I've been trying to diagnose a handling issue with my 2008 MDX (tech model). I've replaced the power steering pump, lower control arms, sway bar links, sway bar bushings, and tie rod ends and had a four wheel alignment, but the front end still feels unstable. It feel better than before, but not like it should. Every little groove in the road causes the steering wheel to move. I was thinking maybe it's the tires (Dunlop Sport Signature Series), but I find it hard to imagine that tires could make a vehicle handle this poorly. The steering wheel isn't loose and the wheels respond as soon as the steering wheel is moved so I don't think anything is worn or loose. There are no clicks, clunks, or other noises indicating something is wrong. The only thing I haven't done is checked the steering rack bushings. I'm wondering if anyone else withe an '07 or '08 MDX has had to replace their bushings.

If it is your tires then they are tracking badly, did you just buy them? If so you could've got a bad set or a couple of them are not made correctly. Not unheard of, I've taken 2 sets back before bc of tracking.

Do you have directional tires? Did you rotate them to a different side? If so you'd need to have them mounted facing the correct direction.

Never heard of wheel bearings pulling a car/truck across the road unless they are totally seized up. Bring it to a shop and have them drive it around.

They were on the vehicle when I bought it two months ago. They are supposedly only about a year or two old and are wearing evening for the most part. A bit of feathering on all four tires though, but I'm assuming that is because it needed an alignment (which I just had done last weekend). It's not as much of a tracking issue, but the steering wheel feels overly sensitive and the vehicle doesn't seem stable. For instance, if I go over a bump, the wheel jerks, whereas on my other vehicles it does not.

Yes, they are directional and were installed correctly. They were rotated just before I bought it.

No noises from wheel bearings and everything feels pretty tight. There is a faint tapping sound when I pull on the passenger's side front tire, which is most prominent when rocking the wheel at the 9 and 3 o'clock position, but I have yet to determine where it is coming from. Sounds like it is right at the hub. This is the original reason I decided to replace both outer tie rods, but the sound is still present.

OH! Going over humps and dips makes it jerk... That could very well be your shocks going out. Have you tried to bounce all four corners of your mdx? You'll be able to tell which side is giving out b/c it will compress very easily and may bounce a few times.

I had a car that I bought once and the driver rear shock was going out.. it was scary getting that thing home from GA. any dip would send the car into an unsettling feeling, pulling it.

Check to see if any of your shock/struts are leaking any fluid.

I've pushed down on each corner and it doesn't seem to bounce excessively. It also doesn't bounce excessively when going over bumps. It feels like the rack is slipping back and forth, although I doubt that is what is happening. Very unstable like the suspension is made of jello, if that makes any sense. Almost as if there are no shocks, just springs. Not sure how else to explain it. Guess I should've mentioned that the vehicle has 113k miles on it. I don't see any fluid on the shocks.

...the unstable feeling is also experienced when changing lanes, passing over the crown in the road. I'm beginning to think that maybe it is the shocks. Perhaps I'll start with replacing just the fronts to see if that improves things.

..oh yeah, and the brakes seem EXTREMELY sensitive. Even the slightest pressure causes the front to nose dive. It's beginning to sound more and more like bad shock absorbers.

If I decide to replace the front struts with aftermarket (KYB or Monroe), what other part(s) should I replace? For instance, should I replace the strut mount and/or bearing and/or spring seat? Which of these is the most prone to wearing out? I'll be taking the struts off myself and having a local shop swap the springs, and would hate to get a phone call saying one of these parts is worn as well and have to order more parts and make another appointment.

hmmm, not sure about the other parts mentioned... usually when I replace suspension I just replace with what comes with the new suspension unless you are going for a lower profile (i.e. camber kits and adjustable arms), which I'm sure you're not.

If I were you I'd contact the company (kyb or Monroe) and ask them if there should be anything else you should replace along with the shocks.

BTW, the suspension should barely move on the mdx... its a pretty tight setup. If you are getting any bouncing AT ALL they are prob going out.

I get a lot of wobble too--if I rock the car back and forth by the luggage rack then let go, the car continues to wobble about five or six times. That's the tires though I think. My truck does the same thing.

If you have high sidewall tires then yes it's prob the tires.. If you have low profileish tires and it rocks a lot then it's prob the shocks going out or the sway bars/end links are possibly broken.

Have you checked the sway bars to see if there is a crack or the bushings are shot?

Stock tire size (255/55/18) and from my first post...

ahhh, yeah sry forgot about that.. My guess is still shocks brother. I'm pretty sure I know exactly what you're feeling.

It has to be. There isn't much else that would cause that sort of behavior. If I replace the front struts and it doesn't improve, this thing is getting sold.

is there any flat spots on your tire tread?

No flats spots. The tread is wearing evenly, but there is some feathering on the larger tread blocks, which I understand can indicated worn shocks. I pressed down on each corner of the vehicle the best I could and it didn't seem abnormal, but it has kind of difficult to find a good spot to push. I then decided to sit in the vehicle in my driveway and let it coast forward a bit, then slammed on the brakes and although it didn't bounce per se, it did feel quite jerky. Same thing occurred when I put it in reverse and slammed on the brakes. I thinking it has to be the shocks. The vehicle has 113k miles on it and was driven on the streets of Suffolk Virginia its entire life (very poor roads). I think I'll replace the rear shocks first, because it is so cheap and easy, and see if there's any improvement.

Did you get new shocks put on yet? I need to do ours as well, but we have the sport ones... $1100 for both rears..

No, not yet. And thank god I have the non-sport model.

No, not yet. I just ordered the rear shocks a moment ago and will be installing them Saturday. I'll let you know the outcome. And thank god I have the non-sport model! I think you may be able to install regular shocks and disable the ADS system, but I can't say for sure.

Yeah I've heard of guys putting a resistor inline so it tricks the computer, but honestly I want it functional so i'm gonna bite the bullet.

If you wanna play, you gotta pay.

Mossman- is it everything you wanted and more? ...or did it not fix the issue?

I've only replaced the rear shocks and am not ready to dump more money into the vehicle at this time. I bought the tool to adjust the rack, so hopefully that tightens things up. Having a loose rack combined with worn struts is not a good combination. Tight rack with worn struts should be significantly better.