my steering goes wierd....

[e_racer1999]

say i'm going around a tight corner, like a freeway onramp or offramp (you know one of the 25mph ones).. i like to go a LITTLE faster than 25 mph. anyway, when i'm doing "high speed" turns, the steering starts out normal and then the wheels straighten out a lot, so i have to turn in like almost a half a turn to get it back to ALMOST the previous angle. where do i start? i was thinking it was the rag joint, but upon further inspection it appeared normal.... thx

[Ed]

I'm a little confused Jason, as your taking a right hand turn you turn the wheel to lets say 3 o'clock (12 o'clock being straight) 1/4 turn to the right. Now the car starts out doing fine then it does what? Changes direction? Do the tires squeel like your loosing traction?

Tire pressure?

Allignment?

[Ricklandia]

Oh man...

I dunno about you, but I'd be more than just a little nervous about that. Inner tie rod ends gone bad maybe? Seriously, I'd get the steering rack looked at ASAP.

[e_racer1999]

i guess i should take her in. only problem is i have no other car....

[e_racer1999]

my wheels go from like 45 degrees to 30 degrees while the steering wheel remains the same....

[Ricklandia]

i guess i should take her in. only problem is i have no other car....

Dude, if you don't get this taken care of, you might have NO car, not to mention no life!

Don't push your luck on this one, things could go from bad to horribly wrong really quickly.

[Bambikiller240]

Are you SURE that the "wheels just straighten out a lot" or is it that the car just doesn't continue to turn at the same constant radius even though the wheels are still turned, and you have to turn more and more to maintain the same arc of the turn?

If you are going around the turns faster than the speed limit and this happens, I'd say it's called UNDERSTEER. and it's completely normal. UNDERSTEER beats the hell out of OVERSTEER (unless you are a really good driver). The only wy I see this as a problem is if you are not going around the turns real fast, as in driving below the speed limit.

PS: What is a "rag joint"?

[e_racer1999]

it's not like break-neck speeds. i could be going through the turn at the same speed and halfway through the angle changes.

am i the only one that calls it a rag joint? it's the rubber bushing thing connecting the 2 segments of the steering column.

[Bambikiller240]

It doesn't have to be "breakneck speeds". It's a combination of the speed of the car and the radius of the turn, Front to Rear weight ratio of the car, grip level of the tires, etc. A car car understeer at relatively low speeds, or medium speeds, even at higher speeds.

(PS I've editted my post since you saw it)

If your road wheels aren't changing position (i.e. are NOT "just straightening out a lot") but the arc of the turn becomes wider, it's understeer.

Oh ya, I've always called it the Steering Coupler. Not sure if that is the proper term or not, but I'd never heard of a rag joint before tonight

[e_racer1999]

i'm pretty sure it's not understeer. i thought (hoped) that was it at first, but now i'm pretty sure it's a mechanical issue. i CAN initiate understeer if i wanted to, but this is a different feeling. i can almost feel something slip. i can't really describe it..... i'm pretty sure it's going to be the rack (OF COURSE), so i'm going to take it in to zwhizz sometime next week. the guy that was going to buy my car is probably not going to buy it now, so i' will have that car good to go as soon as i exchange this faulty voltage regulator i got from auto zone...

i wonder where i heard rag joint form...... :scratches head:

[Ed]

Get someone strong to turn the wheel side to side while the car is parked. You stick your head under the hood and see where all the slipping is coming from. If it is the steering coupler than that's an easy fix. A new coupler and some new bolts and your good to go. I wouldn't drive it 10 feet until you fix this or you might end up :dead: .

[Mr Camouflage]

Bump steer anybody? Has you car been lowered?

As the weight of the car shifts to the side as the cars rolls, and if the car has been lowered withoud adding the bump steer spacers to correct the steering geometry of the front suspension then the steering angle of the wheels will vary depending on the body roll, or if you hit a bump. which is why its known as "bump steer".

The theory is that the distance of end of the steering rack to the steering arm, and the distance of the suspention pivot arm should be the same to avoid bump steer. When you lower the Z the distances get all screwed up and the bump steer effect is increased, which is why people invented the spacers.

Well thats how I understand it, feel free to correct me if i'm wrong.

Though i'd get it checked out by the experts anyway. Steering is one thing you dont want to lose when driving.

What condition are your steering mount bushes in?

Jack the car up and give the wheels a good shake. Might be a ball joint, or a tie rod end.