Cant get the damn car to stay straight
#1
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From: Baltimore, MD
Cant get the damn car to stay straight
So this past summer, I dropped the k-member and motor and rebuilt the motor and reinstalled it. I also sold my 19x9.5 HP Evos with 275/30/19 tires and got OE Wheels DD C5 wheels, 17x9.5 fronts 275/40/17 and 18x10.5 rears 315/35/18. Now the car drives horrible. I cant even keep the steering wheel straight without it jerking everywhere. And it does it badly too. I feel like the car has a mind of its own. The streets are pretty bad here, but my 19s didn’t even do it this badly, and that was on rubber band tires. I was hoping to have a better ride than this; its pretty disappointing.
I didnt do a realignment, since I didn’t mess with the suspension at all, but that maybe the culprit. I have no idea what else it could be. Maybe the shocks, but they are bilsteins and have around 50,000 miles on them. It might also be the 315s in the back, which would suck, but i will get used to it. Any suggestions would be helpful.
I didnt do a realignment, since I didn’t mess with the suspension at all, but that maybe the culprit. I have no idea what else it could be. Maybe the shocks, but they are bilsteins and have around 50,000 miles on them. It might also be the 315s in the back, which would suck, but i will get used to it. Any suggestions would be helpful.
#2
Ride quality or tramlining or both?
Sounds sort of like both. As far as the steering wheel getting jerked around, some tires are worse than others but basically I think you aren't going to markedly improve it with 275 width front tires. Getting alignment checked isn't a horrible idea either.
As far as ride quality, there are a multitude of factors. The sidewall height is certainly one of them, but tire construction and sidewall stiffness could be another one. Also, what is the difference in weight between the Evo and the reproduction wheels? I don't know the construction technique for the Evo wheels so if they were lighter then that is another possible culprit.
All in all there are a plethora of bushings, ends, etc that could be worn out on a ten year old car that could contribute to this. But if it really is completely different just after the wheel and tire change then that would seem to be the answer...
Sounds sort of like both. As far as the steering wheel getting jerked around, some tires are worse than others but basically I think you aren't going to markedly improve it with 275 width front tires. Getting alignment checked isn't a horrible idea either.
As far as ride quality, there are a multitude of factors. The sidewall height is certainly one of them, but tire construction and sidewall stiffness could be another one. Also, what is the difference in weight between the Evo and the reproduction wheels? I don't know the construction technique for the Evo wheels so if they were lighter then that is another possible culprit.
All in all there are a plethora of bushings, ends, etc that could be worn out on a ten year old car that could contribute to this. But if it really is completely different just after the wheel and tire change then that would seem to be the answer...
#3
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From: Baltimore, MD
its definitely tramlining. ride quality is pretty good. the evos were definitely alot heavier, maybe between 10-20 lbs per rim/tire combo. the front end was completely rebuilt about a year ago with new tie rods and ends, upper/lower ball joints, and bushings. i agree with you about it improving, but i hope it doesnt stay this bad.
#5
I would bet that an alignment will make a drastic improvement. Even though you didn't replace suspension parts, connecting/disconnecting things when you dropped the K-member could definitely throw things off.
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