cross winds and or squirmy at speed.

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Permalink Reply by Mike S. on April 9, 2010 at 1:13pm

Just wanted to say that I've noticed on my drive to work in the afternoon my car is much more squirmy than on my drive home. On the way home at night my car feels rock solid as any other automobile I've ever driven. I thought maybe because it was dark or I was tired I just didn't feel the steering wheel at night (I get off work at midnight), but I finally noticed something the other day which may help everybody on here. There are two huge flags I drive by on the freeway to work every afternoon and they are usually blowing like crazy in the wind...that is when I really feel my car being squirmy on the road. I finally realized the last few nights as I was driving home that the flags were completely still....and my car was rock solid on the road! So, the wind, more than the tires or anything else, is what is really affecting our cars. It makes sense I guess due to the light weight and high speed of travel, but I was really shocked by just how much of an impact the wind has. I do think the rain grooves on the roads also contribute to the squirmy feeling at times, but the road I travel to and from work is very well paved in both directions, so it has been an ideal test road. At night my car feels as smooth and stable as an S-class. Try driving your car on a smooth road at night when you are sure there is no wind...you will be amazed! I thought the squirmy issue had more to do with the tires, but it is really the high profile of the car and the wind blowing.

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Permalink Reply by Tony on April 10, 2010 at 9:19pm

Mike, i think you are well on track with your observation. This has been a topic for owners of smarts since day one in the US. Keep in mind, it seems that we are the ones that are testing this car in ways it has not been in may of the countries it's sold in before.

We tend to be in our cars for much more time, for longer commutes and for more highway miles than most any other place. Even though my "commute" is only 4 miles one way. My job puts me on the road oh so frequently. I have nearly 23,000 miles on my car, purchased 08/2008.

I did put new Genius wheels on 15'' all the way round so that the fronts and the rears are the same size. I must say this was a HUGE help. I have driven my smart in so many brutal storms in central Florida, including a whopper of a hail storm that i thought was going to bring my polycarbonate roof crashing through (not a single mark on the car - gotta love those plastics.). I've driven everything from VW Rabbit's to an amazing 1976 VW Westfalia Camper to full size cars from GM, Ford and Chrysler.

To me, with out reservation, the car being so light weight is adversely affected by cross winds. I experienced similar when my big BOX of a Westy van was tooling down the interstate at highway speeds and was plowed by a cross wind. Look at the side profile of the smart. It is quite tall and very flat. A cross wind does not easily get around that so ... the car gets a push.

Watch the road side trees, drive with your hands at 10 and 2 and be happy that our smarts only take 1/2 of the lane at a time... plenty of time to correct when you get a push from mother nature.

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