High Speed handling probs..

[Puff_Datto]

Hello all, this is my first post

Im driving my mums new falcon wagon AU11 at the moment and ive noticed when im doing 140 +kmh the car feels very floaty... specially the rear end......


Can someone please explain to me why this occurs.. could it be the lenght of the car? or susp? or is it just a bad higg speed car?

i donno any help would be great

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[Kinks]

a mixture of suspension and aerodynamics, cars are shaped kinda like aeroplane wings (flat on the bottom, curved on the top) and so they create lift when you're driving along at speed. I'm guessing a wagon may exacerbate this because of the sharpness of the back end, the turbluent flow of said back end won't do it any good either.

Naturally one would hope you don't make a habit of doing high speeds, especially in a car that feels "very" unstable.

[karl_2ltGC]

Bah, just keep it planted....only joking

THink about it....these cars are not designed for 140k+
Thats pretty much the story, ford wouldnt give a rats ass if there poverty pack falcon dosnt feel safe at 140ks cos it probly aint meant to....

Anyway, you shouldnt be speeding in your mums car...think what she'd do if she got a letter in the mail for doing 40ks over the limit....i know my folks would prolly take my car away from me and not let me drive theres.

[HoonBoy]

AUII Falcon + highway = not fun

I've driven both a sedan and a wagon (both hire cars) and they were all over the place on the freeway, not good as I had to drive from Sydney to Canberra and back in both of them!

I think its the base design and ford don't care, after all who test drives a new car on a freeway?

[Kinks]

Considering I've been above 140km/h in mine and it still felt fine, it's a real worry - the falcon being a good bit heavier and my car being a hatchback to boot....

[racedriver]

Yep. Ford really buggered the handling of the Falcon after the EL. The first time I drove one I though the rear suspension was broken. I can't belive they went from the awesome handling of the EL to the crappyness of the AU. And no the XR6 isn't any better.

[AzzurrA]

my VK Wagon starts to get REALLY floaty (like... "I'm gonna shit my pants in 1 second" type scary-floaty) at around 160kph (yes, it was done out @ willowbank in a controlled environment)

[karl_2ltGC]

the galant feels quite reasonable at higher speeds 140+.....the recaps are stopping me from realy going all out.
But I reckon it would get pretty bad at much over 160 as the car sits rather high and the front aint all that 'aerodynamic'

[Puff_Datto]

Thanks People for the information!!! great

I was just wondering because my mates VL Calais is great under speed... oh I dont speed but sometimes when i get the chance i like to give it a bit ya know

thanks guys ...... Ford wagons

[Blind_Goat]

karl_2ltgc u lucky bastard, my escort tops out at a whopping 115 should be able to do better soon though as ive just finished rebuilding the engine

[Sturmovik]

Ive taken my XR6 well past the speed limit and it felt as stable at that speed than at 110Kmh, only suspension mods so far are Bilstein shocks and 17in wheels with FM901s. Obviously I didnt yank the steering wheel back and forth to see how stable, but it certainly wasnt all over the road or floaty at all. Now my old EA on the other hand was a different story.....


When I finally get around to put in lower springs and new bushes it will be even better.....


An AU Forte isnt designed to handle, its designed for fleets and familys, book it into the local Ford dealer for the Tickford suspension, its cost SFA and would make a world of difference.

[karl_2ltGC]

Originally posted by Blind_Goat
karl_2ltgc u lucky bastard, my escort tops out at a whopping 115 should be able to do better soon though as ive just finished rebuilding the engine

heheh, i can get 140ks in fourth...with a few revs still left in that gear

But crosswinds.....thats a completly different story!!!!

[Blind_Goat]

cross winds, now that reminds me of driving my uncles van on a windy day - a whole lotta instant lane changing fun

[karl_2ltGC]

Originally posted by Blind_Goat
cross winds, now that reminds me of driving my uncles van on a windy day - a whole lotta instant lane changing fun

doin about 110 on the way back from lakes entrance....car was all over the road...one of my friends said he was getting sea sick....lol

and the busted front ball joint didnt help either...

[rodhog]

Sounds like the shocks are gone. I know what your thinking
just a new car well.
It is well known that cost cutting by shock makers have forced them to make cheaper non long lasting shocks. In fact a friend with a VX s2 still under dealer warranty with 30,000ks on the clock needs new shocks and the dealer put this under consumables. So he had to pay, it has now done 57,000 and floats at 90km,h
plan of putting Aftermarket new ones.
The word Going around is that on cheaper model Holden's and Fords fitted with Monroe Shocks are a cheap shock built to Manufactures spec's.
I Have access to a Mazda 626 Wagon I ran it up to twice same day same road 5 people in it(my mates) it's a 7 seat wagon up to the Japanese speed limiter, which I can't tell is working not as I could not get those extra 5-10ks to check ran out of road.
it had 80,000 on it and no float at those speeds.
at 90,000 the fronts went bad but cheap replacement shocks didn't last, it started floating all over at those speeds. even down to about 90km/h . Replace all with good H/D KYB's and nothing perfect.

[Low Rider]

i find my parents vt wagon (stock as a rock) is real ncie at high speeds, like at 130km/h my dad was demonstrating the smoothness and stabibilty by putting no holding pressure on the steerring wheel and the thing just wouldnt move, it was great.

the vn wagon on the other hand, the wheel starts shakeing at 100+ kays it only needs an allignment though but the thing gets unstable at 120km+

does anyone know how to make a car more stable at high speeds?

[HoonBoy]

Comodes seem to be more stable then Falcons, the SS actually has half decent handling too. Now if they were better built, had half decent fuel economy, decent ride, better resale value, better stock features et. I might look at one

[racedriver]

Every other Falcon I've driven had great high speed stability, including the ED with 700,000 kays on the clock. Felt fine right up to 210kph. Hitting the brakes was a shock but that was only due to the dodgy brake pads and most likely warped disks.

[FastEHHolden]

The handling of an AU at 140 kph has got to be better than that of an EH at 200 kph. If it worries you ..slow down.

[tamiyaDrifter]

Originally posted by HoonBoy
Now if they were better built, had half decent fuel economy, decent ride, better resale value, better stock features et. I might look at one

Then you'll never get one then eh?

[tandy ass]

I beg to differ on all of your opinions of the AU2 Falcon

Sure, they might be as ugly as an abortion gone wrong but they drive damn nice, a user on here (AU2LOW) has an AU company car thats been lowered a bit, with firmer springs and shocks. These made the car handle absolutely great and it feels very stable up to 170-180km/h (when we tested it in the Northern Territory, yeah, thats it ) and it did not feel bad at all when it had the stock springs and shocks - it felt a damn sight better than my old man's ED Falcon which has brand new Monroe Sportsryder suspension in it (which in itself is a terrible joke, it did not make it feel one bit sporty, it just made it feel like it was new again). We have driven all the Falcons from ED onwards as this company supplies a new car every year or so and the AU has been the damn best improvement in a Falcon.

[tandy ass]

Originally posted by Hoonboy

Now if they were better built, had half decent fuel economy, decent ride, better resale value, better stock features et. I might look at one

A single tank of petrol to Sydney from Melbourne (around 900km) with just under a 1/4 of a tank to spare must be poor fuel economy. I think they're very well built compared to other Australian made vehicles but one BIG gripe I have with them is put a small scratch on the body and it starts rusting immediately...

[R31POWER]

I found the R31 liked 160 down the FWY.Did'nt feel floaty or anything,maybe the boot spoiler added downforce

[macks]

c'mon, as if manufacturers don't hwy test their cars well above the speed limit. What are they doing, selling them to police and the NT or something?