Suspension and steering issue
11-14-2017, 02:30 PM
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Suspension and steering issue
I have a 2004 auto with selective ride control and stock suspension. For the last couple of years I've noticed at around highway speeds on anything near non-perfect roads and especially bad roads the cars steering and car will not stay straight without user control. The wheel shakes a little and car feels like it's swaying from side to side.
On any type of road at city speeds it drives fine. The most noticeable thing is when slowing down to a stop(and it will do this even if i'm not using brakes) if there is any crest in the road the steering wheel will want to turn sharply on its own to the crest in the road.
All of this right after I had a reputable alignment shop do work on the car in hopes of fixing the issue. I also had a local Corvette shop look at everything steering rack and suspension look over the car and they couldn't find a thing. Basically saying we'd like your business but can't find a thing wrong.
After a while one of my tuner buddies noticed one of the front control arm bushings is a little loose and he thinks that's what is causing it. Is that actually what's going on? Any other possibilities? The tires are also pretty new.
Thanks guys.
On any type of road at city speeds it drives fine. The most noticeable thing is when slowing down to a stop(and it will do this even if i'm not using brakes) if there is any crest in the road the steering wheel will want to turn sharply on its own to the crest in the road.
All of this right after I had a reputable alignment shop do work on the car in hopes of fixing the issue. I also had a local Corvette shop look at everything steering rack and suspension look over the car and they couldn't find a thing. Basically saying we'd like your business but can't find a thing wrong.
After a while one of my tuner buddies noticed one of the front control arm bushings is a little loose and he thinks that's what is causing it. Is that actually what's going on? Any other possibilities? The tires are also pretty new.
Thanks guys.
Last edited by calinator; 11-14-2017 at 02:30 PM.
11-14-2017, 03:45 PM
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I had/have similar situation with my 2003 AE Coupe. When I first got the car, it felt like it was all over the place unless it was in "Sport" mode. I replaced the sway bar end links, tie rod ends, and all the upper and lower ball joints (every part I replaced was definitely "done" and appeared to be the originally installed part). That made a significant difference in the way the car felt and I am able to drive in "Touring" mode without feeling like I'm going to end up in the next lane unexpectedly. However, the car still doesn't feel as planted as I expect it to be at all times. I have inspected the control arm bushings and the do seem to be not so fresh anymore, but they don't appear to be completely shot either. Replacing them is the next thing on my list suspension-wise since it's the last set of components left though.
Replacing the ball joints, tie rod ends, and sway bar end links was pretty easy and until I had the old ones removed from the car, they seemed OK. None of them showed obvious slop or excessive movement until I disconnected them. You might want to have one of your guys do a little more in depth check just to double check since they are easier to replace than the bushings.
Replacing the ball joints, tie rod ends, and sway bar end links was pretty easy and until I had the old ones removed from the car, they seemed OK. None of them showed obvious slop or excessive movement until I disconnected them. You might want to have one of your guys do a little more in depth check just to double check since they are easier to replace than the bushings.