Brown Pants Morning

[Suprash]

Its weather like this that makes me happy im in an NA. Still even in that i get caught out on occassion. Wide tyres in this kind of weather is not great. But if you let some air out do you get better grip in the wet? Or is that just snow? Or am I talking rubbish?

 

By the way im pleased you and the car came away unharmed:)

 

Your talking rubbish, well not for the case in snow anyway, but I wouldnt go letting pressure out of my tyres just because its raining.......

[hoff]

Thanks:D I haven't let any out dont worry, it was just something which i was sure i once heard. lol.

 

Cheers:)

[turbonut]

Good rubber on the rear is a great help I got mine out twice last week around islands in the wet but was taking it easy but not been 100% happy with the rear suspension. After taking it to Weston Performance yesterday they sorted it for me: the coilovers were set wrongly, one was on the hardest setting the other one turn above soft! Front suspension was loose too Maybe worth getting your suspension checked out mate.

 

Then theres the rubber on your rear. mines contributed towards poor grip in the wet though they're great in the dry and the supra's now very well set up, just waiting for some more sticky rubber to arrive.

 

From watching the MotoGP and WSBK I've realised just what a difference the tyres make to the handling, cant be a huge amount different for our supras??

 

Glad you and the supra survived ok. Take it easy fellah

 

Linda

x

[Suprasteve]

As Robin I don't find the UK TC that bad, I have only once had it cut all power and that was on near slick tyres on the rear accelerating from a junction when I first bought the car three years ago

 

 

:blink::blink::blink::blink::blink: !!!!!!!

 

Seriously !?? I find that truely unbelievable.

 

Is the UK and Jap TC different ?

 

My car (Jap) was terrible in the rain, kicking out sideways at 2k revs in 4th gear, wheel hops and everything.

 

I'd been using Eagle F1s (255/40 17) for about 5 years (as seems to be what most people rave on about on the forum) however I never rated them at all. I needed new rears but the shop had run out of Eagle F1s but advised me to get some Vredestein Ultrac Giugiaro. I was a bit unsure at first as i'd never heard of them but thought they can't be much worse ? They were priced about the same and i desperately needed them so i had them fitted - best thing i've ever done ! the grip in wet and dry is massively noticably better and no more wheel hop as well (Homer , did you ever sort out your wheel hop issues ?).

 

- however i still always switch off the TC before i pull away

 

 

 

bit of info on the tyres...

 

"Created by Vredestein in partnership with Giugiaro Design, the Ultrac is the ultimate tyre for the high end of the market. With its rounded shapes, flowing contour and inclined corners, the Ultrac is superbly designed. It is also blessed with many high-tech features. Take, for example, the Ultimate Handling Construction (UHC). This construction gives the Ultrac a high handling ratio, resulting in exceptional handling on wet and dry roads. Again, look at the Centre Shift System (CSS) found in the middle of the tyre; by shifting the right and left tread parts in relation to the centre section, noise production is minimised. And finally, the use of Full Silica Silan Solution in the tread compound means the Ultrac performs superbly on wet road surfaces as well as being safe in all other weather conditions.

 

FEATURES BENEFITS

Designed by Giugiaro Design Enhanced appearance for cars in the top segment

Inspired by bio-design Tread has natural shapes and flowing contour

Ultimate Handling Construction (UHC)

Sturdy sidewall and bead construction

Maximum belt width

Centre Shift System (CSS):

Sophisticated positioning of the right and left tread parts in relation to the middle section Minimal noise level

Full Silica Silan Solution in the tread compound Optimal grip on wet roads and a low rolling resistance which gives fuel economy

Rim protector Protects the light metal rims "

[Suprash]

I believe the stock TC on the Jspec's are different to the UK's.........but this might need confirming........

[AndrewOW]

If these are the Vredestein Ultrac Giugiaro (Sessanta), like the ones you've got Suprasteve, then the tread pattern is really pretty!

