I have not had my Vette long, and am still adjusting to driving it.. I have noticed that at highway speeds the car seems a bit unstable... It seems a bit hard to keep on track, and wants to dart a bit... This is not real pronounced and it maybe part of just the way things are with wide tires and this kind of car... I am probably going to have the suspension alignment set next week... Should I have it set to stock settings, or get a bit of extra negative camber cranked in...
Wheels/Tires are balanced
Alignment is good
Tierods are tight
Ball joints are tight
Wheel bearings are ok
Rack and Pinion OK
Power steering box OK
When you go for the alignment ask them to check for these things while its in the air. The Tierods can be checked wiggling the wheel side to side while the steering is locked. The Balljoints should be checked with the car nearly ground level then with a snipe under the tire now stick a jack under the L Control arm to release pressure and wiggle the snipe for play.
You'll be able to feel the difference between a wheel bearing and a ball joint but typicaly they are checked at the same time. (The snipe idea works when theres spring pressure on the arm.)
Make sure all you power steering hose/seals aren't leaking. Also do you experience Tight steering on a cold startup?
Hope that helps ya
BTW Mismatching tires by type or brand can result in this problem as well.
Wide tires will tend to follow the ruts or grooves in the road surface that are typically caused by heavy trucks. I get this in my 92 with the wider front tires. It is sort of a strange feeling, but I usually steer the car to either the left or right of center of the traffic lane to avoid getting "locked" into the grooves.
Wheel alignment changes will take some of this away, but watch for signs of uneven front tire wear. Tell the alignment guy what your are feeling and they should be able to compensate for it. The downside is that high-speed handling may suffer a bit.
Another trick is to raise the front tire pressure a bit. I usually run 32psi in front and if I am taking a long trip or know I will be out on the freeway a lot, I jump that to around 35-37psi.
I do have different tires on the front and back... The fronts are Fulda Extremo something or the other, and the rears are the Goodrich kdws.. I have noticed the tendency to wiggle or follow grooves.. I will try the pressure and driving habit change to correct.... The highway spped driving is when it bothers me.. I have to stay extra alert to keep the car on track.. Hopefully the alignment being done today will help...
I noticed the same thing with my 94 coupe and worried that there was a problem. Had the wheel alignment done and while better, I still track the ruts. People probably think I'm a really bad driver! ;o)
A couple of months later, hubby bought his 89 coupe and it does the same thing.
On the freeway I stay in the fast lane - the slow lane ruts are from trucks - and when I have to be in the slow lane I stay off center. Makes a huge difference.
Mostly it's the tires. Also, I stopped fighting the wheel to control the car. Once you get used to it, you will be more relaxed and just go with the flow.
Have fun! I just love mine and everytime I drive her I can't get over how wonderful and new the experience is (even though I've had her for almost a year now).
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