Poor Handling at 65mph plus

[willy442]

I actually drove my Smart at 87 mph on the Suncoast Parkway, Fl., after having the wheels rebalanced at the dealership. The road is smooth and there was no side wind. Good ride. Not a problem!

[RussBarnes]

Originally Posted by SmartCard

Tires are the same size on all US smarts, only the rims vary

Well yours is different than mine then. Not only are the widths obviously different the fronts on mine were about 1/2" larger diameter than the rears, no matter what the cross reference to the number on the sides say. Get a tape measure and check yours like I did mine.....

[elmonteguy]

I just got my fortwo and I'm not sure whether or not it's quite right for me because although I've gotten used to the shifting and no longer think that's really a big problem, it's the supreme attention to driving I need when I get over 65mph. I'm stupid, because I live in LA where there is a lot of commuting, however, there is also a lot of traffic so there are many times, when you're not really even going over 65mph, but when you are going over 65mph, you have to definitely be concentrating. I'm undecided, I like a lot of things about this car, but I'm kind of a scaredy cat driver.

[MPrice2984]

I had the same problem when I first got mine 13000 miles ago. I drive in Chicago so I can relate to you. The Continentals will get better with some wearing in, they were pretty scary when new, but are much improved with age. I'm going to change the fronts to the same size as the rears, this is supposed to help with the 'hunting' problem with cross winds and semi's. These cars are so much fun once you get used to them that I can't imagine not having it.

[Wdhitch]

Originally Posted by elmonteguy

I just got my fortwo and I'm not sure whether or not it's quite right for me because although I've gotten used to the shifting and no longer think that's really a big problem, it's the supreme attention to driving I need when I get over 65mph. I'm stupid, because I live in LA where there is a lot of commuting, however, there is also a lot of traffic so there are many times, when you're not really even going over 65mph, but when you are going over 65mph, you have to definitely be concentrating. I'm undecided, I like a lot of things about this car, but I'm kind of a scaredy cat driver.

Have your dealership check the wheel balance... ours was off and over 65 was very bad... re-balanced the wheels and all the issues disappeared!!

[Duckhunter]

Originally Posted by Wdhitch

Have your dealership check the wheel balance... ours was off and over 65 was very bad... re-balanced the wheels and all the issues disappeared!!

That is true also check the air pressurt as if it is to high will cause problems. Had mine for a few months now an dhave no issues driving over 65.

[lebikerboy]

The stock tires on both the 450 and 451 are too small in my opinion. We upgraded to Pulse Coreline rims and 175/55/15 fronts with 195/50/15 rears and the difference was significant. Can now attain maximum speed 135kph (85mph) if desired and not worry about the tires.

[forestacademy]

Originally Posted by lebikerboy

The stock tires on both the 450 and 451 are too small in my opinion. We upgraded to Pulse Coreline rims and 175/55/15 fronts with 195/50/15 rears and the difference was significant. Can now attain maximum speed 135kph (85mph) if desired and not worry about the tires.

I find it interesting how when you alter an enginered safety freature of the car an Upgrade. The Depth Of Rubber on the Stock tires is part of the Crumple Zone.

[fortow]

Although the smart does get blown around by strong side gusts of wind that is not the issue here. The issue is tramlining - following ruts in the roadway. These "ruts" are caused by the constant passage of trafic, most noticably large heavy trucks.
The cause is many factored - tires construction, tire pressures, alignment (camber and toe settings), suspension design, and what you don't want to hear - driver behaviour. Keep both hand on the steering wheel, grip it at the three and nine o'clock positions, don't over react, and hold the wheel firmly but in a relaxed manner. If it wanders then let it. It will wander back again anyway.
The discussion about toe settings was appropriate.

If you drive on flat pavement you will not notice wandering.

Many cars and tricks do this but it can be corrected. In addition to alignment, tires are also a large factor to be considered.
My motorhome wanders more than my smart - and there's a considerable difference in wheel base, so don't blame this on the short wheel base. I need to check the toe-in on the motorhome. Toe can be changed by owners without problem, I have also done this myself.

Here's an article that might be helpful.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete....jsp?techid=47

[mvaldes]

Mine seemed to need a lot attention in the beginning as well. After a bit, either it broke itself in or broke me in. Now, it's just like any of my other cars at highway speeds.