Car is unstable on the highway??

Coupe50h · 09-08-2003, 06:09 PM

Guys, my car feels like it is swaying side to side, i blamed it on the wind, but it has'nt stopped, usually around 70-+ mph it gets scary, i have lakewood 50/50 shocks in the rear, and monroe's in the front which might need replacing, but dunno, also my skinnies up front are at the right psi, and my back tires are 235/60 firehawks which are brand new? i might put some springs on soon, and maybe i'll find the problem then.....but all i know is racing someon is out of the question out of fear of flipping over or something, any suggestions? could it be the new tires on the back breaking in a wear pattern?

BilLster · 09-08-2003, 06:16 PM

alignment ?

Fox Body · 09-08-2003, 10:05 PM

Is your steering wheel tight or does it have a lot of play in it?

billheis · 09-08-2003, 10:08 PM

I see you have lakewood lca on what about upper arms? Do you still have sway bar. If all that is good check those boxes.

Milt 92GT · 09-09-2003, 12:26 AM

I had that kinda feeling when I first got my GT..it had the stock suspension and was a little un-nerving at about 80 or 90 MPH..

I had Tokico non-adjustable shocks and Eibach prokit springs installed and the stability was greatly improved....It felt less bouncy and "swooshy" (if you will

),a much more confident feel.....Of course the set-up and feel and trying to go for would probably not be the best for the track but,that's something thats more up to you and what you want to do with the car...-Milt

tmoss · 09-09-2003, 07:21 AM

Those are classic symptoms of a worn steering rack & pinion. When I got my car it wouyld get "sucked" into the grooves heavy trucks leave in asphalt paving - it would just steer into it with no steering wheel movement. Replaced the steering rack and now it's solid again - no wandering.

mpj76 · 09-09-2003, 07:26 AM

My rack and pinion has started to leak. I noticed that right about the same time, the steering on the highway became a bit twitchy with more play in the wheel. I can also feel something is loose through the steering wheel whenever I hit small bumps. My alignment went out almost overnight.

91 coupe, 163K

Fox Body · 09-09-2003, 08:47 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by tmoss
Those are classic symptoms of a worn steering rack & pinion. When I got my car it wouyld get "sucked" into the grooves heavy trucks leave in asphalt paving - it would just steer into it with no steering wheel movement. Replaced the steering rack and now it's solid again - no wandering.

Well, when I bought my GT , it had on some old worn tires (a brand that I never buy) and it would do the same exact thing (especially in sections of the road that had been scraped for relayering asphalt and had the long grooves or lines in the road). I got new tires and that totally solved the problem.

Coupe50h · 09-09-2003, 06:46 PM

Exellent opinions guys, I do have the front sway removed, rear is intact, upper control arms are stock, lowers are lakewood.
I think it could be the steering as well, but today upon further inspection, i heard a bad wheel bearing in the driver side front tire, (clicking) it does'nt have a whole lot of play, but i know it doesnt take much, also i know alighnment is need since it pulls slightly to the right but not bad, i know the front swaybar removal affect stability, but i used to cruise down the highway at 80 mph with one hand on the wheel, and eating something in the other, now it is, like said above "swooshy"

Thanx for the great help, i guess i'll price the steering rack, is it hard to install?
any more suggestions welcome, but you guys pretty much summed it up.
What about ball joints?

canukracer · 09-09-2003, 07:08 PM

are the skinnys radial tires?are they new? you said the rear tires are new- some new tires have a deep tread and or soft tread and will squrm at highway speed makin it very unsable did you have the problem before the new rear tires?

Fox Body · 09-09-2003, 07:18 PM

Hmmm. How many beers did you drink directly b4 the last time you drove it???

Coupe50h · 09-09-2003, 08:03 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Fox Body
Hmmm. How many beers did you drink directly b4 the last time you drove it???

