After a good reception to my Transmission Oil tip, I have decided to post another tip:

Improving Handling on a Tight Budget. Ok, How do you improve your car's handling without changing rims and springs? Everyone knows that Front engine cars suffer from understeer. Understeer = car does not like to turn in the intended direction. Front wheel drive cars are worse than RWD cars, since they do not have rear mechanicals to balance the weight of the engine in the front. Also you can control RWD better with the throttle. The LS400 is RWD, but is also an offender. I didn't have a lot of cash to invest in a 1992 LS400 with 190K miles. So no new wheels, no new shocks, no new springs. They way you can offset this problem is by going from 205-65/15 to 225-60/15 tyres, but only in the front. Defies logic right? But think! In this way the handling and steering response in the front is improved, but the rear remains the same, allowing the rear to drift normally, when the car is pushed hard through corners. If you replace the tyres in the rear as well, then you do not get this advantage, as the rear end stays in place, but the front still understeers, relatively. Do you need fatter tyres in the rear anyway? No. The rear, when the pavement is dry, never loses traction anyway from a standstill, because there is enough rubber to transfer the wheel motion to the road with the existing tyre width. Besides it costs more, you have to get 4 news tyres instead of 2.

I made this change, and man, what an improvement. Also, pick more agressive, grippier tyres for the front for added benefit. I used the Conti Extreme Contact ones. The car can comparitevely "Blitz" through corners now. Do it the next time you have to get a couple of tyres, or do it now, and put the ones you removed from the front on the rear later on, when the current ones wear out. Thanks for reading. BTW, I have tried this, and it works, not just in theory. Do it at your own risk, I am not responsible for your problems later.

I am going to do this to the big Benz next.

Thanks for reading.

 

Maybe not such a good tip after all

 

Abcedefghij

 

A suberb tyre with big, agressive tread blocks, great response, V rated or higher, sticky rubber, yet awesome treadlife. One of the best I have owned. Awesome price as well.

 

The other side to this theory is you could put skinnier tires in the rear and leave the fronts stock, huh? BTW, who drifts an LS400?

 

Abcedefghij

 

Fantabulous in the rain thanks to its shark fin grooves!!! I have had these for 3 months, The wider front tyre mows a nice wide path for the rears in the rain, improving safety at high speeds in the rain, and reducing hydroplaning. Please go to tirerack.com to see this tyre. It is without doubt, the best bang and performance for the money.

 

I just replaced my front tires with Toyo Proxes TPT 225/60/15 on my 91 LS 400. The rear tires are still 205/65/15 (same Toyo and still fairly new). The steering is now a bit firmer, cornering seems a bit better. I'll go with 225/60/15 when the time comes to replace the rear tires. It's probably the cheapest way to improve steering, handling and safety.
tvd51

 

I would probably opt for a rear swaybar, cost is about he same as two tires. ??

 

What I meant was: when its' time to replace your tires you should go with bigger ones. The extra cost is minimal. I think 205 tires are too small for such a big car. By the way the difference in diameter between 225/60/15 and 205/65/15 is only 0.5%. That's as close as you can get, anything below 1% is fine.
tvd51