Front end vibs help

[mikemounlio]

I have done the DIY suspension. The car drives great and handles great. Since i am so low now i have to go back to my old 12" tires that are about shot. Anyway the car is getting a bad vib at about 60. It kinda feels like tire balance but i just had them balanced. Then i thought it was camber angle. I was getting a bit to cold and drunk to set the angle (ended up at -5° for a week on one side). I got the chamber at -2.5° now. Last night when i took the tire off there was quite a bit of grease on the backside of the rim. Im thinking the boot is now shot. The vib i get is not steady but hits in waves. Does it sound like a bad axle unit now?

I am about ready to do my B6T swap so if i can hold out i will if not ill replace parts now.

[Advancedynamix]

The 12" tires are known to be not so round. The out of round will cause this vibration and it comes and goes. Let me guess, it's from around 55 mph to 65mph and comes and goes depending on the road and if your accelerating or decelerating?
You can perfectly balance a square, but that doesn't mean it rides smoothly as a wheel.

[mikemounlio]

Yep!

[errjam]

55-60mph shake goes away comes back , ...... different depending on road conditions/ temps rolling on 13's trying to diagnose as well

[Advancedynamix]

After dealing with this same problem on several festivas now, I suspect tires first. Any size can do it, because any tire can be out of round. I have a set of brand new 155 60 13 sunny tires that vibrate on any Festiva that they go on, and I have a set of old dry rotted old Kuhmo 12" tires that ride smooth as glass. From experience though, round 12" tires are more rare than oval 12" tires.
A good set of 14x6 wheels with some 165 55 14 Achilles Economist tires usually does the trick.

[errjam]

A good set of 14x6 wheels with some 165 55 14 Achilles Economist tires usually does the trick
does going to 14's affect performace/ mpg ect on a stock B3
I would think , adding any rotational mass to a tired B3 might not be ideal?

[Advancedynamix]

If you use a 165 50 14 tire and a light weight alloy 14" wheel you actually reduce mass and outer diameter. The 165 50 14 Achilles Economist tires are actually smaller than a 155 80 12 tire.
The Festivas that I've put this combo on actually feel quicker and much more nimble than with the 12" tires. Gas mileage is more likely to improve as well. My mileage improved on my b6d swapped car, but I can't say I've tested them on a tired b3 car.

I had the opportunity to thrash a set of 165 50 14 Achilles Economist tires for a day on a very fast road coarse. I was extremely impressed with the results. I was able to post lap times that were equal to track prepped 1.8L Miatas with experienced drivers on R compound rubber. These tires held up well to my abuse and didn't "go away" when heated like most low dollar street tires do.

[mikemounlio]

I have had 15's on this car with 0 issues. Since i have dropped the car the 15's wont fit now. They were a hair to big when stock. The car seemed to like the 15's until i tried to stop that is. B6T swap coming soon so i wont be changing the tires out just yet. Will try to wait and just get the 14's

[mikemounlio]

i kinda wanted the car smooth before starting the swap. I wanted everything to be in good running order. But at this point im just so ready to get the swap going!!!

[Advancedynamix]

A b6t auto on stock brakes and 12" tires? Hahaha. Be careful.

[mikemounlio]

I not not going auto or stock brakes. I will be using the capri brakes or going to an aspire swap. I am on the fence. I think im leaning more towards the capri brakes tho (as i have the full car). I will take the car to autocross events but not for points. So i dont need to have sticky tires so the 14" way might be my best option (capri).

What i was saying is that i wanted the festiva in top running condition so if something is not right after the swap im not trying to remember what was wrong before/now. Is it a swapped part that bad or a stock part.

I will just replace as much as i can with new good parts and do my best to set everything as it should be. Once back running i will then figure out what all needs to be switched out and go from there.

[bhazard]

A b6t auto on stock brakes and 12" tires? Hahaha. Be careful.

Ahem

https://youtu.be/9j0KbtqU0vs?t=15s

Not that I recommend it