No No

i dont put my baby in jepoardy like that, unless i have a few brews at the track, but then i only live down the street.

canukracer, i heard that question first from my dad, i really dont remember if it did it before, but yes they are deep tread, and pretty soft, but not like my dragradials were of course. and yes the skinnies are radials that are made for a veedub, straight from discount tire.
I am going in for an alignment maybe friday, i'll see what that does.......
The steering wheel does have more play in it im pretty sure.

byrnech · 09-12-2003, 10:33 AM

That's a good question, my car does the same thing. It just started getting sloppy over time. I had the same wind blowing the car around feeling, but there was no wind. I had weld racing wheels with front runners up front, no sway bar in the front. I replaced the front steering rack, got some 16" ponys, put the front sway bar back on replaced the upper and lower control arms in the rear, had the torque boxes welded up and put the torque box kit in also, my shocks and struts have less than 7000mi on them, and the problem still persists. Just a few weeks ago I was driving on the highway and something broke on a down shift to pass some slow people. It felt like a flat tire, and my steering wheel is cocked 1/4 turn to the right. I pulled over and all my tires were fine. So I brought it to a shop and they said it was my upper control arms. They were shot, which is wierd because they were only a few months old. I replaced them with UPR adjustables, and it is still there. I am going to get a UPR K-member kit with coil overs this payday, if that doesn't fix it then I give up. Any Ideas?

byrnech · 09-12-2003, 02:06 PM

Oh, I forgot I got my car aligned about 3000mi ago too.

yoshi351w · 09-12-2003, 06:46 PM

I had the same problem with mine so I put a four cylinder sway bar on it and it went away. I mean it was scary.

Coupe50h · 09-14-2003, 01:50 PM

Thanx again for the replies, i jacked it up, and i do have play in my driver side tire which has a bad bearing, also a friend of mine that works for ford, told me i should replace the tie rods?

on that same tire i have a weird clearance problem with the brake pad, the little shield on the pad rubs the inner rim a slight bit? that tells me something is out of line somewhere, im gonna start with the bearing, then tie rods, then struts, then have it alignhed.
it scares me to hear anything about a 'torque box', being im leaving hard with slicks at the track......but it does feel like a frontend issue......i'll keep posted.

tmoss · 09-14-2003, 02:15 PM

You should take a good look at your upper torque boxes if your leaving hard on slicks. Easy to do with a flashlight.

09-08-2003, 06:09 PM	#1
Coupe50h Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: SanAntonio, Tx Posts: 957	Car is unstable on the highway?? Guys, my car feels like it is swaying side to side, i blamed it on the wind, but it has'nt stopped, usually around 70-+ mph it gets scary, i have lakewood 50/50 shocks in the rear, and monroe's in the front which might need replacing, but dunno, also my skinnies up front are at the right psi, and my back tires are 235/60 firehawks which are brand new? i might put some springs on soon, and maybe i'll find the problem then.....but all i know is racing someon is out of the question out of fear of flipping over or something, any suggestions? could it be the new tires on the back breaking in a wear pattern? __________________ X-Texas highway patrol ssp 1990 coupe - exploder Gt-40 iron heads, Explorer intake, 19 lber's. E-cam. crane 1.7 rollers. 190fp. 75mm maf. 65mm tb, tubular subframe connectors, mac cai, Asp crank pulley, T-5, king cobra clutch, flowtech 1-5/8 unequals, mac X-pipe Frpp driveshaft, lakewood Lca's. race weight 3,160 12.69 @ 107.35, 1.71 60' 26x8.5 drag's 3.90 gear 13.20 @ 106.91 - 235/60/15 firestones 2.3 60' 3.27 gear

09-08-2003, 06:16 PM	#2
BilLster Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Ontario canada Posts: 446	alignment ? __________________ 89 with 331 t3'/t4 hybrids. upr Suspention worked out finnaly . 9.89 144 mph .

09-08-2003, 10:05 PM	#3
Fox Body Mustang Maniac Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: GA, U.S.A Posts: 2,266	Is your steering wheel tight or does it have a lot of play in it? __________________ 351W-powered 1979 Ford Mustang Ghia notchback '79 Video @ Idle Stock 5.8L under 4" cowl 'glass hood, C4 w/ Transgo shift kit, Holley 750 cfm, Edelbrock Performer RPM intake; Fluidyne Al radiator, Flexalite 175 electric fan, 1 5/8" MAC shorty headers, FRPP Al driveshaft; S&W 6-point cage; 2.5" Off road H-pipe, 2-chamber Flowmasters, 8.8" Rear w/ 3.55s; Weld wheels (15x6;15x8), Front: 225/60/15, Rear: 275/50/15 Nitto NT 555R Drag Radials; 14 x 4” K&N X-stream air filter. '92 GT (5-speed) Small In Car Video Stock 5.0L, 2-chamber Flowmasters, MAC CAI, Tri-Ax, Al pedals... "Red, thou art my companion. Hasten now your quickened metamorphosis to Green that I may conquer all who dare abide there beside me. May they be left thither behind burnt black." ---Fox Body

