Really need help with front end
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 753
Likes: 241
From: New Hampshire
Really need help with front end
Hi,
I purchased the vette of my dreams 3 mo. ago on the net. 2003 vert. 34K PERFECT in every way. WELL I flew out to the windy city to drive it back to NH and something is wrong. If the road is nice and flat all is ok. As soon as I get on an uneven road with areas that are uneven due to patches or secondary roads the car is all over the place, to the point of getting scared. It jumbs around and drifts. like taking off on its own every time I hit an uneven spot. I actually slow dow down to around 40 or 50 as it bothers me so. If I drive around town like under 50 you never know anything is wrong. I have a 1986 that does not handle like this.
I love this car but am afraid to go over 70. I had a friend follow me on a trip to Cape Cod this fall (about 100 miles) and when we got there he asked me if I had been drinking !!! Tires have about 25% wear left. I had a 67 GTO that did the same thing and new tires did the trick, but that was a car with 100000 plus on it and 40 years old.The Old Ladys Acura has 25% on her tires and it doesnt act like this. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much in advance
Dino
I purchased the vette of my dreams 3 mo. ago on the net. 2003 vert. 34K PERFECT in every way. WELL I flew out to the windy city to drive it back to NH and something is wrong. If the road is nice and flat all is ok. As soon as I get on an uneven road with areas that are uneven due to patches or secondary roads the car is all over the place, to the point of getting scared. It jumbs around and drifts. like taking off on its own every time I hit an uneven spot. I actually slow dow down to around 40 or 50 as it bothers me so. If I drive around town like under 50 you never know anything is wrong. I have a 1986 that does not handle like this.
I love this car but am afraid to go over 70. I had a friend follow me on a trip to Cape Cod this fall (about 100 miles) and when we got there he asked me if I had been drinking !!! Tires have about 25% wear left. I had a 67 GTO that did the same thing and new tires did the trick, but that was a car with 100000 plus on it and 40 years old.The Old Ladys Acura has 25% on her tires and it doesnt act like this. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much in advance
Dino
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 2,997
Likes: 36
From: Ocean Springs MS
Check this thread out about the shock stuffers put in 2003 year and up...found them in my car and made a huge difference when I took them out. Hope that's all your problem turns out to be. 
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...shock+stuffers
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...shock+stuffers
Race Director
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 16,270
Likes: 30
From: "It's 106 miles to Chicago, we've got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark, and
St. Jude Donor '03-'04-'05-'06-'07-'08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16-'17-‘18-'19
NCM Sinkhole Donor
I think you have an alignment issue, combined with worn tires. Before you buy any tires, I would seek out a competent alignment shop and have the car FOUR WHEEL aligned to something close to factory specs.
You didn't mention how the tires were worn - inside, outside, center, both edges, feathered, etc... This might give a clue as to the problem with the front end.
You also did not specify what kind of tires are on the car - are they the OEM GY EMT's or something else aftermarket. Also - assuming they are the GY EMT's - did someone mount the tires/wheels on the wrong corners? There is a definite difference if the tire is mounted wrong - these are directional tires and if the wheel was removed and reinstalled on the wrong side it might exhibit some real squirrely tendancies......
Don't buy tires until you figure out if everything is okay underneath. Is the sway bar loose? Maybe you have a broken sway bar...
You didn't mention how the tires were worn - inside, outside, center, both edges, feathered, etc... This might give a clue as to the problem with the front end.
You also did not specify what kind of tires are on the car - are they the OEM GY EMT's or something else aftermarket. Also - assuming they are the GY EMT's - did someone mount the tires/wheels on the wrong corners? There is a definite difference if the tire is mounted wrong - these are directional tires and if the wheel was removed and reinstalled on the wrong side it might exhibit some real squirrely tendancies......
Don't buy tires until you figure out if everything is okay underneath. Is the sway bar loose? Maybe you have a broken sway bar...
