What can i do controll my car in the wind, it seems that i get carried effortlesly. I hate having that loss of control because i think that people either think i am drunk, or have a p.o.s. car. I am riding on trd springs, progress rear sway, and scion fx tower bar. I wonder if an under chasis brace will help, weight wise. Could it be the stock steelies and tires. How much does my car really weight. 2800lbs

2006 xa

 

mast and sails and rigging sorry had to do it lol

its just some thing you have to deal with i am heck i can drive just fine in the wind when its blowing me all over the place

 

It's not the steelies. . . they actually help.

If you want stability, you will have to inevitably add weight. Seat 5 people and you will be much more wind resistant.

Or you can upgrade to WIDER wheels. . . heavy won't necessarily help in the wheel area. . . and a wheel is the last place you want to add weight. Even upgrading the tires alone will help. . . I switched from a 185 width to a 195 and noticed a difference. But even then, the primary reason you get so much deflection is the weight of the car and the aerodynamics. . . and the short wheel base (adds to instability).

And the xA weighs about 2300lbs. . . or was it 2340. . . I forget. 2800 is closer to the weight of a tC. Spoilers and aerodynamic upgrades can help (or hinder) wind deflection as well, given the direction of the wind. But 9 times out of 10, they help. . . but the amount is arguable. In the event of a strong side wind, they will likely increase the force load (with a large drag surface).

Lowering your car can help as well. . . aside from being physically lower, stiffer suspension will reduce body roll in the wind and increase stability.

 

I am no sure there is much that can really be done. I've got a volkswagen Bus,(same basic shape). It weighs twice as much as the XB and get snatched around the road way way worse then the box does. I think its just the big flat surfaces that make it do that. I've never had a problem in the scion, but driving the VW on a windy day is somewhat like windsailing.

 

a vw bus. at least teh old aircooled ones. are light as all hell.

 

I just googled it 71 weighed 2875lbs. So I guess it not that much different in weight, just a hell of alot more flat side to get ahold on. I sware i read it weighed more then that somewhere

 

Body roll plays a big part as well, don't forget. Stiffening the suspension will probably be the best practical mod for resisting the wind. . . anybody with a lowered box care to chip in?

I'm in an xA, and it's not too bad IMO, but the wind isn't too bad out here either.

 

for some reason i belive that those potenzas are to blame, besides the fact that any slight grove in the road jars me off track. This is my 1st fwd experience, so im still a little uneasy. I am used to subaru because that is all i know, i had potenzas on my previous sube's as well. Hope fully better tires, and coilovers will help. Anyone have experience with the under chasis bar?

 

all of those things are great but they dont matter too much with wind.


stiff or not.. doesnt much matyter. just slam it and bam better. potenza's are overpriced crap imo. get yoko's

 

body roll, low weight, and low traction are your enemies.

 

to really feel body roll the winds would have to be substantial. but a non skilled / non box driver could over correct ... and with smushy soft rollalicioussupsension it could be a negative. mostly it's the narrow tires , high stance , featherlight weight , and inexperience

 

thats what im hoping

 

Ok, my two cents...!!!


Last year for Thanksgiving, we went to Vegas......on the I15, near Fontana, 75-100 mph winds...............


I swear to God that I thought I was going to get blown away like something out of the movie Tornado!

The thing is, the wind just brought things to a halt. If was weird, it was like the box just lost power or something, and the lateral winds.......you just didn't want to be going fast. scary!

 

I do not belive this...the xB,or most any other car ,would be completely blown off the road.

 

I was so afraid of moving that I had to stop. there were a lot of other cars too. we tried to hide behind the 18 wheelers. No kidding man...later, I watched the news and they reported the high winds.... waited for things to die down........took 14 hours to finally get to vegas.

 

Bingo. While your car is parked, take your hand and push the car. Look at the tires and watch them sway.

 

tires are on the way out