I'm skating all over the road
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 179
Likes: 0
From: The USA Rocky Mountain Area
I'm skating all over the road
I have a 2004 Z06, bought it last month, has 60,000 miles on it.
If I hit a bump or join (like bridge) in the road, crack, uneven surface the car skates all over the road, like on ice.
Did a search about replacing the :-
Tie Rod Ends with metal ones
Bushings (Camber rods, Sway Bars and Rear control Arms)
Ball Joints
Where do I get them ?
Should I first do the bushings and tie rod ends - test it, then if necessary go with the ball joints as well or ?
I dont hear any popping or sqweeking - am I even on the right track here to improve the handling ?
Thanks
If I hit a bump or join (like bridge) in the road, crack, uneven surface the car skates all over the road, like on ice.
Did a search about replacing the :-
Tie Rod Ends with metal ones
Bushings (Camber rods, Sway Bars and Rear control Arms)
Ball Joints
Where do I get them ?
Should I first do the bushings and tie rod ends - test it, then if necessary go with the ball joints as well or ?
I dont hear any popping or sqweeking - am I even on the right track here to improve the handling ?
Thanks
Race Director
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 11,152
Likes: 890
From: South Western Ontario
Why don't you figure out what is wrong and replace the bad part?
I doubt a 60k mile car needs ball joints or bushings. Maybe a tie rod end is bad. It could also be as simple as an alignment adjuster that has slipped putting the alignment out of whack.
Peter
I doubt a 60k mile car needs ball joints or bushings. Maybe a tie rod end is bad. It could also be as simple as an alignment adjuster that has slipped putting the alignment out of whack.
Peter
Pro
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 545
Likes: 4
From: Calgary Alberta
What did you normally drive before? I haven't driven a sports car for a few years since the kids came along and when I bought my Vette this past summer I had to relearn the sports car dynamics. My Escape takes a whole lot more effort to turn and when I first got back into a sports car I found myself darting about a bit as I relearned.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 3,003
Likes: 89
From: Indy IN
Very good advice. More than likely something like an adjuster is loose and that is letting the toe change. Looks very closely at the rear lower suspension joints and make sure they are tight as that could cause exactly what you are seeing.
Is the car lowered, and if so how much? Excessive lowering will have the car hitting the rear bump stops and that can also cause what you are seeing. Look at the maintenance items before you start looking at modifications.
Safety Car
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 4,237
Likes: 11
From: Lacombe Louisiana
I bet you are simply feeling the wide tires tracking and nibbling on the pavement .The quick steering and feel transmitted to you makes the inexperienced owner sometimes feel there is something wrong.Just for peace of mind,take it to a reputable alignment shop and have it checked.
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Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 179
Likes: 0
From: The USA Rocky Mountain Area
Hows the tires?
Tires are new.
Front:- Yokahama
Rear :- Nitto Invo
What did you normally drive before ?
Lots of vehicles, too many to mention some of the more sporty ones were :
Porsche 928
GTi VR6
Dodge Intrepid R/T
BMW 328i
This is my first Corvette.
Are you saying that they are all skittish like this when you hit a bump or uneven surface and it is normal.
Is the car lowered, and if so how much?
Yes, lowered on stock bolts but is not bottoming out.
Take the car in for an alignment and have them check everything while they are there.
Thanks I’ll do this first and go from there.
Tires are new.
Front:- Yokahama
Rear :- Nitto Invo
What did you normally drive before ?
Lots of vehicles, too many to mention some of the more sporty ones were :
Porsche 928
GTi VR6
Dodge Intrepid R/T
BMW 328i
This is my first Corvette.
Are you saying that they are all skittish like this when you hit a bump or uneven surface and it is normal.
Is the car lowered, and if so how much?
Yes, lowered on stock bolts but is not bottoming out.
Take the car in for an alignment and have them check everything while they are there.
Thanks I’ll do this first and go from there.
Tech Contributor
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 41,055
Likes: 9,817
From: Charlotte, NC (formerly Endicott, NY)
Have them check the wheel bearings as well. Or you can do it yourself. Jack the car up and then put your hands in the 12 and 6 positions of each wheel and see if you can rock the wheel back and forth vertically. Then place your hands in the 9 and 3 positions and see if you can rock it back and forth horizontally. Loose wheel bearings will allow the wheel to rock vertically and loose tie rod ends will allow it to rock horizontally.
