get it more neutral so I do not have to rely on tire pressure settings as much? or what did you do and was it the right choice?
Front sway bar
Front Sway bar bushings
Front strut tower bar
Thanks
Sounds like maybe someone bent your rear control arms while swapping the tires. If these are bent the car behaves eratically as you described.
The control arms I speak of run from the rear subfram out towards each wheel. These should be dead straight.
2000 SVT Turbo 295hp/269ftlb@12psi
#1 for Bendix Brakes Kits!
Knuckles rebuilt w/new bearings $55
AUSSIE ENDLINKS $70
Gutted pre-cats $80/set
A lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine!
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Joined: Jan 2004
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CEG\'er
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Roger,
I have a 98 Merc. V6.
I reduced the front tire pressure to 29, not exactly sure what the rear is, it is higher though. But it handles well now.
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29 seems pretty low. Factory placard is 31 front, 34 rear, I think. (at least for my car it is)
Stazi brings up a good point. I didn't think about alignment settings, but you might want to have it checked out.
Function before fashion.
'96 Contour SE
"Toss the Contour into a corner, and it's as easy to catch as a softball thrown by a preschooler." -Edmunds, 1998
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are the tires supposed to be at a proper pressure setting before an alignment is given? Also I keep 34 psi on all four corners which is what is said on the tire listing on the side of the driver side door of my 95 lx atx v6 abs 195 65r14s
Last edited by contour_phoenix_when; 09/24/04 12:48 PM.
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