Too much Oversteer

[AJ]

chuck the tyres & get some good quality ones, that'll solve your problem

oh, & get a good wheel alignment when you do

[Jimi]

As said above, a wheel alignment should solve all your problems. Just make sure there is more nagative camber at the rear wheels than at the front - Typically the front should be approx negative 1 degree and the rear should be negative 1.5 degrees - for "sporty" driving styles. These numbers were from another thread on here that I can't find at this second... At any rate, a reasonable wheel alignment should greatly help.

This should make the car fairly neutral when using equal tyre pressures.

[Hellmun]

Lots of things can cause oversteer..... You need to identify what you have first before you change things. Measure the width of the sway bars with some verniers. Does it have a LSD? What brand tyres? Are you sure you were smooth with the throttle and steering? If you can't identify the shocks I'm sure you could take a picture and show people here.

[Jimi]

No worries!

As for upsizing your wheels and tyres - I have put 15" wheels on my NA, with 195 wide tyres and the lower tyre profile does make the ride a little harsher, but the slightly wider tyres do improve cornering. It's a bit of a trade off.

Also, you can get wheel and tyre packages from Bob Janes, with 15" wheels, for little more than the cost of a set of good tyres. Also, I can honestly say the "Bob Jane" Xenon tyres are quite good, both in the wet and in the dry - having taken a set on track days, and club runs - but not quite as sticky as some more expensive tyres.

Just don't get an alignment done by Bob Janes... go to a proper suspension specialist!
Hope this helps!

[lightyear]

Just change to some decent new tyres. When i bought mine i was power sliding around any corner that i felt like giving it some on. The tyres where old, but had plenty of tread. Just gone hard.

Now i don't try doing slides anymore as it sticks really well with the 205/15's.

[Matty]

Just change to some decent new tyres. When i bought mine i was power sliding around any corner that i felt like giving it some on. The tyres where old, but had plenty of tread. Just gone hard.

QFT.

[Adam_NAclubman]

I'd play with tyre pressures first, on 32psi my car is frigging great, but 34psi sees it getting sideways quite a lot when pressing on.

[Steampunk]

As a side note, don't forget, there is a difference between "handling" and "grip".
MX-5's are a great handling car, but that doesn't mean that you can hook it into a 90degree corner at 80km/h and expect it to grip all the way.

My friend's Lancer GSR doesn't handle as well, but it grips like all hell.

Perhaps it's just a simple matter of lack of experience and asking/expecting too much of your car's capabilities.

[Jimi]

I'd play with tyre pressures first, on 32psi my car is frigging great, but 34psi sees it getting sideways quite a lot when pressing on.

As a side topic, it may be useful to have a database of "Favourite tyre pressures" for wheel and tyre combinations. I personally run mine (89NA stock suspension on 15" 195s) at around 39psi and find that gives the best feedback of tyre grip around corners, and I also get fairly even tyre wear - although it's bumpy and rattly over poor roads.

[Matty]

As a side note, don't forget, there is a difference between "handling" and "grip".
MX-5's are a great handling car, but that doesn't mean that you can hook it into a 90degree corner at 80km/h and expect it to grip all the way.

My friend's Lancer GSR doesn't handle as well, but it grips like all hell.

Perhaps it's just a simple matter of lack of experience and asking/expecting too much of your car's capabilities.

in my experience, it's almost certainly the tyres. Once they go hard, the car will wheelspin and oversteer at any opportunity

[Garry]

Another vote for tyres AND a GOOD wheel alignment. It also depends what your coming from too. If you have been driving a FWD car for a long time then jump into a car as well balanced as the MX5 it's pretty easy to get the tail out because you dont have the terminal understeer you've been used to.

[Adam_NAclubman]

I wouldnt even bother with good tyres, rubbish tyres have less grip but are usually more progressive as the grip runs out.


The others are right about the difference between handling and grip though, theres a very big difference

[mx52nv]

I wouldnt even bother with good tyres, rubbish tyres have less grip but are usually more progressive as the grip runs out.

That is a dangerous piece of advice to be giving out for any vehicle owner, let alone a new MX5 owner.

There are only four contact points between the car and the road - the tyres.

I would be putting all my money into the best tyres you can afford, an alignment done by your local MX5 specialist and making sure all your suspension components are still in good working order.

[d-mag]

I wouldnt even bother with good tyres, rubbish tyres have less grip but are usually more progressive as the grip runs out.

[bensale]

I wouldnt even bother with good tyres, rubbish tyres have less grip but are usually more progressive as the grip runs out.

Thats an interesting attitude.................. Surely you have some form of a death wish and place a lot of misguided trust in your fellow road users.