As far as the alignment goes the adjusting cams on the lower control arms can come loose if the person who did the previous alignment didn't tighten the bolts properly. Once they are loose you can get changes in toe and camber that will make the car feel like it is doing wierd things. Right after I had an alignment the rear cams came loose on my 03Z and I had some interesting handling as the rear toe went out and the left rear wheel was toed in about an inch while the right rear was toed out about a half inch. When I took it back and the tech reset the rear alignment properly the handling improved immensely.
Bill
As far as the alignment goes the adjusting cams on the lower control arms can come loose if the person who did the previous alignment didn't tighten the bolts properly. Once they are loose you can get changes in toe and camber that will make the car feel like it is doing wierd things. Right after I had an alignment the rear cams came loose on my 03Z and I had some interesting handling as the rear toe went out and the left rear wheel was toed in about an inch while the right rear was toed out about a half inch. When I took it back and the tech reset the rear alignment properly the handling improved immensely.
Bill
Last edited by Bill Dearborn; Nov 17, 2010 at 04:28 PM.
Pro
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 545
Likes: 4
From: Calgary Alberta
Originally Posted by Piper250;1575956570[I
What did you normally drive before ?[/I]
Lots of vehicles, too many to mention some of the more sporty ones were :
Porsche 928
GTi VR6
Dodge Intrepid R/T
BMW 328i
This is my first Corvette.
Lots of vehicles, too many to mention some of the more sporty ones were :
Porsche 928
GTi VR6
Dodge Intrepid R/T
BMW 328i
This is my first Corvette.
+1 on the alignment. If the car was lowered and no proper alignment done it might be darting around like you describe. Extreme lowering would also limit the stock suspensions ability to deal with road surface irregularities.
Had a friends 928 for a while years ago, not unlike the Corvette in some aspects. Maintenance nightmare though. Had to love the owners manual, I can't quote verbatim but it said something to the effect of you are obviously superior having chosen this Porsche. Ah, Germans.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 833
Likes: 2
From: Boca FL
[QUOTE=Piper250;1575956570]Hows the tires?
Tires are new.
Front:- Yokahama
Rear :- Nitto Invo
Mismatched tires period. I had wideOvals all around until the rears went smooth, put the Nitto Invos 295/30/18 on the rear only and had the same problem you describe. Car felt very unstable. The Cure, I put all Invos on 18-19s and the car is back to normal.
Tires are new.
Front:- Yokahama
Rear :- Nitto Invo
Mismatched tires period. I had wideOvals all around until the rears went smooth, put the Nitto Invos 295/30/18 on the rear only and had the same problem you describe. Car felt very unstable. The Cure, I put all Invos on 18-19s and the car is back to normal.
Tech Contributor
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 32,910
Likes: 2,402
From: Anthony TX
CI 6,7,8,9,11 Vet
St. Jude Donor '08
Cross the SWAY BARS and end links off the list of offenders. Cant happen.
Wheel bearing or a suspension alignment part possible. Also If the car is fine in a straight line and then whacks out when you unsettle the wheels (bump or irregular surface) check the shocks.
If, you decide on a shock replacement, consider the C6 ZO6 shock. Its excellent and only $240 for all four from Gene Culley. www.gmpartshouse.com. My car didn't have your issues but, it did skitter across the road on rough sweeping turns. Installed the C6Z shocks and its now ROCK SOLID around the turns and the ride is no different than the stock C5 ZO6 shocks.
The 2004 ZO6 shocks are suppose to be very good but,,,, there a LOT of cash.
Bill
Wheel bearing or a suspension alignment part possible. Also If the car is fine in a straight line and then whacks out when you unsettle the wheels (bump or irregular surface) check the shocks.
If, you decide on a shock replacement, consider the C6 ZO6 shock. Its excellent and only $240 for all four from Gene Culley. www.gmpartshouse.com. My car didn't have your issues but, it did skitter across the road on rough sweeping turns. Installed the C6Z shocks and its now ROCK SOLID around the turns and the ride is no different than the stock C5 ZO6 shocks.
The 2004 ZO6 shocks are suppose to be very good but,,,, there a LOT of cash.
Bill
Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 3,003
Likes: 89
From: Indy IN
How much lower is it? If it is lowered all the way on stock bolts it IS bottoming out. These cars have very progressive bump stops and it isn't like many other cars where they crash down onto the stops. You could very easily be hitting the bump stops and just be thinking that it is a bit stiff. These cars don't ride like a Caddy, but if you are seeing any amount of "bounciness" you are most likely on the bump stops. Lowering the car more than about 3/4 of an inch is a no-no...
Melting Slicks
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 2,568
Likes: 264
From: Near Charlotte NC
Cross the SWAY BARS and end links off the list of offenders. Cant happen.
