car seems to follow bumps, floating across road

[RO11AR]

problem was repaired under warranty! :)

Edited July 31, 2008 by RO11AR

[OMG-16V]

sounds like to me your shocks are rooted

[qkslvr]

how much did you lower the car by? lowering the car to a point where the control arm, tie rod angles are not optimum increases the effect of bump steer. shocks will not cause your steering to track road surfaces.

[Croatian Princess]

i have the same problem.........feels like the car is gona fall apart....and i can feel the bump so hard my whole dash sounds like a rock hit it lol. i dont know wether its shocks, springs either!! and over a ditch the car moves with the ditch..i dont roll over it.

[SILVABULLIT]

how much did you lower the car by? lowering the car to a point where the control arm, tie rod angles are not optimum increases the effect of bump steer. shocks will not cause your steering to track road surfaces.

Not entirely true there. If the struts are stuffed and leaking then they are prolly bottoming out on every bump you hit. My guess is the bump stops may have split with the constant pounding of the strut losing all it's resistance and therfore the stop isn't absorbing the hit as well as it should. If the car is wandering all over the road then first check your tyre pressures. Uneven tyre pressures will make the car more responsive one way then the other if they aren't the same.

Jack up the car and check your struts for leakage. The tell tale sign is oil leaking down the strut leg from the top down into the bottom spring retainer. Lift up the rubber dust boot to check this. If they are leaking badly then every bump you hit you will feel through the steering as it is simply not being absorbed by the strut.

My other question is have you had the camber altered or do you have camber bolts fitted?? Cause if you have too much camber for road use the car will follow the road quite badly as well. My next question is what rims are you running?? Stocko's or aftermarket?? If they are aftermarket then what offset?? This is another thing that will make a huge difference to the way your handles and behaves on the road as well. Also what springs as you running?? Lows or super lows??

The other thing it could be is the tyres. Highly unlikely but it can happen where you just simply get a badly cast tyre that isn't perfectly round or has imperfections. Also are you sure the alignment is correct?? You wouldn't be the first to have a dodgy alignment.

If you can answer some of these questions then we may be able to shed some more light on the problem.

Cheers SB

[RO11AR]

the springs are pedders sport riders so i am guessing 2inch drop? the rear was then compresses a further 1/2inch or maybe even 1inch i got it done straight after i bought the car without researching the effects of doin this...

however i didn think the shocks would be stuffed as they have only been lowered for about 25,000kms

i also dont think it would be the tyres as it happened to both my old and my new, it is still on stock sportivo rims.

i only installed the strut and sway about 2000kms ago, the car felt great for a while after that but recently out of nowhere started acting the way it does now.

i will check the struts when i get home this arvo

i have never touched anything with the camber..

the bumps do not feel that bad, it does not seem anymore rough than it used to be..

the weird thing is the fact that this happened out of no where, one day its fine the next it wasnt.. So i not sure where to start looking...

would the strut and sway have caused anything else to break or bend? i keep thinking that by installing those items it has put more strain on other weaker parts and may have cause them to bend? is this possible??

[qkslvr]

SB, could it be the rear being lower than the front that's causing this? I've got the same setup. my wheel is just on the gaurd whereas the front has a 20mm gap between the guard and tyre. the relative caster angle to the bump would be changed. Would this be causing the issue?

[SILVABULLIT]

the springs are pedders sport riders so i am guessing 2inch drop? the rear was then compresses a further 1/2inch or maybe even 1inch i got it done straight after i bought the car without researching the effects of doin this...

Who installed the springs? Are the top spring retainers fitted on the locating flats on the strut shaft?

however i didn think the shocks would be stuffed as they have only been lowered for about 25,000kms

Lucky you got that much out of them. Mine started leaking after about 16 000km's and some I know of some here that have had them leak with less Km's than that again.

i also dont think it would be the tyres as it happened to both my old and my new, it is still on stock sportivo rims.

i only installed the strut and sway about 2000kms ago, the car felt great for a while after that but recently out of nowhere started acting the way it does now.

Check to make sure that the sway bar links are tight(the bar that goes from the sway bar to the strut leg.)

i will check the struts when i get home this arvo

i have never touched anything with the camber..

