car feels vague at speed

[cubed 0]

just wondering if anyone has experinced or knows why my c feels vague at motorway speeds? its hard to explain but it feels like its being pushed around by the wind. oh and it wasnt windy at all!

it seems to wander and its not a pleasant sensation!

could it be as simple as bushes? also the camber on the n/s rear wheel is different to the o/s its more upright where the o/s seems to squat(negative camber i beleive) its lowered on fk coilys and has 17s on

any advice is much appreciated as usual!!

thanks

[kongo127 0]

Could your tires be mega inflated? :lol:

[cubed 0]

always been a bit of a grey area for me, just set em to manufacturers pressures 38 front 33 rear i think? dont suppose you can recomend a pressure to set them at??

[dinkus 10]

Rear axle bushes are my bet.

 

When they're shot, they go all gooey and as your rear axle is held in place with them, will drift about on the back of the car.

 

My last C felt terrible at anything over about 60 - it felt really unsettled and sloppy. I had the axle bushes done and it felt like a new car :)

[cubed 0]

thanks very much for that one!

i had a suspicion they might be the culprits,

would you recomend poly ones or just the standards??

i take it my pressures are ok??

[dinkus 10]

I usually set mine a bit lower than factory (I've got 16's) but they'll only make the car feel unstable if you under inflate them and the sidewalls slop about.

 

Personally, I'd go for VAG ones. They do the job very well and you retain the passive rear steering.

 

Quite a few people go for poly ones, but they're not my cup of tea.

[cubed 0]

i,l get onto it straight away!!

thankyou very much again!

i,l let you know if it cures it! :thumbleft:

[dinkus 10]

Make sure you're sitting down when they tell you how much it'll cost...

[kongo127 0]

I running with 36psi at front and 32psi at rear.

Manufacturers pressures are very high im my opinion...

It seems to be the perfect match!

Give it a try anyway! :)

[samm_cvr6 0]

hehe, Dinkus, how much would I be looking at for all new bushes then? and maybe top mounts....my VR doesn't really feel up to scratch....ta

[dinkus 10]

I think Stealth charge £300 for just the axle bushes and they've got it down to about as quick as it can be done.

 

Top mounts are fairly easy and shouldn't take more than an hour on top of that.

[Kevin Bacon 5]

Yeah I've heard about worn rear bushes causing instability at motorway speeds.

 

The passive steer thing is a bit gimmicky imo, but you can feel it work when you really give it some round tight bends. They're basically just round bushes with bits taken away to allow lateral movement....but in doing so, it weakens them, swings and round abouts!

 

Poly is OK if you don't mind a little extra vibes over certain road surfaces.

[billinjah 0]

how can you check the rear bushes?

[sambo 0]

Maybe you suspension needs aligning as incorect camber can have simmilar efect

i'd be worried if your rear wheels look different,maybe your stub axle is bent?

[cubed 0]

thats what i,d considered. but i have heard stories of the trailing arms sagging could that be it??

who knows? im gonna have to get under it at weekend and get it sussed!!

is it a scrap yard job to replace the stub?or are they available?

heard they sometimes need shimming??

my heads spinning!!

[NickVR6 0]

ive done my axel bushes all suspensions units inc top mounts, plate everything and 2 new vag wishbones, but mine still feels vague. My suspisions are

 

Steering rack - or ALSO SEE KEVs DODGEY STEERING A CURE THREAD

Track rod ends

 

Thats all thats left on mine. As you say, cant put my finger on it, just feels like your allways steering and its hard to relax.

[Neil VR6 0]

I had a horrible feeling at motorway speeds when I first had my car. You'd steer, nothing would happen and then it would lurch. It turned out to be a defective shock. I was running Koni TA's at the time (30K miles and 4 year old dampers). I had them sent away to Koni who bench tested them and sent back a replacement FOC. However, by the sounds of it you're using much newer suspension. Worth a though though if you've exhausted all other avenues. Get someone who knows their onions to take it out for a spin; your sig says you've been to Stealth so maybe go and see the guys there?

[OK VR6 0]

I had the same problem, I changed the Shocks,Top mounts and got her tracked and she is like a new car, what a difference, I thought the handling was good before, now its glued to the corners. :D

[dr_mat 0]

Well in my case the vague steering on the motorway (amongst other places) was finally fixed by fixing the play in the steering column..

[Jim Bowen 1]

i think mine is suffering from something like this.

 

the last few days its felt very wandery (if thats a word), pulls over the road abit and kick skips sideways a tad over bumps/holes

 

my last car felt the same, i think its the roads around here take their toll?

 

how do i check these rear bushes?

[herisites 0]

Its hard to actually 'check' bushes as such as they can look fine to the eye but if they are the original bushes still then its best to change them as they are only rubber ad rubber perishes and sags etc over the years. I am getting mine done even though mine doesnt feel vague at all.

 

When i had my old fiesta that felt very vague at high speeds, it felt like it was hovering just off the ground and if a big gust of wind hit me i would take off and hit a tree :lol: i replaced my bushes with poly bushes and it was solid, although poly bushes themselves are bloody hard! Im not getting them on my vr as my coilovers are hard enough!

 

Also 3corsameal if the car jumps about over bumps then replace the ball joints as discovered by Kev in his Steering Cure thread, i am also getting mine done along with the bushes.

[Jim Bowen 1]

i might start buying some spanners and tackle some bits myself i think, ideally i would replace most of the suspension parts, i know top mounts, rear shocks and something else was changed by last owner

[Jim 2]

Need to get a load of this work done myself. Had top mounts changed now which has changed the steering response lots (removed some of the slop I had in the middle.. now any touch of the steering has a direct response on the wheels) but I suffer TERRIBLE handling from the road surface conditions with it pulling me in all sorts of directions, etc.

 

I have some rear axle bushes to go on and some new wishbone bushes - going to get those done along with new BJ's (tee hee) and a full geometry alignment.. reckon it'll be pukka then!

[herisites 0]

I have some rear axle bushes to go on and some new wishbone bushes - going to get those done along with new BJ's (tee hee) and a full geometry alignment.. reckon it'll be pukka then!

 

It sure will, you will be amazed at how well the car will drive after you have changed them :D

[StuartFZR400 0]

cubed I hope your problem is sorted by now, but I must say that even my well planted C has been drifting due to the high winds at the moment, which cannot be seen as the trees dont have any leaves on them. However its always good to check those axle bushes.

 

As for your tyre pressures they say you can't go wrong with manufacturer settings, which is fairly true, but it also allows for large loads that you may carry in your boot. An unlaiden car can use a lower pressure. When on my 17"'s I was running about 30 in the rear and somthing reasonably low in the front. Whereas now on the 15"'s, these have a larger squidgy tyre wall, I run at a higher pressure, closer to what you said, maybe even 36 rear. Also remember it depends upon the actual tyre make.

 

Remembering what the 17's were like, I must say that these tramline a lot, but thats more noticeable at low speeds - not what you're talking about.