Rain!!! And Steering

[10k]

ok i as i was driving just a while ago i was noticing that my steering wheel was moving as if the road was controlling my car instead of me...and i was thinking if this is cause i need new tie rods which i order today..and sway bar bushings..and links..now if theres anything else that would cause this..now would be the time to tell me what else i need so i can order today...thanks...

[ExplodingCake]

Check Alignment

[10k]

ima get that done after i get all my parts in..which also im getting ef skunk2 adjustable control arms for the front and wicked tuning for my rear..but another question what good coil overs should i be looking for if ima be riding offset wheels? which are gonna be bbs rs 17s x 9.5

[ExplodingCake]

Ground Control

[10k]

so thats the brand or the type of coil overs? i need a good brand too

['93CB7Ex]

thats a brand

[ExplodingCake]

and a good one too.


Best coil-over sleeve there is.

[quaidum]

17x9.5 thats a wide ass rim(which i would love to ride on and feel the response) are you fender rolling at all b/c you won't be able to go to low with out rolling them

if you are riding on a wide rim/tire combo then it will sometimes follow the imperfections of the road

do you have steering play?

[10k]

17x9.5 thats a wide ass rim(which i would love to ride on and feel the response) are you fender rolling at all b/c you won't be able to go to low with out rolling them

if you are riding on a wide rim/tire combo then it will sometimes follow the imperfections of the road

do you have steering play?

yea..i know my isnt as bas as i thought but my back is the problem i already test fitted them on and took pics of them ima upload in a bit..and as the steering play i do have some when the road gets wet it starts feeling like im losing the control and and my response is a little bit laggy..im just worried about my safety as of now cus its my daily and i dont wanna wreak cause my car completely fails on me..

[10k]

ok guys the moment yall been waiting for..

[batever]

Make sure your steering gear assembly is still firmly bolted to the chassis.

Also, you don't need to guess about your tie rods. there is a simple diagnostic. Put the front end up, then grab each wheel at 9 and 3 o'clock and try to move the wheel back and forth. If it moves, you have tie rod/steering linkage issues. If it doesn't, you don't. I'm not sure if your steering gear was unbolted or loose how that would show up in this test, but the tie rods will show up here.

One thing doesn't make sense--the fact that your steering wheel is moving in response to the road conditions. I could be wrong, because I'm no steering expert, but I don't think that this is a classic worn tie rod scenario at all, in which you try to steer but the steering linkages have too much play so the wheels don't respond completely to your steering input. Now, it's true that if your tie rod ends are very worn then the wheels may "bounce around" a bit and jog the steering wheel once they hit up against the end of their play. If that's what you're feeling, and when you do the "wheel shake" test by hand the wheels move, then go right ahead and replace those tie rod ends.

However, if that isn't the case: is your steering wheel also freakishly easy to move at speeds above 25 mph? I suspect you may have a malfunctioning power steering assist dampening valve. The power steering is supposed to basically stop assist at speeds much over 30 mph. If it continues with the assist, then any pressure on the steering wheel will extremely easily turn the wheels, much more easily than you want, and I'm thinking that vice versa, any bumps on the road will affect the steering wheel as well.

EDIT--my idea about the dampening valve is completely wrong because if that were malfunctioning and gave you full power steering assist at all speeds instead of low speeds only, the leverage the wheels would have over the steering wheel would be absolutely miniscule and would be even less likely to jostle the steering wheel than it is at low speeds. I'll leave my post up though in case someone doesn't know about that aspect of steering and finds it helpful/useful to know about.

[batever]

If your front alignment is way off (i believe in the camberwise dimension), then you may have increased bump steer which might account for the symptoms you have.

Do the "wiggle the wheel" test and see if everything is tight. Do it with your hands at 9 and 3 (for steering) and then at 12 noon and 6 (for balljoints) If it is tight, then suspect something else like an alignment issue.

[CleanF22A]

I also have play in my steering wheel when im driving.
For some odd reason when i shift to 5th it will sometimes stop though.. Anyway, the tips on the thread have given me an idea of what i need to do to check on it

Thanks guys!

[short1]

My car kinda does this when on dry pavement and hitting a wet spot, it's been getting worse. I was thinking it might be my springs/struts since they have over 250k on them and one front spring is broken on the bottom coil. I plan on putting on my koni strt's and new springs monday I'll let you know if that makes a difference if you haven't figured it out yet.

short

[Cobalt]

Sounds like you may be getting bump steer or roll steer.

Bump Steer

When the car is sitting on flat ground see if you can see the tie rods and if they are angling up or down to the steering knuckles. A few degrees angle and the better contact patch along with stickier tires can very well be the reason for you to be the victim of bump steer.