Newbie Questions!

[Loren]

To be honest, those tires did not at all factor in my decision of purchasing the car. I thought the rims were nice, but the tire size did not even cross my mind. Now I’m worried that rubbing is going to stop my car in the middle of the road or cause severe damage to the car!

Don't "worry", just look at the situation and figure out if it's a problem or not.

Reach behind each tire and feel how much space is behind it. If there's at least a 1/4" between the tire and the strut or shock, you're fine there. If you want to take it a step further, turn the front wheels all the way in each direction and check for clearance at the back edge of the tire. It could contact the rear edge of the wheel well. Probably not likely because your car is at stock ride height.

To check the outside, just look at it. Does the tire extend past the edge of the fender? Maybe have a friend open a door, stand on the sill and bounce the car solidly. Does it look like the tire COULD contact the fender?

If contact is possible, you just need to be aware of it. It can come into play when you take speed bumps or steep driveways or any kind of big bump, especially if there's extra weight in the car.

Being at stock ride height, you can get away with a little more than a lowered car. But, you're also on stock suspension, which is very soft. A good bump, or hanging a corner hard will blast right through the available 5" of suspension travel and easily put a tire into a fender. Yes, it can damage your fenders. Yes, it can damage your tires.

Don't be afraid of it, just educate yourself. If it's an issue, figure out how to fix it!

[Top_Fuel]

^^^ Definitely read Loren's advice.

The good news is that currently your rear sidewalls don't show any signs of contacting the fenders. But the tires look new...so keep an eye on them...especially in this area of the rear sidewalls...




Notice on the tire below that some of the lettering has been worn off the tire because it is rubbing the fenders under certain conditions. If you start seeing signs of this on your rear sidewalls, there are some things you can do to help prevent it.





You might also want to stick your head under the rear of the car and look at the inside of your rear tires. Are they rubbing (or very close to) the shock absorbers...





And on your front tires, keep an eye on the inner fender wells to see if there is evidence of the tires rubbing here...

[MirageRally]

8. HSA (hill start assist) is found on all 2020 trim levels. Thus, CVT models will have it. It is the first item listed under "safety & security" features.

https://www.mitsubishicars.com/mirag...specifications

Does HSA exist on older models? I don't know for sure. Easy to test yourself.

Any way to turn hill assist OFF? l know how to drive stick and it holds my brakes causing me to stall....is it built in?

[Mark]

Any way to turn hill assist OFF? l know how to drive stick and it holds my brakes causing me to stall....is it built in?

Some have a misconception about HSA. HSA will hold for about 2 seconds maximum, but it's released as soon as you depress the accelerator. If you are stalling your Mirage, you need to make sure you've released the HSA by pushing on the accelerator while releasing your clutch. If someone is truly good at taking off on a hill with a manual, HSA will not hinder that process in any way that I can see. It will only improve the maneuver.

I don't sense any issue with HSA on my 5-speed Forester or 5-speed Mirage. The only thing that would make them stall on a hill would be my failure to hit the gas while letting out the clutch. That's really no different than a vehicle that doesn't have HSA. If I do things properly, I don't sense HSA impeding my forward motion in the least. I don't care for these features, but I feel it works perfectly fine. I see no point in disabling this feature.

https://www.mitsubishi-motors.com/en...brary/hsa.html

Subaru has a procedure for disabling HSA, but a HSA dash light would remain on afterwards. I haven't heard of anyone disabling HSA on a Mirage.

I've been driving manuals for over 40 years, & I don't sense driving a manual with/without HSA to be any different. Regardless of the feature being present or not, the car will stall if you don't give it enough gas. I have never sensed the brakes being an issue on hill starts with my Mirage. My hill starts haven't changed since having HSA. If I stall, that's on me not the car!

[Eggman]

Any way to turn hill assist OFF? l know how to drive stick and it holds my brakes causing me to stall....is it built in?

I'm pretty sure HSA wasn't implemented on the manual transmission version of the Mirage - might be in the Owner's Manual somewhere.

[Mark]

I'm pretty sure HSA wasn't implemented on the manual transmission version of the Mirage - might be in the Owner's Manual somewhere.

Apparently, 2014-15 Mirages may not have HSA. All 2017+ Mirages have it. I own a 2017 Mirage ES manual, & it has HSA. The 2017 Mirage owner's manual describes the operation of HSA for both manual & CVT Mirages. I think it is safe to assume all 2017+ trim levels (manual & CVT) have HSA.

