What helps get rid of sliding sideways

[Mr. Spock]

When I really get on the throttle from a stop my rear end just spins and starts moving around. This usually results in two S shaped tire track going down the road. What do I need to do to just go straight?? I have a m5, 3.42s, and an Auburn LSD. With no suspension mods.

[AllTheGoodNamesAreGone]

.. that could really be any number of things..

alignemnt.. jacked up diff.. too much weight on one side of the car.. an improperly torqued bolt on something like a sway bar.. ect ect..

typically you car shuld pull slightly to one side even w/LSD but.. it shuldent be anything that you cant reverse with a light touch on the stearing wheel..

~Bill

[ June 28, 2003: Message edited by: AllTheGoodNamesAreGone ]</p>

[Dominic]

Are you talking about gunning it from a light, wheel straight, and it burning left/right?

Very common, as once you lose traction the slightest yaw acted on the car (a pebble?) can send the car in one direction or another. Its unpredictable and is not related to suspension hardly at all.

The only thing you can do is countersteer it.

[Firebird1055]

I have a huge problem with sliding. I've driven many other cars, and none of them have anywhere near the problem that my Firebird does. I've heard many Firebird owners say the same thing, so I guess it's just in the genes. If the streets are even remotely wet, I have to accelerate really slow, especially if I'm turning from a stop, like at a stop sign or something. I've nearly wrecked countless times, all because of my horrible sliding issues. The 2nd Gear Shift button helps sometimes (btw, does anyone else have that thing?), but I just have to suck it up and deal with it. That's why I hate the rain so much, because I want to shoot out from a dead stop and burn everyone behind me... stupid rain...

[Mr. Spock]

I already counter steer I was just looking for anything that could help keep all that energy going straight forward. Yes I am talking about when I lose traction.

[Arctc Wolf]

mine doesn't do that. when i floor it when wet, the wheels spin and the car doesn't "wag it's tail" at all. this could be because of the 1LE(32/21) swaybars I'm running.

[Arctc Wolf]

oh yea, and wider, stickier, and taller rear tires will help also.

[Guardsman]

I'm susre there are quite a few people that would swap their one-legger for your posi, and fix that nasty problem for you :D Firebird1055, yes, I have the SGS also.

[Mr. Spock]

I have 255/50s (Potenza s) on the rear and traction seems to be a lot better with them than the goodyears. Would sway bars help? I thought they really just helped on turns. Also would LCA's help and should I go with some adjustable ones or not?

Does anyone know a website that explains what the suspension parts do/ affect??

[AllTheGoodNamesAreGone]

I dont know of any websites that do a real great job of explaining suspension.. alot of the info i have recived is from professionals and here on the board.. And there are alot of "opinions" here on the board.. some are good.. others are bad.. soo be carefull with who you listen too.. and ALLLWAYS check you plans out with someone who knows alot about your application before you just go out and buy parts..

But another thing that crossed my mind is tire pressure.. if they are not balanced then you can run into problems like this.. may want to check them.. also you can slightly over/under inflate one side to help compensate.. just a little bit though..

And yeah, really sticky tires will help.. get some potenza re730's and you wont need to worry about doing long smokey burn outs anymore.. they will stick so hard that you will barly be able to get them to chirp let alone spin..

~Bill

[Arctc Wolf]

most ppl think swaybars only help on cornering, but it does actually help traction too. when u floor it, the driveshaft spins one direction. the torque from it spinning is sent back to the rear end, and the rear end tries to spin as well. the shocks, springs and rear swaybar prevent this, but it still twists some. this results in 1 tire lifting and the other pressing into the pavement.

serious drag racers put airbags inside the right rear spring to prevent this twist as much as possible. Doing this however will hurt the car's ability to croner, since the spring can't compress much.

A bigger rear swaybar would allow less of this twist to occur, while allowing the car to hold corners better. getting a bigger swaybar increases the chances of oversteer greatly, and should be matched with a properly sized front swaybar if the car is driven on the street. This is why I like the 32/21 1LE swaybar combo.