Advice Needed - Afraid to Turn / Rollover

[Vendetta]

I've got this same problem. And this was happening before my new OME 913s, wheels and tires.

It's like this. At any speed above say 40mph or so, if I hit bumps, the rear tires don't feel like they track correctly and land out of plane with my direction of travel. It's kind of hairy. Can't tell if this is happening in the front also, because the yaw from the rear is far more pronounced.

The bumps don't need to be huge. At all. Just enough turbulence to left the tires and I'm feeling it. So I can't imagine that the bump stops are coming into play here. Especially after my lift.

My wrench says sway bar. Does this still sound right to those of you in the know here? Also, The Energy Suspension bushings, are those that JoFotoz listed still the optimal choice? And while I have my wallet out for the sway and bushings (if indeed that's the collective response here), are they any other tidbits like new bump stops (suggested model?) I should get BEFORE I go full monty and do the shocks? Remember, OME913s and 285/65 R18s.

I welcome the wisdom.
-V

[Ldub]

Here's the deal...& this is not addressed to anyone in particular, just the random rantings of a lunatic, who believes this to be "what's-what" with regard to the VX's handling/ride characteristics...

The VX is a short wheelbase, stiffly suspended/dampered, heavy little thug vehicle.
Capable of bullying it's way over/through just about anything put in it's path.

It was never meant to be comfortable, it's conception was very purposeful...
A nasty little hot-rod that could traverse terrain that would cause mere "mortal" vehicles to shat themselves, yet have the road manners of a (albeit heavy & bloated) sports car.

The "arm rests on the door panels?...sure if you wanna call em that...

Rear passenger ingress/egress?...great...

It's never gonna ride smooth, unless you're willing to kiss cornering good bye...& even then, will suffer the pitfalls of EVERY vehicle with a short wheelbase. (ever wonder why limos are so long?)

Chatters over bumps in corners?...of course it does...
Push the skinny to the floor & feel the "magic" of TOD pulling you through the corner...even though it feels like "all hells break'n loose" back there...

Hell...you might even end up drifting a little through the corner (remember...steer INTO the skid)

(practice on a closed course, with a professional instructor, wearing nomex water wings, before trying this on your own)...

Hope any of this might answer some questions...or maybe cause more...with regard to my sanity......

And as an afterthought...when I push a corner HARD on asphalt, or whatever "civilized" road surface I happen to be on, she will easily pick the inner front tire up off the ground & STILL haul rocks around the corner.

Go somewhere remote & practice driving...unless you're pushing it harder than I ever have, it ain't gonna roll...

[Crasca]

I freakin' LOVE this forum!

[Vendetta]

...My wrench says sway bar. Does this still sound right to those of you in the know here? Also, The Energy Suspension bushings, are those that JoFotoz listed still the optimal choice? And while I have my wallet out for the sway and bushings (if indeed that's the collective response here), are they any other tidbits like new bump stops (suggested model?) I should get BEFORE I go full monty and do the shocks? Remember, OME913s and 285/65 R18s.

I welcome the wisdom.
-V

Great, now I'm starving for a really good burger. But I'm hoping to re-hijack this thread just long enough to get answers to the above.
-V

[RickOKC]

Great, now I'm starving for a really good burger. But I'm hoping to re-hijack this thread just long enough to get answers to the above.
-V

What make/model tire? Could there be something about the stiffness and/or height of the sidewalls that affects this? How often do you experience the squirreliness?

I have one intersection on my way to work that scares the heck out of me at 40 MPH. The '08 Mustang sez "it ain't no big deal" but my former 2002 Ranger Edge (tall tires, 3" factory lift) acted the same was as the VX.



Just throwin' stuff out there hoping someone else might have an "ah-ha!" moment.

[Robbomaz]

I've got this same problem. And this was happening before my new OME 913s, wheels and tires.

It's like this. At any speed above say 40mph or so, if I hit bumps, the rear tires don't feel like they track correctly and land out of plane with my direction of travel. It's kind of hairy. Can't tell if this is happening in the front also, because the yaw from the rear is far more pronounced.

The bumps don't need to be huge. At all. Just enough turbulence to left the tires and I'm feeling it. So I can't imagine that the bump stops are coming into play here. Especially after my lift.

My wrench says sway bar. Does this still sound right to those of you in the know here? Also, The Energy Suspension bushings, are those that JoFotoz listed still the optimal choice? And while I have my wallet out for the sway and bushings (if indeed that's the collective response here), are they any other tidbits like new bump stops (suggested model?) I should get BEFORE I go full monty and do the shocks? Remember, OME913s and 285/65 R18s.

I welcome the wisdom.
-V

What LDub says but something else to maybe consider: Mine (NOT a VX) used to give you a 'corkscrew' feeling over speed bumps & the like when it first hit the road - a session on a four wheel alignment machine showed the rear axle was at a slight angle in the chassis, showing 10mm of toe over the 3100mm wheelbase. This moved what the operator called the 'drive angle' slightly off centre, which made the car corkscrew as it corrected itself.
The operator (with vast experience setting up race/rally/drift cars) described drive angle as a equilateral triangle drawn from the rear axle the length of the wheelbase, the 'point' of which was the axle centreline. This point needed to be a close as possible to the centre point between the front wheels.
What I'd done when building the car was tighten up the rear links while the car was on stands - loosening all the links with the cars weight on the suspension and rocking the car the axle squared itself and problem solved.

[Ldub]

What LDub says but something else to maybe consider: Mine (NOT a VX) used to give you a 'corkscrew' feeling over speed bumps & the like when it first hit the road - a session on a four wheel alignment machine showed the rear axle was at a slight angle in the chassis, showing 10mm of toe over the 3100mm wheelbase. This moved what the operator called the 'drive angle' slightly off centre, which made the car corkscrew as it corrected itself.
The operator (with vast experience setting up race/rally/drift cars) described drive angle as a equilateral triangle drawn from the rear axle the length of the wheelbase, the 'point' of which was the axle centreline. This point needed to be a close as possible to the centre point between the front wheels.
What I'd done when building the car was tighten up the rear links while the car was on stands - loosening all the links with the cars weight on the suspension and rocking the car the axle squared itself and problem solved.

That's some good info...VXinfo that is, right there Mr Rob....

[Robbomaz]

That's some good info...VXinfo that is, right there Mr Rob....

Thankyewvellymuch
It felt very odd on my truck with maybe a metre more wheelbase, would have been a whole lot more 'entertaining' on a short VX

[Ldub]

Thankyewvellymuch
It felt very odd on my truck with maybe a metre more wheelbase, would have been a whole lot more 'entertaining' on a short VX

Yep, when I had "the wagglies" back there, it would "get interesting" to the point where it would pitch left & right hard enough to get me outta the skinny...

Cruise control wasn't used during that period.