09-08-2003, 10:08 PM	#4
billheis Registered Member Join Date: May 2001 Location: Fernandina Beach, FL 32034 Posts: 178	I see you have lakewood lca on what about upper arms? Do you still have sway bar. If all that is good check those boxes. __________________ Bill Heiser 90 Convertable 5.0 LX, ported E7s w/ THumper valve job, TFS street, FR 65mm TB, B cam w/1.7 cobra rockers, kirban AFPR, Mac CAI, Mac Headers, off road h, 3 chamber flows, Crane ign. box, 3:73s, Art Carr AOD & 2600 converter

09-09-2003, 12:26 AM	#5
Milt 92GT Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: South Texas Posts: 21	I had that kinda feeling when I first got my GT..it had the stock suspension and was a little un-nerving at about 80 or 90 MPH.. I had Tokico non-adjustable shocks and Eibach prokit springs installed and the stability was greatly improved....It felt less bouncy and "swooshy" (if you will ),a much more confident feel.....Of course the set-up and feel and trying to go for would probably not be the best for the track but,that's something thats more up to you and what you want to do with the car...-Milt __________________ My 92' GT Magnaflow Catback w/dumps (its deep ) BBK O/R Hpipe BBK ceramic shorties Tokico Shocks and Struts Eibach Pro-kit springs PA Performance 3G alt MarkVIII Fan

09-09-2003, 07:21 AM	#6
tmoss Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Saint Louis, MO Posts: 634	Those are classic symptoms of a worn steering rack & pinion. When I got my car it wouyld get "sucked" into the grooves heavy trucks leave in asphalt paving - it would just steer into it with no steering wheel movement. Replaced the steering rack and now it's solid again - no wandering. __________________ Tom (Torque) Moss 88Gt 5spd Vert, FLowmaster Catbacks, stock cam advanced 4° @ 108.5° ICL, NMRA prepped GT40P heads 1.85/1.55 valves and 1.7 rockers, MAC P headers Jet-Hot coated, 97 Exlporer intake (ported lower), TB and injectors. 277RWHP/330RWTQ (SAE). http://www.fastlanecars.com/

09-09-2003, 07:26 AM	#7
mpj76 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Posts: 158	My rack and pinion has started to leak. I noticed that right about the same time, the steering on the highway became a bit twitchy with more play in the wheel. I can also feel something is loose through the steering wheel whenever I hit small bumps. My alignment went out almost overnight. 91 coupe, 163K

09-09-2003, 06:46 PM	#9
Coupe50h Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: SanAntonio, Tx Posts: 957	Exellent opinions guys, I do have the front sway removed, rear is intact, upper control arms are stock, lowers are lakewood. I think it could be the steering as well, but today upon further inspection, i heard a bad wheel bearing in the driver side front tire, (clicking) it does'nt have a whole lot of play, but i know it doesnt take much, also i know alighnment is need since it pulls slightly to the right but not bad, i know the front swaybar removal affect stability, but i used to cruise down the highway at 80 mph with one hand on the wheel, and eating something in the other, now it is, like said above "swooshy" Thanx for the great help, i guess i'll price the steering rack, is it hard to install? any more suggestions welcome, but you guys pretty much summed it up. What about ball joints? __________________ X-Texas highway patrol ssp 1990 coupe - exploder Gt-40 iron heads, Explorer intake, 19 lber's. E-cam. crane 1.7 rollers. 190fp. 75mm maf. 65mm tb, tubular subframe connectors, mac cai, Asp crank pulley, T-5, king cobra clutch, flowtech 1-5/8 unequals, mac X-pipe Frpp driveshaft, lakewood Lca's. race weight 3,160 12.69 @ 107.35, 1.71 60' 26x8.5 drag's 3.90 gear 13.20 @ 106.91 - 235/60/15 firestones 2.3 60' 3.27 gear

09-09-2003, 07:08 PM	#10
canukracer Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: alberta canada Posts: 108	are the skinnys radial tires?are they new? you said the rear tires are new- some new tires have a deep tread and or soft tread and will squrm at highway speed makin it very unsable did you have the problem before the new rear tires?

