Terrible Handling In Wet

[merc180k]

Hi Folks,

Have recently had the anti roll links and various bushes replaced on the front of my w203 and have noticed that in the wet the car does not hold corners well at anything over 30 mph - very noticable on roundabouts.

I had previously noticed this before the work but don't remember it being this bad - in fact remember just thinking at the time I was just going a bit on the fast side. However now I am thinking there is more to it.

Tyres are the V tread type and both the same on the front, with the actual tread depth being only partially worn.

Can you suggest what the problem could be or how I might attempt a fix?

Thanks

Simon

P.S. Tracking was done a few months ago by dealer in Edinburgh prior to the work.

 

[BlackC55]

cheapo tyres?

 

[stwat]

The camber and tracking is most likely out if you haven't had it done after fitting the new parts.

Get it tracked up.

 

[Rob77]

+ 1 for the tyres. There's nothing about a car's handling that would show itself up in the wet more than the dry unless of course you drive harder in the wet

 

[Mactech]

My first thought would be to replace the tyres. The fact you do not name the brand is a worry.
However, the lack of grip you describe could also be a result of the increase in roll stifness of the car (new bushes and taking any slop out of the linkages)
Often a trick played on racecars in the wet is to soften or disconect the antiroll bar(s) to gain mechanical grip. It also has the downside of lack of control and loss of traction if the front is too soft....

But I recon its just tyres!

 

[lynall]

As said i reckon its the camber/castor out, wifes 203 was crap after new lower arms, 4 wheel tracks sorted it out nicely, best one is wheels in motion.



Lynall

 

[R2D2]

Agree with above I get my tracking done periodically on my w203 as it handles great when its done. Tyre wise you can transform or ruin a w203 by the tyres on a w203 (indeed maybe any car) . I currently run Michelins and they are great. (yesterday they held of an Audi RS6 on a twisty bit of road-obviously as soon as it became a drag race I was completely stuffed!) Contis- less grippy than Michelin but good if a bit noisy, Dunlop great when new but performance in the wet fades quickly as they become part worn, you get the idea. If the car has cheapo tyres it will drive like a pig.

 

[x332race]

Get the wheel alignment checked out...go for a full 4-wheel alighment....after all that work something likely to be out of adjustment....Wheels in Motion in Chesham best place to go, but probably a bit too far for you to travel??

Doubt if it is tyres if tyres ok before suspension work done (and you only going 30 mph!!)

 

[Mactech]

Doubt if it is tyres if tyres ok before suspension work done (and you only going 30 mph!!)

"I had previously noticed this before the work"

 

[grober]

Handling is function of the interaction of front and rear suspension so don't confine your investigation to the front only! A 4 wheel alignment by someone who knows what they are doing would be a good starting point as has been suggested. Often handling characteristics can be adjusted by experimenting a bit with front and rear tyre pressures within sensible limits of course. Cheap tyres will inevitably show up their deficiency when pushed to the limit-usually they have very hard rubber to give good wear characteristics but at the expense of grip-especially in the wet! There are good budget tyres out there Vredestein or Nokia come to mind http://www.tyretest.com/ but you can't beat Conti's or Michelin if you can afford em.

 

[x332race]

"I had previously noticed this before the work"

Apologies...missed that!

 

[Mactech]

As an aside, may I suggest that as a biker and car driver wet roundabouts are not the place to draw conclusions on any handing issue!
The grip levels can vary from soap on ice to banana on glass depending how much diesel has been spilt. Even in summer and without oil, the surface can be polished by traffic and grip reduced to almost zero by a light rain shower.
You may certainly notice the lack of grip on a wet roundabout, just don't use it as a point of reference to the cars handling

 

[Sonny Burnett]

i had cheapo tires on the c180 it handled like a bench... when i got the e class a much bigger heaver car i put pirelli p zeros all round it handles like in the wet like it does in the dry

 

[Satch]

"both the same on the front, with the actual tread depth being only partially worn."

So what is on the back then and how worn are they?

Less than 3mm of tread in the wet is a bad idea!

3mm Tyres

 

[merc180k]

Thanks to everyone for the input - just in and reviewing all the great suggestions. Tyres on the front are a mid range brand - Farmers fitted; the rears are Falkens (brand new) and great.

Think the conclusion would be a complete wheel alignment, a triple check of pressures and a week or so test. If no improvement - start raiding the piggy bank!!

Seem sensible?

Thanks again to everyone for the input. THis forum is a wealth of knowledge.

Simon

 

[timskemp]

The rain caught me out today - had an "interesting" four wheel drift moment on a roundabout where the surface is different between lanes, and different again on entry and exit. The near-end-of-life dunlops on the front are in my mind to blame, always amazes me how sudden the loss of grip is when the tread is getting toward replacement level.

I have Nexen N3000 on the rear, they have lasted 20k miles and still grip better than the dunlops...

 

[Olivier]

Hi Simon,
I had SAVA on the 4 wheels previously and the car was a soap bar on the wet, I didn't know it was due to the tires, I thought the car had too much power and the rear wheels wanted to go at the front all the time, as you, especially in roundabouts. Got 4 Falken now, thanks to this forum, and the car is behaving so much better, its day and night. Perhaps you need to change your front?
Olivier

 

[merc180k]

Hi Simon,
I had SAVA on the 4 wheels previously and the car was a soap bar on the wet, I didn't know it was due to the tires, I thought the car had too much power and the rear wheels wanted to go at the front all the time, as you, especially in roundabouts. Got 4 Falken now, thanks to this forum, and the car is behaving so much better, its day and night. Perhaps you need to change your front?
Olivier

Thinking the same thing, but hoping the wheel alignment will at least be a short term fix until I can get a couple of new tyres on the front.

Interesting that the thoughts you had re the rears coming to the front were the same as mine before the rear Falkens I have.

 

[lynall]

Nexens not bad got them front and rear on mine and the wifes car, hers is fine mine can be a pain laying the power down in a straight line fom a standing start but for the price cant complain but mine are lower profile than hers which is probably more the reason rather than the make.



Lynall

 

[Adam230K]

If your camber/castor was out you would feel this on straight roads as your car would try to stray away from a straight line.

I'd put it down to sh1t tyres.