[DeTomaso] Pantera Handling 101

[Michael Shortt]

Good that you are taking it slowly and asking questions.
1st, your final assessment is about dead on!

I highly encourage you to do some track days with a friend/coach and get the
experimenting off the street, nothing worse than spinning out into a pole or
getting a ticket.  Sports Renault ( Ford ) rentals are way cheaper than
fender repairs and SCCA driving schools are cheap.

Have fun, be careful and remember that smooth is always faster.

Michael in Savannah

On Feb 7, 2008 8:56 PM, sean mundy <seanmundy at hotmail.com> wrote:

> Soliciting thoughts on quirky Pantera handling.  I've had my Pantera for 3
> years and have pretty much drove it a total of 7k miles like an ol lady on
> the way to church. I recently took it out during a break in the floods and
> snowstorms here in the PNW and drove it pretty fast on one of the freeway
> on
> ramps.  I was feeling pretty aggresive but I wasn't racing just taking the
> onramp at "slightly" over the posted limit.   I always knew about and have
> experienced understeer in my car but I haven't until recently really
> started
> pushing the Pantera handling envelope. I've driven other mid engine cars
> and
> know of their handling characteristics.   I discovered that my car will
> really start to understeer if I apply any throttle mid corner so much so
> that I have to make a severe steering correction and of course remembering
> not to lift throttle abruptly.  Also, when applying any throttle mid
> corner
> the car will push bigtime but also the car will lift significantly.  This
> is
> hard to describe other than it seems the car is jacking itself up
> underneath
> whatever side of the car is on the inside of the corner.  So applying any
> throttle mid corner I get an extreme push and simultaneous lifting/tilting
> of the car.  The car just sets itself at that jacked up attitude and never
> really settles back down until exiting the corner.  Does this sound
> familiar?  I have stock sway bars, new poly bushings all around,
> adjustable
> shocks purchased from PI and 225/45 and 315/35 tires.  I guess I'm just
> looking for you guys to maybe tell me "Hey dummy, its a mid engine car
> with
> a big lump of V8 back there. Whaddya expect!"   Or maybe my car is just
> setup all wrong.
>
> Thanks for any thoughts
>
> Sean Mundy 72 L
>
>
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-- 
Michael L. Shortt
Savannah, Georgia
www.michaelshortt.com
michael at michaelshortt.com


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