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Author Topic: Looking for someone who can weigh my car. Each corner individually.  (Read 15538 times)

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GTRS Fiero

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Re: Looking for someone who can weigh my car. Each corner individually.
« Reply #15 on: August 03, 2018, 10:09:26 pm »
I will relate 2 experiences that may help.

The first involved a tire rotation.  After the tire rotation, my wife's truck pulled hard to the right in the right lane on a stretch of highway on her way home from work.  Just for about 1 mile.  I duplicated this on a side street, rather by accident.  No idea why.  We replaced the front tires, and the problem went away.

Yesterday, the brakes went out on my Fiero, due to a leaking left rear brake hose.  As I got low on fluid, one of the wheels would lock up, but only after 90% of the pedal travel.  Nothing happened until after the last 10%, with the pedal basically on the floor.  My situation yesterday reminded me of this issue of yours.  At the time, the prevailing thought was that it was a bad left rear caliper.  Eventually, I crawled up under the car and found out what was happening.  My brake fluid was seriously low, with the rwar chamber basically empty.

I wonder if you could have a flow situation.  Maybe rather that test weight at the wheels, check fluid pressure at the calipers.  Or, maybe it's a tires issue.

GTRS Fiero

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Re: Looking for someone who can weigh my car. Each corner individually.
« Reply #16 on: August 09, 2018, 10:32:29 pm »
Based on watching a variety of Fieros being weighed, each corner has a different weight.  Unless you had another identical Fiero with which to compare, the weights would have to be weigh (ha, ha) off.

GTRS Fiero

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Re: Looking for someone who can weigh my car. Each corner individually.
« Reply #17 on: August 29, 2018, 08:12:54 pm »
I did a bunch of brake tests in my '88.  Because of how the brake lines/hoses are run, the wheels tend to lock up differently.  I have a different setup than you have, but my Fiero locks up differently in different circumstances.  Usually the left front locks up first, because it gets the most direct brake pressure; however, other wheels lock up in other circumstances, like going downhill.
« Last Edit: July 04, 2021, 02:19:26 pm by GTRS Fiero »

Raydar

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Re: Looking for someone who can weigh my car. Each corner individually.
« Reply #18 on: August 29, 2018, 10:07:26 pm »
I did a bunch of brake tests in my '88.  Because of how the brake lines/hoses are run, the wheels tend to lock up differently.  I have a different setup than you have, but my Fiero locks up differently in different circumstances.  Usually the left front locks up first, because it gets the most direct brake pressureb however, other wheels lock up in other circumstances, like going downhill.

I think I mentioned, elsewhere, that the left front seemed to be the one that locked. The other day, the right front locked, so maybe it's just a function of the way the car is loaded, and the road surface, as much as anything.
I'm still trying to get the car back together from the motor mount situation, so the brake thing is on the back burner, for a while. Maybe indefinitely, unless I get surprised.
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GTRS Fiero

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Re: Looking for someone who can weigh my car. Each corner individually.
« Reply #19 on: August 29, 2018, 10:16:31 pm »
I did read that post, and did not forget, but I wanted to post my results.  I hope that our posts will help others in the future.

GTRS Fiero

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Re: Looking for someone who can weigh my car. Each corner individually.
« Reply #20 on: June 27, 2019, 09:28:26 pm »
So, all good?

Raydar

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Re: Looking for someone who can weigh my car. Each corner individually.
« Reply #21 on: June 27, 2019, 09:51:35 pm »
As far as I know. Haven't really bothered with it, since.
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PK

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Re: Looking for someone who can weigh my car. Each corner individually.
« Reply #22 on: June 28, 2019, 05:04:19 am »
I have the technology just the distance might scupper us Raydar.

Raydar

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Re: Looking for someone who can weigh my car. Each corner individually.
« Reply #23 on: June 28, 2019, 08:48:24 am »
It's all good. I haven't even thought about it in months. Since I slid the right wheel, instead of the left, on that one occasion, I just decided it was the way the car was loaded.
With that said, ALL 88s tend to have a front bias with the brakes. Normally, that's desirable, but I think the Fiero is "overboard" in that regard.
I thought about going up by one tire size in the front (from 215 to 225) but the person I mentioned it to (fieroguru) didn't seem to think it would be useful, and he's got extensive experience doing stuff like this.
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scottb

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Re: Looking for someone who can weigh my car. Each corner individually.
« Reply #24 on: June 30, 2019, 09:01:25 pm »
Ummm...... I not an engineer nor did I stay in a Holiday Inn last night, but I believe ALL cars have a front brake bias. I think it has something to do with physics. I think :-[ that is why front brakes always wear out first

Raydar

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Re: Looking for someone who can weigh my car. Each corner individually.
« Reply #25 on: June 30, 2019, 09:29:35 pm »
Ummm...... I not an engineer nor did I stay in a Holiday Inn last night, but I believe ALL cars have a front brake bias. I think it has something to do with physics. I think :-[ that is why front brakes always wear out first

It's by design. Rear wheels locking first can throw the car into a skid. It can be designed out, but it wouldn't be the best idea. I just think the Fiero goes overboard. Hence the occasional "brake proportioning valve" thread you might see on Pennocks.
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GTRS Fiero

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Re: Looking for someone who can weigh my car. Each corner individually.
« Reply #26 on: June 30, 2019, 09:37:09 pm »
The Fiero is too light in the front.  Adding a bit of weight helps to alleviate this issue.