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Old 01-27-2010, 10:54 PM   #2 (permalink)
m4a1mustang
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Quote:
Originally Posted by vivalaReagan View Post
background: bought my z ~4 months ago and it's my first z. traded a 2004 bmw 330ci vert. b4 you flame, i did a search and didn't find exactly what i'm looking for.

question: does the z seem to lack the grip you would expect it to have? since i bought my z, i have been very impressed with all aspects except grip/traction. i have a base 6m and since purchase i haven't been able to get comfortable pushing this car, especially on twisties. keep in mind that i'm only referring to moderate conditions (dry/clean roads, temps in the 50-60's) and i don't expect this car to be a winter driver.

for example, when i start from stop on a straightaway and moderately accelerate to ~5k then shift to 2nd and jump on the gas, the vdc light blinks, the rear end seems light and i feel some wheel spin. tonight, i was turning left out of a parking lot onto a busy road and the tail wagged enough to force me to back off of the gas. i didn't push it hard, in fact it was a pretty tame turn at a moderate speed and i was shocked that it stepped out like that.

i love this car but i just can't get comfortable with its handling. it seems to lack that confidence inspiring grip and i'm not sure if it's the tires, suspension, vdc, driver, etc. anyone else feel the same or am i experiencing something unusual? thanks in advance.
Well, the lower limit of the sport tires is 40 degrees. 50-60 degree weather will still require a fairly good warmup period before they get to operating temperature, but even then the ambient temp and surface temp is still too low to offer "maximum" traction.

It's also a powerful car, so you're never going to get away from spinning the tires in the lower gears. 300+ hp and gearing to go = wheel spin. That's just a fact of life and with some more seat time you'll get used to it.

Quite frankly I am very confident with the car. Steering feedback is pretty good and the car feels solid negotiating corners in spirited conditions. I can drive through the wheel spin just fine, and the car does very well in a slide... very controlled.
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