Alchemist1

Hi,
My family and I just did a trip to Canberra from the Blue Mountains. We had new front tyres fitted and the back tread was still good.
My wife and I have noticed in the past that occasionally the back end of the vehicle seems to "step out" when we take a corner in the wet.

Well, this went to the ultimate extreme on the trip home from Canberra and the back end stepped out and went up the hill ahead of us (spinning the vehicle around) and into the embankment.

Is this a problem with the car, tyres, tyre pressures or what?
I was not accelerating when this happened, infact I was slowing down to take a tight uphill corner.
Very scary!!! especially when I have the whole family (wife, two kids 4yr old and 3yr old) in the car as well.

Please help.

hammerhead

I think it has to do with: 1: driving behavior
2: Poor tire compound
3: Misalignment

If you're used to drive a front wheel drive you might not be used to the back end "pushing".
For my part I always buy the best tire my budget affords , cause it's the area where you get the most bang for you're buck , it's not worth having a super tight suspension , if you run on crappy tires
And you should test the limits of your car ( in a parking lot or any safe place) so you will be better prepared as a driver!
Snow drifts!!!!

04xtguy

Definitely agree with hammerhead, most of the time it is driver behavior and tires. If you have little to no tread left on the tires, I don't care what kind of car you have, awd drive or not, you are not going to stick to the road. Check to see if the tires you are running are designed for the conditions you are driving, if not, get new ones!!

onemanzu

I'm going to suggest something that hasn't been mentioned. If you have directional tires that are mounted backwards, or rotating the wrong direction, it could cause hydroplaning issues. I'm not saying this happens every time with every tire, but its something that shouldn't be overlooked.

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hammerhead

Soo true!
many times we see this on the snow tires!
I guess some people dont get it

Alchemist1

Thread Starter

Thanks guys,

But it is summer in Australia (no snow or ice on the roads at the moment).

I have dropped the clutch in a dirt car park to see what and how the car performs !

And driver behaviour, my wife drives totally different to myself. We have the same thing occur??? I think this rules out driver behaviour.

Tyres have been fitted by authorised/licensed tyre dealers and the front tyres are at the top end budget wise. The rear tyres have a "good" amount of tread wear left also.

Let me know if you know anything.

Thanks

hammerhead

Good to hear your sun bathing!
Well I would definitely check for something worn in the back end
Busted shocks
Worn bushings causing toe out on compression
No noise or clunk ever heard?
When was an alignment last performed on you car?
Does it happen only when the back is loaded?

Timo's Forester

Could it possibly be from the fact that you have 2 sets of different tires on your car? I mean from what I've read that can cause a lot of issues...

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2001 Subaru Forester L

stan_t

Subarus aren't known for being too tail-happy and generally are prone to under steer. Is your suspension stock? Upgraded rear bar, perhaps?

Wait, I missed the fact that you are running different tires front vs. rear. At least put the good ones on the rear so it'll drive safer, but ideally replace the rears with same as what's on the front. Your rears obviously have a lot less grip and if you are over steering lifting off the gas, it's bad on the street.

Stan

Veneficus

Yep fitting different size tires is also bad for your drive train
that is why it is advisable to regularly rotate tires

The Rookie

The only time the rear of my car has been tail happy was when I had Micheline Pilots on the front and the original geosquealers on the rear (and an uprated rear ARB), wear wasn't an issue it's just that the front tyres were designed to give better on tarmac than the rears, please don't say you still have geosquealers on the rear, they are aweful!

Simon

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98 s-turbo now breaking for spares , now driving a BMW 320D M-sport