Miata Mailing List: August 1996, Message #360
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   From: rsilveno@kootenay.awinc.com (Reijo Silvennoinen, P.Eng.)
Subject: Re: Wandering In Hi-speed righties
   Date: Mon, 5 Aug 1996 01:18:20 -0400

>Rob Ebersol, On Aug 2,  9:40am, writes:
>> Subject: Wandering In Hi-speed righties
>>         Dear Gearheads,
>>         My 91b has started a nastie handling habit of wandering in hi-speed
>> right hand sweepers. It feels as though the left front tries to toe out
>> through the turn in a rhythmic pattern, thus the feeling of wandering. It
>> is not a violent action, but very subtle. Unfortunately, it causes the car
>> to "track out" prematurely. Here's what I've checked, changed, fixed, etc.:
>>         Wheel and tire swap (twice), checked bushings everywhere, tightened
>> cradle, replace shocks, fresh alignment, check ball joints in upper arm and
>> tie rods, checked rack, checked wheel bearings, checked tolerance in
>> steering wheel and column (ujoint) to rack. I think that's it.
>
>Could be, like you said, the steering rack.  Some suggestions.  You mentioned
>a bunch of things you've already looked at, but I don't know if you
>meant front/rear or both, so I'll mention some things that may have
>been on your list.
>
>Check:
>
>- Front swaybar bushings and mounting points
>- Rear LSD (happening under acceleration or steady-state?)
>- Rear wheel bearings 
>- Rear bushings 
>- Rear alignment
>- Rear swaybar bushings and mounting points
>- Rear brakes (a warped rotor in the rear causing periodic drag?)
>- Rear shocks
>- Rear tie-rods
>
>Of course, you see I have you looking at the rear end of the car.
>If the rear, especially the left-rear, is misbehaving, it could
>do all sorts of nasty things.
>
>Probably not the answer, but is the engine maybe imperceptibly mis-firing 
>on these right-handers, giving an on-off throttle sensation which would
>cause a subtle weight transfer front-rear, which in turn would cause
>under/oversteer in a cylce?  Fuel pickup on right-handers?
>
>OK, some of these are a stretch, but you asked.  :-)
>
>Doug     1 3 5     Information Systems    INTERnet dquara@encore.com
>Quara    |-|-|     Encore Computer Corp.  Ft. Lauderdale, FL (954) 797-5580
>         2 4 R     Fundsalo Racing        whoa!nelli  
>"Who's Fundsalo Racing?"  "Describes my budget.  Funds are low!"
>
>
>

Reijo Silvennoinen
rsilveno@kootenay.awinc.com
Cranbrook, BC