Wheel Skip

[Doutdoor]

I have a 92 LT1 with 81k miles on it. I have noticed that when I hit a bump in the road, the car seems to skip or jump a bit to the right. This is more noticeable at speeds 50+ mph. I just read in the Feb 03 issue of Corvette Fever where they are talking about the replacement of wheel bearings front and rear to fix a problem that sounds identical to the one I am experiencing. This sounds like a logical explanation of what would happen with worn wheel bearings. Does anyone have a similar experience on their corvette.

Thanks,
Dave

 

[ArtZR1991]

Yes, but before you go to that expense, have a good front end shop do the alignment (all 4 wheels), and pay particular attention to the camber. It is often out of adjustment, causing precisely that type of instability. It is a form of "bump steer". Racers often use extreme settings, and usually at the expense of normal driving stability.

Good luck, let us know what you find.

Regards,

 

[Doutdoor]

Thanks for the reply Art. I will give that a try.

Dave

 

[Eric 70]

I find that my '96 does the same thing. I used to keep the tires inflated to their max pressure....44psi, and that made it worse. I have lowered them to 35psi, and its almost gone.

 

[vette-dude]

My 94 did the same thing until I lowered my PSI to 35 lbs.

Randy

 

[Doutdoor]

I have the tires at 32 psi right now and still notice it. I've never had the alignment checked on it since I bought it 1 year ago, so I figure I'll start there and see what happens.

Thanks,
Dave

 

[SPANISHVETTS]

Art, that is a good looking 63. I spent 5 years restoring a white/blue split window. I think that will be my favorite toy until the day I die. When I left the US in 1984 my best friend bought her from me, He insisted on paying the apprised value… That makes my labor worth about $0.25/Hr.

Doutdoor, my 90 had/has the same symptoms. At high speed the rear wheels move about a foot to the right when I hit a bump while cornering. We have changed shocks, springs, bearings, etc,.etc. Tires and tire pressure have more influence than the other changes. My best combination is Dunlop’s at 34-36 psi. We set the alignment up with the same care we use on the F3 cars. After reading Art’s post I am going to recheck the camber.

Please let us know the results of the work you have done.

 

[Doutdoor]

Thanks Spanish Vette:

I am going to take everyone's advice and experiment with the tire pressure and also have a complete alignment done. It's neat to hear from somebody as far away as you that also loves corvette's.

Regards,
Dave from Seattle:cool