C5 Oversteer

[MaxPrimal]

That's fine, I wanted to make sure what I read and what I saw where right so when I call Kwik-fit today I tell them the right thing. I will put the image on my phone so I can show them what they should already know and how to adjust my wheels correctly as well.

Thanks
Max

[gazellef61]

Hi, You are not alone.... my C5 does exactly the same thing when on full lock,(or near to full lock) and has done since I bought it 2+ years ago, if you get someone to drive it and watch the front wheels, when approaching full lock I can see that my front tyres look like they will be forced off of the rims!. The front suspension has been thoroughly checked and nothing is worn or loose and the toe out is 1.0mm, the rear suspension does have some slight wear to the radius arm on the N/S, could this contribute?, although it feels strange when taking a tight turn it has always 'behaved' very well driving along normally.

[addo]

Shift in steering geometry through tight turns and moderately low speeds, is usually a sign of worn lower arm bushes. A further hint is when excess toe out is found.

[Mandrake]

True enough, but for on limit oversteer I would primarily be checking the rear suspension - eg rear tires, rear spheres, rear suspension arm bearings. Any of those could potentially cause unexpected twitchyness at the rear near the limit. Badly worn passive rear steering mounting bushes are also a possibility.

Citroen's in proper working order aren't tail happy and don't break away at the rear unless something is wrong.

[MaxPrimal]

The suspension seemed okay last night. It went down fine, and when I went to push it again it was stiff as if the car sensed the movement and reacted to it.

I have noticed the rear offside tyre is a slick on the inner 1/3 so that may explain things when turning right as the weight shifts to that side and there is no tread left. I will get that tyre replaced on Saturday. Sadly it may be a kwik-fit job but I may try the branch near work and not the one I used last time - see if they have any more brain cells between them,

It may still be me and the quirk of the car. Once I change the tyre I will have a better idea.

[Mandrake]

Yep, a 1/3 bald rear tyre could easily cause some skittishness or oversteer at the back. Even a decent budget tyre is going to be a lot safer than one that is part bald...

[Oliver53]

The vehicle dynamics theory tells us that more grip on the rear, less tendency to over-steer. I would say if you are going to change only two tyres, they must be mounted to the rear. This ensures you won't have over-steer problem due to worn tyres.

Chang