mini roundabouts and 355's

If the tyres were warmed up properly and not bald this should not happen in dry conditions with 25% throttle. Have the wheels been balanced recently? Sounds like fun though

 

I dunno then. Maybe you just hit some loose asphalt or gravel or a wet spot at the moment you applied throttle. One of my guilty pleasures is is getting my 355 sideways merging onto the main road off my street with the tires stone cold..fun fun!

 

I've had a similar experience though not in an F-car. Those round-abouts seem to collect fines and debris, hence the itty-bitty speed limit through those things. Try doing the Tanner Foust style drift next time!

 

Sounds like fun!!

 

The UK? I bet it was raining or damp even.

 

Based on what you described, it doesn't sound like it should have happened. I don't think it has to do with your tires being out of balance either. How old are your tires? Have they hardened up a bit?

Potential factors could include:

How far the wheels were turned when you applied additional throttle. Was it just the throttle you were modulating or is it possible you were adding throttle, then quickly let the clutch pedal all the way out?
Pavement make up and condition (small pebbles built up?)

It does sound fun!

 

Edit: Noticed you said it swerved "a lot".

 

Tyres are very important mate and I think your tyres are just too old and hard which is what probably caused this to happen.

I have also put my 348 through roundabouts with the ass end flicking out. But I did it on purpose when the tyres were really worn, before I replaced them.

I have 10 yr old tyres on my old Ford Fairlane. I dont push that car past 60 km/h, especially around corners. The rubber is really hard and the wouldnt handle too good when pushed hard throught some corners. Which is why I dont do that. The car just gets driven to work and back every 4 days. 10 km return trip to work.

My tyres are also like new after 10 yrs and 10,000 km. I will keep them on there as long as I can. I do not take the car over 60 km/h and I never take it out of town for road trips etc....

I would never have 7 yr old tyres on my Ferrari. I like to have fun in that car and you cannot push it hard when you have crusty 7 yr old tyres!!

 

My apologies i have reread that you did say it was dry. My bad
Another thing to think about is that the rear of the 355 can wallow about if one or both of engine mounts (rubbers)have perished. The engine moves about if this is the case causing the tail to move out..

 

Well, yes. I dont think tyres are meant to last that long, normally.

Mine dont look new anymore. You can tell they are old cause the rubber has 'cracks' throughout it. They are also ROCK HARD!! Which is why I am very careful with them. Driving to work and back is fine.

You cant answer that question. Some owners replace them every 2-3 years. Some people wear them out every 12 months. Some people like you have them on their 355 for 7 yrs!

 

Man, I dont know about that!!

 

Indeed, i had both of mine go last year. When i accelerated hard the rear used to feel very unstable, and when turned a corner it felt like the back wanted to sway out there. Changed them and the car felt like something else. Logic dictates that the engine was rocking and moving.

 

Amazing!! I have NEVER heard of anything like this before!

 

With only two engine mounts holding the engine ( not the gear box, just the engine) and absolutely no rubber stopping/supporting the engine. What do you think will happen These mounts are very hard to check because of there under manifold location. In fact one of the mounts pictured was pushed out just using my fingers, look at the bottom pic to see that the rubber was completely gone.
So think about it. These mounts are totally perished and the engine is rocking and moving, remember were the drive shafts are attached to So cornering forces move the engine and have got to affect the rear wheels/drive shafts and suspension. What moves an inch at the bottom will move even more at the top of the engine.
Like i said the car was unstable before and once i changed the mounts to brand new ones the car was tight.
I am only giving an option to the original poster because it happened to me.
Heres the pictures to show how bad they were.
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I know what *could* happen, I just didnt think it would happen!!

And I still dont believe it! But thanks for sharing your experience.

 

Agree with the old, hard, non-grippy tire statements. Recently replaced tires on my car ('98 355) and seems to not only stick MUCH better, but to ride much smoother as well, both evidence of hard tires. Mine were 7 years old, still with good tread, when I replaced them. Also worth checking 4 wheel alignment while you're replacing tires, even if no funny wear patterns. Also did this recently on my '95 RX-7, which has always been somewhat of a handful under acceleration, and new tires with a 4 wheel alignment did magic for the car. Turns out the right rear had excessive toe-out, causing the loose handling.

Best of luck,

John

 

Ok

 

Tires have a shelf life of six years. From the Tyre Bible:

"...as a rule-of-thumb, you should never use tyres more than 6 years old. The rubber in tyres degrades over time, irrespective of whether the tyre is being used or not. When you get a tyre change, if you can, see if the tyre place will allow you to inspect the new tyres first. It's not uncommon for these shops to have stuff in stock which is more than 6 years old. The tyre might look brand new, but it will delaminate or have some other failure within weeks of being put on a vehicle."

"In June 2005, Ford and GM admitted that tyres older than 6 years posed a hazard and from their 2006 model year onwards, started printing warnings to this effect in their drivers handbooks for all their vehicles."

 

<*Come through the round a bout, get on the gas and it goes sideways*>, I don't see the problem?










Seriously though, sounds like there was something on the road that caused this problem, try it at a few different round a bouts and see what happens.
Is this the first time you have accelerated through a round a bout?



Something sounds very strange here.