Wheel bearing or a suspension alignment part possible. Also If the car is fine in a straight line and then whacks out when you unsettle the wheels (bump or irregular surface) check the shocks.
If, you decide on a shock replacement, consider the C6 ZO6 shock. Its excellent and only $240 for all four from Gene Culley. www.gmpartshouse.com. My car didn't have your issues but, it did skitter across the road on rough sweeping turns. Installed the C6Z shocks and its now ROCK SOLID around the turns and the ride is no different than the stock C5 ZO6 shocks.
The 2004 ZO6 shocks are suppose to be very good but,,,, there a LOT of cash.
Bill
Wheel bearing or a suspension alignment part possible. Also If the car is fine in a straight line and then whacks out when you unsettle the wheels (bump or irregular surface) check the shocks.
If, you decide on a shock replacement, consider the C6 ZO6 shock. Its excellent and only $240 for all four from Gene Culley. www.gmpartshouse.com. My car didn't have your issues but, it did skitter across the road on rough sweeping turns. Installed the C6Z shocks and its now ROCK SOLID around the turns and the ride is no different than the stock C5 ZO6 shocks.
The 2004 ZO6 shocks are suppose to be very good but,,,, there a LOT of cash.
Bill
Yep,same as Bill.My 02Z had 61k on OEM shocks.Replaced with the C6 Z06 shocks(www.gmpartshouse.com) ...and yep,Rock Solid.
Best $240 I've spent.
\db2
carolina
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 179
Likes: 0
From: The USA Rocky Mountain Area
Lowering the car more than about 3/4 of an inch is a no-no...
Since I bought it lowered by the prior owner on the stock bolts - I don't know by how much they lowered it.
Will take it in for alignment as the first step and ask them to raise it up - then re-lower no more than 3/4 inch.
It doesn't pull one way or the other and rides perfectly straight, except when you hit uneven pavement, then you better be ready to take action.
Since I bought it lowered by the prior owner on the stock bolts - I don't know by how much they lowered it.
Will take it in for alignment as the first step and ask them to raise it up - then re-lower no more than 3/4 inch.
It doesn't pull one way or the other and rides perfectly straight, except when you hit uneven pavement, then you better be ready to take action.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 179
Likes: 0
From: The USA Rocky Mountain Area
Took the C5 Z06 down to get the alignment and suspension checked – car is too low drive up the ramps onto the machine.
Couldn’t get it done or checked out, I’ll have to find a place with a low ramp.
Anyway the tech there said he also had a C5 and experienced the same thing.
His explanation is that the camber and grooves in the road “trap” the tires which are wider than average tire and cause the car to wander, or to pull to one side or the other depending on where in the grooves the tires are.
Couldn’t get it done or checked out, I’ll have to find a place with a low ramp.
Anyway the tech there said he also had a C5 and experienced the same thing.
His explanation is that the camber and grooves in the road “trap” the tires which are wider than average tire and cause the car to wander, or to pull to one side or the other depending on where in the grooves the tires are.
Racer
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 469
Likes: 1
From: Heath Texas
[QUOTE=coanan;1575959843]
Could be. I have Michelins up front and Nitto Invo on the back. Uh, scuse me, that will be past tense this weekend (switch to match Bridgestones). The early setup was fine, but as the Nittos got a little thin in the thread...........it was a little squirrely. JMHO.
Hows the tires?
Tires are new.
Front:- Yokahama
Rear :- Nitto Invo
Mismatched tires period. I had wideOvals all around until the rears went smooth, put the Nitto Invos 295/30/18 on the rear only and had the same problem you describe. Car felt very unstable. The Cure, I put all Invos on 18-19s and the car is back to normal.
Tires are new.
Front:- Yokahama
Rear :- Nitto Invo
Mismatched tires period. I had wideOvals all around until the rears went smooth, put the Nitto Invos 295/30/18 on the rear only and had the same problem you describe. Car felt very unstable. The Cure, I put all Invos on 18-19s and the car is back to normal.
Instructor
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 181
Likes: 1
With no intention of insulting you, what air pressure are you running front and rear as this has cropped up in the past?
Understanding that your Z06 didn't come equipped with run flats, I can relate that my run flat equipped Vert. jumped around like a jack rabbit before I put the non-run flats on. No jumping unless I'm pushing it hard on a questionable surface.
Understanding that your Z06 didn't come equipped with run flats, I can relate that my run flat equipped Vert. jumped around like a jack rabbit before I put the non-run flats on. No jumping unless I'm pushing it hard on a questionable surface.