Tracking & Handling

[Jon]

As mentioned previously I have just changed everything on the rear of my monte: Bearings, ball joints, poly bushes CV joints. And still I am not happy how it handles bloody thing. Just been down to get it tracked set it up 1 degree front tow 1.5 degree rear tow. And still the back end steps out while cornering and powering hard around a roundabout. Im sure I could easily opposite lock it like a cart if not on the public highway.

The only thing it could be other than the car is me! Am I expecting too much? this is my first rear wheel drive car, my last being the Integrale. Is it unreasonable to power hard and steer hard? I am willing to be told how to drive here.

Anyone help Jon

[Wallace]

I'ts been a while since I drove mine - but to be brutal - you shouldn't be able to loose the back end with the standard Monte's power output. Leastways I only did ONCE - and that was in the wet. Even then - back off on the throtle and the back end re-gripped itself (!) and just carried on.

I loose count the number of times I thought "oh s"£t" at a bend (going way too fast) and the car just went round, no drama at all.

Dunno. Best way would be to have a track day with the Montecarlo Consortium - that way you could compair it to others. It just could be that the Integrale has so much better handling, the Monte feels poor in comparison.

And get used to using oposite lock .. . it's all part of the fun .. . or lower the tyre pressure at the back by a few psi .. I found it was quite sensitive to pressure changes - a few psi either way would make a real difference to how the oversteer felt .

[Jon]

Hi Wallace,

Well took it to the consortium track day found the handling to very good around short tight bends but poor around long sweeping turns, back end had a tendancy to overtake the front. Until it did a little too much and upon correcting span the other way and put it into the bank. After re-starting the engine found the right rear tyre was completely flat hence the spin. But not entirtely sure why the back end had such a tendancy to slide out when taking a right hand bend. Have changed everything on rear except shocks and springs, guess it must be these.

Jon

[Paul C (Monte 3686)]

Jon,

I went through EXACTLY the same thing three years ago: going into a bend (LH only) the back stepped out once enough cornering force was present.
I changed all bearing, bushes and still it persisted. :cry:

In the end (and after advice from MonteHospital) I re-checked the front right lower control arm and found play in the ball-joint :o . It was very difficult to detect at first, and only with the corner jacked up could I get it to budge, but when it gave it was clearly a problem. The trouble is the static loading on this joint, off the ground, means you can miss this. indeed it had passed one German TuV and two UK MOT inspections in this condition :roll: .

Hope you find the same on yours,

Paul

[Jon]

Paul,

Thanks for that will take a look and let you know what I find.

Regards

Jon

[Wallace]

And me too - I know my thing doesn't like being backed off suddenly in a corner - but this sound different !