[Suprasteve]

If these are the Vredestein Ultrac Giugiaro (Sessanta), like the ones you've got Suprasteve, then the tread pattern is really pretty!

 

 

unfortunately they don't look as sexy as them...

[AndrewOW]

unfortunately they don't look as sexy as them...

 

 

I thought they might be them, but I was hoping for the others...

 

Nevermind, but those seem like you're planning to go off road! They look very SUV like to me

[robin]

:blink::blink::blink::blink::blink: !!!!!!!

 

Seriously !?? I find that truely unbelievable.

 

Is the UK and Jap TC different ?

 

My car (Jap) was terrible in the rain, kicking out sideways at 2k revs in 4th gear, wheel hops and everything.

 

I'd been using Eagle F1s (255/40 17) for about 5 years (as seems to be what most people rave on about on the forum) however I never rated them at all. I needed new rears but the shop had run out of Eagle F1s but advised me to get some Vredestein Ultrac Giugiaro. I was a bit unsure at first as i'd never heard of them but thought they can't be much worse ? They were priced about the same and i desperately needed them so i had them fitted - best thing i've ever done ! the grip in wet and dry is massively noticably better and no more wheel hop as well (Homer , did you ever sort out your wheel hop issues ?).

 

- however i still always switch off the TC before i pull away

"

 

When I first got mine I thought the grip was terrible.. turned out the eagle F1's that were on the rear were nearly illegal and were mounted backwards

 

Got some brand new T1R's on the back and it was a transformed car. I dont think the eagle F1's were the problem, more so that they were badly worn and mounted incorrectly.

[RedM]

Vredestein came second in the Evo mag tyre test this month.

[Homer]

I believe the stock TC on the Jspec's are different to the UK's.........but this might need confirming........

 

Would be interested to find this out! From what everyone is saying on here it certainly appears they're using different systems (or configuration).

[Scooter]

Would be interested to find this out! From what everyone is saying on here it certainly appears they're using different systems (or configuration).

 

 

i know part of it is that the uk system applies the brakes as well as cutting power..........

[Homer]

i know part of it is that the uk system applies the brakes as well as cutting power..........

 

Hmmm, I remember seeing that somewhere. I'll take a look at mine tomorrow and see if there is a line from the Trac system to the ABS pump...

[ADL Mark]

The UK system is slightly different, it also runs on the ABS instead of just the second throttle butterfly. I have to say though, I still think it's a complete load of crap.

 

It annoyed me so much in interrupting proper driving, that I got in to the habbit of turning it off every time I got in the car and eventually took the fuse out to disable it properly.

 

I personally think it's downright dangerous in the wet when it cuts in, and it's never very good at working out when to cut in. I've had it cut in when the car's done no more than go over a small bump and then not even wake up when I've been doing 45 degrees down the road off of a roundabout. TC on a stock or even BPU Supra is totally un-neccessary in my opinion, it's not exactly a hard car to drive, even when you provoke it.

 

As JamieP's sig said, 'The Bandit didn't have RLTC'

[ozz]

Most of the cars I've owned have been RWD, my BMW used to slide all over the place. The NA supra though seems superb. (touches wood, don't want to post up a 'crashed' thread tomorrow!), handles amazing in the wet. Only twitched once on greasey roads underneath some trees.

 

I'm starting to think its a bad thing as I used to ease the BM around in the wet, this Supra just doesn't care. Don't want it to catch me out though. Pushed it too much the other day (follow my mates rather nippy mundano TDI at over 100letpons in heavy rain, not big and not clever) but she just sticks to the road. She's wearing Toyo Proxos though and they seem superb.

 

Are the TTs really that bad for road holding in the wet then? Seems to be a lot of accidents mentioned on here are the TT wiping out.

[Suprasteve]

Are the TTs really that bad for road holding in the wet then? Seems to be a lot of accidents mentioned on here are the TT wiping out.

