I made the wrong turn and I pulled into a shopping center so I can turn around and go back onto the street. As I was turning around, I was going maybe 3-5 MPH and the rear wheels lost traction on hard-packed snow. I made a 270 degree fishtail turn on the parking lot. All of a sudden I see the police going towards me with his lights on. He thought I was doing donuts on the parking lot. I told him the situation and even said to check the internet about the Elantra GT's squirrelly suspension. He let me go with a warning. I have never experienced this sensitivity in other FWD cars I have driven, and that includes the older Elantra's.
At 3-5 mph, what happened to you had very little to do with your car's suspension, and more to do with ice. I'm running OEM tires and suspension and very few will state that the OEM tires are great. I have yet to get this thing to even get sideways, let alone pull a 270. Either you were going faster than stated, have limited winter driving skills, or pulled into a parking lot and hit a patch of ice. I'm voting for the ice.
Then I wonder why my front tires didn't slip but my rear tires always break loose. This is a front wheel drive car. It has to be suspension design related.
I've driven on a few icy spots both recently and when the car was new a couple years ago, and still on the original tires. Not had any troubles yet. It must have been some really slick black ice.
1) OEM tires are garbage
2) EGT is front-heavy. With the unibody frame, there is nothing in the rear half of the vehicle with any significant weight. Add some to the hatch and you'll notice a difference in the performance.
Okay, so if you had been on dry pavement do you think the same thing would have happened? I can answer that, NO. I just went out to the parking lot which is dry today and tried what you described and nothing happened so I did it again at about 10 mph and guess what, nothing happened. Guess it was caused by the ice.
Just because the suspension sucks in Winter, doesn't mean it will suck on dry surfaces. My friend's Chevrolet Cavalier handles awesome in the snow; really sucks on pavement. I wonder if the Elantra GT's rear suspension is a "sports" suspension?
1) OEM tires are garbage
2) EGT is front-heavy. With the unibody frame, there is nothing in the rear half of the vehicle with any significant weight. Add some to the hatch and you'll notice a difference in the performance.
Okay, so if you had been on dry pavement do you think the same thing would have happened? I can answer that, NO. I just went out to the parking lot which is dry today and tried what you described and nothing happened so I did it again at about 10 mph and guess what, nothing happened. Guess it was caused by the ice.
No need to tie up good fire wood just so you can "drive"(read operate) your car. A fifty pound bag of "Old Roy", since you said parking lot I'm guessing Wal Mart, would work just fine. It is self contained and when the weather clears you can feed it to your dogs.
Incorrect braking and a sharp turn of the wheel can get you going sideways quickly. Turning the wheel correctly in snow and ice is just as important as the speed you are traveling.
That's even better. It is far more nutritional than "Old Roy" and you can even eat it yourself, not to mention the possibility of spreading it on the frozen surface as a traction aid much like we used to use cat litter before there was traction control to do the job for us.
Anyone know if that 50lbs of rice will also keep moisture down and prevent indoor frost on the windows by any chance? This would be a tripple play hit!
If the example above is a violation, I'm sure the officer could turn donuts in a parking lot into wreckless operation.
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Hyundai Forums
1.8M posts
410K members
Since 2004
Hyundai Forum is a community for all Hyundai Owners to talk and learn all about their favorite subject: Hyundai cars from the Sonata to the Elantra and even the new Kona!