As I push and play (with my new to me, 1999 R129) with cornering, understeeer (usuallywhen ESP interveens) and over steer situations ... I wonder when does this car get pushed beyond it's limit?

I guess I'll have to find a flat, large and vacant patch of dry asphalt to exeriment with this.

I grew up in the Canadian country, skidding arround on gravel roads, in the wet, in snow and ice with all sorts of non-sporty vehicles.

The dry pavement, high speed loss of control is not known to me.

I have taken corners at 2 or 3 times the posted warning speed limit. Have heard the tires howel arround the corner. Yet everthing seems to be well composed.

Is it a matter or just letting oof the gas in gross under and over steer situations?

Some feedback from you more aggressive & experienced drivers would be appreciated.

 

what kinda tires do you have, tires make a Big Difference, I've never experienced those, and I puch my car...

 

The original Continentals. Probably 50% tread remaining (28,000 miles on the tires).

I've experienced understeer ESP intervention when goosing it from a rolling start on dusty or cool pavement in hard 90 degeree cornering.

I also felt understeer inervention on an off ramp while accelerating heavily at already high speeds for the banking and radius.

On sticky hot pavement no intervention except once a near 90 degree corner entered at 50 miles per hour. Oversteer I think then.

 

oh so I'll bet you have the 16" rims, with 225/60/16 or something close to that, right???

 

The stock tire from 1999 (at least on my Vancouver SL 500) is Z Rated 225/60/16. Both front and back. By Conttinental.

 

See I knew it... thats why they squeech on corners... Slap on some 18's and low profile tires then you'll see the diferrence...
I have 285/35/18 with SO3 tires and No cornering problems at all, sticks to the road, it's amazing...

 

The forum was down for a while.

So in a rush, I didn't even check befor I posted the resonce ... but you were exactly right!

I believe your testimonial, that low profile tires make a large difference. I don't know when I will experience that though.

A bit of tire howeling can be fun. I'll probably wait untill I wear these tires out befor concidering new rims.

And who knows, by that time maybe a R230 SL 500 may be a possiblity.

Thanks for the insight.

 

I don't know how my tire size got reported wrong ... but I re-checked today. The 1999 SL in Vancouver was supplied with 245/45 R17 tires. That is what mine has front and back.

One time in particular they howeled pretty good at say 40 mph and up accelerating hard through a medium bend.

How would you compair the Continental R17s to what you were suggesting?