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Old 28th July 2006, 09:58   #1
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"I am Flying" feeling on Esteem above 110 KpH

Hi,

Above speeds of 110-120 KpH, my Esteem gives a feeling as if it is going to lift off. The front becomes so light, that does not inspire confidence.

1) Is it common for Esteems?
2) I think this could be partly attributed to steering (Mine is HPS). But then, could this also be due to airflow really creating a lift?
3) A spoiler would help?
4) The MGA spoiler is costly. How to get a spoiler that does the work also?

Please advise
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Old 28th July 2006, 10:02   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by WhiteKnight
Hi,

Above speeds of 110-120 KpH, my Esteem gives a feeling as if it is going to lift off. The front becomes so light, that does not inspire confidence.

1) Is it common for Esteems?
2) I think this could be partly attributed to steering (Mine is HPS). But then, could this also be due to airflow really creating a lift?
3) A spoiler would help?
4) The MGA spoiler is costly. How to get a spoiler that does the work also?

Please advise
Hi,

Whilst I have owned 2 Esteems in the past have never experienced this. Maybe because I have upgraded my rubber from day 1.

1> I do not think so.
2> Maybe a combination of very windy conditions and over inflated tyres.
3> NO
4> A spoiler will not help, but better fatter rubber will.

Viper
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Old 28th July 2006, 10:16   #3
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Perhaps, you will find the solution here
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Old 28th July 2006, 10:54   #4
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2 reasons,
1. the power steering in esteem is hyper sensitive, air gets in under and the car being light and tall on oe rubber causes this

2 Solution= lower the car with 185 section wheels, problem should be solved, anything over 185 would make the car sluggish, heavy to steer, this is appropriate section or if possible get hold of the pe series of tyres from jk
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Old 28th July 2006, 11:47   #5
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completely agree with viper, fatter rubbers should do the job. even then if u feel the "float" u can add 1" spacers at the back.
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Old 28th July 2006, 12:22   #6
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MGA spoilers are only for cosmetic purpose and maruti cars dont need any spoiler.get better tires and check your suspension...is your rear suspension too soft ??
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Old 28th July 2006, 12:32   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by naveendhyani
completely agree with viper, fatter rubbers should do the job. even then if u feel the "float" u can add 1" spacers at the back.

I dont understand. What do spacers have to do with this stability thing? I thought they were merely for cosmetic purposes.
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Old 28th July 2006, 12:35   #8
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Thank you all for the inputs

Quote:
Originally Posted by speedsatya
MGA spoilers are only for cosmetic purpose and maruti cars dont need any spoiler.get better tires and check your suspension...is your rear suspension too soft ??
I got to check this out. Psycho had comments on raising the rear on the Thread pointed out by tifosikrishna. I also got to check the front struts being soft?

Quote:
Originally Posted by viper
Maybe a combination of very windy conditions and over inflated tyres.
The tyre pressure is 30 ps(?) on all 4.

Quote:
Originally Posted by naveendhyani
completely agree with viper, fatter rubbers should do the job. even then if u feel the "float" u can add 1" spacers at the back.
I am running on new 175/70 R13 MRF VT. Further upsizing/changing tyres are not supported by my pocket.

Also, how would spacers help?
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Old 28th July 2006, 12:46   #9
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your present tires are more than enough ...raising the rear would be oversteer ...dont modify anything ...just check if everything ok ...so many esteems are running on the roads at higher speeds on stock suspensions
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Old 28th July 2006, 13:14   #10
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reduce air pressure to 28

since u have changed tyres recently hope u have got the wheel aligned when job was done. improper wheel alignments can show up sometimes after speeds of 100kmph below that it seems non existant.

cheers
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Old 28th July 2006, 13:14   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by WhiteKnight
Above speeds of 110-120 KpH, my Esteem gives a feeling as if it is going to lift off. The front becomes so light, that does not inspire confidence. [...]
I don't know about Esteem, but the same complaint has been made of the Santro too, which has hps. The question in my mind is whether your problem is a real problem or just a case of getting used to the feel of the car. When you say that the "front becomes so light", what specifically is the handling problem that you experienced? Did you feel that the tyres are not gripping the road, say, while cornering or changing lanes at 110-120 kph? Does the car fail to hold a straght line at these speeds under normal driving conditions? Do you sense any problem with the hps?

I personally have ignored this complaint against my Santro (with stock tyres) and just got used to its feel - no problems at these speeds under normal conditions. But under *heavily* rainy and windy conditions on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, I could sense a genuine handling problem at speeds in excess of 110 kmph -- tyres failing to grip, super-light steering, the hps gave small tugs to the left and right, the car was failing to hold straight line, especially when hitting small puddles on the Expressway.

In your case, you have already upgraded the tyres, so you probably need to pay attention to wheel alignment, balancing, tyre pressures, suspension-- then maybe check your HPS too. If these are functioning normally, my gut feeling is -- just get used to the feel of the car, don't meddle any further with the tyres or suspension.
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Old 28th July 2006, 14:24   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by WhiteKnight

The tyre pressure is 30 ps(?) on all 4.

I am running on new 175/70 R13 MRF VT. Further upsizing/changing tyres are not supported by my pocket.

Also, how would spacers help?
Would recommend that you do the following

1) Align your tyres, key problem is that it looks like you have excessive toe out.
2) Decrease pressure to 29 psi
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Old 28th July 2006, 14:40   #13
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i've had that feeling many times...as was said earlier, it could be due to the tyres...come to think of it, everytime i had that feeling. it was when my tyres were really bad....however i have a new set now & am going to blore for the weekend...will let u know after my return....BTW i do 165 on my baby on the chn-blr road. will let u know my experiences this sometime around...
cheers
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Old 31st July 2006, 05:45   #14
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I totally agree with psycho that reducing the tyre presure will do the trick and slso check is the car is bit higher from the front. I own an esteem and have never experienced such a thing. and if it is a problem with wheel balancing then the car will vibrate a lot at the above mentioned speed but ususlly higher tyre pressue makes the car a little bouncy. And the MGA spoiler is not just an accssory it is wind tunnel tested. And a spoiler helps if your cars throws at sharp turns.
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Old 31st July 2006, 07:40   #15
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how come you guys are suggesting reducing tyre pressure now..I had a difference of opinion in reducing tyre pressures while on the highways..and there was a HUGE opposition to that..

Reducing tyre pressure by a pound or two is CORRECT..or the least you could do is leave it at factory setting and NOT INCREASE..
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