scary ride

[.wolfwood]

heypeople, i have a sprinter and the suspention set up is jsut low king springs and the stock shocks. when i go driving the car seems to "pull" from side to side.

this happens when i drive over bumps or the road is uneven.

this also happens when im on the highway, when i change lanes the car jerks to the side if the lanes are at diffrent angles.

plz help

[slide86]

if u made all that into proper centances i might understand and be able to help lol

[.wolfwood]

changed post, it is better?

[slide86]

steering aligmnet maybe?
just get it all checked by a suspension specialist
if you are in brisbane i sugest fulcrum

and i guess when u say pull to one side, the car steers to one side?
not the suspension sags to one side lol?

[.wolfwood]

yes the car will steer to one side depending on the bumps , it jerks hard on the stearing wheel so i always have to hold on to the wheel real tigh in fear that im gona go off the road.

[toyoda]

mine did this when i ran 15" rims on the front and 13" on the back... lol

[mikes86]

Or could it be that its windy...? In such a light car like a sprinter going down the highway on a windy day can be interesting.

[DRFTAE86]

My 86 had a total weight of 880kg (when it was on the road).... and on a windy day doing a 100kmph on the freeway u should deffinately hold onto the steering wheel as 1 big gust of wind can give u a nice side movement quicker then u think.

But i dont think that would be ur problem..... i suggest u get ur shocks and ur wheel alighnment checked out. http://www.ae86drivingclub.com.au/forums/emoticons/smile.gif

[mikes86]

Ahh i use to have an evil problem like this in my 1st car, but it would be so bad the thing would almost lose control. The problem was the chassis had cracked near the front right strut area. That will teach me to do compression lockups in front wheel drive cars...

[.wolfwood]

its not the wind and my shocks are more than 20 years old, i assume this may be the problem ads i have jsut had a wheel alignment.

[funkymonkey]

"when you change the suspension geometry of your car (by changing the springs for example) the control arms move to a different position, which means your steering will be out of whack, and sometimes a lil extreme. Also if your wheels aren't balanced the contact patch will be different to stock, which means any small change in steering response is amplified." Is probably the most BS reason I can think of tomake you go back to your suspension dude and pay him the $60 to have your steering rebalanced and wheels straightened.

[crazy86]

The problem you r experiencing is what used to be called "tramlining" (from the old days when there were tram tracks on the road, and as you drive across them, the wheels pull this way n that, sometimes, even with narrow tires with a round profile, the car would get stuck in that direction, like a motorcycle on a grooved surface). Usually caused by incorrect alignment, especially on a lowered car, especially when running wider rims/ more offset. Also check your tire pressures!!!

[.wolfwood]

brand new tires all round with correct tire pressure and wheels have jsut been aligned.

[Medicine_Man]

Steering rack good? Rack ends not Fux0red? Tie rod ends OK? Wheel bearings not shagged?

They are the first usual things that will make the front end wander..

[E V A N]

I can tell you exactly what it is.
No RCA's
It is bump steering everywhere.
What you take out of your suspension in height you should put back into it.
My mate's GZE does the same.
Friggen scary at speed. my stock sus is more stable.
Cheap suspension and no RCA's cause it.

[.wolfwood]

what are RCA's

[crazy86]

Roll Centre Adjuster's. They sit under the strut leg between the strut leg and the lower arm. They put the lower arm at more of a stock position, even though the car is lowered, so the steering and suspension geometry isnt compromised too much.

[.wolfwood]

ok thanks for that, i will look into it after i get some money, and after i fix my fadding brake peddle, think that problem is reamed master sylender or maybe its cuz i got a leak on one of the drums, cbfed working on it atm so i dont know

[DRFT - 86]

Hey champ... I have the same on my sprintang (kings and stock shockz) will be improved when possible..)) but anyway.. mine does the same thing also.. but not as extreme as urs sounds..... I think with mine its just a case of no RCAs..... it tracks on uneven road.. thats where u notice it most.. (like it follows the uneven bits in the road).. after I got new tyres it was alot better....... the alignment and that is all sweet the tyre dude reckoned so I believe its just the shit setup and 8" wide wheels that contribute to this problem...