Anyone else have a problem with fishtailing in this car? I find that the car fishtails frequently under hard acceleration, even from 30-50+ mph. I never feel like I'm going to lose control, but it's not the most comfortable feeling. It also doesn't feel as stable at speed as either my M3 or X5 because of a darty feeling at higher speeds.

 

I know exactly what you mean.

 

Having just done a 2500 mile trip and demonstrated the car to a number of people I know what you mean. It never feels like it's going to break away but it just gets a bit squirrely as the power comes in. Our upgraded car is less linear than the standard car (definitely comes in with a bit of punch) so it is worse for this than the unmodded cars I've driven, especially on damp roads. It is a bit unsettling at times but with the T/C on it's pretty predictable and I've got to the stage where it doesn't really bother me - not as much as the first couple of times!

 

Yup, very "torquey" and the back end easily comes out, especially on cold roads with cold tires...gotta be careful.

 

Yeah I'm sure it's much worse with the higher horsepower cars...especially supercharged ones. But I haven't driven a modern car that did this...even higher horsepower ones...911, Z06, CTS-V, etc. I would think that you're losing a lot of speed when the car starts fishtailing coming out of a corner for example...so I wonder how this can be fixed. Larger tires or new diff?

 

I think it is worse with TC turned on, it breaks then cuts then breaks, kind of unsettling but it isn't excessive, it just steps out a bit on REALLY slow corners or wet conditions.

 

I really think it needs bigger rear rubber. 285 will fit on the standard wheel and that may be enough?

 

Not sure how to say this ... I do not have the problem ! At 90 + it also just sits down and moves out. Even my wife, sitting in the passengers seat says she feels this "settle-ing" at higher speeds, feels very stable. Last time I burned out w/ the TC off I got some movement but nothing unexpected and very easy to control - only slid to one side - no fish tail (as in back/forth). No movement w/ TC on. I also have no issues coming out of slower turns hard at the track ... as in quick transitions slow/fast.
I have the stock 19' wheels, stock Bridgestone tires (I'll get Michelins next), RSC springs (I believe they are H&Rs) and a good alignment (again stock figures, basically just lowered). As an example my 964 and E46M3 cab felt a front end lightness at higher speeds (90+, and I added things to eliminate this) but mt Vantage feels nothing like that.
What brand of tires are you guys using?
I can drive but I am no Mario Andretti ...

 

If you want to see exactly what I mean, pull up the video of the Vantage C on YouTube. I have driven that car and it is worse on that car than on mine, presumably due to added power, but you can see what I mean.

I have the stock Bridgestones, although a switch to larger rears and maybe even a whole new brand of tire may be in the future, as suggested earlier.

Also, in all fairness, Florida roads are far from smooth and this is probably a factor. Even the freeways are very lumpy and uneven. That said, my M3 and my previous Boxster S were more stable at speed. The springs on this car are very firm and I'm sure a switch to a progressive spring would help negate some of the road problems.

 

This is interesting and I agree there are many factors that provide variation - my car has the Vantage C mods (and now maybe a few more) except the wheels/tires - HZ went w/ 20s or 21s (sorry I can not remember). These springs are actually a little softer than stock - I believe designed w/ the larger wheels in mind. In the video he turned the TC off to get the car to spin and burn more rubber. I believed he also noticed more power w/ TC off - an interesting statement as there may be some more software changes w/ TC off than we originally thought.
I'll check out the video again ...