 

mostly happens when the turbos kick in.

 

little torque then all of a sudden shite lots of torque = brown pants time

[Homer]

Are the TTs really that bad for road holding in the wet then? Seems to be a lot of accidents mentioned on here are the TT wiping out.

 

They're really not that bad as TT's, but you do need to be very aware of what the car is doing in wet/damp conditions.

 

There's also been a few cases of cars with RLTC crashing in the wet, two of which were on the motorway. As Ian C recently said, RLTC should be treated as a warning system rather than a solution to grip problems - i.e. if its cutting in, you're driving too hard for the conditions.

 

Personally I'd prefer to learn how the car handles first, then fit RLTC to give you that safety margin. I don't think it;s a good idea for people to buy RLTC before learning the cars 'real' limits.

[Shadow Beast]

evening guys,

 

just got to ask this proberly going to sound a complete moron, do all supra's have TC? mine is a N/A auto JSPEC, if so where then is the button for turning it on and off or can this not be done? or is mine not likley to have it fitted!

[RedM]

There's also been a few cases of cars with RLTC crashing in the wet, two of which were on the motorway.

 

That sounds like aquaplaning to me. I've had a couple of squiffy moments on the M-way. I wouldn't expect RL to work in those situations.

 

It's also worth noting that, in a straight line, RL is actually 5% less than your current setting. It's only when the wheels are turned a specific amount does the setting you have it at come into effect.

 

Eg. 0% slip in corners is 5% in a straight line.

 

At least that's what I think Terminator meant.

[Homer]

evening guys,

 

just got to ask this proberly going to sound a complete moron, do all supra's have TC? mine is a N/A auto JSPEC, if so where then is the button for turning it on and off or can this not be done? or is mine not likley to have it fitted!

 

Not all, many of the earlier NA's didn't have traction control (or ABS)

 

The button is normally the middle one just below the stereo.

[Shadow Beast]

Not all, many of the earlier NA's didn't have traction control (or ABS)

 

The button is normally the middle one just below the stereo.

 

thankyou i will have a look in the morning mines a 93 on a k plate.

[Need4Speed]

but i never brake if i lose the back end in the wet it makes it worse imo

Hard on the brakes is quite a good way limit the damage if you know you've lost it. At this point ABS can be a bit of a pain though.

 

I'm always astounded that people don't realise that not all tyres are the same. They are the only thing that your car has in contact with the road!

[Burna]

Hmmm, I remember seeing that somewhere. I'll take a look at mine tomorrow and see if there is a line from the Trac system to the ABS pump...

 

We'll have to compare engines next time we meet up mate

[robin]

Just been reading a review here: http://www.reviewcentre.com/review177569.html

 

This paragraph is included in the review:

 

The main Achilles heel of the Japanese spec car is the traction control system, which, unlike the UK spec car, isn’t a true traction control system but an Electronic Throttle Control System. The system monitors the wheels for slippage, but as opposed to applying a brake to the spinning wheel (as per the UK spec traction control system) electronically backs off the throttle until it’s happy that the wheels aren’t spinning anymore. In most cases the system works well, but can lead to embarrassing situations when trying to pull out of a side turning into traffic in slippery conditions. The system detects wheel spin, backs off the throttle, and you sit there with your foot flat on the floor going nowhere with cars approaching you from both directions!!!

[Burna]

Good find Robin

 

To throw more confusion into the pot I've also heard there's a difference on the UK ABS system too.

 

On another note I wonder who wrote that review, it read like he is/was a member:

 

My advice would be to join the Owner’s Club, get to know the members and their cars, then use personal recommendations to select your tuner/modifier.

 

I’ve had my Japanese spec manual twin-turbo for 6+ years now, and I’m still very much in love, and wouldn’t swap her for anything (well, alright if you offered me a Mosler MT900S or a Pagani Zonda C12S you could tempt me, but you can’t use those cars on an everyday basis like you can a Supra).