Compressor Handling

[Jim from Yateley]

Hi

I have had my compressor for a couple of weeks now, its great but I have found a bit of a problem

On rough road surfaces (ie some parts of the M3!), the back of the car seems to bounce and skip around - I didnt notice it on the test drive as the roads were relatively smooth

Has anyone else experianced this?

I wondered if it might be something as simple as tyre pressures? I am inflated to 32PSI as per the book - any ideas/suggestions?

I have just had new tyres fitted to the rear (cheap ones as they were done by the garage when I bought the car) - I was thinking of swapping the wheels front to rear just in case it is an issue with the tyres (maybe the problem will move to the front (that will be interesting....)

Regards

Jim

[T600]

Welcome.

What tyres have they fitted? Swapping front to rear might help determine the cause of the problem, but if the tyres aren't up to the job then I'd get shot of them.

The compressor's hardly a shopping trolley and deserves decent rubber. I wouldn't risk using poor tyres on any car, particularly not one with over 200bhp.

That said, some of the budget brands are pretty good, providing they're properly specified for the car they're used on.

BTW - are you getting this more in the inside lane than the others? It could be tram lining in the lorry tracks, which you tend to get more of when you run bigger, wider tyres. If your previous car didn't have such grippy wheels you may not have experienced this before perhaps?

[Jim from Yateley]

Hi

I have just traded in my Golf V6 4-motion and before that I had an Impresa WRX and I did not get this effect in either of them

I dont think its tram lines - The back really skips around when going over rumble strips etc (the painted stripes which you get coming to some junctions also effects it)

When I took delivery of the car it had done 19k miles and had some new Khumos on the front (which I used to use on the Golf so I know they are usually OK) - the rears had the original tyres but they were looking a bit worn so the garage agreed to change them - but as usual they had to order some replacements so I kept on with the old ones for about 500 miles while I waited - the car did the skipping but I thought it might be due to the rear tyres being worn

The new rears are of a make I dont recognise (so they were the cheapest the garage could find) - The problem remains - actually it reminds me of a problem I had with my Volvo S40 when one of the new rear tyres had a bulge in it which made it strange to drive (and as the bulge was on the inside wall it was hard to detect) - it seems weird that the problem has persisted after the tyres have been changed

I guess if one of the wheels is buckled or dammaged then this would cause the problem

I will try swapping the wheels front to back and see if that moves the problem

I dont think the previous owner has done any modifications to the car

I guess I could talk to Inchscape about it - maybe they would have an idea about it too?

Any suggestions about tyre pressures?

Regards

Jim

[ae102]

the normal T Sport is a bit choppy at the rear - alot less after i changed the springs. if its bouncy you may have a defective damper - check for any fluid leaks and bounce the rear of the car to see if its settling straight away. been a couple of compressor owners on here had the rear dampers changed cos they where faulty.

[cabcurtains]

I am with AE102, broken shocker or spring would give the feeling you describe.

You could jack the car up and rotate the wheels and look for any sign of buckling.

Its disappointing to hear that the garage has fitted unknown tyres to your car, as T600 says A TS Comp isn't exactly a 1.0 Yaris.

[ae102]

I am with AE102, broken shocker or spring would give the feeling you describe.

You could jack the car up and rotate the wheels and look for any sign of buckling.

Its disappointing to hear that the garage has fitted unknown tyres to your car, as T600 says A TS Comp isn't exactly a 1.0 Yaris.

even if i had a 1.0l Yaris i would have good tyres on........... dont see the point in comprimising on safety and good tyres can transform a car. first thing i did on me T Sport was put good tyres on and she was a different car.

[cabcurtains]

I am with AE102, broken shocker or spring would give the feeling you describe.

You could jack the car up and rotate the wheels and look for any sign of buckling.

Its disappointing to hear that the garage has fitted unknown tyres to your car, as T600 says A TS Comp isn't exactly a 1.0 Yaris.

even if i had a 1.0l Yaris i would have good tyres on........... dont see the point in comprimising on safety and good tyres can transform a car. first thing i did on me T Sport was put good tyres on and she was a different car.

I agree, but i cant imagine the typical 1.0 Yaris driver engages in the same amount of spirited driving a TSC driver will.

[Jim from Yateley]

Hi

I have re-checked the tyre pressures and have discovered I was mis-reading my pressure gauge (what an idiot!) -

The pressures at the rear were actually 34psi - dropping to 32psi has made the handling much better - it still bounces a bit at the rear on the really big bumps. I cant believe how much of a difference its made!

i will have a good look at the shocks tomorrow and check the whees for dammage

Thanks for your comments

Jim

[cfc1]

.... i cant imagine the typical 1.0 Yaris driver engages in the same amount of spirited driving a TSC driver will.

I did when I had my 1.0 Yaris... as most people indulge in spirited driving on a twisty road and 1.0 Yaris can be just as much fun as anything else.. OK it doesn't accelerate as quick nor will it reach the same speeds over a short distance that a CTS-c will, but it will deffinately reach speeds than can be very spirited and as such I agree with ae102.. good tyres are very important.. even on a 1.0 Yaris. I am speaking from experience here, don't assume the "typical" 1.0 Yaris driver is the same as a "typical" 1.0 Micra driver

[skipper215]

Hey, I used to have a micra. And I'll not hear of anyone slagging them off.

It was fantastic fun, handled sort of like mario kart :D :D

And it was great to see the look on peoples faces when i overtook them on the outside of rondabouts in an old fogeys car.

[ae102]

Hi

I have re-checked the tyre pressures and have discovered I was mis-reading my pressure gauge (what an idiot!) -

The pressures at the rear were actually 34psi - dropping to 32psi has made the handling much better - it still bounces a bit at the rear on the really big bumps. I cant believe how much of a difference its made!

i will have a good look at the shocks tomorrow and check the whees for dammage

Thanks for your comments

Jim

at least it was nothing major. you compared your compressor to a few other cars - the scooby ect all have IRS which improves ride and handling. the Corolla has had IRS for as long as i can remember until they brought the E12 out - it almost put me off the car, couldnt understand why Toyota where going backwards but seems thats all they do theses days. made me laugh how the Focus made such a fuss cos it had IRS - Corolla's had it in the 80's!