My daily driver has been handling weird on left turns at highway speed. It's hard to describe, but at turn in, it feels ok, but once you're in the turn, it feels almost like there's a sudden oversteer every now and then. Because of that the car feels very unstable.

This only happens on left turns at highway speeds though, right turns are solid, and the car doesn't seem to pull when the steering is straight.

What could be wrong? Does it sound like the right side tie-rod? I didn't think it would be the alignment since the car drives ok on the straight, I think.. Just wanted to eliminate some components before I start replacing stuff or wasting money on an alignment if something needs to be replaced first.

 

What type and model year is the car?


Terry

 

It's a '00 Maxima, not sure if it matters..

 

How much do you weigh?

https://acurazine.com/forums/ramblings-12/kia-rio-vs-fat-woman-709344/


In all seriousness it could be something with the suspension, have you inspected the simple stuff like power steering fluid? any leaks? when was the last time you had an alignment done? what about the last time your tires were rotated/balanced? Just weeding out possibilities.

 

maybe your rear tires are bald

 

Look at the sway bar and its endlinks.

 

Tires are good, still 80-90% left all around...

I'll check the sway bar end links....

 

I'm inclined to agree. First off, check your tire pressures. When was an alignment performed? A poor alignment can often cause a car's suspension to feel odd at higher speeds.

Have the rear bushings ever been replaced?


Terry

 

Tire pressure is ok, and the symptoms are different (uneven tire pressure usually cause pulling). Alignment was done not very long ago, and actually the odd handling doesn't feel like it's from the suspension itself. It feels like the car oversteers by itself suddenly during a left turn, on and off. As if the outer wheel pivots a little bit during the turn when under pressure. It's hard to describe.

The car drives fine otherwise, right turns are solid, goes straight on a straight. Then again, I'm not sure that this eliminates alignment problem or otherwise.

I'll check the bushings and endlinks. Am I right to assume this is most likely caused by the opposite side of the car (the side that's underload during a left turn)?

 

For the most part yes. I had a similar problem with a Ford Taurus many years ago. Once the bushings were replaced the car tracked perfectly. It was rather alarming as it wouldn't be a gradual feeling. It would instead often feel "on" or "off".

Terry

 

I had the same problem, got my allignment done at a different shop and it felt like it should have. I donno what the previous shop did, but my car handled like shit at highway speeds....now its locked on the road