I love my Surf but.....

[SparX]

Get it sliding get used to it and then do it for fun and watch the other drivers faces

2 Tonne of truck sliding sideways around a roundabout certainly clears the path of oncoming traffic.

And the ladies love it !

[kitesurf_phil]

Iv'e only had mine sideways once and that was deliberate, but then I have always driven heavy, torque(Y) motors ( needed them to shift my disco gear) Volvo Estates, Bedford CF, Ford Cargo (kidding), Transit Turbo D's etc.
Don't forget our Surfs are meant to be load carriers and most of us are using them for social, domestic and pleasure. Respect the right foot!
Scariest car I ever drove was a 3.0L i Capri, which obviously wasn't designed to go round corners

[surffreak]

i reckon you need to get some new rubber as i have never got the backend movin in my 2.4 untill the old tyers got down to under legal tread limit and then only if i dive it like a boy racer and even then it only sort of gave a half hearted attempt, unlike my old 2.o capri , that would spin in its own length given a wet road a a blip on the pedal. what tyres do you have and how much tread is on them?

[Guest]

Get some road tyres for the road and a spare set of steel wheels with All terrains or Mud Terrains for off roading. My Surf sticks like the brown smelly stuff to the proverbial army blanket. It's can be a bit hairy when it's rained after a long dry spell but then so do most cars.

I'm running Bridgeston Dueller H/T (80% road bias).

Cheers

[Pete]

....I thought they were meant to have grip! Mine just loses it on corners when it is wet and I actually feel unsafe in it. The car itself is great for camping holidays with the family but I don't want to kill them.

Any tip or should I get shut of a car that I like overall?

Cheers...Rich.

Rick,
I know where you are coming from on this one, as I made simmilar comments on the old forum. The answer is, as I have found, to get some road tyres. I pondered long and hard over tyres. I ended up with Michelin 4x4 Synchrone's, and they are great. If you want to go leisure off roading, get a spare set of mud terrains. 4wd will get you around most green lanes, regardless of tyre type.

http://www.1010tires.com/tiresearch.asp

Pete

[Koi]

I run BFG At's on mine and they stick well if i drive it properly, but use the right foot as i did when Andy was following me last week and i got it all out of shape coming off a rounabout. Rear end out one way then back the other. I do it deliberately now for fun but i remember the first time it happened, purely a case of just being to use to driving a powerful front wheel drive car that i can throw around in all conditions.

These motors do handle well but read the following.

As for the back end, drive it round bends. If you alter anything whilst cornering it don't like it and will throw it back in your face.
Come of the pedal, put the pedal down or turn the wheel or alter anything and the back end will move whilst cornering, drive it smoothly and it sticks, also suspension on hard setting whilst cornering limits body roll and makes for better cornering. Dont brake in the bend keep it all smooth.
So keep it smooth through/round the bends and it behaves, alter anything and it will missbehave.
This is not just for the Surf this is for any rear wheel drive car, play around with them on bend and they will play right back.

[rusty]

....I thought they were meant to have grip! Mine just loses it on corners when it is wet and I actually feel unsafe in it. The car itself is great for camping holidays with the family but I don't want to kill them.

Any tip or should I get shut of a car that I like overall?

Cheers...Rich.

Stick it in 4wd, this is a personal option I prefer it as I find driving around the Potteries a nightmare in the wet
- as has been said it is a 2 tonne aerodynamic breeze block with a high centre of gravity and the ability to lean over like the Pisa tower. Just take it steady - drive it sedately - it ain't worth changing your car just change your driving style

[Guest]

I run BFG At's on mine and they stick well if i drive it properly, but use the right foot as i did when Andy was following me last week and i got it all out of shape coming off a rounabout. Rear end out one way then back the other. I do it deliberately now for fun but i remember the first time it happened, purely a case of just being to use to driving a powerful front wheel drive car that i can throw around in all conditions.

These motors do handle well but read the following.

As for the back end, drive it round bends. If you alter anything whilst cornering it don't like it and will throw it back in your face.
Come of the pedal, put the pedal down or turn the wheel or alter anything and the back end will move whilst cornering, drive it smoothly and it sticks, also suspension on hard setting whilst cornering limits body roll and makes for better cornering. Dont brake in the bend keep it all smooth.
So keep it smooth through/round the bends and it behaves, alter anything and it will missbehave.
This is not just for the Surf this is for any rear wheel drive car, play around with them on bend and they will play right back.

I lost the back end on mine that day, mind you it had rained after a dry spell and that always makes the road greasy. You want to try driving a 3 litre Granada in those conditions. As everyone says it's a heavy car with a quite significant amount of weight over the back so it can be a handful. Mind you compared to most other 4WD the Surf drives and handles very well. If you've ever driven anearly discovery - anything up to about 1998 then you will know how bad a 2 ton beast can handle - significant body roll, no directional stability, and that from a car that has permanant 4WD.

Don't get tempted to leave the surf in 4WD except in slippery conditions, you will wear the driveline very quickly plus the tyres will only last about a week because of the lack of any centre diff.

Cheers

[RobD]

If you've ever driven anearly discovery - anything up to about 1998 then you will know how bad a 2 ton beast can handle - significant body roll, no directional stability, and that from a car that has permanant 4WD.
Cheers

Ever driven one of those little Suzuki SJs............scary when it's wet/windy or...........anything!Good off road though as long as you keep it off sidelands.

[JimL]

it is a 2 tonne aerodynamic breeze block

my poor surf, why are people always saying this about it, its slanderous and a defamation of character

dont you people ever look at buses trucks any type of van old hiaces urvans and think how aerodynamic your surf actually is compared to these things

be more considerate please

[rusty]

my poor surf, why are people always saying this about it, its slanderous and a defamation of character

dont you people ever look at buses trucks any type of van old hiaces urvans and think how aerodynamic your surf actually is compared to these things

be more considerate please

Have I touched a nerve???

[TonyN]

Have I touched a nerve???

You gotta allow for Jim's motor, its got 2 doors missing and feels a little insecure!

[bensonsnuts]

Lots of variables on this one - but here goes
tyre tread, even a road biased 4x4 tyre is 80/20 ,nothing like as good on tarmac as a cheap regular car tyre
tyre pressure , 33psi for road use
suspension , a lot of play in those adjustable shocks.The back handles loads better with something like es9000 + uprated springs
kerb weight, approx 2 tonne of surf with a higher centre of gravity is never going to handle superbly on tarmac , thats not what they,re made for .
RWD, most cars these days are fwd & you need to be aware of the power going thru those rear wheels
driving style, modern cars are designed to be forgiving & not get out of shape.
Have a bit of respect for what you are driving & you will find the surf actually has some of the best road manners amongst 4x4
Unless I actually want to slide the back I always wait for the weight to transfer from one side of the car to the other before accelerating. Hitting a corner fast ,braking & changing direction whilst accelerating is just the way to hang it out.They do excellent do-nuts in the mud , snow, ice etc.
Geoff boll*x, Koi beat me to it !

[rich]

All I can say is don't buy General Ameritracs as they are shiiiiite in the wet!