There is a small amount of play in the strut bolts that fasten the strut to the hub knuckle which will change camber slightly.

the bumps do not feel that bad, it does not seem anymore rough than it used to be..

the weird thing is the fact that this happened out of no where, one day its fine the next it wasnt.. So i not sure where to start looking...

would the strut and sway have caused anything else to break or bend? i keep thinking that by installing those items it has put more strain on other weaker parts and may have cause them to bend? is this possible??

Shouldn't do at all. With the front strut brace did you use the spacers that go on the strut tops before you put the brace on? Maybe check to make sure that the sway bar mounts on the cross member are tight. when you jack the car up check the wheels for excessive play in wheel bearings(hold wheel top and bottom and try to push top in and pull bottom outand vice versa) also swing wheel from lock to lock and visually check to make sure everything is ok. Also ensure that the strut brace is tight on the strut towers(3 nuts either side. Make sure they are reasonably tight. Don't have to try and break them off!!) Is the strut brace adjusted correctly length wise?It should be loosened off both ends and wound out till it is just firm not super tight. Best way to do it is have car on ground and loosen off all 6 strut top nuts. then adjust the strut brace till it slips onto the threads just nice and snug. you shouldn't have to use any force to get it on or off.

SB, could it be the rear being lower than the front that's causing this? I've got the same setup. my wheel is just on the gaurd whereas the front has a 20mm gap between the guard and tyre. the relative caster angle to the bump would be changed. Would this be causing the issue?

What springs are you running?? With Kings lows the back actually sits higher than the front. Yours is the other way around correct? That doesn't sound right at all. If your car does sit lower in the back it certainly will behave a lil strange but moreso in cornering situations not with regards to tram tracking etc etc. Are you on stock shocks as well?

answer thes questions and I'll see what else I can help you with.

Cheers SB :)

[wil_rolla]

the springs are pedders sport riders so i am guessing 2inch drop? the rear was then compresses a further 1/2inch or maybe even 1inch i got it done straight after i bought the car without researching the effects of doin this...

whats wrong with compressing the suspension???

[SuperDave]

I doubt this would happen this soon, but worn out bushes can cause wandering and vagueness. But being such a new car I'd be looking into what Silva is asking. Other than that I think Silva has it all covered, worthy of MOTM next time round.

[SILVABULLIT]

Why thank you MOTM :)

[RO11AR]

thanks for your help SB

I checked everything i could think of over the weekend.. And checked some more yesterday..

There is no leaks visible in any of the shocks. I also checked if the springs were sitting correctly, as far as i can see they are, it looks as if they have wrapped wire around the top part of the spring to the strut so that it sits in place?

Everything seemed tight, i checked rear sway and front strut tightness and any nuts i could see associated with suspension..

i took the car back to bob jane and got the wheel alignment done again and they said there were no problems.. I was going to go to pedders and get them to check everything and see if they knew the problem but i ran out of time and didn end up getting there..Tyre pressures were also checked and were normal (36psi)

once again thanks for helping me out

Edited April 18, 2008 by RO11AR

[SILVABULLIT]

thanks for your help SB

I checked everything i could think of over the weekend.. And checked some more yesterday..

There is no leaks visible in any of the shocks. I also checked if the springs were sitting correctly, as far as i can see they are, it looks as if they have wrapped wire around the top part of the spring to the strut so that it sits in place?

Everything seemed tight, i checked rear sway and front strut tightness and any nuts i could see associated with suspension..

i took the car back to bob jane and got the wheel alignment done again and they said there were no problems.. I was going to go to pedders and get them to check everything and see if they knew the problem but i ran out of time and didn end up getting there..Tyre pressures were also checked and were normal (36psi)

once again thanks for helping me out

this shouldn't be there and would cause some noise. Can you get a pic of it??

[CAP]

How were your springs compressed - do you mean re-set? Do you find it's the front and rear that crashes on bumps or just the rear which has the Compressed springs?

[RO11AR]

i just took some photos of it then... I never really noticed any noise though..

I am guessing they were reset.. I think they heat the spring and its compressed??

Its seems pretty hard at the back but nothing major.

