handling problem

[interested!]

Hi! My 1987 MA70 automatic has started to lightly fishtail and the rear jumps to the RIGHT on a dry straight road at low speed/low power just recently , can anyone help please - car feels " wrong "on the road .thanks!

[cre]

I'm assuming it's a N/A without LSD. Check for even tire wear, air pressure on all four tires and alignment.

[interested!]

Hi Everyone!
Handling problems!( fishtailing and jumping to the right on straight dry road at slow speed/low power ) -- I put my car on ramps and looked underneath -no problems there although the right rear wheel was dragging with the handbrake off , the right rear damper is soft ( extra bounce at release)- ,and (ARRRGH! )I also found that the tyres are all different -whoops!
Front Left unlop Sport 2020E -225/50r16 92V
Front Rightunlop SP Sport 2000E 225/50zr16 92W
Rear Left :Bridgestone Pontenza 225/50zr16 92W
Rear Right Contisport contact 225/50zr16 92W
Any ideas on best tyre or mix and match please?
MY car is a 1987 MA70 3.0 Turbo 7MGTE automatic.
Thanks.

[supraheelfan]

You should use 245/50's on all four, it'll give you better grip. I got kumhos, but hankook has good tires, so does dunlop or toyo, just depends on your price range.
Make sure you replace your bushings also, the rubber goes bad and it makes the car handle very poorly, so get new ones or some poly's.

[87hilux7mge]

hankook: korean for shi**y tire! kumhos arent bad, bridgestone hp550s arent bad, they have a 50k mile warranty, but they are heavy as shiz. michelins always kick ass, so do goodyear triple treads.

[pandrade]

i use nito tires the nt555 great tread wear and handeling on dry road, a bit pricy but modest

[interested!]

Hi!
My MA70 was having handling problems- fishtailing and jumping to the right on straight dry roads at low speed/power. I have investigated and found that the fishtailing was due to a duff right rear damper ( 1 inch free play -soft -useless!) ,both rear dampers have now been changed,nice cornering feel now,no more "rear wheel steering feeling ".
The axle jumping was due to a very nearly seized right rear calliper, after applying the brakes ( its an automatic ) the brake would bind and suddenly release causing the wheel to suddenly speed-up. both calipers were removed, thoroughly cleaned and reassembled with a new seal service kit each.now rolls freely after releasing the handbrake.
I test drove the car today - what a difference! a real pleasure to drive now!,so my fuel consumption should also improve too.

[MA70-3.0GT]

Glad to hear you got sorted. Just my 2p worth on tyres, I'd always have recommended the best you can afford & same on all 4 wheels, however the rubber that my supra came fitted with "Tornado Alpha" 245/50 17" Z rated, presumed VERY cheap & marked "manufactured in Taiwan" and about the last thing I would have chosen, have been great! Initially I was ready to just bite the bullet & swap them for a branded tyre but since they were virtually unused I thought I'd give them a try and I've actually been quite impressed with how the car handles on them. Not the last word in grip admittedly but I can feel what they're doing & when they're about on the edge, so really I'd prefer that to something that would grip better but give less warning. They also don't seem to have done too bad for wear considering I've put a good 5-7k miles (intermittent speedo/odo. fault!) of hard driving under them & they don't appear to have lost more than a mm or so of tread depth.

Anyway thats just my experience with budget tyres, possibly I'm just one of the lucky ones who got a good batch so I'd still say the same thing (buy the best you can afford, ideally for all 4 wheels & definitely in the correct size, load & speed rating to match the car & wheels) but if you really can't afford brand names (or go through a lot of tyres, mainly sideways!) then you could be pleasantly surprised if you find a decent budget set... maybe...

(yeah I'm just a bit bored & felt like doing some typing! )

[interested!]

Hi! Thanks to everyones input on this one, this is the first and worst case of feeling unsafe in any car I have ever driven ,especially notable at low speed/low power in the dry on a straight road , let alone cornering at speed .
If it feels dodgy -- PLEASE--- give it a look over, the signs were there-- ( duff damper and dragging wheel ) to make a start point for investigation.