bump steer :(

[vxcp]

I have a bad case of bump steer. Hitting angled potholes can make me lose control of steering for a second / almost change lanes. Rutted roads try to pull me around too. I can't tell if the bump steer is a product of the front or rear of the vehicle, but it is definitely a bit unwieldy and unnerving.

I'm recently lifted with OME913s, Ranchos, and torsion bar crank and notice the bump steer much more after the lift. Also have the 285/60/18 Nitto Terra Grapplers on stock rims. Alignment is good though SAI is ever so slightly out of spec. Steering gearbox feels okay to me (tightened it up 6mos-1yr ago) though alignment guy said it was loose and recommended replacement. Hub bearings in the front also appear to be a little loose. Talked to my mechanic today and he seemed to think steering gearbox was okay and that perhaps a steering stabilizer could help. He also suggested checking that everything was tightened up. I'm not sure if my rear axle is shifted at all, but nothing stands out to me there.

What do you all suggest?

[UWVX89]

I have this same issue but just always learned to correct for it when driving. I did a 360 in the snow once because of this same issue. It's scary. I'd love to hear suggestions as well!

[Triathlete]

Check your upper and lower a-arm bushings for wear.

[vxcp]

Will do.

Found this helpful list on a Mustang forum:




1) It's practically built into the suspension thanks to the scrub radius given by the factory
2) Wide tires make it worse
3) Shorter/stiffer sidewalls make it worse
4) Tires worn conical over time make it worse
5) Worn A-arm bushings really make it worse
6) Slop in the strut mounts makes it worse
7) Slop in the rack bushings or in the tie rod ends makes it worse
8) Aggressive camber settings make it worse
9) Bad balljoints make it worse

How you mitigate it depends on what's worn. The biggest most noticeable change will come from new tires, but that's only temporary if you don't address any other issues, particularly the A-arm bushings and strut mounts.

Installing some caster/camber plates will take you an afternoon and no heavy lifting, and it'll lock your strut tops in place so they don't get tugged all over when the car is in motion. Addressing the A-arm bushings takes more work but is still do-able by a determined shadetree mechanic. If you have wear on the inside edges of your tires on both sides, this is almost certainly a major contributor. Most people want to blame that on the negative camber, but that's just an irritant in the whole equation, the real problem is poor control of the toe setting, and that's because the A-arms are moving in their pockets due to weak bushings. Tie rod ends can cause the same kind of wear, but you'll usually notice your wheel is no longer centered if that's the problem, as usually one side is wearing out before the other and the steering still self-centers, but toe'd out.



The alignment guy did mention that my passenger side tie rod wasn't in great condition and I did note that the steering wheel was not quite centered after offroading and before my most recent alignment. I see that some people are using the Indy4x HD tie rods?

[evillecutter]

i need to change my passenger tie rod end (inner) and i dont have what i would consider a bump steer issue but i do have the vx pulling to the right on certain roads and am forced to hold the steering wheel at about a 15 degree angle to go straight - somehow the alignment shop didnt notice it when i told them what was happening and charged me $60.00 for an alignment that fixed nothing - im going to change the tie rod end myself because it looks pretty easy then have it aligned professionally - would love to put on the indy 4x4 tie rods but spending an extra $250 when i do almost no off roading doesnt seem justifiable right now even though they look much better

[vxcp]

Well I had a loose sway bar link. We'll see if tightening that up did the trick.

[vxcp]

Tightening the loose link helped a lot but I still have bump steer on occasion. Front suspension seems tight after an hour checking for looseness on a lift. What more to check for?

[evillecutter]

i tightened up the play in my steering wheel by loosening the nut on the steering gearbox and turning the screw about 1/8" then tightening the nut back down - i cant believe noone suggested that to me when i asked how to get my steering wheel straight