The Pilot Sport A/S has long been known to cause certain tires to wander or pull to one side or another. It has nothing to do with directional versus asymmetrical versus normal tires though, however, directional tires wear the worst of the bunch (could cause wandering)...

the sport A/S is great for an all season performance tire, but for dry/wet driving, the PS2 rocks and is wayyyy better...

The reasoning behind the Sport A/S wandering problem is a "feature" called "drift" that is built into each tire... in North America, our roads are built with a crown in the center of the road - and tires are built to overcome that even with a "true" alignment... How this is done, I have no idea, but, when a tire is spec'd from a manufacturer, the amount of "drift" that is built in is specific to each cars weight, wheelbase, etc. Now, when a replacement tire is built, they settle for a "median" amount of "drift" and it works well with some cars, and not so well with others... For a very long time, we couldn't install Pilot Sport A/S's on Mercedes Benz's due to this problem - it seemed every set installed, that was the issue. Discount Tire worked with Michelin to find the root cause of this, and the "drift" was the issue... Anyways, supposedly they've solved it with Mercedes' cars, but we have still had issues... Also, it's kinda hit or miss on other vehicles... Great tires, if they work right, but if they don't work with your car, try something else....

 

Thanks Coty, as far as wear the tires are as new, Im thinking drop the pressure to 34 and start checking some bushings.

 

sounds like a good place to start...

 

Bone stock with near-bald tires my SC400 amazes me at how well it handles.....even compared with my old modified STi which I took on the Dragon more than once

 

did alot of changing on my suspension parts .bushings ,shocks ,springs .now she handles like a charm .remember these cars are pretty old so if your car is handling crappy most likely it would happen because of worn suspension parts ..i cant beleive this thread is still going on

 

My daily beater SC400 is all stock, except that at 200+k miles I had to replace the LCA and steering rack bushes (with Vlamos ones) and the sway bar links (with stock ones). It still has that soft ride and mushy feel.
My SC300 has Eibach ProKit springs and KYB shocks for the TT, and 245/40 and 275/35 on 18" wheels. It handles so much better than the SC400, feels much firmer, with a lot less lean, and the ride is still comfortable. Yet it still has all the original bushings at 100k miles.

 

i like the car to slide (hence the skinny rims). i can break the rear end loose with control thru 1st, 2nd, and 3rd gear. so for me, it handles perfect. for others, i'm sure it sucks.

 

This is the most pathetic statement ever. I currently have a c5 vette and a Porsche boxter S in my garage. An immediate member in my family owns a Ferrari f355 which i have driven several times. Now that i have established credibility, id like to say the SC300 handles well.

 

Most pathetic? haha then you must not know how to drive beyond the capabilities of your car!

And Im definitely sure that your aging SC handles just as well as the Vettes and Porsches, much less a Ferrari. I applaude you for your attempt though, a bit zealous then most but it was okay.

 

Originally Posted by Idrewfelix
Those of you who think the SC handles well, never experienced or drove in a great handling car.

Those of you who think the SC handles crappy never experienced or drove in a well set up SC.

That said, it does not, and never will, handle like an Elise

 

The SC doesn’t handle as well as any of the cars listed, however, being the former owner of a 3000gt and 2 S13 coupe's, I have a pretty broad spectrum of cars to compare the SC too. Now I can say in general, The SC Handles well. Here is a list of my suspension mods:

Tein 16 way adjustable coilovers
Daizen control arm/sway bar/steering rack bushings
235/18/35
275/18/40
Goodyear formula 1 EMT tires


Yes, i have a minor list of suspension mods but i must say, i enjoy this well handling machine.


and thank you for you applause

 

Ok well here in my oppion. This car handles great for the car it is. I actully love how my car handles with only a tt set up(brakes suspension) and 18's. It seems very stiff compared to the stock SC430 I drive from time to time. Now if I was to take this out to an autocross track the poor lex would get smoked. The FD's in the garage are what I use.

Overall for the car it is, it handles great. Lexus did a great job as ussual.

 

I had an AE86 GTS with mostly suspension work before this car, so I don't think anything I ever do to it will make it feel like it "handles well" to me.

 

what do you guys think this would be, bushings or steering rack:

recently the car has been handling crappy.
steering feels loose.
there is now a dead spot when I turn the wheel.
I would decribe the dead spot is where there is no resistence.
so I can turn the wheel a tiny bit in either direction within the dead spot and the car's direction will not change.
The car won't actually turn until the steering wheel leaves the empty spot and feel resistence.

any suggestions?

thanks

 

sounds like steering rack bushings