so I changed to the toyo t1-r's and now have about 1200 miles on them. Obviously the downgrade in tires has made my steering response noticably worse but I didnt think it should be AS bad as it seems. I know adding a few psi to the tires can help improve the steering response a little, but what else can I do to increase steering response, or what could possibly be wrong with the car that would make the steering response worse. I realize there is probably nothing wrong with my car, however, it doesnt hurt to check since when my advans were worn (almost gone) my steering response was still better than my worn in/new toyo's.

 

boy i guess those tires suck.. my proxes are excellent... you dont want to change tires, then do suspension work.. its cheaper to buy better tires.. btw there is no cheap miracle suspension trick for our cars.. just money... and is there anything wrong with your front end..

 

unfortunately if you want the steering response back, you'll have to get better tires .... tire pressure will help but only up to a certain point .... also don't over inflate the tires ...

 

ya this is what I'm worried about. my steering really just feels squishy and delayed and I just dont know whether I was spoiled with the advans or if theres something actually wrong. I'd like to wait on taking it to the dealership as I know they're going to hastle/lecture me on all my newfound mods..any ideas?

 

so take it to a damn alinghment shop...

 

I do a lot of AutoX and steering response is very important to me. When I had the advans I talked to a guy who said (I know, Heresay) he called Yokohama and they told him the 32f/29r that mitsubishi recommends is too low. I think they told him 39f/37r. And this is on a tire with a very stiff sidewall.

I used those pressures and they worked well. Now I am running on Kumho MX's and I have them at 48f/44r. I autoX and I use it as a daily driver. No uneven wear and steering response is good. I have done 6 autoXs, 1 AutoX school and run these tires almost 5000 street miles and they look almost new, Plenty of tread and again, no uneven wear.

For you, I would keep boosting the pressure a few pounds at a time til you find what you like. Don't exceed the manufacturers Max pressure and you should be fine. It's always a balance of performance vs comfort.

Good Luck.

 

KUMHO MX here as well.....barely noticable change in handling.

 

I agree completely on increasing the pressure. For daily driving I kept my Advans at 35f/32r and for autocross I actually ended up 42f/37r, although my alignment was a bit off (-0.8 deg front camber) and I needed that pressure in the front to keep from rolling onto the sidewall. I now have the Advan Neovas and I had my front tires at 46 psi and that seemed to work best. The only reason Mitsu recommends the tire pressures they do is ride comfort.

-Paul

 

so even at 48 is it safe? the max pressure is 50 so if they're 48 cold then I would think hot they would exceed the max pressure. the highest I've had my tires is 40f/38r because I dont want to blow a tire when hot and I dont want the contact patch to be too small. what do you think I should run with my toyo t1-r's for daily driving (i'm not worried about comfort just contact, grip, and steering response).

 

I could be wrong but I think that maximum is cold and they build in a safety factor for when the tires heat up. I have no experience with Toyos but I would say coming within 3-4 Lbs of Maximum should be safe. I have run at 48F/44R, gone home, left the car in the garage and when I rotate the tires next day I'm still at 48f/44r so I would assume the tires are maintaining pressure. Just take it up a couple of pounds at a time and see how your steering response is. If not get an alignment and see if that helps. Fact is it will be hard to match the razor response of the Advans but you can come close. This car should never be sloppy unless you're using schit tires or something else is wrong.

 

another thing to consider when judging old tires to new is that the old tires are usually
getting down on tread which means that there is no squirm from the taller tread blocks
moving around under you like there is on a brand new tire. the same reason you shave a new
r-compound tire for dry track use.
after a couple of thousand miles you should have some heat cycles and some wear into them and
get a better feel for how they really compare.

 

It's all about the sidewall strength; a046's are almost unparalleled in the market for OEM tires.

 

Ain't that the truth, I'll bet it's almost bulletproof... Just kidding for those of you that think I'm serious...

 

so I really think something is wrong now. I've been driving around with my stereo off and windows open and when I turn 1/2 to 3/4 turns at around 10-30 mph there is a slight low rumbling sound coming from the wheel wells...I dont think its power steering fluid being low its almost like a rattle but not so much metal on metal..maybe plastic on metal or plastic on plastic..I took off my wheel and checked around for anything loose but nothing is noticably loose any ideas?

 

Are you lowered? Could be rubbing.

Otherwise might be sidewall / edge tread blocks rolling over ... only from the front right?

Have you confirmed your pressures are all correct (cold readings)?