[SMARTKAR]

As I take a 2 hr trip on the highway with the speed limit at 70 mph, I noticed that this smart car was getting a little scary to drive at 70+mph. Yes it was a sort of a windy day but it made me back down to 60 until I got my nerves back up (70 mph) then backing down again. I don’t see how you guy do cross-country in these and feel comfortable. I was thinking about going to visit the north (NYC) to see the sites but driving 12 hours would be hummm……A Tremor

 

[jwight]

Back in 2013 a bunch of us drove from the Midwest to Denver for the smart Nationals - 80 mph on I70 across Kansas. Don't fight the car, just enjoy the ride.

 

[smark]

The little 451 can be a handful crossing Kansas on a really windy day. Our first Mo Kan club, driving down I 35 to Ottawa Kansas. There was 6 of us. Super windy day. I was lead car. Looking in my rear view mirror. the little cars were swerving back-and-forth like a snake.

This photo was our club headed to Topeka Kansas, on I 70 windy rainy day. What’s more fun, is having rain blowing hard at the little car. White knuckle driving steering position.

 

[vadsoom]

Definitely an issue… my wife and I made three cross-country trips last year and found thriving through western Texas, Kansas, and Nebraska would be daunting. With the winds and slipstream from truck after a cutout, the wind was enough to just about jerk the steering wheel out of my hands. It was the closest I’ve ever come to wrecking the car.

Since then, I’ve installed front and rear air dams and side skirts and wider tires. It’s much better now.

 

[the big e]

I agree with the others cross winds aren’t fun in these but after a bit you tend to learn to compensate for them or mod the car to make it do better(I have done the former and plan on doing the latter)
Still can’t get over my friends reaction first time he drove my smart on the interstate(I kept telling him to keep both hands on the wheel he finally did after a big crosswind nearly pulled into the other lane)

 

[jetfuel]

…you guys crack me up…
…just take it to the limiter (if you have one) and enjoy the ride in the washing machine…

jetfue…as BarneyO used to say

 

[SMARTKAR]

Or tumble machine

 

[1983JZR3W]

Just look out for the "spin cycle".

 

[the big e]

I’ve done it in both of mine a few times.
While it’s not bad it’s not like being up into triple digits on the same stretch of road.(done it once in my rx8)

 

[SMARTKAR]

Definitely an issue… my wife and I made three cross-country trips last year and found thriving through western Texas, Kansas, and Nebraska would be daunting. With the winds and slipstream from truck after a cutout, the wind was enough to just about jerk the steering wheel out of my hands. It was the closest I’ve ever come to wrecking the car.

Since then, I’ve installed front and rear air dams and side skirts and wider tires. It’s much better now.

Luck you, plus you are into serious modifications for your smart…Most of us might just add car seats or an air freshener 😆

 

[ratchetwrist]

When the weather is warm try this out and see how the car handles at higher speeds and the buffeting from
big trucks. Bring down both your windows and see how that changes things. (note: I have the same size of tires
all the way around.)

Ratchetwrist

 

[the big e]

I’ll give it a try and see how it does.
Just have to make sure I don’t have anything that can blow out of the car at the time.

 

[Miss Mercedes]

Many years ago, someone figured out a clever way to help the 451's crosswind performance. His idea was to make the transition between the windshield and the tridion cell smoother. Look at your windshield and you'll notice that there's a good inch or so between the glass and the top of the tridion.

They used Gorilla Tape to make the gap into a smooth incline, and apparently it worked great.

Wind Blown no more Newbie found a cure

Today I got some disturbing news about my lungs and the growth they found. I figured there is nothing I can do about it today, So I decided to enjoy my 4 day weekend anyway. To get my mind off things I set out to help out SCOA and its members to try and find a cure for the crosswind problem...

www.smartcarofamerica.com

As luck would have it, I was forced to pay for Photobucket to save my photo archive, and the photos of the experiment are still there:

I don't recommend using tape, but maybe like a plastic ramp or something from a hardware store?

 

[ratchetwrist]

So MM does that work and if so how much difference does it make?

Ratchetwrist.

 

[Miss Mercedes]

I've never tried it, myself. The only time crosswinds have ever bothered me was one winter when wind gusts hit 60 mph. Got caught in a gust so strong that the truck in front of me had its left tires in the air.

I do run the same size tire all around, and that seems to help.

 

[ratchetwrist]

One thing you can say about the Smart and the old VW buses is that you never find people going to sleep
behind the wheel on windy days.

Ratchetwrist.

 

[the big e]

^ that is true.

Miss Mercedes
The only thing with the tape is if you have a silver tridion cell tape sticks out like a sore thumb.(especially if the tape is black) my red 08 has a black cell but unfortunately it’s not drivable currently.
If there was a weatherstrip type deal that would work and match both colors that would be great.
I may give it a try and see if it actually works as I do interstate driving in both of my smarts and getting caught in a crosswind isn’t fun(though I’ve been able to handle most of the times I’ve had it happen)

 

[Kazuano]

I had the big plastic shark fin on my smart for several years until the car wash knocked it off. I always thought that seemed to help with highway crosswinds. After the shark fin was gone I noticed considerably more blowing around on the highway. Couldn't find a new fin for sale so I opted for two shorter antenna covering type fins. In my opinion it improved stability with windy highway travel a great deal. Could be my imagination but I think not.

 

[Miss Mercedes]

^ that is true.

Miss Mercedes
The only thing with the tape is if you have a silver tridion cell tape sticks out like a sore thumb.(especially if the tape is black) my red 08 has a black cell but unfortunately it’s not drivable currently.
If there was a weatherstrip type deal that would work and match both colors that would be great.
I may give it a try and see if it actually works as I do interstate driving in both of my smarts and getting caught in a crosswind isn’t fun(though I’ve been able to handle most of the times I’ve had it happen)

Haha yeah, I wouldn't put tape on your car. I think that was more of a proof of concept. I'm thinking something like a foam block cut into a gentle ramp or perhaps a piece of plastic doing the same.

 

[smark]

I had the big plastic shark fin on my smart for several years until the car wash knocked it off. I always thought that seemed to help with highway crosswinds. After the shark fin was gone I noticed considerably more blowing around on the highway. Couldn't find a new fin for sale so I opted for two shorter antenna covering type fins. In my opinion it improved stability with windy highway travel a great deal. Could be my imagination but I think not.

I could see how that could help! Right!