Any chance you were born with 2 left arms?

 

Does your car look anything like this?

 

sad thing is, that thing will handle better than mine - i'd bet the house on it.

the most frustrating thing is, a 90 year old lady driving my car would be able to tell instantly that there was something SERIOUSLY wrong with the car at the first corner they had to negotiate.... so why the hell can't any mechanic find the problem when it is so profoundly obvious when operating it?!

 

 

Where have you actually taken for repairs, you havent said yet?

 

Look ill take it off your hands for free.

Im also wanting to know what the **** you mean when you describe it spinning without traction loss!

Can you video it?

 

i have thought about this. videoing the parts involved while under stress (i.e. going round a corner) has got to be the only way to find out WTF is going on. that's basically impossible for me though.

 

can't i tighten up the steering myself? is it easy to do?

here's the best i can explain it:

right now it feel like the metal arms (technical term) that connect to the wheels are made of rubber elastic bands - the more i push into a corner, the further they stretch... the further the steering wheel and the car itself feel 'disconnected' from one another.

when the mechanic tightened the steering, those metal arms still felt like rubber bands... but they were much thicker and harder to stretch. with each day driving it afterwards, i could feel those metal arms returning more and more elastic/loose again, till we are back at ground zero.

even the steering wheel itself felt much more tight and harder to physically turn when it came back from the mechanic. now it feels like jelly again.

 

Im creasing up here haha

Whereabouts are you?

 

in glasgow here.

i'd like to mention that roundabouts (or any chicane-type manoeuvre) are where the problem plays up the worst... and i mean BY FAR the worst.

if you can imagine, steering one way, then in the opposite direction - when the "steering" hasn't even caught up with heading in the first direction. it's a mess.

 

To any mechanic, whatever is causing this should be totally obvious. Maybe another member can check it out with you?

 

i agree. it's been checked and rechecked by many mechanics, from at least 3 different shops. they all come back with the same 'steering is perfect'.

i got the rack changed cause there was nowhere left to go, and i wasn't surprised when it didn't solve the problem.

it is either something so obvious they all overlook it, or it is an external/secondary factor causing the problem - and the physical steering parts are indeed kosher.

i know suspension affects handling, but surely not possibly to this degree... i was thinking power steering maybe, but have no clue.

 

Are you using Ying-yong-ditch-finder tyres?

 

has anyone checked the steering column Universal joint ?

 

Or has anyone not realised yet that it's all a wind up?

 

true, the fact WW ignores genuine questions, and only focuses on what they want that will string people out.

 

If you have been to garages in Glasgow can you name them so I know never to go there

 

A wind up, you've got to be kidding, not.

 

Lol, is this thread still going? I had a feeling we hadn't heard the last of Walter and his Spec C!

Who, Ethel McEtherington? Well, she and her Corsa did leave you for dust through the twisties during that B-road blast!

 

Not sure if it helps, but I came across this when googling sloppy steering...

Bushes or tyre pressure could be affecting you?

http://www.subaruforester.org/vbulle...56/index2.html

 

This has tubby/fat Dan Mayes written all over it!

 

Dan's smarter than this.

 

The Coefficient of Friction

Friction is "the resistance an object encounters in moving over another" (OED).

It is easier to drag an object over glass than sandpaper. The reason for this is that the sandpaper exerts more frictional resistance. In many problems, it is assumed that a surface is "smooth", which means that it does not exert any frictional force. In real life, however, this wouldn't be the case. A "rough" surface is one which will offer some frictional resistance.

Limiting Equilibrium

Imagine that you are trying to push a book along a table with your finger. If you apply a very small force, the book will not move. This must mean that the frictional force is equal to the force with which you are pushing the book. If the frictional force were less that the force produced by your finger, the book would slide forward. If it were greater, the book would slide backwards.

If you push the book a bit harder, it would still remain stationary. The frictional force must therefore have increased, or the book would have moved. If you continue to push harder, eventually a point is reached when the frictional force increases no more. When the frictional force is at its maximum possible value, friction is said to be limiting. If friction is limiting, yet the book is still stationary, it is said to be in limiting equilibrium. If you push ever so slightly harder, the book will start to move. If a body is moving, friction will be taking its limiting value.

In summary:

The frictional force between two objects is not constant, but increases until it reaches a maximum value. When the frictional force is at its maximum, the body in question will either be moving or will be on the verge of moving.

The Coefficient of Friction

The coefficient of friction is a number which represents the friction between two surfaces. Between two equal surfaces, the coefficient of friction will be the same. The symbol usually used for the coefficient of friction is m

The maximum frictional force (when a body is sliding or is in limiting equilibrium) is equal to the coefficient of friction × the normal reaction force.

F = mR
Where m is the coefficient of friction and R is the normal reaction force.

This frictional force, F, will act parallel to the surfaces in contact and in a direction to oppose the motion that is taking/ trying to take place.

Example

A particle of mass 5 kg is at limiting equilibrium on a rough plane which is inclined at an angle of 30 degrees to the horizontal. Find the coefficient of friction between the particle and the plane.



Resolving up the plane:
F - 5gsin30 = 0

Resolving perpendicular to the plane:


R = 5gcos30

In limiting equilibrium, so F = mR
5gsin30 = m5gcos30

m = sin30/cos30 = 0.577 (3sf)


You could always work it out.


Tony

 

If the steering is fine and all the front end is fine then it's the rear that's at fault.

If there's a loose rear link making one of the rear wheels move around then it's going to be all over the place.

I race RC cars and the principles of setup are exactly the same. If the car is all over the place but the steering setup is spot on then it's always going to be the rear end.

 

no he isn't. Walter is far more intelligent and a better troll than him.

 

interesting. is there anything i could check personally? (before taking it to a mechanic for the umpteenth time)

 

is this called the stabilizer or "sway bar"?

 

Its called breaking bad...

 

looks like you don't even understand how jokes work, never mind the intricacies of car mechanics.

disappointed on two levels...

anyone else?

 

my car DOES make rattling noises going over bumps... maybe this is why?