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Handling Problems STILL!!!??

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Old 21 November 2011, 07:53 PM
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Scoober-Dubs
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Default Handling Problems STILL!!!??

Looking for some ideas please...

MY05 WRX handling badly as above; had this issue on a very mild scale prior to having some BC coilovers fitted followed by a damned thorough geo, the issue seemingly went away for a while.

Now it's unbearable... I'll exaplain:

Slight knock just infront of the passenger footwell, when cornering to the right a little harder than usual the NSF feels a little sloppy and loses grip. Fitted some new droplinks and had another thorough geo this weekend and the bloody knock's still there, occasionally. OSF feels nice and tight when cornering to the left.

Sometimes it feels like I'm on 3 wheels, and I need it sorted for the winter.

Any ideas, or am I going to have to through a process of elimination?? and lots more £££??

Upgrading my brakes this weekend and would like to get to the bottom of this at the same time.

Nothing visually apparent.

Anyone else had a similar experience and resolution they'd like to share??
Old 21 November 2011, 07:58 PM
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Saalro
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I've heard BC's knock, it's why i didn't buy them... Got me some HSD HR coils.

But it could be a driveshaft knocking, a bush or a ball joint. What bushes/drop links do you have?

Check your lociking nuts on your coils are tight, mine come loose some times :/

Thanks
Sam
Old 21 November 2011, 08:00 PM
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Scoober-Dubs
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Originally Posted by Saalro
I've heard BC's knock, it's why i didn't buy them... Got me some HSD HR coils.

But it could be a driveshaft knocking, a bush or a ball joint. What bushes/drop links do you have?

Check your lociking nuts on your coils are tight, mine come loose some times :/

Thanks
Sam
Yeah BCs are all tight, checked and double checked those and they're all good. Standard OEM droplinks... standard bushes.
Old 21 November 2011, 08:18 PM
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Saalro
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You can try put a pry bar between the bushes and check for play.

If you drive forward and slam the brakes on does it make a clunk, the same with reverse?

My old drive shaft use to knock when i put power down and also when i let off the power from giving it some. It also knocked when i turned on full lock and drove forwards a bit ande backwards.

Another of my driveshafts knocked when driving normally and my current one knocks when i slam on the brakes to a sudden stop like i explained at the top.

Have you tried holding your strut and giving it a good wobble and shove? I've never experienced knocking coils so i'm not sure if you can tell by doing this, but it's worth a try.

A good long pry bar is the best way to find worn bushes and ball joints.

Thanks
Sam

Last edited by Saalro; 21 November 2011 at 08:20 PM.
Old 21 November 2011, 08:29 PM
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Scoober-Dubs
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Originally Posted by Saalro
You can try put a pry bar between the bushes and check for play.

If you drive forward and slam the brakes on does it make a clunk, the same with reverse?

My old drive shaft use to knock when i put power down and also when i let off the power from giving it some. It also knocked when i turned on full lock and drove forwards a bit ande backwards.

Another of my driveshafts knocked when driving normally and my current one knocks when i slam on the brakes to a sudden stop like i explained at the top.

Have you tried holding your strut and giving it a good wobble and shove? I've never experienced knocking coils so i'm not sure if you can tell by doing this, but it's worth a try.

A good long pry bar is the best way to find worn bushes and ball joints.

Thanks
Sam
I'll give it a try but the knock is very low down, at floor level and it's only when I go over sudden small bumps.
Old 21 November 2011, 08:35 PM
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Gigsy
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Check your ARB bushes... had a similar clunk with mine - was a combination of bushes and worn ARB. With the handling issues though I'd get all the suspension bushes checked out TBH.
Old 21 November 2011, 09:04 PM
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Originally Posted by Gigsy
Check your ARB bushes... had a similar clunk with mine - was a combination of bushes and worn ARB. With the handling issues though I'd get all the suspension bushes checked out TBH.
Do you think it'd just be worth polybushing the front end anyway?... costly?
Old 21 November 2011, 09:14 PM
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Gigsy
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Originally Posted by Scoober-Dubs
Do you think it'd just be worth polybushing the front end anyway?... costly?
Only on track or if you want more road noise.
Old 21 November 2011, 09:20 PM
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Originally Posted by Gigsy
Only on track or if you want more road noise.
Ok thanks... looks like worst case it could be a wishbone, or ARB bushes then?
Old 21 November 2011, 10:37 PM
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carl heath
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Ive got a noisey driveshaft its been like it sinse i bought the car 3years ago.its o/s front that clunks when i put the gas on at low rpm and remove the gas pedal it sometimes clunks,same as saalro really,when cars on a ramp i can make the clunk by moveing drive shaft,garrage said not to worry too much as is just wear in box.have you tried replicating something like this to see if it can be spotted on ramp ? Wheel bearing can cause funny noises just had mine done,hth.
Old 22 November 2011, 10:50 AM
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Thanks all for the advice all... I'll try to get it in this week and see if the garage can replicate the noise.
Old 28 November 2011, 05:26 PM
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Default All Sorted!!

Right... all sorted.

It transpires that one of my dad's mates builds track cars from the bottom up for a living. My dad called in a favour and we took my car down to his unit today and he went at it with a crowbar and confirmed that there was absolutely nothing wrong with the ***** joints, bushes, ARB etc. He took it out for a hack and came back and asked if it was corner balanced when the coilovers were set up??

eh??? corner what?

This was a new one on me, he described what it was and I defo didn't see them put any scales under the wheels or ought like that.

(I didn't tell him that I'd also been mucking about with the ride height myself too either)

Anyway, I left it with him and he's set the whole thing up properly, I mean height, full geo and everthing!!

It's a new car; a pleasure to drive and sticks to the road like meconium to cotton wool

It transpires that the NSF naturally sat a tiny bit lower than the OSF, apparently you wouldn't see it with the naked eye. This got me worried but he confirmed that everything else was totally straight.

He didn't tell me exactly what he did, but all I know is that I left it with him.... and then magic happend.

Anyone else heard of this? I know he's not talking shyte as he cured it!
Old 28 November 2011, 05:48 PM
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Yes, obviously the people that did your original geo were pants.

Were you not sat in the car when they set it up? or did they ask you how much you weigh?

As this needs to happen if it's done properly, i never give it beans with other people in the car, but can really feel the difference in how it handles if some one is sat in the passenger seat.
Old 28 November 2011, 05:57 PM
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Originally Posted by ditchmyster
Yes, obviously the people that did your original geo were pants.

Were you not sat in the car when they set it up? or did they ask you how much you weigh?

As this needs to happen if it's done properly, i never give it beans with other people in the car, but can really feel the difference in how it handles if some one is sat in the passenger seat.
Spot on! that was another issue I had... If I had a decent size passenger next to me it was a horrid drive!!
Old 29 November 2011, 12:09 PM
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andy bird
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ive put bc coilovers on my bug.

set it up myself by eye and it handles superbly.

you can power through the understeer then the back gives a little its a hoot to drive!

i may have been lucky, i need to get it geo'd asap!
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