Bump Steer
Moderator: volvite
Bump Steer
I'm not sure if off roading has created the condition or not, but I have massive bump steer at the moment. I'm going to try and get it in for an alignment sometime soon, hoping that will help. I've always noticed it before, but not to the extent that it is currently. Fortunately, I've memorized where all the rough sections/lanes are between my house & the office, so I can avoid the worst of it. Still, when out and about on the weekends, I hit spots that are extremely unnerving.
This is my biggest complaint of the Pathfinder and would love to know for sure how to fix it. I hit some sections of highway and it feels like the truck jumps completely sideways. Frost-heaves seem to be the biggest culprit to cause it, but I get it on other types of bumps as well. Almost feels like the tires have 100psi in them. I'm only running 35psi btw.
+1KEVSTER wrote:I noticed it since day one. Does not bother me, but I question as to why it is there..
It seems the same with the Bridgestone Dueler Revo ATs (OEM size) as with the OEM tires, and it seems the same after 2 alignments (both of which I am confident were done properly).
No other mods............
Possibly some suspension or tire mods might accentuate it?
I think I'm going to blame the suspension on this one. Since I couldn't live with the cadillac-soft suspension & upgraded to the OME a while back, I'm thinking the suspension has loosened up a bit and become more springy than stiff.
I finally took mine in to have the alignment done. This time, I took it to a shop that only does alignments & appointments have to be made weeks in advance.
They had to fax me the numbers (what the hell is a fax?) & the fax quality is horrible, thus I'm not posting it. Anyway, the owner of the shop said the rear toe was way out of whack & critized the prior alignment place for adjusting the bolts to the max and just calling it good. He went in and did something or other with the bolts so that he was able to adjust the toe. The rear total toe before was at -0.3750, now at +0.0625. Great place. Since that's what they specialize in, they also don't charge through the nose. The 4 wheel alignment cost me $63.00.
I finally took mine in to have the alignment done. This time, I took it to a shop that only does alignments & appointments have to be made weeks in advance.
They had to fax me the numbers (what the hell is a fax?) & the fax quality is horrible, thus I'm not posting it. Anyway, the owner of the shop said the rear toe was way out of whack & critized the prior alignment place for adjusting the bolts to the max and just calling it good. He went in and did something or other with the bolts so that he was able to adjust the toe. The rear total toe before was at -0.3750, now at +0.0625. Great place. Since that's what they specialize in, they also don't charge through the nose. The 4 wheel alignment cost me $63.00.
So it sounds like the alignment didn't help you? I've done shocks so far with no change in bump-steer. I'm planning an alignment with some new rubber later in the fall. So did you have the bump-steer before & after the OME? I was thinking springs would be next but that doesn't sound like it will help either.
I've been increasing tire pressue and that seems to be helping (which seems counter intuitive....). I jumped it up to 37psi in the front and it seems to have helped a little both in bump-steer and in handling. Makes me wonder if a really good tire would help. I'm going to up it to 39psi this weekend and see what happens.
I've been increasing tire pressue and that seems to be helping (which seems counter intuitive....). I jumped it up to 37psi in the front and it seems to have helped a little both in bump-steer and in handling. Makes me wonder if a really good tire would help. I'm going to up it to 39psi this weekend and see what happens.
I still have it, but it is a bit less scary now in terms of control. It doesn't help that the freeway I take to work in the morning has so many cracks, bumps, etc.skinny2 wrote:So it sounds like the alignment didn't help you?
I never really paid any attention to bump steer pre-OME since I focused entirely on my suspension bottoming out all the time. I'd want to say the stock suspension wasn't as bad in the bump steer department, but I just don't know.So did you have the bump-steer before & after the OME?
I've noticed the same. I need to bump mine back up to about 45 & see if that improves things.I've been increasing tire pressue and that seems to be helping (which seems counter intuitive....). I jumped it up to 37psi in the front and it seems to have helped a little both in bump-steer and in handling. Makes me wonder if a really good tire would help. I'm going to up it to 39psi this weekend and see what happens.
I think a lot of it has to do with that it only happens on certain types of bumps. We get a lot of frost-heaves and that's where I get the worst of the jumping. Typical pot-holes and bumps don't necessarily cause a problem. In fact my normal 60 mile commute I have no problems whatsoever. I've got a stretch of highway I usually drive on the weekends that has some bad stretches so that's when I do my diagnosis. I hit an off-ramp awhile back that turned to crud and I thought I was gonna wreck.
The stretch of freeway I take into the office each day is horribly riddled with all kinds of nastiness. Mind you I'm driving in a straight line when I will hit a bump and the front and/or the rear of the vehicle will lurch to one side. It's still pretty bad. What I don't understand is that nothing has changed since I had the OME installed & only started to notice it in the last 6 months, but the roads have become worse & the freeway has had a layer peeled off from construction crews. I've read elsewhere that more toe-in might help. I'm going to swing by the alignment shop in the next couple of days and see if they can offer a solution, or at least be able to make it less insane on the road.
Anyone have any ideas?
Anyone have any ideas?
Okay, so I dropped it off to the alignment place again today and told them specifically what the symptoms have been. They called me up a few hours later and let me know my right rear OME shock was completely dead. I'm guessing from offroading. That would explain it.
Problem is, Rocky Road said it would take 4 weeks to get one in. Since I'll be heading off to Tahoe in 2 days, then to Colorado in 2 weeks, I really need to find something now.
Any thoughts on putting the stock Rancho back in until I can get a replacement OME? It obviously is not matched to the spring, but I'm thinking any shock is better than no shock, at least temporarily. I'd imagine the stock Rancho is a tad shorter, but even if I end up bashing the shock at full droop a few times, it should still be okay, right?
Desperately seeking some input on this one!
Problem is, Rocky Road said it would take 4 weeks to get one in. Since I'll be heading off to Tahoe in 2 days, then to Colorado in 2 weeks, I really need to find something now.
Any thoughts on putting the stock Rancho back in until I can get a replacement OME? It obviously is not matched to the spring, but I'm thinking any shock is better than no shock, at least temporarily. I'd imagine the stock Rancho is a tad shorter, but even if I end up bashing the shock at full droop a few times, it should still be okay, right?
Desperately seeking some input on this one!
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