car has mind of its own on highway

[94GTMOOSE]

when ever i drive on the parkway or the turnpike or any other highway for that matter, my car is very unpredictable. It steers it self all over the rd. it probly looks like i am drunk driving to other cars. its bad.

People have told me a number of reason like, your tires are wide and have trouble staying in the grooves, or my front suspension needs an overhaul because its has so much play in it.

whats the problem here, and whats a solution to fix it.

 

[HISSIN50]

It's gonna be hard to tell from a keyboard, though the items mentioned (like tramlining) are very possible, especially if the issue gets worse on rutted roads. To even get opinions on that, knowing the springs you use and width of tires, as well as any staggering in sizes would all help.



Good luck.

 

[94GTMOOSE]

245/45-17 tires in front, 265/45-17 in back. stock suspension. no mods at all. just got an alinment about 6 months ago, it did it before that to though.

 

[1slow95]

245/45/17's are a stock size and should not cause the car to wander. When was the last time you had the car aligned?

 

[tjh566]

he just said.....

 

[94GTMOOSE]

like i said it did it before the alinment that i just got about 6 months ago. so i don't think it could be that.

 

[drakesdad]

have you looked at the inside of you front tires to see if there is any wear pattern.....when I had my tri-bars I would feel the same thing you explain....in a rutted road the car would dart and pull all over the place......when I got the new rims I looked and the inside of the tire was worn to the wire.....I put the SVT rims on and had an alignment.....which the tech said was only "a little" off.....been fine since....
edit...car has all stock suspension as well

 

[ej95cobra]

I had a similar problem; the car would wander in ruts on the road. Check the knuckle in your steering shaft. I had some play in the steering wheel and was able to see the shaft slipping when I checked it. A new steering shaft solved the problem.

 

[Therian]

I would also mention the idea of bump steer, but it seems as though you have stock suspension (stock ride-height). I'd take it to a shop and get it up on a lift.

 

[1slow95]

he just said.....

It is possible it could be a bad tire. I would suggest rotating them but they're not the same size....Anybody you know have a set of rims/tires you could borrow?

 

[Engel]

how much mileage is on your suspension, im having alot of the same problems.

My suspension has near 200,000 miles on it, with the exception of the shocks, quad shocks, and struts and its still difficult to drive.

I ordered a 03 cobra shaft, new ball joints,outer tie-rod ends, low mileage steering rack, steering rack bushings, and control arm bushings front and back.


the 03 cobra shaft (45$ on ebay shipped) gets rid of the play in the wheel and tightens up the steering. Ball joints/ tie rod ends/ new rack should get rid of my squeaking problems and odd tire wear. The new bushings should stiffen up the ride some and improve the ride quality/ odd tire wear


You might not have to replace as much as me, but if your problems persist I would definitely try a new steering shaft.

 

[94GTMOOSE]

i'm going to do my alignment again next week. but don't think that is the problem

 

[trav_19]

i think its the tires lol since i now have will tribars i too let off the wheel and shoot for the right side of the road it has a horrible pull... i need wheels even though the two front ones still look to have life left ....i know the problem needs to be addressed and probley before i take it to the track this year


how many miles are on your front wheels? my guess would be you need new ones

 

[94GTMOOSE]

i don't have tri-bars, i have 96 double spoke five stars. tires are almost new in front. THis problem has been happening since i bought the car, and since then i have went through 2 sets of brand new tires, and three alignments. so that can not be the problem. i have talked to many 94-98 owners about the problem and they tell me that the same things i've said.

there has got to be a way to fix this. i plan on calling the "Front end shop" which is a shop that deals with performance suspensions.

 

[trav_19]

you went through more then one set of tires and the probley dosent go away ?!?!?! sounds like you got a big problem i wasnt linking the problem to tri-bars i ment the tires....if you had a vibration i would assume a bent rim or loose lugs...but i would rule both of those out because you have replaced tires and someone mounting them would tell you about a bent rim and im sure they would tighten up your lugs....and you have no vibrations....

maybe the problem is in the brakes....does it pull to one side only maybe the pads are hanging up whens the last time you did brakes did you notice anything funny on that side ? unusually fast wear...? anything of the such? if you havent done brakes maybe check it out

 

[Methodical]

Steering shaft rag joint. Inner tie rods

 

[94GTMOOSE]

i've had the car for almost three years. so two sets is really not that big of a deal. i have abad track record with tires.

 

[trav_19]

i've had the car for almost three years. so two sets is really not that big of a deal. i have abad track record with tires.

..once again not what i ment ...i ment if you changed tires and the problem didn't go away then it oviously is not a tire issue you need to look elseware....i would look at your tie rods and brakes

 

[1TallMF]

I don't suppose the previous owner might have put offset rack bushings in it thinking they would help? On a stock height car, and if improperly set-up, that can make tramelling and bumpsteer even worse. In any case, have a look at the rack bushings. Maybe they are really worn and are causing the rack to shift side to side. 1 more vote on the rag joint as well.

 

[94GTMOOSE]

plan of action:

1. 03 cobra lower a-arms
2. FRPP bumpsteer kit
3. inner tie rod ends
4 ebach lowering springs
5. koni or bilstein struts
6. CC plates
7. tie rods
8. off set steering bushings
10. a gun to kill myself
11. an alignment
12 brand new tires

anything else i need to fix this problem