front wheel traction problem???

[kyle986driver]

hi, i have a 2000 boxster, and i have had some real problems with the front tires not sticking to the road in hard cornering. i have taken air out of the front tires and that helped a little but i can still hear them squeeling..and i also cannot get this car to do donuts because the front just doesnt turn the car...has anyone else had this problem? what can i do to fix it? thanks -kyle

[Brucelee]

Originally Posted by kyle986driver

hi, i have a 2000 boxster, and i have had some real problems with the front tires not sticking to the road in hard cornering. i have taken air out of the front tires and that helped a little but i can still hear them squeeling..and i also cannot get this car to do donuts because the front just doesnt turn the car...has anyone else had this problem? what can i do to fix it? thanks -kyle

First off, what is the quality of the tires you are running and their present condition? A pair of fist rate tires in good condition would NOT create the conditions you are describing, assuming you are running the car within its limits.

If you are pushing the car over its limits, no tire in the world will matter, right?

RE: Doughnuts, this is a mid-engine car and will not routinely run doughnuts the way a front-engine, rear drive car will. This cheap stunt requires a torquey motor up front and not much weight in the rear.

Obvisously, the Box does not meet these criteria.

My question to you is, are you aware that if you continue to try to do Doughnuts, you will have your car taken by the Porsche police? This car is not to be subjected to that kind of behavior no matter what!

[kyle986driver]

Originally Posted by Brucelee

First off, what is the quality of the tires you are running and their present condition? A pair of fist rate tires in good condition would NOT create the conditions you are describing, assuming you are running the car within its limits.

If you are pushing the car over its limits, no tire in the world will matter, right?

RE: Doughnuts, this is a mid-engine car and will not routinely run doughnuts the way a front-engine, rear drive car will. This cheap stunt requires a torquey motor up front and not much weight in the rear.

Obvisously, the Box does not meet these criteria.

My question to you is, are you aware that if you continue to try to do Doughnuts, you will have your car taken by the Porsche police? This car is not to be subjected to that kind of behavior no matter what!

ok, first off my tires are 225/40zr18 in the front...i dont feel like im pushing it past its limits, the tires seem to be in really good shape..im not really looking to do donuts as much as get the car to break loose in corners, im looking for some oversteer...porsche police? sounds fake..lol

[xclusivecar]

This post is a joke, right? Save your time and money, purchase a late model Camaro Z-28, head to the f-body forum, and there you will find and be able to do what you want.

[mjw930]

It may not be a joke, he's just having a hard time verbalizing the problem.

You are describing understeer which can be managed any number of ways. Tire pressures, alignment setting, swaybars all have an effect. There's also PASM (traction control) to consider.

We could use a lot more information if you really want help. We need to know what tire pressures, alignment settings, transmission type, traction control, etc. I would also suggest joining your local PCA and attending their autocross and DE programs. Talk to the instructors, ask questions and learn about how you can really push this car to it's limits.

Or this is a trol.........

[kyle986driver]

yes i am really looking for help, but getting cut down everywhere. i intend to do autocross locally pretty soon..and want my car to be able to perform as good as possible, as i develope my skills..i can get you some more info tommorow, just tell me what you want to know and ill try to get it..

[xclusivecar]

Originally Posted by kyle986driver

yes i am really looking for help, but getting cut down everywhere. i intend to do autocross locally pretty soon..and want my car to be able to perform as good as possible, as i develope my skills..i can get you some more info tommorow, just tell me what you want to know and ill try to get it..

This is too good...he starts the post asking how to do donuts and now states his intentions are to autocross. lol.

[Brucelee]

Lets see if we can help our brother forum member. When Kyle posts more data, perhaps there is some technical assistance we can provide.

Hang in there Kyle!

[MNBoxster]

Kyle,

Understeer is generally favored by Manufacturers as being more safe for the Avg. Driver. As stated, there are many variables which can mitigate this such as PSI (Front and Rear), Alignment, Suspension members, Tire Size, etc.

What you are describing is generally not something Boxster Owners find a problem or excessive. I suspect there may be several things happening here not the least is what you actually feel vs what you expect to feel. Instead of turning Doughnuts, it may be better to take the Car into some serious Twisties and then decide if the Car is misbehaving.

If you still are concerned, it's time to get to a qualified Alignment Shop and have them give it a thorough inspection. You may have a bent suspension member (they're Aluminum and a good PotHole can cause a problem). The issue is so subjective that you're not likely to find the answer here. They may not find a problem at all.

You may want to achieve more Neutral Handling, but this is gonna require some $$ on your part depending upon the degree you wish to reach, and rather than go by any advice here, have the Alignment Shop make some recommendations. Hope this helps...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

[Brucelee]

Good stuff, thanks Jim!

[KRZTACO]

Your coming into the corner/exiting the corner too fast.

Sounds like the throttle is floored and pushing all the weight to the back tires leaving no weight for the front.

Quick fix: EASE on the brakes slowly to drive more weight to the front tires for additional traction while in the turn (Left foot on brake, right on throttle)

Correct fix: Slow down before the turn by QUICKLY depressing the brakes (NOT SLAMMING), and EASE into the throttle while exiting, not only will you be FASTER but the car will feel much quicker.


FYI: even if you had racing slicks on, your car will still push through the turns as you described.

KRZ

[mjw930]

Kyle,

Where in FL are you. I'm in Central Florida (Orlando area) I can suggest a few shops and maybe work with you to get your car setup for autocross. Let me know.

Mark

[kyle986driver]

Originally Posted by mjw930

Kyle,

Where in FL are you. I'm in Central Florida (Orlando area) I can suggest a few shops and maybe work with you to get your car setup for autocross. Let me know.

Mark

thanks mark, im in central FL., Orlando as well

[kyle986driver]

well, thanks for trying to help but the bottom line is that i am pushing too hard for any car, and am expecting the wrong performance from this car, i have realized that..thanks for your help, but i dont think this thread needs to go on any longer.

-kyle

[986Jim]

It's not that your pushing the car too hard, it's that you don't know how to drive. You can enter a corner too fast and exit flast, but thats not the fastest way through the corner and you end up with understear and a lot of tire squeel.

What feels like the fastest line is not alwasy, your better off to go slower in the corner early apex it and create not under or minimal over stear while accelerating out of the corner.

If your going into the corner too fast your breaking too late or not enough and the car is pushing through the corner scrubbing off a lot of speed, then your too late on the gas coming out of the corner.

Your just not driving correctly vs. driving to hard. A few laps at a track with an instructor will solve your problems quite easily. Sounds like you have the balls, just not the skills. Easily fixed.

[prOk]

I was just about to say the same thing jim.. Sounds like much less a matter of the car's abilities, but much more a matter of Driver experience/skill level. Based on the response to the question about tires where he responded with simply the size of the tires and not the brand and the whole donut thing i'm guessing the latter is the case. He's looking for Mustang like brute performance from a true sportscar that will not be nearly as forgiving for an inexperienced driver.

/b