steering / "slipping" problem?
in [Toyota Camry]
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From: mrdarrett on 20 Feb 2007 16:38 I went up to the mountains a couple weeks ago (I-80, around Truckee), in snow / ice, with the tire chains, etc. At around 30 mph, a truck in front of me spun out; I then applied the brakes, found myself slipping / spinning out myself, but only by about 30 degrees (the truck did a 180). No one was hurt. Now, when I drive on the freeway, whenever there's a turn, I seem to feel a tendency for the wheels to want to slip, although the car doesn't, of course. At first I wondered if it was just psychological, but I'm also wondering if it's an alignment issue, bad shocks (mine are shot - feels like riding on gravel - still on my To Do List), bad tie rods, or what. Feels the same on my car ('96 camry, 4-cyl, 140k miles) and on my wife's '99 (75k miles, 4 cyl). I get a really panicky feeling when making any kind of gradual turn, even. Like I mentioned at top of my post, I never really noticed this before spinning out. Tire treads on both cars are pretty much new - thought I should mention that. Thanks Michael
From: Daniel on 20 Feb 2007 16:51 mrdarrett(a)gmail.com wrote: > wondered if it was just psychological, === Likely so. Sometimes unsettling experiences can shake you up for a while. To check steering play - tie rods, etc., try turning the steering wheel gently with the engine off. Should move only slightly before encountering resistance. I don't know if this is the recommended procedure, but if it were me I'd likely find a large flat snow covered lot and practice spin outs to get the feel of the car losing traction, and how it responds.
From: mrdarrett on 20 Feb 2007 17:09 On Feb 20, 1:51 pm, "Daniel" <nospampls2...(a)yahoo.com> wrote: > mrdarr...(a)gmail.com wrote: > > wondered if it was just psychological, > > === > Likely so. Sometimes unsettling experiences can shake you up for a > while. > To check steering play - tie rods, etc., try turning the steering > wheel gently with the engine off. Should move only slightly before > encountering resistance. > I don't know if this is the recommended procedure, but if it were me > I'd likely find a large flat snow covered lot and practice spin outs > to get the feel of the car losing traction, and how it responds. Ok, thanks. I'm in Sacramento now - not much chance of finding an icy / snow-covered lot here, but thanks for the thought... Michael
From: Art on 20 Feb 2007 17:49 Sounds like it is all in your mind. You think you had a scare. 20 years ago in Rochester, NY it was the end of the snow season. It started raining and back then no one had temperature readouts in their cars and temp must have dipped. I take an exit and lose complete control because the pavement had turned to black ice. Car starts going off the exit which is above grade about 60 feet and I think to myself I will be soon tumbling down the cliff. Below I notice is a automotive salvage yard. I'm thinking to myself that at least I will land in the right place if I survive and I won't need the car towed. Anyway, somehow the tires grab some dirt as I am spinning out and the car stops before sliding down the cliff. I say a few prayers and then I realize another out of control car is headed my way and will likely push me over the edge. But somehow his tires also grab dirt and he spins out and ends up parallel to me a few inches away. It is as if we parked the car next to each other. We waved and sped off before another car came and knocked us both down the hill. Bottom line..... everyone has close calls. Relax. <mrdarrett(a)gmail.com> wrote in message news:1172007490.196023.75910(a)k78g2000cwa.googlegroups.com... >I went up to the mountains a couple weeks ago (I-80, around Truckee), > in snow / ice, with the tire chains, etc. At around 30 mph, a truck > in front of me spun out; I then applied the brakes, found myself > slipping / spinning out myself, but only by about 30 degrees (the > truck did a 180). No one was hurt. > > Now, when I drive on the freeway, whenever there's a turn, I seem to > feel a tendency for the wheels to want to slip, although the car > doesn't, of course. At first I wondered if it was just psychological, > but I'm also wondering if it's an alignment issue, bad shocks (mine > are shot - feels like riding on gravel - still on my To Do List), bad > tie rods, or what. > > Feels the same on my car ('96 camry, 4-cyl, 140k miles) and on my > wife's '99 (75k miles, 4 cyl). I get a really panicky feeling when > making any kind of gradual turn, even. > > Like I mentioned at top of my post, I never really noticed this before > spinning out. > > Tire treads on both cars are pretty much new - thought I should > mention that. > > Thanks > > Michael >
From: EdV on 20 Feb 2007 18:33
If you have bad shocks then not only will it feel bumpy, but you will feel like that the car sways more, which might explain why you feel you are going to slide. |