Asian LSX

iTrader: (4)

Car is starting to wander over bumps and feels somewhat unstable above 70mph. I'll be fighting the steering wheel to keep the car from turning on its own, especially over bumps. In town the has no issues except for bumps. Theres slight play in the steering wheel but its overall tight like my SS was. Just curous what you guys think so I can plan on getting the money to fix it.

Sam Strano

iTrader: (41)

I don't see anything mentioning better shocks than stock, and your complaint covers the two biggest issues of poor damping. A lack of stability and the car moving around a lot over bumps.

So, as I often find myself doing, I have to recommend some better dampers first and foremost.

leadfoot4

iTrader: (1)

How many miles on the car? The tie rods and/or ball joints could be getting a little tired....

tdevil55

iTrader: (23)

I have 115k on mine, and it started doign that as well. I started with wheel balance and that didnt help, then looked at alinement and tie rods, once I got the new tie rods and alignment, the play was gone, and less pull now. One issue that will not go away is the pull over bumps and ruts in the road, but that is being cause by the wide tires most of us run on these. To help that, work with the PSI on the front tires until you find a good range that you like the best for your driving.

Asian LSX

iTrader: (4)

Car has 77600 on it. I'll have to look into the tie rods and alignment.

libertyforall1776

iTrader: (2)

+1:

wssix99

iTrader: (5)

You still have your stock shocks, right? Replace those and you'll have a totally different car.

pjb

iTrader: (2)

agreed, but should have said replace them with GOOD shocks. cheap replacements may not help much.

leadfoot4

iTrader: (1)

True, however if the tie rods, ball joints, control arm bushings, or sway bar bushings are worn out, he'll then have a nice riding car that wanders all over the place...

wssix99

iTrader: (5)

Do you think that's likely after 75K miles?

leadfoot4

iTrader: (1)

I would say that it's within the realm of possibility, without knowing the condition of the roads that the car has been driven on, bumps, potholes, a lot of wet weather to "wash out" the grease, etc... At 75,000 miles I'd be looking at the front end wear parts very carefully.

I also realize that I have the tools and experience to replace those parts myself, so it's cheaper for me to replace these parts than somebody that has to pay somebody to do it for them. Therefore I sometimes recommend replacement too quickly, but you also have to keep in mind that these are the components that keep your car under control. Break a b/j or tie rod while at speed, and you've got issues on your hands, in short order.

BobDoLe

iTrader: (11)

i'd say before throwing down a gazillion dollars on random ****, you should jack up the front end of the car (using jack stands), grab the tires and check for excessive movement. like for outer tie rods, (hold 9/3 oclock position to check tie rods) if you notice a lot of movement around the outer tie rod area, replace those for like $40 each yourself.

Asian LSX

iTrader: (4)

Thanks for input. If all I'm looking at is normal wear and tear items thats ok. I wish I had the coin for some Koni 4/4s.

Also, I did notice my front swaybar is gone as the previous owner took it off. Will not having the front swaybar have that much effect or is it possibly a number of possible things contributing?

dlross

iTrader: (3)

i was going to say check the sway bar bushings and end links. but if they are not there then could be the problem. but still "shake down" the front end. if it has play side to side on the tire have someone lay under to find out if its inner or outer tie rod ends. outer rods only take about 10mins each side to change. hope this helps.

Dmitriy

iTrader: (15)

I had the same issues with wandering on the freeway, was really scary having to snap the steering wheel 15* to counter steer bumps/ruts on the freeway, was more of an issue on the freeway. I went through my suspension links and all was nice and tight.

I gave up troubleshooting the wandering and figured it was just a f-body chassis issue. The wandering did not go away until I put new shocks - which were Koni's, I was doubtful the shocks would help out with the wandering so much, but they sure did.

If Koni's are out of the question, the AGX adjustable's or re-valved Bilsteins Sam sells are right on the money from what I've read.

My steering wander did not go away until the Koni's went on, because my stock struts were completely shot - I tested them after taking them off and they would not de-complress at all

Koni's were a very expensive option for my budget, took me a while to save up for them, and will take me even longer to get a proper working strut from them (adjuster issues different topic)... You pay a big price for Koni's performance, this does NOT mean you will get your money's worth in service or quality control... but that is another different topic...

BMR Tech

iTrader: (9)

No front swaybar along with possible bad shocks and worn tie rod ends would certainly have some off handling characteristics.

Check the parts forum it's possible to find either a good used aftermarket or stock front swaybar that would certainly help your situation.

I would also agree with checking rod ends and just alignment in general can cause wandering issues.

ZTwentyAteU

iTrader: (12)

I'd check on shocks, check the tie rods

and if its ever been apart, like the k member out, check the bolt on the rag joint at the rack, I've had a car that that someone didnt tighten that on good enough and ther steering had play

Asian LSX

iTrader: (4)

Thanks for well detailed input guys.

superduce

Same issue. I just had alignment and even changed the complete rack. Tie rods are fine. Only 35k on my 93. Pulls side to side. Original struts. Car is like new but I can't stand driving it.