Worsening tire slipping and oversteering issue in rain.

[mr49]

Hi, guys,

I have a 2001 Explorer Sport. I don't have concrete evidence on this. But I have a feeling that the issue with wheel spinning when starting in rain has worsened over time. Also, both my wife and I have experienced oversteering at reasonable cornering speed when it's raining. We had new tires and alignment in 2012. Since then, we haven't put too much milage on it. I wonder if there's any possible mechanical issue that can make the car more prone to losing traction.

Thanks
Jia

 

[toypaseo]

What brand and model of tire?

 

[J_C]

New tires and alignment don't mean that it won't go out of alignment later. That would be my first guess, though wear on suspension parts will also gradually degrade handling, and old shocks "may" cause tires to slip easier in certain situations.

However, tire compounds harden over time and putting fewer miles on can result in a harder, slicker tire surface instead of scrubbing off that surface through more miles.

Then again the less you drive it and instead drive a car, the more you would tend to notice that being an old school framed truck platform, it doesn't handle well in comparison. There are those who would disagree when considering suspension upgrades but if you do equivalent upgrades to a car then it's a fairer comparison.

Regardless, get it up in the air with the wheels off and start inspecting and pulling on things looking for slack.