Safety Car
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 4,776
Likes: 142
From: North of Atlanta GA
St. Jude Donor '05
I think you have an alignment issue, combined with worn tires. Before you buy any tires, I would seek out a competent alignment shop and have the car FOUR WHEEL aligned to something close to factory specs.
You didn't mention how the tires were worn - inside, outside, center, both edges, feathered, etc... This might give a clue as to the problem with the front end.
You also did not specify what kind of tires are on the car - are they the OEM GY EMT's or something else aftermarket. Also - assuming they are the GY EMT's - did someone mount the tires/wheels on the wrong corners? There is a definite difference if the tire is mounted wrong - these are directional tires and if the wheel was removed and reinstalled on the wrong side it might exhibit some real squirrely tendancies......
Don't buy tires until you figure out if everything is okay underneath. Is the sway bar loose? Maybe you have a broken sway bar...
You didn't mention how the tires were worn - inside, outside, center, both edges, feathered, etc... This might give a clue as to the problem with the front end.
You also did not specify what kind of tires are on the car - are they the OEM GY EMT's or something else aftermarket. Also - assuming they are the GY EMT's - did someone mount the tires/wheels on the wrong corners? There is a definite difference if the tire is mounted wrong - these are directional tires and if the wheel was removed and reinstalled on the wrong side it might exhibit some real squirrely tendancies......
Don't buy tires until you figure out if everything is okay underneath. Is the sway bar loose? Maybe you have a broken sway bar...
And there you have it! Alignment shop will tell you if sway bar or something is bad, new tires, alignment, and maybe shocks and you'll be fine.
Race Director
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 15,960
Likes: 21
From: West Norriton PA
St. Jude Donor '08
Hi,
I purchased the vette of my dreams 3 mo. ago on the net. 2003 vert. 34K PERFECT in every way. WELL I flew out to the windy city to drive it back to NH and something is wrong. If the road is nice and flat all is ok. As soon as I get on an uneven road with areas that are uneven due to patches or secondary roads the car is all over the place, to the point of getting scared. It jumbs around and drifts. like taking off on its own every time I hit an uneven spot. I actually slow dow down to around 40 or 50 as it bothers me so. If I drive around town like under 50 you never know anything is wrong. I have a 1986 that does not handle like this.
I love this car but am afraid to go over 70. I had a friend follow me on a trip to Cape Cod this fall (about 100 miles) and when we got there he asked me if I had been drinking !!! Tires have about 25% wear left. I had a 67 GTO that did the same thing and new tires did the trick, but that was a car with 100000 plus on it and 40 years old.The Old Ladys Acura has 25% on her tires and it doesnt act like this. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much in advance
Dino
I purchased the vette of my dreams 3 mo. ago on the net. 2003 vert. 34K PERFECT in every way. WELL I flew out to the windy city to drive it back to NH and something is wrong. If the road is nice and flat all is ok. As soon as I get on an uneven road with areas that are uneven due to patches or secondary roads the car is all over the place, to the point of getting scared. It jumbs around and drifts. like taking off on its own every time I hit an uneven spot. I actually slow dow down to around 40 or 50 as it bothers me so. If I drive around town like under 50 you never know anything is wrong. I have a 1986 that does not handle like this.
I love this car but am afraid to go over 70. I had a friend follow me on a trip to Cape Cod this fall (about 100 miles) and when we got there he asked me if I had been drinking !!! Tires have about 25% wear left. I had a 67 GTO that did the same thing and new tires did the trick, but that was a car with 100000 plus on it and 40 years old.The Old Ladys Acura has 25% on her tires and it doesnt act like this. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much in advance
Dino
I would have alignment checked. The runflats are very stiff and are known to behave badly on bumpy roads. Take a look at some non-runflats.
Also if your vette is lowered to far down you will not get enough suspension travel and bottom out.
Cure is stiffer springs and shocks along with a bump steer kit if you are lowered.
My vette behaved a lot like yours when I first got it. Put on Z06 springs and bilstein shocks and raised it back about another inch from previous owners settings.
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The alignment and worn tires would be my guess too. Have the car checked out by a good mechanic.
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