Eskimo

iTrader: (9)

Prior to this, with stock LCA's and 1LE (solid) rubber bushings, the car tracked straight and true, no wandering.

I changed over to a tubular LCA with a Howe solid rubber bushing (and reducer to 1/2" sleeve) at the front, and an UMI roto-joint at the back. This is what they look like:



Anyway, when I go through second, third, and fourth gear at WOT on normal roads, it feels like the rear axle is steering left/right slightly, like it's wandering around. It's an un-nerving feeling to say the least. Once I crank it hard into a corner, the car seems to "plant" and track smoothly with none of the wandering around.

All bolts on the LCA's and PHB are tight, and the jamnuts on the LCA's are tight as well.

NOTHING changed other than the new LCA's, but here's a basic run down of the car:
strano springs, koni shocks.
1LE rear sway bar, strano 36mm front.
aluminum rod ended PHB, rod ends are still tight and noise free.
Stock torque arm.

sjsingle1

iTrader: (1)

panhard bar keeps the rear centered......so i dont have a clue

Element

iTrader: (5)

Hm...is the axle properly centered fore-aft with the LCAs?

Eskimo

iTrader: (9)

Now that it's getting warmer again, I was able to drive it after checking some items over the winter.
I swapped back to the 1LE LCA's (installed with the suspension at ride height, as were the LCA's I made). When I removed the new LCA's I made, they were tight, and of equal length.
Sway bar end links are good and tight.
All other bolts are tight, though I was able to get about 1/5 of a turn into the 3 bolts that attach the PHB brace to the body.
The PHB mounts themselves show no sign of being cracked.

The wandering is still there, but reduced to about 1/2 of what it was. The oscillation is around 1hz.

Longshot - could a slightly worn set of tie-rod ends up front contribute to this? I notice there is a *slight* bit of looseness in the steering wheel, but still far less than my GM truck.

leadfoot4

iTrader: (1)

Worn tie rods certainly don't help the situation. Since the car would need to be re-aligned if you replace the tie rods, I'd replace them, put the tubular LCAs back on the car, and then adjust them so your thrust angle is "zero", and see if this helps. (it should....)

SH1ZN1T

iTrader: (16)

What's the thickness of the rear swaybar? I would say your front swaybar is wayy too thick for the rear. It's not allowing the rear end to plant the outside tire to grip, hence the having to give it more throttle to plant the rear outside tire.

Eskimo

iTrader: (9)

This is occurring in a straight line at higher speed, so I don't think the sway bar could be playing much of an issue, but it's 21mm - not terribly thick.