Steering feels floaty...

[Liam29]

This is starting to piss me off now, took it for a blast earlier and is it just my car or does anyone else experience a loose type feel through the steering wheel, no noise or knocks but feels like the front shock mountings are loose or worn when travelling over rough or bumpy roads?

 

[WDB124066]

Tyre pressure?

Tyres wear in places other than just tread, excess sidewall flex..?

Anti roll bar bushes can make a huge difference n other chassis, maybe on yours too?

Suspension joints may benefit from seeing a torque wrench and a capable man.

Suspension bushes may be past their best, I know you have a much newer car but the guys at MB here thought I was mad replacing all suspension at 160 000 kms - till they drove it afterwards.

How many miles on the suspension bushes?

Go drive another of your model with lower miles on it, see how they compare and so on...

 

[Liam29]

Running 38psi all round on 19s.
Tyres have all done about 2k miles, Conti 5P's.
My car has just ticked over 38k miles, il be surprised if it needs new bushes but i can see your point.
Will a main dealer be able to check and sort this ,or is it just a case of "that's perfectly normal with these cars"

 

[WDB124066]

Get yourself into a chassis specialist who is honest would be my thought, but if you know personally somebody at a Dealership who is capable of telling the truth then they can be of tremendous assistance.

Toe out on turns can be another reason why it hesitates to turn in, then all of a sudden dives in, meaning you have to back off slightly on the wheel every single time you turn to left or right on the highway twisty bits, sometimes it is felt only on turning to one side.

At 38 000 miles you would not expect issues with bushes.

At the end of the day you are looking for something that can often be very subtle and that brings many, many problems with competence, lies and the eventual blow off - with an invoice.

Wheels in Motion have a good rep for these issues as I am sure others do, but finding them is the key. Olly at PCS may be another person to try. Get yourself behind the wheel of another chassis like you have just to compare first would be my recommendation too, even if you have to tell a little porkie to get there.

Pushing this through to conclusion sooner rather than later may be a good idea considering the possible safety implications as usually problems like this are a result of somebody either doing or not doing something they should have.

Not sure what type of suspension you have in your car but a broken spring will make a car feel this way too, and MB did/do have problems with springs letting go, believe it or not.

 

[Black Scorpion]

I would get it checked as soon as possible as it could be something that requires immediate attention.
The fact the car has only 38 k on the clock means nothing if it has been driven hard all of its life.
Sounds like something is either worn or broken.
The good thing is you have noticed it now and not after it lets you down.

 

[Liam29]

Ok..
Scaring me now, i was driving it like i stole it yesterday, good job it didn't kill me.
Il get it to my old Evo tuner and get him to get it up on a ramp for a lookover, i have plans to get to the ring in a few weeks too so best get this sorted.

 

[Quackers]

When was the tracking last looked at?

 

[Quackers]

You've not got a couple of dead mafiosi in the boot have you?

 

[Liam29]

When was the tracking last looked at?

Not while iv had it mate, i thought signs of tracking being out is uneven tyre wear or it usually pulls to one side?
Booked in with Mercedes for a health check anyway, he said they will look over most parts that might be causing it.

 

[Quackers]

Yes that's true but it can also produce weird steering issues.
Bumping up and down kerbs or hitting potholes or going over speed humps a bit fast can all contribute to slightly bending suspension arms/components.

 

[PobodY]

The steering on mine feels less "woolly" ever since I put new tyres on the front axle.

The problem could be anything from worn tyres, to failing rubber suspension bushes, to a damaged component. - Is it any better or worse under certain conditions?

 

[Liam29]

Tyres have no sign of uneven wear and all have plenty of tread.
This 'floaty' and jumpy feeling which doesnt inspire confidence is at speeds i would rather not mention on a public forum. However, on a nice spirited drive i won't notice anything, and it drives spot on.
It's more noticable on rough/uneven roads, like the wheels aren't tight .

 

[S2000Paul]

just a thought...pressure may not be high enough if sitting in 30+ Deg C on hot roads for days on end...?

 

[DSM10000]

just a thought...pressure may not be high enough if sitting in 30+ Deg C on hot roads for days on end...?

The pressures in the tyres will rise in hot weather.

 

[PobodY]

Tyres have no sign of uneven wear and all have plenty of tread.
This 'floaty' and jumpy feeling which doesnt inspire confidence is at speeds i would rather not mention on a public forum. However, on a nice spirited drive i won't notice anything, and it drives spot on.
It's more noticable on rough/uneven roads, like the wheels aren't tight .

Excessive toe-in maybe. - In a straight line, on a smooth surface, the wheels track true. But only a rough surface they want to follow every rut and bump in the road?

 

[S2000Paul]

The pressures in the tyres will rise in hot weather.

Exactly...

What if they're at standing pressure required when its scorching...

So far too low when cool..

Straws and all that....

I know mine rise quite a bit when running...set when cold in the late evening...

 

[Liam29]

I hope something as simple as alignment fixes it. Iv booked it in with Mercedes in a couple of weeks, not sure where else to take it for alignment in the meantime.

 

[WDB124066]

Engine/gearbox mounts creating load shift...??

 

[grober]

There was thread a while back which discussed the excessive toe in these cars run as standard
Very Unstable C63 Coupe.

 

[WDB124066]

I wonder if the Daytona 4/5 first places Toyota Motor Co has this issue? Dr. Z !!!! WTFlippo are you doing this for!???

The left pull not enough for your Engineers now...??