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Thread: Wider tires?

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    Wider tires?

    For those that put wider tires on (larger contact patch) does your car drive better on the highway? At highway speeds 65+ mph my car wanders abit. I took a trip to SC from FL and back. Inflated the tires to 47# and the car drove much better than with lower tire pressure. I would like to stay with 15” wheels but lighter and wider. This would open up a bigger selection of tires but hope it would improve the stability at highway speeds.



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    Still Plays With Cars Loren's Avatar
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    1. Shocks. Particularly the rear ones. When they go soft, the car gets wallowy.

    2. Rear swaybar. Add one. That will take care of most of what you're talking about. (but if you just do the bar, and your rear shocks are weak, you're masking the actual problem)

    3. Tires will help, but they're not a magic bullet that will solve inherent suspension problems.
    Simplify and add lightness.

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    Quote Originally Posted by FloridaG4 View Post
    ...speeds 65+ mph my car wanders a bit.
    I have to ask... Have you ever had a 4-wheel alignment check done on your car? If not, that's the absolute first thing you want to do with a Mirage...even if you just drove it off the lot brand new.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 52.2 mpg (US) ... 22.2 km/L ... 4.5 L/100 km ... 62.6 mpg (Imp)


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    Yea I had Mitsubishi replace the rear axle but is still 2 degrees off and they also did the front end alignment which was off from the factory. Added Doax’s rear sway bar. Car is fairly new with only 3000 miles. Aired up tires to 45# and it rides much better than when I first got it but it still wanders a little on the highway. That’s why I was asking if wider tires will help with that vs the stock 15’s on the car now.

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    Senior Member Top_Fuel's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by FloridaG4 View Post
    ...I had Mitsubishi replace the rear axle but is still 2 degrees off...
    Ohhh...now I remember your story.

    If you can possibly get a printout of your current alignment numbers and post it here...that would help. 2 degrees is a HUGE amount. Maybe it's .2 degrees? Here's an example printout where the rear toe is off by less than .1 degree on one side (see the yellow box)...

    Name:  rear_alignment.jpg
Views: 2528
Size:  67.5 KB

    The reason I'm mentioning this is because if your rear alignment is out of spec that bad, bigger tires aren't going to fix it.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 52.2 mpg (US) ... 22.2 km/L ... 4.5 L/100 km ... 62.6 mpg (Imp)


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    Quote Originally Posted by FloridaG4 View Post
    Yea I had Mitsubishi replace the rear axle but is still 2 degrees off
    Wider tires won't help as long as they are trying to go in different directions. With a bad alignment, the price of new tires is money thrown out the window.

    Don't give up on this. Give Mitsubishi North America a call and get a good axle installed.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 49.6 mpg (US) ... 21.1 km/L ... 4.7 L/100 km ... 59.5 mpg (Imp)


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    Quote Originally Posted by Top_Fuel View Post
    Ohhh...now I remember your story.

    If you can possibly get a printout of your current alignment numbers and post it here...that would help. 2 degrees is a HUGE amount. Maybe it's .2 degrees? Here's an example printout where the rear toe is off by less than .1 degree on one side (see the yellow box)...

    Name:  rear_alignment.jpg
Views: 2528
Size:  67.5 KB

    The reason I'm mentioning this is because if your rear alignment is out of spec that bad, bigger tires aren't going to fix it.
    yea I’ll go find the printout and snap a picture.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Eggman View Post
    Wider tires won't help as long as they are trying to go in different directions. With a bad alignment, the price of new tires is money thrown out the window.

    Don't give up on this. Give Mitsubishi North America a call and get a good axle installed.
    Does anyone know Mitsubishi’s phone number and email address?

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    Moderator Eggman's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by FloridaG4 View Post
    Does anyone know Mitsubishi’s phone number and email address?
    Try this:
    Mitsubishi Cars
    Quote Originally Posted by mitsubishicars.com
    Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc.
    PO Box 6014
    Cypress, CA 90630

    Customer Service Inquiries
    1-888-MITSU2017 (1-888-648-7820)
    And don't forget these threads for details:

    Rear Wheel Misaligned? (UPDATE: some rear axles out of spec; warranty replacement)
    Rear Alignment Problem FAQ

    Quote Originally Posted by R01k View Post
    So I noticed that my steering wheel had gotten a little bit off center to the right when going straight. The guy at the dealer took it for a drive and checked the alignment to tell me that the rear right wheel was somewhat misaligned, possibly due to some hard bump on a pothole (no surprise with the winter we've had). The fix is to install a shim on the wheel that will bring it to factory specs. I'll go back within a few days to do it.

    I'm no expert on cars, but this is the first time I hear about rear misalignment and a shim on the wheel as the remedy.

    ===

    UPDATE Jan. 9, 2017 by admin...

    This thread now contains hundreds of posts. For a summary and list of Frequently Asked Questions about this issue see this thread
    :

    >>> Rear Alignment Problem FAQ <<<

    Also, here is Mitsubishi's official position on rear axle alignment (e-mail from U.S. PR Manager Alex Fedorak):

    I'm told by our service department that we are aware some Mirages including some early 2015 models might have a rear axle problem causing some out-of-spec alignment issues. This condition falls under our 5 year/60,000 mile warranty coverage. People who feel they might have a problem should contact their local dealer for an inspection and repair as necessary under warranty.
    This should be helpful for owners who were mistakenly put under the impression (by a dealer) that only the 12 month / 12k mile "adjustment period" covered this.

    It's a clear 5/60 warranty issue. Have those customers ask to speak to the factory rep.
    I hope you are still within the 5 year/60,000 mile warranty period.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 49.6 mpg (US) ... 21.1 km/L ... 4.7 L/100 km ... 59.5 mpg (Imp)


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    Thank you. Yes only 3 months and 3400(ish) Miles.



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