ahhhhh.....the sweet night drive of my fb
i took er for a nice night drive on the highway today...(its been a loooong time coming.....)
and the dellorto is purrin like a kitten.....or makin a hell of a lot of noise(depending of course on pedal position::d


but to my question..when at higher speeds, the car seems to wander, or float, as if the tires are followin
their own path and im just along for the ride..

changing lanes is fines fairly sharp and precise......

but does anyone have an idea of what this is, and / or a write up on tightening the steering



cheers,

Paul

 

you have experience what most of us call "wonder steer" because you wonder where the car is gonna go . the stock recirculating ball steering tends to not be very precise or quick. that is why there is alot of excitement about this rack and pinion kit thats supposed to come out. however i have heard that if the stock steering system is properly maintained, it works fine.

 

I maintain that an airdam will help the wonder steering.

Our cars tend to float at speed reducing the weight on the front wheels. An airdam redirects air downward keeping your car fully planted. I've done "testing" at 80+ and 100+ both ways and without a doubt the airdam alone will help you feel grounded and eliminate most of the wondering at speed

 

ahem...please not car in avatar is mine.....with airdam


so does anyone know of any easy methods to tighten this up?

 

there is an adjusting screw.

There is supposidly a really technical way of adjusting it.

I just turned it a little, checked it, adjusted it checked it, ect.

mine is great. I did 115+ with no problems, and that was with shitty tires and suspension.

 

There are no easy methods other than the ones that don't work or don't last. Do it the right way and you will be impressed. I did it this spring and it is as tight as ever. Before doing anything, check the Idler arm bushing (they tend to get fried due to location) - that may be your problem.

 

well, thanks for all the help,

i will check the idler and other bushings soon.......and the tires are brand new

so , the "right" way to do this, is what, that write up from Bobrx7 on the mazdatrix pages?

cheers,

Paul

 

yea, my idler arm bushing went out and it made my steering HORRIBLE! now it's grrrrrreat! note i have the same front end it works wonders over 100mph!!!!

 

Yes!
It's tedious and will take some time (I messed with it for a week!) - I'm sure there are those that did it much quicker than I (I'm slow and ****) but it was a learning experience for me and I needed more time to figure out all the different tweeks that are required to get everything in balance.

I would change out that idler arm bushing before even starting - chances are it's toast. Good luck