Strange steering feel

[humfrz]

Well now, speedyspaghetti, I'm all out of ideas on what may be "wrong" with your car.

I'm going along with @strat61caster and @Racecomp Engineering , in that the handling characteristic of your car is just what that size and type of tire does on your car.

So, I reckon you should just get used to it, or buy new tires ......


humfrz

[speedyspaghetti]

Originally Posted by strat61caster

225 on a 7" wheel will feel mushy compared to a 215

Also I can definitely move my steering wheel about an inch before it really starts loading up and moving the wheels at low speed, you've probably gotten comfortable with the car so it doesn't feel as responsive anymore. Hop in another car next chance you get, I bet it improves your opinion of the 86.

You can also safely run a sportier summer tire year round with a stiffer sidewall to improve steering response, I say go back to a 215, there's a reason it was chosen by the factory.

Edit: getting used to the car also explains the body roll, your more comfortable so you're subconsciously driving it faster, you may also think you're running out of grip in tires that look fine, same phenomenon, you've become comfortable with the limit so it seems like the limit is reduced compared to before. I've gone through the same thing and junked the oe tires early when they still had some life left in hindsight, and I have talked to a few others with similar experiences.

First time you hop in a car like this it seems like it can do anything, after enough seat time you find out where the limits are.

Yeah, honestly, I think you're right. I hate to admit it, but nothing really happened before I started feeling it, and it was about a month into my ownership of the car, I probably just started over-thinking it. I'll chalk it up to tires/getting used to it and look to replace the tires when they wear out a bit more. I might just go in and check torque on steering/suspension components, but I imagine your theory is accurate. Thank you for the help and being patient with me... just one of those annoying things... I think I also go paranoid because I had a similar feeling with my Mazdaspeed3 after about a year of owning it, but whenever my friends drove it, they said it felt amazing.

[speedyspaghetti]

Originally Posted by humfrz

Well now, speedyspaghetti, I'm all out of ideas on what may be "wrong" with your car.

I'm going along with @strat61caster and @Racecomp Engineering , in that the handling characteristic of your car is just what that size and type of tire does on your car.

So, I reckon you should just get used to it, or buy new tires ......


humfrz

Haha, yeah I'm starting to think I'm just overreacting. I don't trust Toyota at all (they are incredibly rude at the El Camino dealership, except for service manager Adrian... in case anyone is local), but the alignment shop was super thorough and honest, and you guys have been awesome. I'll look into summer tires in the proper size next chance I get. Thank you again for everything.

[speedyspaghetti]

Originally Posted by Racecomp Engineering

My thought from the other side of the country is mushy/squirmy tires that aren't the ideal width for your wheel and you're just now noticing it more after the post-car buying honeymoon period.

Tires will have a much larger difference than any other upgrade you buy, so get tires that match your goals first.

- Andrew

Andrew - this makes complete sense, thank you. Probably a combination of A. all-season tires, B. wrong size, C. cold weather, D. my over-thinking. I'll look into some good summer tires when it warms up and these current ones wear out. Any suggestions from anyone?

[driggity]

Originally Posted by speedyspaghetti

I'll look into some good summer tires when it warms up and these current ones wear out. Any suggestions from anyone?

There's a huge range of "good" summer tires out there so you really need to decide how far you want to go. I've been happy with Firestone Indy 500s as an inexpensive improvement over stock but I know other people locally who didn't like them (but they were coming from higher performance tires) and I'll probably go with something grippier for my next set. Michelin Pilot Super Sports are a very popular next step up in performance. Some people will go further up the performance spectrum with something like the Bridgestone RE71s. There will be tradeoffs with cost, treadwear, sidewall stiffness (both plusses and minuses there), and noise so you need to decide what is really important to you.

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by speedyspaghetti

Andrew - this makes complete sense, thank you. Probably a combination of A. all-season tires, B. wrong size, C. cold weather, D. my over-thinking. I'll look into some good summer tires when it warms up and these current ones wear out. Any suggestions from anyone?

Well, first off, I'd stay away from the brand of tire that you have.

Second off, for average driving, as mentioned before, I'd suggest you go back to the OEM 215 size tires.

Since you live in Los Gatos (I lived in the Almaden area for 7 years), and as long as you stay out of the Sierras in the wintertime, I would suggest running summer type tires the year around.

As far as what brand, for average driving, I don't think you need the most expensive ones out there. Any brand name, medium priced tire should be just fine.


humfrz

[speedyspaghetti]

Originally Posted by humfrz

Well, first off, I'd stay away from the brand of tire that you have.

Second off, for average driving, as mentioned before, I'd suggest you go back to the OEM 215 size tires.

Since you live in Los Gatos (I lived in the Almaden area for 7 years), and as long as you stay out of the Sierras in the wintertime, I would suggest running summer type tires the year around.

