Handles like a boat
09-03-2016, 12:35 PM
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Handles like a boat Hey everyone, just had rear tires replaced with the same exact brand and size yesterday. ( 285/35/18 NT555 ) Car handles like crap now...it almost seems like something is broke now on the rear suspension. Car handles like my O6 Impala! Would a broke trans mount make the car handle bad in the rear? 2001 Z28 convertible M6
09-03-2016, 12:50 PM
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Just tires, I'm thinking they may have test drove the car and maybe broke the trans mount or ta bushing...I haven't really gone full throttle yet in fear of breaking the tranny.
09-03-2016, 12:55 PM
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Ok, something is definitely up. Just drove the car and it made a loud thumping noise against the bottom of the car when I nailed it. Sounded like the exhaust hitting to me???
09-03-2016, 01:06 PM
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Ok, some thoughts for you:
Sway bar end links. Broken or cracked
Shocks or shock mounts, loose broken or cracked
Blown shocks
Cracked torque arm
Bad front torque arm mount
Look at your bump stops for any signs of impact
That's the easy stuff. I hope I'm wrong. I REALLY hope I'm wrong here. But your description of car handling like a boat is exactly how I described mine when the diff was going out - before I actually blew it.
It was like bump steer in the back. When I tore the axle down for failure analysis I found the outer and carrier bearings just gone, and the axles were moving around in the housing. Then, I found the cracked housing in the pinion /torque arm mount region.
Check everything you can, but if you can't find it, might be that your axle is dying.
Sway bar end links. Broken or cracked
Shocks or shock mounts, loose broken or cracked
Blown shocks
Cracked torque arm
Bad front torque arm mount
Look at your bump stops for any signs of impact
That's the easy stuff. I hope I'm wrong. I REALLY hope I'm wrong here. But your description of car handling like a boat is exactly how I described mine when the diff was going out - before I actually blew it.
It was like bump steer in the back. When I tore the axle down for failure analysis I found the outer and carrier bearings just gone, and the axles were moving around in the housing. Then, I found the cracked housing in the pinion /torque arm mount region.
Check everything you can, but if you can't find it, might be that your axle is dying.
09-03-2016, 01:17 PM
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Ok, I'll check everything out this afternoon. Just had rear end check out a week ago and everything was good but I know that doesn't mean crap on the wimpy rear ends in these cars. Thanks for the info.
09-03-2016, 01:21 PM
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09-03-2016, 01:26 PM
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Last time I had my Camaro aligned the broke my drives side window. Last time I had my F150 aligned they somehow managed to break the parking brake cable and metal tube that encases it. (it's like did you use bolt cutters to manage that?) I used to have a Roush Mustang and this shop scratched the face of 2 of my wheels to **** because they laid them face down on the asphalt to mount the tires because apparently their machine wouldn't mount them so they thought the thing to do would be to uses the ground and a flame to get them to mount. I was like WTF.
Yeah in my experience tire shops are notorious for messing up your vehicles especially a performance car they're test driving. If I can do it myself I work on my own cars.
09-03-2016, 02:19 PM
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In my head I've got this image of the tire shop guy "testing out" your car a la ferris bueller.
Best of luck man!
09-05-2016, 07:47 AM
#14
I only take my car to local and well trusted mom and pop centers. Ones where there is a chair in the service bay where the older customers can sit and yap with the (usually) older mechanics as they do the work. I sit in the chair, yap, observe them, and many times, help them out. Mom and pop service centers ftw! 
09-05-2016, 11:02 AM
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Frame shops that have been in business for a while, those are good places. The one around where I live, I asked if I could go back and talk with the guy who was doing my alignment. They said sure and then I was soon back there talking with the guy as he showed me what I could get out of it (max negative camber, caster) as he was adjusting it on the Hunter machine it was hooked up to. Definitely very nice as you know that the mechanics know what they're doing. Plus the printouts of where your alignment is, that comes in handy in case you want to compare different alignments as well
09-05-2016, 12:14 PM
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Ok, jacked car up and checked everything...all looks good except for two things. First I noticed that when you free spin the rear tire only one spins?? My old ten bolt both tires would turn. This rear end has a ratchet type rear if that means anything. Second the wheels have play in them. I know that's not good, it's not a lot but enough to be concerned about. So with that being said would that make the car handle like crap. I'm guessing maybe something may have broke internally?
09-05-2016, 01:02 PM
#17
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Ok, jacked car up and checked everything...all looks good except for two things. First I noticed that when you free spin the rear tire only one spins?? My old ten bolt both tires would turn. This rear end has a ratchet type rear if that means anything. Second the wheels have play in them. I know that's not good, it's not a lot but enough to be concerned about. So with that being said would that make the car handle like crap. I'm guessing maybe something may have broke internally?
I don't see how the internals of your rear axle are effecting how the car is handling if that's the case, you need to check the suspension like Darth_V8r posted. Are the rear swaybar endlinks intact?
09-05-2016, 01:29 PM
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Yes JD AMG, everything is in tact. Would the front tires have anything to do with this?They are the same kind as rear except the size is 255/35/18. I think they're old as dirt though even though they look new. Dot # 73T5. H2X4210 I think this is the date code. I still have my doubts that's it. Very aggravating that it was fine before it went in the shop...smdh
09-05-2016, 02:49 PM
#19
The car's TCS/ABS computer expects your front and rear wheels to turn at the same rate. When you change the tire diameters, like you just did, they will turn at different rates for a given speed of the car. The ABS/TCS systems will interpret this as slip and will activate traction control and your brakes at the wrong (and maybe even unsafe) times.
09-05-2016, 02:57 PM
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That's the way the car was set up when I purchased it. I just put new rear tires on it that are the same size as the old ones. I don't think it has traction control. If it does it's doesn't work.