Suspension ans wheel tuning for motorway trip

[IKUN]

Ikun, those eBay ads seem to be for cars which are still damaged from crashes. If yours had a crash it would be obvious.

The best thing to do with your 2 months is to find a British fellow student who is also a driver and make friends with them. Ask them to give you lessons every weekend, not on how to drive because I think you can already, but on how to drive to pass a UK driving test.

Also, the theory test is very demanding but it is possible to access sets of test questions online (legally) and practice answering them. I did this when I became a class 1 truck driver, I put myself through multiple practice theory tests in the 2 weeks before the real theory test, and passed with very high marks. It can be done, do not be put off by national or cultural differences. The only difficulty might be understanding English language, but you seem to have no problem there.

https://www.gov.uk/take-practice-theory-test

Practice repeatedly until you are sick of it. Then repeat it some more times. When the real test must be done, you will be able to do it blindfolded.

Zion, IMHO you were direct and to the point, which in my book is a good thing, but you did not go any further. Some might find it offensive or unnecessary, but others will appreciate it.

My hearing against being dismissed took place on Thu, chaired by the depot manager, and he apologised once or twice for being so direct and abrupt when he challenged points I made. Not at all I said, I can't stand slippery two-faced insincere twats. Or something like that! Before you ask, adjourned until this Thu.

Plus, if our new friend is Chinese, this will not be the first time he has met with abrupt direct messages.

Thank you very much. I know its not abrupt and I already passed the theory test recently. I think I could pass the road test within 2 months.

[IKUN]

It might sound a bit basic but have you checked the tyres and pressures ? Our car is older but if a front tyre is a little low it soon starts to pull to that side.

It's not pull to one side, its just too unstable on motorways, and too easy to be influenced by holes and nearly lost control of steering in urban area. I've heard that Fiat 500 also drive as terrible as this? Probably cars from south europe may all set like this?

[IKUN]

Good point ffrenchie, also if the tyres are too hard (pressure higher than required) then steering can get very light and twitchy indeed.

@IKUN that could be the problem, check the pressures and drop to 30 psi then try it again.

I never go past 35 psi but just to see if it becomes heavier and more predictable at motorway speeds, then you can adjust up to 32, 35 etc and find a sweet spot

I'll try tomorrow morning. Thank you. If you say like this I think probably 30 psi or lower is more suitable for me lol.

[Sol]

Well done on passing the theory test! That's the hard bit.

The tyre pressures are a good place to start - also the one time I drove a car that actually felt truly dangerous, was a Hillman Avenger (waaaay back in time) which it turned out had no anti roll bar fitted, removed by the previous owner for some unknown reason.

Check the anti roll bar mounting points / bushes and ends where it attaches to the struts by drop links. Are the drop links actually fitted ...

[IKUN]

Well done on passing the theory test! That's the hard bit.

The tyre pressures are a good place to start - also the one time I drove a car that actually felt truly dangerous, was a Hillman Avenger (waaaay back in time) which it turned out had no anti roll bar fitted, removed by the previous owner for some unknown reason.

Check the anti roll bar mounting points / bushes and ends where it attaches to the struts by drop links. Are the drop links actually fitted ...

Thank you. I checked the tyre pressure today morning. It's 42psi front. So lucky this tyre didn't explode and so lucky I'm alive after driving that back from Leeds where I bought it. Now it is also very light and not very comfortable but it can handle well for 70mph for straight raods and 60mph when there is a bend or strong side wind. However the tyre shop said 32 is the lowest and 30 or 31 is not very safe, and if drive in urban area they recommend 36?

[Sol]

Put all the tyres to 35 and try that. Nothing wrong with that setting, do all 4 and see how it feels. 42 is madness, no wonder it was unstable. The contact patch between tyre and road must have been the size of a matchbox. I did think it was too hard tyres.

Excellent.

I run 30 psi in the winter for grip and contact patch increase and 35 in summer. Never had an issue.

[Gryffindor]

Yes, congrats on the theory, Ikun.

As a theory, 36 in urban areas night avoid wear and tear to the tyres from the increased turning and maneuvering which happens in cities and on local roads because of the smaller contact area between tyres and roads, plus the car speed might not be very high, maybe 40 mph (63kmh) max? BUT this is only a theory which tries to understand the tyre shop's advice.

But if this is what the tyre shop meant with their advice, it is too extreme. Maybe they assumed you would always be driving in town at moderate speeds, and never use motorways?

Or maybe they thought your Berlingo was a van and you would carry heavy loads? (if you give lifts to other students, do not carry more than 20 at once unless they are very thin.)

I do not drive on local roads very much; I usually drive on main roads and motorways. I keep my tyres at around 30-32psi and find that works for me at 50-70 mph (80-110 kph). I accept that my tyres suffer a little extra wear at this pressure on local roads, but I only drive to local shops now and then. I commute on 50 mph + roads.

Another factor is that when tyres are used, there is friction between the tyres and the road. This produces heat, which increases the pressure in the tyres. This is another argument for setting tyres to the correct pressures in preparation for each very long, fast journey, perhaps interstate or across Europe, you make. Too high and the pressure can increase to dangerous levels; too low and the friction will be too much (due to gre4ater contact surface area), causing the tyre to disintegrate after a long time.

But when you are in town and only use motorways sometimes, I would say it is reasonable to keep to one 'suits all normal situations' tyre pressure most of the time.

Remember that us here in the UK are not used fast international roads like in Europe, so our advice and our experience might not extend to such matters. You did well to mention it to us.

Last, do not assume your problem is only tyre pressure. The car is old and if it has not had a service recently, get one done. This will cover belts and brake discs etc. If the tyre shop did not also check your tracking and wheel balancing, have the garage servicing your car to check you steering system as well.