Light steering

[CarlJT]

I'm having an issue where at speeds around 70kph +/- steering feels light. Almost feels like wheels slipping and vechile isn't cemented into the road. Particularly on corners however when on highway also seems to slide a bit to each side. Any ideas what could cause this. Brakes are new and been checked as good. Newish shocks. New ball joints/tie rods. Had alignment done few weeks ago and seems they've lifted torsion bars which may be too high, unsure if the alignment I got done is bad however front shock at full travel now seems to graze UCA. Will be checking height and taking back for proper alignment as have done ball joints and tie rods after my previous alignment. However if there are any other possibilities would appreciate feedback.

 

[Old.Tony]

If you've not added significant weight behind the rear axle (like a heavy toolbox just inside the tailgate, or towing a trailer with a high ball weight) then either your wheel alignment isn't right or your power steering pump is overdoing things (I've never heard of it doing this).

Or, like I was a few weeks back, you've been driving those pesky racing go-karts and have gotten used to having to really give the steering wheel a good lot of strength to keep the thing going around a bend. Getting back into a car with power steering was quite a different experience!

 

[[email protected]]

also check your tyre pressure

 

[CarlJT]

Have had alignment which improved it still not perfect.still Slips around a bit. Tyres are good. Alignment done. Pressure good. Power steering is fine. Has been wet last few days however even on a 80k corner can only really go 50ks before slipping. Few months ago could've gone 100 around it. Mechanics couldn't find anything "obviously" wrong with it

 

[Old.Tony]

What kind of tyres are you sporting?

The average car can easily do 50% over the advisory speed on corners (on normal road tyres). The better the tyres, the faster you go - until you hit racing slicks of course, where they're doing 120km/h in a 45km/h corner.

I found the Continentals that my car came with were pure garbage, lasted under 50,000km and were as slick as if I was on ice. BFGs were next, they were longer lasting but although they gripped better on dirt/loose surfaces, I'd still get some adhesion loss in corners (eg 60km/h in a 45km/h corner).

Bring on Yokohama (and now Maxxis, similar performance) - good grip all around, quieter too, same longevity or better compared with the BFGs.

Thing is, I am not certain light steering is going to be a tyre brand thing (unless you have different tyres up front). Usually - my experience, anyway - my back tyres start to let go before the front. The D40 is front-heavy and this translates into good steering posture but a tail that doesn't put up much of a fight in corners before letting go (almost drifting at 100km/h in a 65km/h corner).

 

[CarlJT]

I've got Yokohama geolander ats which have about 8mm tread on. What you mention in your last paragraph about drifting is what I am doing however front also feels like it's giving up at first and rear sometimes pushing like skies before front grips which then results in rear sway

 

[user 10312]

Interesting. If your alignment, shocks bushes are good. It really only leaves one thing- the tyres. They may have 8mm but tread depth is not a recipe for good grip and stability. Are they old old? Tyres with good tread can go like steel and or have distorsions. Over the years i have seen tyres that look perfectly good give all sort of problems. Even things like being out of round. They will ballance up ok but still have all sorts of issues.

I have only brought tyres for grip, not longevity. I'm always a little amused when you see the tyre debates rage over how long each guy got out of their whatevers. Maybe valid if clocking up huge K's per year but it you not, go for grip (safety) everytime.

 

[CarlJT]

Interesting. If your alignment, shocks bushes are good. It really only leaves one thing- the tyres. They may have 8mm but tread depth is not a recipe for good grip and stability. Are they old old? Tyres with good tread can go like steel and or have distorsions. Over the years i have seen tyres that look perfectly good give all sort of problems. Even things like being out of round. They will ballance up ok but still have all sorts of issues.

I have only brought tyres for grip, not longevity. I'm always a little amused when you see the tyre debates rage over how long each guy got out of their whatevers. Maybe valid if clocking up huge K's per year but it you not, go for grip (safety) everytime.

They're only a few months old... Could be a bad batch? Or bad alignment done? Will have to get both checked at various other places I suppose...

 

[Old.Tony]

This now really does sound odd. Near-enough-to-new Yokohama tyres with correct pressures and alignment and you're lacking grip up front. I'm at a bit of a loss.

If the suspension is working (shocks aren't siezed) and the vehicle tracks straight (hands off steering wheel, flat road like a shopping centre car park) then this is one of the oddest problems I've encountered.

 

[Damian m]

Silly question time:

What other things do you have in or on the vehicle when encountering the issues?
Any extra weight put in bad places can cause all sorts of troubles.

 

[CarlJT]

Silly question time:

What other things do you have in or on the vehicle when encountering the issues?
Any extra weight put in bad places can cause all sorts of troubles.

Nothing 90% of time bed is unloaded. And when it is loaded am just usually hauling things around farm and not on road

 

[CarlJT]

Got a third wheel alignment and finally issue resolved...

 

[user 10312]

Got a third wheel alignment and finally issue resolved..

ah ha. Castor was out maybe?

 

[[email protected]]

there are not many people that know how to read and set wheel alignment problems , when you find some one who fixes your problem get his name and follow him when he changes job ,, took 3 alignments before i stopped exessive wear on my left front on my np300. got it correct at A1 tyres wangaratta

 

[CarlJT]

ah ha. Castor was out maybe?

Yeah was caster

 

[OldManBeard]

Got a third wheel alignment and finally issue resolved...

That tells me a lot about whoever did the other alignments and not good things either. Whenever I get an alignment I always ask for the details of what the readings were before, what they are after and what the manufacturer's specs are. That way you can readily see how bad it was beforehand. You can also see whether or not they have set it correctly this time. I've made one place do it again because, based on the very evidence they themselves have handed me, it simply wasn't done properly. Naturally, I never went back there again.