HSA will hold your car in place (up to 2 second) until you press on the accelerator. Whether you are dealing with a clutch or not is irrelevant. If you are a skilled driver, you may not even notice HSA on your car.

I have never sensed HSA impeding forward motion on take off. If someone is stalling their car on a hill, I have to believe that's operator error (not HSA). If you let out the clutch & don't give the car enough gas, it will stall regardless of HSA.

I live in a hilly area. I practice parking on a hill with my driving students (almost every lesson). I teach them to drive & handle the car as if it doesn't have HSA. Using your left foot to hold the brake pedal (automatic transmission cars) while giving the car some gas with your right foot really helps new drivers take off smoothly on hills. Even with lots of practice, some kids still squeal the tires at times. It's something we surely practice.

HSA is one of those features you should never rely on. Sort of like lane departure warning. If you need a constant warning to stay in your lane, you probably shouldn't be on the road.

I see no reason to really bash HSA or disable it. I also don't see HSA impeding forward progress with an experienced drivers (manual or CVT), but it may be helpful to those with less experience.

[MirageRally]

Apparently, 2014-15 Mirages may not have HSA. All 2017+ Mirages have it. I own a 2017 Mirage ES manual, & it has HSA. The 2017 Mirage owner's manual describes the operation of HSA for both manual & CVT Mirages. I think it is safe to assume all 2017+ trim levels (manual & CVT) have HSA.

HSA will hold your car in place (up to 2 second) until you press on the accelerator. Whether you are dealing with a clutch or not is irrelevant. If you are a skilled driver, you may not even notice HSA on your car.

I have never sensed HSA impeding forward motion on take off. If someone is stalling their car on a hill, I have to believe that's operator error (not HSA). If you let out the clutch & don't give the car enough gas, it will stall regardless of HSA.

I live in a hilly area. I practice parking on a hill with my driving students (almost every lesson). I teach them to drive & handle the car as if it doesn't have HSA. Using your left foot to hold the brake pedal (automatic transmission cars) while giving the car some gas with your right foot really helps new drivers take off smoothly on hills. Even with lots of practice, some kids still squeal the tires at times. It's something we surely practice.

HSA is one of those features you should never rely on. Sort of like lane departure warning. If you need a constant warning to stay in your lane, you probably shouldn't be on the road.

I see no reason to really bash HSA or disable it. I also don't see HSA impeding forward progress with an experienced drivers (manual or CVT), but it may be helpful to those with less experience.

Well, it certainly must be me, lol...l don't rely on it but l have had instances where it holds my brakes and l can't advance up the hill...l press the accelerator pedal as well as let out the clutch and all that happens is l rev the motor while trying to move. l have been practicing this on a hill with no traffic to improve my skills on hills...maybe l'm not letting the clutch out fast enough? Either way, will put in more practice. Thanks for the info

[Mark]

Well, it certainly must be me, lol...l don't rely on it but l have had instances where it holds my brakes and l can't advance up the hill...l press the accelerator pedal as well as let out the clutch and all that happens is l rev the motor while trying to move. l have been practicing this on a hill with no traffic to improve my skills on hills...maybe l'm not letting the clutch out fast enough? Either way, will put in more practice. Thanks for the info

I suppose it's possible your brakes aren't releasing properly, but I don't ever sense HSA impeding my forward progress on a hill start. Your accelerator should be releasing your brakes within those 2 seconds. If you aren't sensing that, it may be worth having it checked.

Since CVT Mirages also have HSA, I am quite certain the release of the brakes is related to the accelerator (not the clutch). The owners' manual sort of explains how it all works (for both manual & CVT) without even mentioning the clutch. It still takes practice to take off smoothly on a hill. That's even true of new drivers with automatic vehicles.

[Eggman]

Doesn't operating the parking/emergency brake temporarily cancel the Hill Start Assist?

[Dirk Diggler]

Your tire/wheel combo looks expensive. If its giving you problems than go to a used tired/wheel store. See if you can do a swap for a 14 or 15" rim. As for the tires I'd try 175 65 r14s just because the options are plentiful and priced right if you can find a good 14" wheel. What you got on there right now looks like some cholo LA gangsta owned your ride before you did and didnt know what they were doing? On the plus side they do look like high quality wheels worth alot of $ to offset the cost of replacing them. Of course they may be just fine. That same used wheel shop can look at it for you too.