steering wheel feels "loose" at 70+ MPH
11-25-2010, 02:14 AM
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steering wheel feels "loose" at 70+ MPH
Hey guys,
Car is a 2006 SS/SC, almost 60K miles, power steering recall done a little more than a month ago.
I noticed today that my steering feels really loose/squirrely at any speed from about 70 MPH and higher. The problem I'm having is that the wheel is really loose and kinda "jumps" back and forth with the road, then once it turns more than a few degrees either direction it
"catches" and the car jerks to whatever side the wheel was turned towards. Makes the car feel really unstable at higher speeds. Is this normal?
Car is a 2006 SS/SC, almost 60K miles, power steering recall done a little more than a month ago.
I noticed today that my steering feels really loose/squirrely at any speed from about 70 MPH and higher. The problem I'm having is that the wheel is really loose and kinda "jumps" back and forth with the road, then once it turns more than a few degrees either direction it
"catches" and the car jerks to whatever side the wheel was turned towards. Makes the car feel really unstable at higher speeds. Is this normal?
11-25-2010, 08:44 PM
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Did this just start today? Did your mom back into your car and hit a wheel also, not just the door? Did you also just have a wheel bearing replaced too?
I would check all of the lug nuts, tie rods, steering links, and things around the steering box. It is also possible that something came loose after they were in fixing the recall.
Made me think of an old Ford truck that I drove when i worked for the Tribune, it was the worst think that I ever drove. The steering in that thing would turn about 45 degrees before the truck would turn. Then one night I blew second gear out of the transmission on the east side of Warren.
I would check all of the lug nuts, tie rods, steering links, and things around the steering box. It is also possible that something came loose after they were in fixing the recall.
Made me think of an old Ford truck that I drove when i worked for the Tribune, it was the worst think that I ever drove. The steering in that thing would turn about 45 degrees before the truck would turn. Then one night I blew second gear out of the transmission on the east side of Warren.
11-25-2010, 09:51 PM
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Did this just start today? Did your mom back into your car and hit a wheel also, not just the door? Did you also just have a wheel bearing replaced too?
I would check all of the lug nuts, tie rods, steering links, and things around the steering box. It is also possible that something came loose after they were in fixing the recall.
Made me think of an old Ford truck that I drove when i worked for the Tribune, it was the worst think that I ever drove. The steering in that thing would turn about 45 degrees before the truck would turn. Then one night I blew second gear out of the transmission on the east side of Warren.
I would check all of the lug nuts, tie rods, steering links, and things around the steering box. It is also possible that something came loose after they were in fixing the recall.
Made me think of an old Ford truck that I drove when i worked for the Tribune, it was the worst think that I ever drove. The steering in that thing would turn about 45 degrees before the truck would turn. Then one night I blew second gear out of the transmission on the east side of Warren.
I did just have a wheel bearing replaced, hopefully nothing else was wrong.
I honestly never really speed so I rarely see anything above 65MPH. I romped on it a little last night just for fun and backed right off again because the car felt pretty unstable. Maybe it was just my road, it's not flat by any means so It could have been tossing the car around.
11-25-2010, 09:55 PM
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As far as tie rod ends, what should I look for to know if they need replaced? The car doesn't even have 60K miles on it, all this stuff going wrong with it is bullshit.
01-23-2011, 10:57 AM
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Dealer must not have properly torqued down the lug nuts when they replaced the wheel bearing under warranty. I don't fully understand how that made the steering wheel feel loose but I re-torqued everything after having the wheels off and the steering is nice and tight again.
01-23-2011, 08:51 PM
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Yep, loose lug nuts can do that. You are lucky that it did not come off. I have seen that happen before. It is always good to check the lug nuts about 25 miles after having a wheel off. I check mine once a month on my cars.
01-30-2011, 08:05 PM
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Another update...I thought the steering felt good after re-torquing the lug nuts. I just got 4 brand new Kumho Ecsta's put on to replace the old tires (2 good Goodyear Eagle F1's, one worn F1 and one good Pirelli stock tire) and the car drives like a whole new car. Maybe it was the size change (went from stock 215/45/18 to 225/40/18) and the fact that all the tires are new and matching, but it feels fantastic. The ride quality is greatly improved, the car is much more stable and the steering is 10x better than it was when i thought it was great.
01-30-2011, 08:41 PM
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Matching tires can make a world of difference on how a car feels. I always replace all 4 tires when I get new ones. A good rotation regiment is good too. They did an alignment too with these new tires or at least checked it?
I am glad that you are a bit more happy with your car now.
I am glad that you are a bit more happy with your car now.
01-31-2011, 11:54 AM
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I had the alignment checked out after replacing the rear axle, it's good to go 
I almost considered keeping the car, but now that I sold my R6 this car has to go. I'm going to be really disappointed in the spring when I want to go ride, so I'm going to need a scooby to keep me occupied.
I almost considered keeping the car, but now that I sold my R6 this car has to go. I'm going to be really disappointed in the spring when I want to go ride, so I'm going to need a scooby to keep me occupied.
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