[Etrnal168]

Hey guys I have an E-shift IS, and sometimes when I take a sharp turn in 2nd gear, my car loses control.

It happened again today, I was going about 5-10 mph then took a sharp right turn, and I wasn't even flooring my gas pedal; then the head of the car moved to the left, then to the right, then I gained back control. Btw, my TRAC was off.

What is causing this? Is this due to the setup of the stock suspension, or am I doing something wrong?

If it is due to the stock suspension, what can I do to make it better.

Thanks guys,

Thomas

 

[somguy2u]

get it aligned, check your tires

drive with trac ON if this is a reoccuring problem please for the safety of others

 

[tony]

At 10mph you took a sharp turn, and without giving it any gas, you lost control?

 

[speed junkie 300]

At 10mph you took a sharp turn, and without giving it any gas, you lost control?

yeah seriously, u driving with oil on your tires?

 

[lexyis300]

At 5-10 mph the tail kicks out. What are you on ice or like ^^ said, oils on ya tires? To make it better leave trac on OR put some glue on ur tires so they stick to the asphalt.

 

[Beachtyme]

Perhaps he armor-all'ed the wrong part of his tires?

Blame lexus.

 

[Yogi_TRD]

Might wanna do some basic maintenance and drive w/the trac on.

 

[Etrnal168]

Nooooooooooo, I was at 5-10 mph before I took the turn, and I took the turn at about 30-40.

3/4 of the throttle, didn't open it all up.

 

[Etrnal168]

If I lose control at just 30 mph, then how did the people who auto-x handle this?

Do I need sway bars or something?

Thanks

 

[Yogi_TRD]

Try less throttle. I'm guessin' you're on stock tires?

 

[m3thod]

stock tires? how much tread u got on them bad boys?

 

[Etrnal168]

yeah everything is stock. The car has 8k miles, so the treads are still pretty healthy.

 

[E12iC46]

Maybe you can try checking ur sway bar nuts to see if anything is loose.

 

[Etrnal168]

Damn... can some experts fill me in on this? Why is this happening? Can some engineers please explain to me?

 

[somguy2u]

at 8k my tires were hurting

check alignment - if the alignment is off you cuold having a wheel pushing your car in one direction or spinning out - i had that problem but it wouldn't be 10 mph it was more jsut of a twitchy rear end

 

[anorexicpoodle]

Ok here is what is happening, if you are at 5-10mph, and turn into a corner and open the throttle at turn in, you are shifting weight to the back, that means that there is LESS weight over the wheels that steer the car, and what you experienced is understeer. generally you brake in a straight line BEFORE a corner to shift weight to the wheels doing the steering to provide maximum grip for the turn in, then one the intertia of the car has shifted, you can roll on the throttle again.

And yes this can make this much of a difference depending on the road condition (any loose gravel?) as well as the fact that the IS has a soft rear end to make it more friendly to ham-fisted drivers, which has the added byproduct of allowing rear weight transfer more readily.

 

[Etrnal168]

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, that's why! Thanks so much. Do I have to brake hard?

Now I remember seeing those Initial D movies when they would brake hard before a turn then turn.

so sweet. Thanks, what kind of suspension mods can I do to make my car more capable to take sharp turns.

 

[Hirun]

they brake hard because they are trying to get as much MPH as they can on the straights so they brake very late.

normally they would hit the late apex so when they hit the apex, they can go WOT all the way.

 

[anorexicpoodle]

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, that's why! Thanks so much. Do I have to brake hard?

Now I remember seeing those Initial D movies when they would brake hard before a turn then turn.

so sweet. Thanks, what kind of suspension mods can I do to make my car more capable to take sharp turns.

Start with good tires and a more agressive alignment.

 

[IS JOE]

Remember, driving fast is 90% driver. You'll do much better, (and make the streets safer) if you learn a little more about how to handle a car.

You should search for some websites that describe driving techniques, or even the simple physics behind a cars handling. I read a book called Speed Secrets by Ross Bentley a long time ago, and it had some good information. There are probably better books out there, but thats the one i have on my bookshelf, and i remember it was pretty good.