Hi My 1990 Testa is very light and Twitchy at high speeds, I know from books that this is partly a inherant fault but does anybody know if there is anything can be done about it. It does not fill me with confidence when on anything but straight roads and at speeds over 120mph feel scary. Is there any solution or do I just have to become a better driver Simes PS Could it have anything to do with my tyres which are the original Goodyears????
Did you check your tire pressures? When you say original goodyears, do you mean to tell me you are driving on 14 year old tires?!?
Auraraptor is 100% correct!! Check your tire pressures, and play around with them a little bit. Also, how old are the tires you're driving on? As tires age the compound gets harder, and also there is dry rot. Also, FWIW, my TR likes to be a pain in the arse on sloppy roads too! Check the pitch of the roads you arer driving on. Most roads have a crown, that is the center of the road is slightly higher than the outer edges. This is done for drainage reasons. My TR likes to go with the pitch, and I have to steer against the pitch.
If the tyres are 15 years old throw then in a bin now (without driving the car a mile further) Rubber parts have a very finite life span and your tryes hit theirs 10 years ago, on a straight road at 180 a Trossa should feel OK not scary at 120
Please don't drive on them. Look here to get a new set of tires: http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=30930
Dear Ferraristi, I have a 91 TR US, and it's twitchy as well. Even at low speeds, it wants to pull all over the place. My tires are a couple of years old and OEM sizes so that factor is eliminated. I have found that running 35 PSI all round really helped in my case. I don't know how the car could be driven at 185mph with such a nervous feel. My 308 was solid as a rock even at higher speeds....way more comfortable than the TR Tires have a shelf life of about 5 years. At your 15 years, you are really taking a chance of a blow-out. Don't forget, it just won't go flat but delaminate and take some of the body-work with it. Buy new tires....super cheap insurance ( especially with a TR...nothing is cheap ) Shamile
Thanks for the Tip. I am about to buy some new tyres and the only ones I can find for a complete set are Kumho Ecsta 712 the problem is there only meant for a 9" rim and our Testa's are 10's so I'm not sure what to do????? Do you know of them and what do you use??? I guess it'll still be twitchy but at least safer. PS I'm glad i'm not the only one with a Twitch.
Don't forget that checking for proper tyre pressure is only the first step. The car really shouldn't be "twitchy" at high speed in the first place, as many other owners will tell you. The car has a top speed of 180/185mph, under normal conditions, it should do 150mph easy. If after checking the tyre pressures and the they appears to be correct, you may have a balance issue with the tyres/wheels, especially if you are still running a 10 years old tyres. Also, aligment can be an issue as well amoung other things such as suspension components as there are parts made of rubber which can harden as well due to lack of use. This will be especially true if the car is a garage queen. Anyway, my point is that don't just "mask" the problem by playing with the tyre pressure and stop there, if there is a true problem with the car, have it fixed and corrected before more serious problem develops.
My Tr is rock stable at speed and tracks straight as arrow. As far as the tires go, The Dunlop SP8000 is about the best tire that will fit a 10" rim safely. As posted above this was all covered in a recent prior thread. Kenny K.
