Bongo Fury

I've received a query from Tim who has a problem. He wants to know what causes his Bongo to skid at low speed (20mph) in wet conditions. He has 2wd, it's 1996, non-ABS and he has 215s all round.

No 4WD and no ABS?

No seriously, it could be the driving pattern. RWD cars are notorious for losing it on the back when cornering on bends. My MR2 has scared me sh**less on a number of occassions. It's down to how you put power down to the wheels in the wet and cornering. The Bongo has a fair amount of grunt and I daresay could create a similar experience if applying too much power when cornering. You should maintain a steady speed until almost out of the bend and then apply more speed, not before.

If the problem is not down to cornering then I'm guessing it's when braking. Sliding at low speeds would indicate one or more wheels locking or grabbing before the others. This would indicate a caliper siezing and needs overhaul or replacement.

There could also be a more simpler cause of course - maybe there's hardly any tread left on the tyres?

Thank you for your reply,
The Tyres do need replacing soon (they still have 3-4 mm of tread) but I want to replace them earlier because of the loss of grip. I really want some advice as to the best all weather (including snow) tyres. I did not get a 4wd as they are more expensive to run and harder to get without the folding roof (height restriction) and my 2wd was really cheep! (I desperately wanted to get a Bongo but it had to be cheap cos I am unemployed )

Slow in fast out buddy

95 freetop, 2wd, non ABS, corners on rails, quick in, quicker out, it's all in the timing of when to kick it for the down shift. Shakey

Tried that the other day and it lost traction in the bend so I slowed more and then accelerated out and just had wheel spin - I think its the tyres as they have only just started to do it in the past 2,000 miles. I really want advice on what to replace the Toyo rubber with and (respectfully) no more advice on how to drive !!
Thanks

Tim I put a thread on here a few months ago, same thing happened to me, went around a roundabout and did a full 360 spin, luck no traffic plus my police driver training got me out of it. My rear tyres looked fine but I changed em and did the same route again, no probs. I have a manual flat top and I have 215's all round. Nankang make 96h rated, £37.00 each fully fitted.

It all depends how skint you are, but my personal opinion is that buying cheapo tyres is a false economy. I recently bought a full set of Yokohama C-Drive reinforced 215/65/R15 100H for £270 including balancing.

Tyres do not come any better than these.

Timothy Ford wrote:Tried that the other day and it lost traction in the bend so I slowed more and then accelerated out and just had wheel spin - I think its the tyres as they have only just started to do it in the past 2,000 miles. I really want advice on what to replace the Toyo rubber with and (respectfully) no more advice on how to drive !!
Thanks

SOS only playing.
Sounds like you need new rubber to me.

Sorry Tim, Think it's new boots time, I run the same as Dave with no problems, Mine came with one original (as imported ) tyre on, I started getting a tail wag at speed, on close inspection found ply delamination had distorted the tyre profile in two planes, yet to the untrained eye it looked O.K. The tyre was nearly full tread but old, (and possibly driven over a kerb). Shakey

Thanks for the quick replies and advice.
I was a bit sceptical about using a forum cos you usually post a topic and then a week later, if you are lucky, someone posts a reply and not about what you wanted! Bongo owners are obviously a very helpful bunch
Many Thanks
Tim
PS maybe someone could tell me which fuse covers the radio (I managed to blow mine!!)

Are you a member yet? If so, in the member's section is a translated diagram of the fusebox, amongst many other useful tidbits.
It's well worth signing up for!

although saying that, I've just had a look myself, there isn't actually a radio fuse in the fusebox (by the drivers foot). There is an "interior" fuse though. Does that cover it?

The full story is that I was just inserting the charging lead for my mobile phone when the radio went dead and the electric mirrors stopped working !!
I don't think anything else has been affected
Tim