Light weight and high winds in a Subaru

[Calum]

did anyone mention suspension in this thread? I didn't read every post word for word, the gist I got was about weight and aero. The aero, as mentioned will have a huge effect, weight will have some effect to of course. I'm just wondering why no one has talked about suspension design/ Toe and camber changes are some of the biggest causes of the unstable feeling in small cars that often have crap suspension designs.

[alluringreality]

Originally Posted by Calum

did anyone mention suspension in this thread?

I think corner weight in the following quote may partially relate to suspension. I'm guessing the suspension plays a part in how the weight of the vehicle is distributed across the four tires, which I figure would be called corner weight. Driving the Impreza in wind it sort of feels like the front tires lack much grip compared to the RWD vehicles I'm used to, yet I have rarely driven FWD or other AWD vehicles to say if it's normal. In the NASIOC Impreza thread there was a comment that a stiffer rear sway bar may help the car from needing so much correction, which I believe might alter front corner weight, but generally I'd rather sell the car than trying to fix it. The Camaro also has wider tires that were not chosen for fuel economy, so I figure that also comes into play compared to how the Impreza drives. It's been a few years since statics class, so I can't say how much of this is correct compared to what I read on the rear sway bar idea.

Originally Posted by old greg

The amount of slip angle generated is dependent on lateral center of pressure location and cornering stiffness (lateral force per degree of slip angle) which is a function of tire construction and corner weight.

[carbonBLUE]

my celica is 2500lbs and i never had a problem in gusting side winds because of the way the car is shaped, the 86 looks similar in shape, and is heavier, so i dont foresee and crosswind problems...

[fatoni]

Originally Posted by carbonBLUE

my celica is 2500lbs and i never had a problem in gusting side winds because of the way the car is shaped, the 86 looks similar in shape, and is heavier, so i dont foresee and crosswind problems...

maybe a similar size but not really a similar shape. theres plenty of reasons why this would be an issue to someone and what is an issue to some might not be to others.

[ashtray]

Originally Posted by GenkiElite

My 91 Corolla is all over the place. It was stormy out the other day so it was very windy and raining. I was crossing the I75 bridge into Northern KY and the wind blew me compleatly in the middle lane from the slow lane. I never moved my steering wheel. Tires are shitty but not bald at all. Im just glad there was no one next to me.

I hit a pot hole once and my car changed lanes. I didn't move the steering wheel either bc the thought of actually controlling the vehicle and maintaining lane control is a foreign concept to me as well. Do they make cars with suspensions that can adjust for potholes with me needing to use my steering wheel?

[Eldorian]

My 99 MX-5 used to get blown all over the place, but my 04 RX8 is very stable at high speeds.

Just an anecdote.

[Burrcold]

Bumping a very old topic, but does anyone else notice how much this car gets blown around at highway speeds (when it's windy of course)?

Like the other member, I owned 3 7th gen Celica's that never had this issue. Maybe it's partially due to the soft sidewalls of the winter tires, maybe my camber/toe is off slightly, I'm not sure, although I felt the juking even with PSS tires and after a good alignment guy had me on the straight and arrow.

Anyone else? Bueller? Bueller?

[DoomsdayJesus]

Originally Posted by Burrcold

Bumping a very old topic, but does anyone else notice how much this car gets blown around at highway speeds (when it's windy of course)?

Like the other member, I owned 3 7th gen Celica's that never had this issue. Maybe it's partially due to the soft sidewalls of the winter tires, maybe my camber/toe is off slightly, I'm not sure, although I felt the juking even with PSS tires and after a good alignment guy had me on the straight and arrow.

Anyone else? Bueller? Bueller?

I have had zero issues with this car, especially compared to my tall outback. Handles wind like a champ, and we had one windy winter in Western WA. Even driving over bridges, I barely felt more than a little nudge.

[strat61caster]

No, this car is great in the wind.

I think most people are actually feeling 'tracking' due to grooves/road wear. I thought there was crazy wind until I realized it was repeatable on the same stretch of road regardless of time or weather. Light weight and a very communicative steering makes it feel like the car is getting blown around.

[SirBrass]

Originally Posted by alluringreality

I bought a 2012 Impreza a couple months ago to replace a 1997 v6 Camaro. Driving 70-75 MPH with crosswinds over 25 MPH and gusts around 40 MPH my Impreza gets pushed around in high Kansas winds. A good gust can move the car across the road about a foot, and with stronger straight-line winds it was necessary to noticeably steer in and out of the wind at underpasses by turning the wheel up to maybe three inches. The dealer seems to think it's to be expected given the weather conditions, but except for farm or moving trucks I haven't driven anything that requires as much correction in high interstate winds as the Subaru.

Any opinions on how the BRZ may handle in high winds? The BRZ surely has a smaller profile than the 4th generation Camaro, but it's also at least 500 pounds lighter. I would guess the Camaro probably has the most weight per side area of the cars mentioned. On the other hand the BRZ has a lower center of gravity, and it's not all wheel drive like the Impreza. Based on weight probably the answer to this question is to buy a Dodge, or according to http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/201...t-wheel-drive/ I should buy front wheel drive, but most likely I would be cross-shopping either the base 2013 Genesis Coupe or maybe the v6 Mustang. Compared to those two cars, do you think the BRZ's light weight will prove worse for interstate travel?

Being more aerodynamic and lower to the ground, I don't think winds will affect it quite as much as on the Impreza. That said, it'll definitely have an effect of wanting to push you to the side, but I don't think you'll risk getting pushed hard enough to upset the balance.

[strat61caster]

Originally Posted by SirBrass

Being more aerodynamic and lower to the ground, I don't think winds will affect it quite as much as on the Impreza. That said, it'll definitely have an effect of wanting to push you to the side, but I don't think you'll risk getting pushed hard enough to upset the balance.

Dude that post is nearly 2 years old and he hasn't logged in for more than a year...

[SirBrass]

Originally Posted by strat61caster

Dude that post is nearly 2 years old and he hasn't logged in for more than a year...

I wasn't the one who bumped it up to the top. I didn't check the date.

[Burrcold]

I know that it's wind effect though, because once I pass by a semi the car gets that pushing feeling and immediately corrects once I've past by the truck.

Don't get me wrong, it's not terrible. I just feel like my previous cars were a little more planted at high speeds...I felt more confident. Lower speeds, NO doubt at all that it's so amazingly tactile.

[Ganthrithor]

Pretty offtopic I know, but you know what's scary? When you're cruising a two-lane highway in Wyoming in the winter during a snowstorm and realize that gusts of wind are literally pushing your car off the road sideways. Holy hell is that an unnerving feeling, crabbing along the highway because the wind and road camber are fighting to shit you into the ditch.

*Note: this was in an Outback, not the BRZ.