I have also noticed the car seems to get bodyroll with very small turns, as in theres a bit of freeplay before the suspension feels stiff.. It feels normal on sharper/bigger turns but feels loose on smaller turns. Im really thinking about just getting coilovers and seeing if that fixes anything...

Edited April 19, 2008 by RO11AR

[CAP]

i just took some photos of it then... I never really noticed any noise though..

I am guessing they were reset.. I think they heat the spring and its compressed??

Its seems pretty hard at the back but nothing major.

I have also noticed the car seems to get bodyroll with very small turns, as in theres a bit of freeplay before the suspension feels stiff.. It feels normal on sharper/bigger turns but feels loose on smaller turns. Im really thinking about just getting coilovers and seeing if that fixes anything...

That to me looks like they have compressed only the upper half instead of the whole spring, if the original spring was a progressive rate, it would mean the lower loops are softer than the upper loops. They have left no room for movement in the upper loops at all having completely closed the loops like that, so that effectively means that you are only using the lower loops which are softer, that is why the car has an odd floating feel because now the spring rate in actual use is lower than what you had when the springs first went in. That looks so dodgy, who did that? I can also see the wire you mentioned earlier.

Have a look at this pic of my rear spring and you can see the difference.

See how the loops aren't touching except for the top one.

[Kevsta]

These are whiteline 73206 control springs that I have on my car. Boot is empty and no heavy audio gear either. The 4 loops up top are also closed up - could this be the design of the spring as they are progressive ? I've emailed whiteline support to clarify. I hope it's not a design fault.

Edited April 20, 2008 by Bit Racer

[Punk_200sx]

Yep an adjustable coilover is generally the way to go, especially if you want a nice low rear. Just make sure you get a coilover, with lower bracket height adjustments not just coil on both the front and back, it stops the problem of reducing your shock travel height, as the seat is actually lower than standard (i.e. lasts longer). I went Cusco Zero 2's, have never looked back:)

Edited April 20, 2008 by punk_rolla

[SILVABULLIT]

i just took some photos of it then... I never really noticed any noise though..

I am guessing they were reset.. I think they heat the spring and its compressed??

Its seems pretty hard at the back but nothing major.

I have also noticed the car seems to get bodyroll with very small turns, as in theres a bit of freeplay before the suspension feels stiff.. It feels normal on sharper/bigger turns but feels loose on smaller turns. Im really thinking about just getting coilovers and seeing if that fixes anything...

Yep definately looks like stock springs reset. Your car would ride firmly especially when you hit a big bump. The springs would actually start to bind up hence the hard ride. i'd also imagine the stock shocks would be getting pretty soft too. Stock rear springs are linear springs too from memory.

[selyaT]

Look at this thread I found from 2004 when I was researching coilovers

http://au.toyotaownersclub.com/forums/inde...t=0&start=0

[SILVABULLIT]

A few funny theories in that thread LOL and some bull to match

[selyaT]

LOL a bit nostalgic eh? They were asking the same questions all that time ago

[Dead]

Yep an adjustable coilover is generally the way to go, especially if you want a nice low rear. Just make sure you get a coilover, with lower bracket height adjustments not just coil on both the front and back, it stops the problem of reducing your shock travel height, as the seat is actually lower than standard (i.e. lasts longer). I went Cusco Zero 2's, have never looked back:)

The reduction of travel on the back of my D2's hasn't changed much. I'm not too sure whether that's the spring rates at work there.

I agree that any reduction of travel in the front end is bad though.

[SuperDave]

i just took some photos of it then... I never really noticed any noise though..

I am guessing they were reset.. I think they heat the spring and its compressed??

Its seems pretty hard at the back but nothing major.

I have also noticed the car seems to get bodyroll with very small turns, as in theres a bit of freeplay before the suspension feels stiff.. It feels normal on sharper/bigger turns but feels loose on smaller turns. Im really thinking about just getting coilovers and seeing if that fixes anything...

Those springs need to be destroyed and thrown out. That does explain why the car was following bumps as it was possibly bottoming out or the spring was binding.

And finally, reset springs FTL.

[RO11AR]

ok, thanks guys ill start looking for a set of stock suspension or a set of coilovers if i can find a set for a good price. If anyone interested in selling their D2's or something similar please PM me..

And hopefully after that no more problems....