As far as what brand, for average driving, I don't think you need the most expensive ones out there. Any brand name, medium priced tire should be just fine.


humfrz

Yeah, I had never heard of Nokian... they're like $60 each on Amazon, so I don't think they are the most performance oriented tire. They're comfy, but not really satisfying in the twisty bits. Luckily the tires for our cars are relatively small and a squared set up... my Boxsters staggered 225/265s are another story... I'll have to do some research once that time comes.

Thanks again. Almaden area is awesome - I'd love to buy a house there or near Los Gatos, but housing prices have gotten even more ridiculous here recently. New townhomes built about 5 miles away from Los Gatos in Cupertino are going for $2.3 million... it's insane.

[Racecomp Engineering]

Originally Posted by speedyspaghetti

Andrew - this makes complete sense, thank you. Probably a combination of A. all-season tires, B. wrong size, C. cold weather, D. my over-thinking. I'll look into some good summer tires when it warms up and these current ones wear out. Any suggestions from anyone?

You could check the local classifieds for some OEM tires. They aren't the grippiest, but they have good response and feel from the driver's seat and they last. Super cheap on the classifieds with or without the OEM wheels. Shame you're so far away, I'm selling mine!

Outside of that...Michlein Pilot Super Sports are often recommended as a good sporty street tire. The Continental ExtremeContactSport is also a solid choice. Both have good grip and response that's a slight step down from track and auto-x oriented tires, but they aren't super noisey and they'll last a decent amount of miles. Plenty of other options, and a little research will go a long way.

- Andrew

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by speedyspaghetti

Yeah, I had never heard of Nokian... they're like $60 each on Amazon, so I don't think they are the most performance oriented tire. They're comfy, but not really satisfying in the twisty bits. Luckily the tires for our cars are relatively small and a squared set up... my Boxsters staggered 225/265s are another story... I'll have to do some research once that time comes.

Thanks again. Almaden area is awesome - I'd love to buy a house there or near Los Gatos, but housing prices have gotten even more ridiculous here recently. New townhomes built about 5 miles away from Los Gatos in Cupertino are going for $2.3 million... it's insane.

Yep, the second house I had built (in a subdivision) near Coleman & Almaden Expy, I paid $33,000 for (3 bed, 2 ba, 2,000 sq ft). That was back in 1971.

Now, Zillow tells me that it's worth $1.4 million. Hell, I couldn't afford to go back and buy the first house I had built in CA. .........

That one I paid $21,000 for, brand new (1300 sq ft) in 1968. Yep, $1 down for earnest money and using the GI bill for financing. Zillow says it's worth $850,000 now.

Ahhhhh....... the old days ......



humfrz

[speedyspaghetti]

Originally Posted by humfrz

Yep, the second house I had built (in a subdivision) near Coleman & Almaden Expy, I paid $33,000 for (3 bed, 2 ba, 2,000 sq ft). That was back in 1971.

Now, Zillow tells me that it's worth $1.4 million. Hell, I couldn't afford to go back and buy the first house I had built in CA. .........

That one I paid $21,000 for, brand new (1300 sq ft) in 1968. Yep, $1 down for earnest money and using the GI bill for financing. Zillow says it's worth $850,000 now.

Ahhhhh....... the old days ......



humfrz

Haha yeah that sounds about right... my family moved here in the mid 90s, and while it was already way different than I imagine it was in the 60s and 70s, I still remember orchards near the parks and libraries, lots of open space, knowing neighbors... now it's different. It's still home for me, but it's changed a lot. I go back and forth on whether I want to move or stick it out until I can afford a down payment and then have no disposable income after my mortgage payment...

Did you serve in Vietnam? I'm a high school history teacher - if you don't mind, I'd love to hear about your experience sometime. Obviously over PM or whatever, and I totally understand if this is too much to ask for, but my students never really seem to understand that the events in our history actually impacted real people just like them... anyway, thanks for all the help. It's been super.

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by speedyspaghetti

Haha yeah that sounds about right... my family moved here in the mid 90s, and while it was already way different than I imagine it was in the 60s and 70s, I still remember orchards near the parks and libraries, lots of open space, knowing neighbors... now it's different. It's still home for me, but it's changed a lot. I go back and forth on whether I want to move or stick it out until I can afford a down payment and then have no disposable income after my mortgage payment...

Did you serve in Vietnam? I'm a high school history teacher - if you don't mind, I'd love to hear about your experience sometime. Obviously over PM or whatever, and I totally understand if this is too much to ask for, but my students never really seem to understand that the events in our history actually impacted real people just like them... anyway, thanks for all the help. It's been super.

Yep, California has changed a lot since the 1960s ....... like I said, I couldn't afford to move back there.

Although I was on active duty in the Army from 1966-1968, I was never sent to Vietnam. However, all soldiers trained for and lived that era.

I think you should ask Santa for some new tires for your car ....... life is too damn short to drive on tires that you don't like, especially on a sports car ......


humfrz