Hey guys, well i used to get some terrible understeer in my VL in the wet when i was running on 185/70/14 tyres. Now im driving on 235/45/17 tyres and was hoping that now the understeer would be gone, but alas, it is still the same. Now its really getting to me cuz even at low speeds it occurs and my mums 121 doesnt ever understeer at these speeds and thats FWD. What could be causing such bad understeer?? Its kinda scary driving in the wet now cuz its just so bad goin round a corner and have the front slide out then having the spin the rears to get the back to catch up

I'd take it to a suspension joint to get checked out. Also what kind of tyres are you running, caus that will make a big difference.

Im running on Kelly tyres of some sort (they came with the rims), have bout 80% tread left on them.

Lose the tyres.I've heard Kelly's are crap in the wet.

I know they dont make them anymore or at least I dont think so but Yokohama A509's were a brilliant tyre in the wet. Tyres are a subject that doesnt get discussed enough, I wont hijack this thread but maybe someone should get another one going. What sort of suspension set up is on the car? Jake

Shes got stock suspension on the front. The worst part is that my old VL never used to do this, the rear would slip out well before the front would. But this one, the front slips before the rear even budges. I dont think its to do with tyres cuz, with the old wheels and tyres the exact same thing happened.

Quote: Im running on Kelly tyres of some sort (they came with the rims), have bout 80% tread left on them. ok i've also heard some stories about kelly tyres being seriously hardcore compound - ie not good at all for the wet) where for ultimate performance u need a softer tyre. what kinda corners do u find u get this 'understeer' most. and wat kinda speeds are u travelling at. Im guessing its like turning into street kinda corners.. wich are around 90degrees yeah? could just be to do with ur driving style man.. ie u mite yank wheel comin into corners enough to unbalance the car etc.. or maybe ur just travelling to fast for the grip ur tyres can handle. does ur car have a minispool at all ?? try some new tyres... and see how it goes.. borrow some off a mates car if u have to.

What does she handle like in the dry?

The understeer occurs at speeds of 30km or less, going straight thru roundabouts or turning into a street. Basically most turns. I am by no means a crazy driver turns are usually progressive, not just yank it around a corner. The car is a stock 1986 VL auto with 17" rims. It has a single spinner rear diff. I really dont know what it is thats making it understeer?

In the dry she seems fine though a hint of understeer is still there. I will be lowering it bout 2.5" all round soon and replacing bushes etc and see what happens then i guess

Maybe the wheel alignment setting are realy out.

If the tyres are Kelly Chargers, they aquaplane like there is no tomorrow in the wet.... Loose them immediately, or you will loose your life instead. No joke! There was a thread discussing these so called tyres about a week ago, do a search and you will find it. Mick Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

you have stock suspension in the front? i'd wanna get that checked out too. a good 15 years old, might be a start.

Quote: Originally Posted by VL Commy Shes got stock suspension on the front. The worst part is that my old VL never used to do this, the rear would slip out well before the front would. But this one, the front slips before the rear even budges. I dont think its to do with tyres cuz, with the old wheels and tyres the exact same thing happened. Hey, This used to happen with my VL... Even at slow speeds (15-30) around tight and not so tight corners the front would slip sideways and then the back would follow suit and i would end up in a 4 wheel slide... Scary... I took it to Pedders and found a few things... I cant find the receipts for it, but i can remember nolothane bushes being put in, comfort gas shock absorbers and some other bits here and there... enough to equal around $600ish (with a big discount cos the guy owed my uncle a favor)... After that, can take corners slow without any worry, and also much faster . Increased braking ability heaps as well, i can stop from 80 to 0 quick enough to impress my mates and stuff (my car doesnt run good enough to impress them going from 0 to 80 so i gotta impress them somehow ). In any case, if you go to somewhere like pedders, isnt it like something real cheap to get a complete checkup? Just book it in and find out what they say Hope that helps. JaxonD24. Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

$14 for a full safety and suspension check at pedders

Firstly,Holden set the Vl's suspension up so it will have more understeer for safety reasons,but back in the HQ I read they had such bad understeer that you would nearly collect reflector posts. I agree with the aquaplaning with the Kelly tyres as I have them and they used to have a hard compound which wore well but were hopeless in the wet,they have went to a softer compound as soon as they stopped making them in America. I also agree with the thing of having the original suspension on the car as the Commodore suspension in the front was really soft and there is a chance that the original bushes will have deteriorated by now,having said that I have driven an EFI VK which still had its 19 year old suspension and power steering in it,it was owned by my cousins mate who I changed a head gasket for in it and when driving at over 100 KPH the car felt very unsteady,it also had 17 x 8 inch rims on it which wouldn't help with the crappy old suspension. I actually felt relieved to drive my 17 year old VL again which I have replaced almost everything in as I felt safer driving it.

Stay away from Yokahama and Kelly tyres all together for wet purposes. Anything with a hard compound is sh!t and have heard nothing good about both tyres, having owned both brands myself, and friends having had sets of yokahama's because they are a cheaper way out. Pay the money, get Pirelli or Hancook, softer compound, tend to wear quicker if driven hard, but will save your life, not just your car. Other than that, your suspension could be sloppy and needs overhauling. OR, you have different rain in your area than everyone else cheers Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

try fitting a larger diameter swaybar in the rear to take out the understeer?

SAVA ( german ) wet silica tyres ( wet racing type of stuff ) . I can swear by them in the wet. No rear spin on boost ( they do on full boost though ) , and brakes like there's no tomorrow on wet roads ... Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

hehehehe kelly chargers ive got em on my n/a and they definatly make driving in the wet exciting even though my car seriously lacks power. oh well ill have a turbo one day. Some original photos have not been recovered yet.