09-09-2003, 07:18 PM	#11
Fox Body Mustang Maniac Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: GA, U.S.A Posts: 2,266	Hmmm. How many beers did you drink directly b4 the last time you drove it??? __________________ 351W-powered 1979 Ford Mustang Ghia notchback '79 Video @ Idle Stock 5.8L under 4" cowl 'glass hood, C4 w/ Transgo shift kit, Holley 750 cfm, Edelbrock Performer RPM intake; Fluidyne Al radiator, Flexalite 175 electric fan, 1 5/8" MAC shorty headers, FRPP Al driveshaft; S&W 6-point cage; 2.5" Off road H-pipe, 2-chamber Flowmasters, 8.8" Rear w/ 3.55s; Weld wheels (15x6;15x8), Front: 225/60/15, Rear: 275/50/15 Nitto NT 555R Drag Radials; 14 x 4” K&N X-stream air filter. '92 GT (5-speed) Small In Car Video Stock 5.0L, 2-chamber Flowmasters, MAC CAI, Tri-Ax, Al pedals... "Red, thou art my companion. Hasten now your quickened metamorphosis to Green that I may conquer all who dare abide there beside me. May they be left thither behind burnt black." ---Fox Body

09-12-2003, 10:33 AM	#13
byrnech Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Anderson, TX. Posts: 166	That's a good question, my car does the same thing. It just started getting sloppy over time. I had the same wind blowing the car around feeling, but there was no wind. I had weld racing wheels with front runners up front, no sway bar in the front. I replaced the front steering rack, got some 16" ponys, put the front sway bar back on replaced the upper and lower control arms in the rear, had the torque boxes welded up and put the torque box kit in also, my shocks and struts have less than 7000mi on them, and the problem still persists. Just a few weeks ago I was driving on the highway and something broke on a down shift to pass some slow people. It felt like a flat tire, and my steering wheel is cocked 1/4 turn to the right. I pulled over and all my tires were fine. So I brought it to a shop and they said it was my upper control arms. They were shot, which is wierd because they were only a few months old. I replaced them with UPR adjustables, and it is still there. I am going to get a UPR K-member kit with coil overs this payday, if that doesn't fix it then I give up. Any Ideas? __________________ 331 10:1, AFR 185's, TFS-R intake

09-12-2003, 02:06 PM	#14
byrnech Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Anderson, TX. Posts: 166	Oh, I forgot I got my car aligned about 3000mi ago too. __________________ 331 10:1, AFR 185's, TFS-R intake

09-12-2003, 06:46 PM	#15
yoshi351w Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: s. fl Posts: 23	I had the same problem with mine so I put a four cylinder sway bar on it and it went away. I mean it was scary.

09-14-2003, 01:50 PM	#16
Coupe50h Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: SanAntonio, Tx Posts: 957	Thanx again for the replies, i jacked it up, and i do have play in my driver side tire which has a bad bearing, also a friend of mine that works for ford, told me i should replace the tie rods? on that same tire i have a weird clearance problem with the brake pad, the little shield on the pad rubs the inner rim a slight bit? that tells me something is out of line somewhere, im gonna start with the bearing, then tie rods, then struts, then have it alignhed. it scares me to hear anything about a 'torque box', being im leaving hard with slicks at the track......but it does feel like a frontend issue......i'll keep posted. __________________ X-Texas highway patrol ssp 1990 coupe - exploder Gt-40 iron heads, Explorer intake, 19 lber's. E-cam. crane 1.7 rollers. 190fp. 75mm maf. 65mm tb, tubular subframe connectors, mac cai, Asp crank pulley, T-5, king cobra clutch, flowtech 1-5/8 unequals, mac X-pipe Frpp driveshaft, lakewood Lca's. race weight 3,160 12.69 @ 107.35, 1.71 60' 26x8.5 drag's 3.90 gear 13.20 @ 106.91 - 235/60/15 firestones 2.3 60' 3.27 gear

09-14-2003, 02:15 PM	#17
tmoss Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Saint Louis, MO Posts: 634	You should take a good look at your upper torque boxes if your leaving hard on slicks. Easy to do with a flashlight. __________________ Tom (Torque) Moss 88Gt 5spd Vert, FLowmaster Catbacks, stock cam advanced 4° @ 108.5° ICL, NMRA prepped GT40P heads 1.85/1.55 valves and 1.7 rockers, MAC P headers Jet-Hot coated, 97 Exlporer intake (ported lower), TB and injectors. 277RWHP/330RWTQ (SAE). http://www.fastlanecars.com/

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