hey ppl, i have a 99' Mitsubishi mirage and a 06' accord. the mirage is really light and is really easy to handle and so is the accord. but i rented an 08' eclipse and it felt really weird. the car felt what i would call "heavy" and its really hard to do sharp turns. a lot of wheel turning. i assumed that if i was going faster then say 25-40 mph, then it wouldn't feel that bad. but personally i hate the eclipse now and i was wondering if the TC has the same problem. and if so, how can i fix it. i like the cars to be a little more touchy if you know what i mean. anyway.....this could kinda make or break my getting a TC so any help is appreciated.

 

For it's size, the tC is pretty heavy in my opinion.

 

i consider it maybe a little heavy, but i know that feeling you are talking about..and when i make turns i dont get that feeling at all. lol

 

Weight and feel of a car is all personal preference. Its not something that an be explained. On a site like this that is Scion specific, most people think their car is god, so they think it feels fine. but compare it to an elise and its heavy. Compare it to a Lincoln town car and its light.

Test drive one and see.

 

its a little heavier than it should be for performance, I believe its 2900 pounds without driver?...hope that helps a little.

 

yeah, compared to my old civics the Tc is definitely heavy, but a drop a sway bars do wonders for out cars, and there is tons of room for improvements

tcs are capable of outhandling lighter cars with the right mods

also take in mind that as cars become more and more complex, they become heavier, my bros SI is a "sporty coupe" but its just as heavy as the TC

 

thanks for the help and quick reply everybody. do the sway bars make it easier to do sharp turns. i live down a somewhat twisty road and i usually just go fast through the turns in my mirage but with the eclipse i had to slow down. most likely cus i had to turn the wheel almost a full revolution to turn the car a bit. is the steering wheel to turn ratio thing controllable (changeable) or is it just set when you get the car?
ya, the mirage is really light. its a coupe (DE) so i can almost get it on two wheels just by pushing it. lol.

 

tires will make a world of a difference too...

 

tc is a heavy ___ car!!!! weights almost the same as a sedan car!!!!!


BUT!!!!! the tc has 5 star crash test rating...
imho it has a lot of room!!! i could sit behind myself.. i couldnt do that with some sedans and suvs!!!!

 

i think youre referring to steering ratio, which I'm not sure can be changed easily. Here are some steering ratios for comparative purposes:
tC: 17.7:1
2008 Civic SI: 13.6:1
2006 Accord: 15.2:1
2009 M3: 12.5:1

basically the higher the number, the more turns of the steering wheel needed to turn the wheels/tires. To my understanding (correct me if I'm wrong), divide 360 degrees (turning the steering wheel 1 revolution) by the ratio to get the degrees at which the wheels/tires turn. so the tC's 17.1:1 ratio means the wheels/tires turn 21 degrees when the steering wheel is turned 360 degrees. i think this as more to do with steering rack design than the weight of a car. the tC weights 3016, while the new M3 weights 3650. fyi, the 2008 Civic Si weights 2886.

 

It's really not that heavy considering everything stuffed into it. I hate reading people complaining about weight on here. You make it sound like it's a Charger.

 

yes sways make a world of difference, my recomendation if u buy a tc is, lower ur car, (tein, hotchkis, etc) hotchkis front and rear sway bars, trd or tokico shocks, and last but not least a good set of tires (stock tires suck) like nittos or falkens

you will turn on a dime

BTW eclipses have horrible turn ratios, i fully understand what u mean about having to turn the whole wheel just to turn a little and the tc is not like that at all

 

Perhaps OT, but is our steering setup off a Corolla?

Too many parts of the tC are basically very UN-performance orientated. The only thing that makes it popular for modding is the decent sized engine and good looks. Lots of potential, but stock... ehhh my stock auto when I had it was barely quicker than my girlfriends stock g5 and if she didn't have 195/75?/15's her car would've handled better than it.

 

change ur tires to 15 inch and narrow sure would make u feel light when u turn....compare to 18 or 19....

 

To me the tC handles just fine. But as far as stopping goes, for a car with four-wheel disc brakes it could be a little better.

 

The TC is not super heavy, but is by no means a light car. LOL. It isnt a 93 civic hatchy.But with the right mods (lowering springs, some nice 16 inch rims, upgraded brake rotors, sway bars, and some carbon fiver) it will handle and feel much lighter.

 

The tC does not weigh 3,016, it weights 2,905. Not much difference but put out the correct information.

 

well if we're getting picky, i'm at work right now and looking at this tC Spec book and it's telling me that the curb weight is 2,932 lbs. (manual) and 2,987 lbs. (automatic)

 

the car still handles pretty amazing for its weight.

 

All u need to do is get: Springs/Struts, Rear Sway Bar, 4-point Rear Brace, Better Tires....the tC will handle like a Go-Kart!!