Hello from KOREA

DEZMO · 10-07-2009, 06:54 PM

Hello,
I found out about the smart car (smart fortwo) from the yahoo page saying it was one of the worst car ever made

Upon doing some research of my own and stumbled into this forum of ours

I am fascinated with the things you can do with this little car! Granted it's only a two seater, perfect for me and my son

the things you can do to this little car is only limited by your imagination

I currently do not own one because we are stationed at Korea for the mean time. I am looking into getting one when we get back to the mainland

I do have some questions for those that do own one. How does the car handle on the turns? Some says this will flip over on you like an suv? Where do you fine folks go to change out the ugly looking rims

I have seen the smartuki looks hella fun to drive. This car is perfect for the Sunday cruise or whatever floats your boat.

**Dunerunner** · 10-07-2009, 07:25 PM

Greetings DEZMO!!

And thanks for your service!

NCC1701 · 10-07-2009, 07:39 PM

Welcome aboard DEZMO!

A lot of judgements are made based purely on the vehicle's looks. The SUV comparison seems to be one of them.

I never noticed really, until I attended the Tail of the Dragon event, that viewed from the rear ... it kinda does resemble a mini SUV. (please folks, don't throw rotten fruit).

However, the run featured a lot of tight turns and switchbacks. Some of the folks were running it even faster than I was and nobody rolled over! (imagine that!) I haven't yet seen any credible information suggesting the fortwo is especially prone to rollover from cornering ... and good first hand evidence that this is not true.

There might be some truth to it when the car is slammed by a heavier vehicle. In a serious collison (life threatening) rolling over could help dissipate energy in a way which could contribute to survival. And, nice to know the fortwo's got highest marks on roof strength testing.

mchang66 · 10-07-2009, 10:00 PM

They have dealers in Korea now. They handle everything just fine maybe except for acceleration and steep hills on highways. I just came back a couple of months ago from Seoul and saw them on the streets. They looked really good. Check out www.bobaedream.com I'm sure they cars for sale but not sure if they have options to view the site in English. You could prolly get a buddy of yours from CFC or KATUSA program to help you on the site. I just did the search on the site and here is the link to the result
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pabille · 10-08-2009, 08:17 AM

Handling in this car is FUN. Actually, the stability control keeps me from putting the rear end out. Still, it's a blast in the twisties. With no power steering and 195/50s up front, it's still easy to whip the steering wheel back and forth.

**rfernatt** · 10-08-2009, 08:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DEZMO

How does the car handle on the turns? Some says this will flip over on you like an suv? Where do you fine folks go to change out the ugly looking rims

West Virginia is home to some pretty twisty back roads and I've never had a problem even when pushing it. I've coaxed ESP into action a couple times, but it is surprisingly stable. The car looks tall, but with the plastic body and roof, the majority of the weight (engine/trans/fuel tank) is mounted low in the car for a better center of gravity. I also attended the Tail of the Dragon event in NC and had no issues pushing the car even on a wet road. It's not invincible, no car is, but unless the driver is completely insane (jetfuel?

), there are too many safety systems (ESP, ABS, etc.) to get into any serious trouble.

As NCC1701 mentioned, some of the rollover talk is probably coming from the possibility during a serious collision. But, with the tridion and superior roof strength, I'm not concerned in the unlikely event.

For wheels and tires, a relatively cheap, decent looking, easier to clean upgrade are the Rial wheels. I also changed out the rim width to 15x6 all the way around with 195/50 Yokohama all season tires. The rims fit the car with no modification (spacers, etc.). I like the wider look and handling proficiency is also increased. Running a "four square" setup (same size wheels/tires all the way around) is a bit controversial on here, but the vast majority who have made the switch would not go back and that includes me. The larger tires also improve the ride and make it possible to rotate back/front.