405 estate cornering problems

john poniznik · Unread post by **john poniznik** » 30 Aug 2005, 20:35

When going round a roundabout the rear of my 1993 405 estate pushes out causing the vehicle to spin.The shockers and bushes seem ok.Any help would be greatly appreciated.

PowerLee · Unread post by **PowerLee** » 30 Aug 2005, 20:51

What are the tyres like? Any play in the suspension components?
Front wishbones? drop links, top mounts, anti roll bars ok?
To spin a 405 either something is worn / broken or you are driving beyond the chassis capabilities! ( Not possible with a 405 )
Sounds like the rear trailing arm bearings are shot, Might be time for a new / re-con rear beam assembly.
You really need to get it up on a 4 poster ramp & have a good push & pull on the suspension, Give those rear trailing arms a good look at!

matt · Unread post by **matt** » 30 Aug 2005, 22:13

You can usually see if the axle is shot by just at the angle the wheels sit at,have a look to see if the top of the wheels camber in / \ too much compared to another 405 if need be.Although my old 405s axle was shot but it never felt dangerous it just made a lot of noise[:0]

fastandfurryous · Unread post by **fastandfurryous** » 31 Aug 2005, 00:33

Have you checked your tyre pressures? if the rears are down below 30psi, the back end will be somewhat wayward. The recommended pressures for 405 tyres is quite high (mid 30's, up to 41 for the rear of a loaded estate) and makes quite a difference to handling.

hill · Unread post by **hill** » 31 Aug 2005, 00:58

Or of course, the rears could be too high if somebody pumped them up for load carrying and it's now empty. Also, take a look at the tyre make/type. A previous owner had put a pair of cheap nasty tyres on my 406 estate. Possibly made of kevlar because they didn't wear out but they did't grip either!

caveman_si · Unread post by **caveman_si** » 31 Aug 2005, 16:06

If you have cheapie tyres set at full load psi and have an empty car and a fairly empty fuel tank and corner fast on a damp road it is quite possible for the back end to kick out. esp if there is a hint of oil on the damp road. (i know this as i spun my car on my way to work last week on a roundbout in warrington in the above conditions)
Or having cheapie tyres that are at the wear blocks and need changing again on a wet road. (did this last yr back end became un managable and kept wanting to kick out bought new rear tyres and no more problem)

yangreen · Unread post by **yangreen** » 31 Aug 2005, 17:34

Could be classic lift off oversteer. If you think "blimey, going a bit quick here" and ease off the throttle or, even worse, brake mid-bend, the back of the car goes light and the back end can snap around. My 306 would drift a little under these circumstances on a greasy road. I think most front wheel drive cars can do this if you are really pushing hard. Ideally, you should brake hard while going straight and get back on the throttle slightly before turning in. Works on a track anyway!

PowerLee · Unread post by **PowerLee** » 31 Aug 2005, 23:00

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by yangreen</i>

Could be classic lift off oversteer. If you think "blimey, going a bit quick here" and ease off the throttle or, even worse, brake mid-bend, the back of the car goes light and the back end can snap around. <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
You would have to be driving like a right idiot to get a 405 to behave like that.
I used to be able to get the rear wheel inches clear of the ground easily when cornering in both my 405s & it always felt like it had loads more grip to fall back on.
Even lifting rear wheels I never got anywhere near the limits of the 405s chassis & I dont expect anybody else to through everyday driving.
Also any 405, even the rubbish 1.4 will eat a 306 around corners ( except S16 / GTI 6 ) for breakfast, Theres no contest, the 405 has the much better chassis.
To spin a 405 there must be something not right with the suspension set up or tyres.

yangreen · Unread post by **yangreen** » 31 Aug 2005, 23:41

Well yes but thought I'd lob it in! Got oversteer in a 305 diesel van once - that was low tyre pressure!

john poniznik · Unread post by **john poniznik** » 01 Sep 2005, 22:47

Many thanks for the replies.Had the car up on ramps the shockers and bushes are ok.I should have mentioned that until recently I towed a fully loaded unbraked trailer for approx 150 miles per week for several years,also last year I replaced the drop links and rear bushes on the front wishbones which was a pig of a job to align the marks on the bush with the mark on the wishbone.