unsafe at any speed

longwalker · Posted: Sun Feb 07, 2010 12:14 pm Post subject: unsafe at any speed

Some of us will remember the Ralph Nader campaign to kill the Chevrolet Corvair. I'm here to start a campaign of my own. The Suzuki Forenza is a dangerous car in any amount of snow and ice. I just returned from anchorage where we rented the above mentioned car.

The good news I didn't hit anybody or anything. The car would not stop turn or go. Even at a flat intersection the car would not move forward with out some lots of manipulation of the steering wheel and engine speed. Turning was almost as bad. it was almost like the car was floating ,even at 20 miles per the car would continue in a straight line. Maybe its the geometer or its weight I don't know but stay the heck away from this kind or car if you ever experience bad weather.

We turned the car in and got a jeep. Thrifty car rental exchanged the car.

Longwalker

wiersy111 · Posted: Sun Feb 07, 2010 1:19 pm Post subject: Re: unsafe at any speed

Wow now that is scary. My wife had a jeep and I didn't like it in bad weather, but nothing like what you describe with the Suzuki. That is just terrible.

Elvis · Posted: Mon Mar 01, 2010 11:30 pm Post subject: Re: unsafe at any speed

tires my good man can make a heap of difference. when I first drove my escort 1600 sport on shingle it had mgs n fats. after regaining the desired direction of travel and traveling slowly to destination I switched the tyres for harder narrower ones and never had a problem again.

gelandangan · Posted: Tue Mar 02, 2010 1:26 am Post subject: Re: unsafe at any speed

Yeah +1 on the tires.

Having flip my Mitsubishi 4WD last Christmas,
I can say that if I have a different type (more aggressive threading) the accident may not happened.

chambered221 · Posted: Tue Mar 02, 2010 7:41 am Post subject: Re: unsafe at any speed

Still trying to figure out why so many 4WD's come with standard ole street tread on them these days !!!

Don't know about all of you but I buy a 4WD because I need it !!!

PaulS · Posted: Tue Mar 02, 2010 1:14 pm Post subject: Re: unsafe at any speed

Most of the 4 wheel drive vehicles sold in the USA are never used off the road. They are purchased as "status symbols" not off-road or rough terraine vehicles.

1895ss · Posted: Tue Mar 02, 2010 2:11 pm Post subject: Re: unsafe at any speed

I think Paul is right. Most Dealerships around here have very few if any 2wd pickups but most of the 4x4's sold seldom if ever are used in 4x4.

chambered I guess the thing to do when dealing on a 4x4 is to get decent off road tires put on with the deal. I know, when I was the Service Manager at a GM Dealership, that happened a lot.

Dimitri · Super Member Joined: Nov 25, 2005 Posts: 5944

chambered221 wrote:

Still trying to figure out why so many 4WD's come with standard ole street tread on them these days !!!

As Paul said, because 99% of users just need AWD not proper 4WD. And even then most people don't know how to drive it effectively anyways and end up in the ditch.

Hell most of the smaller SUV's and "Crossovers" today are just glorified car chasis with a larger body to give the appearance of real 4x4 SUV but they are not.

Dimitri

chambered221 · Posted: Tue Mar 02, 2010 6:32 pm Post subject: Re: unsafe at any speed

1895ss wrote:

chambered I guess the thing to do when dealing on a 4x4 is to get decent off road tires put on with the deal. I know, when I was the Service Manager at a GM Dealership, that happened a lot.

I've tried that at different times !!!
Twice it was why cheaper to go to the tire dealer myself and trade in the take offs with only a 100 or so miles on them.
The last time the dealership declined to do it because the tires I wanted weren't within GM specs.......... they were one size bigger and a better tire..... wtf

go figure !!!

wiersy111 · Posted: Tue Mar 02, 2010 10:42 pm Post subject: Re: unsafe at any speed

I was hesitant to buy my 08 Ram with the purdy 20" rims but I did the deal anyway. I will never do that again the big rims pack with snow and feels like a basket ball going down the road. The tires it came with are nothing more then an overgrown car tie, no traction in the mud or snow. But the truck drives and handles very nice on the highway.

longwalker · Posted: Tue Mar 02, 2010 10:49 pm Post subject: Re: unsafe at any speed

I'm sure tires would have made a difference. One would have thought though a typical driver in the USA would encounter rain and snow once and a while. So just supplying the cheapest tires because it costs them less runs counter to the quality thing they talk about. I wonder what else they decided to go cheap with.

I'll stick with my 1993 blazer with studded tires for winter and mud tires for the summer.

longwalker

44marty · Posted: Fri Mar 05, 2010 1:58 pm Post subject: Re: unsafe at any speed

I used to live in Jeffersonville, Vt - at the base of Mt Mansfield where Smuggler's Notch and Stowe ski areas are. Made extra cash on weekends pulling skiers' cars and 4WD's out of ditches - most of them had regular summer tires. WHAT were they thinking? What did they expect that they would be skiing on?
They spend mucho $$$ on the fully loaded SUV and then bought the cheapest tires. I had an old Willys pickup ($750) with primo tires. Guess who always got where they were going? (I cheated, though - always had a tow chain or two and a chainsaw).