2006gtmike

I had 2 different Ford Dealerships inspect the stock front endlinks and they said they aren't loose. They came loose on me before so that is why I still suspect it is them. I have a slight rattle coming from the front suspension while driving on anything but a smooth road. Other than Koni Yellows, Vogtland Springs and Steeda Camber Plates in the front, the only other modification I have is an adjustable swaybar set on the middle position. The front end feels twitchy and while driving in a straight line the car's front end wants to fight me and move slightly right or left unexpectedly. It is more noticeable the faster I drive and the windier the weather is outside. Also, It sometimes feels as if the front suspension wants to slightly bounce/jounce. Maybe it's a strut gone bad? I already had an alignment done so that is not the issue.

Philostang

Sounds like you may be experiencing bump steer. I'm not an expert, so take this with a grain of salt, but if you notice a steering anomaly (esp. if it req. you to make a steering adjustment to stay straight) while going over a bump in the road, then that's classic bump steer.

You're slightly lowered, so in theory you have thrown your steering geometry out of its optimal range (assume Ford got it right). Most folks won't notice any issue with such a small amount of lowering (I don't really notice much, and I run the same set up you do). And if I recall, Ford runs the same steering gear on their Shelby GTs, which are lowered the same amount (so even if Ford got it spot on with the GT ride height, they don't seem concerned enough to do anything about it with the Shelby GTs). Like I said, in theory it should be there, but to such a small degree nobody should really care.

Then there's you. Maybe you're one of the few?

Have you found the same characteristics under different strut settings? Ease up on the stiffness and you may find them much more forgiving on the street.

Also keep in mind that if you are running wider than stock tires you may be experiencing trammeling (following grooves in the surface of the road, esp. highway roads). The wind will exacerbate this effect as it pushes the car slightly, tires find a groove, and then you move more than you would expect. Possibly throw in stiff shock settings, and these little things could be adding up. You'll need to do a bunch of careful road testing to try and isolate the variables.

Good luck!

Best,
-j

Rubrignitz

I had similar experience to what you describe some time ago and it was an inner tie rod (have to admit I popped a curb pretty good and caused it myself). Pull your wheel and yank in/out on the tie rod to check for play. There should be zero. Mine was actually a popping or clicking noise over sharp bumps. I purchased another Motorcraft inner tie rod from RockAuto (complete with new boot and clamps which was nice) and replaced it.

You could also have someone look under the front suspension and watch the balljoint/tie rods while you push/pull the wheel at 12/6 and 3/9 oclock positions to see where your play is at. You could have a bad balljoint as well.

Doing this along with the other recommendations, you will find the problem. Oh yeah, and CHECK your ALIGNMENT. This can also defintely cause the twitch, wander at speed.

2006gtmike

Thank you both for the good information!

Rubrignitz:

Approximately how much was the Motorcraft inner tie rod that you purchased?

The feeling I have as my hands are on the steering wheel, when this occurs (It doesn't happen all of the time) it's almost like a resistance or jittery/dancing around experience similar to a stock rear suspension of a Mustang GT getting sloppy in icy or snowy conditions minus the slipping and sliding.

It's not a consistent problem though so it can happen at random/unexpected times.

Cross-winds really do make it more noticeable.

My Konis are set on the softest possible setting and I have the stock 17" Bullitt/Pirellis so I don't have a staggered setup. My alignment all around was checked and corrected so that didn't help.

And it's probably not the Koni Struts?

Philostang

I would like to hear Sam's opinion on this matter, but I don't think the struts (even if they were bad) are going to give you that sort of feedback through the steering wheel.

I'm liking the tie rod evaluation more and more, mostly based on the similarity you describe between the stock rear and what you've got going on in the front now. As you know, that twitchy non-compliance in the rear is due to ****-poor rubber bushings in the panhard (esp. over uneven road surfaces, like an expansion joint on a highway). Your tie rods are the analogous lateral link up front, so if/when they start to go, they're likely to produce a similar twitchy feel.

The balljoint is also a known weak point in the front suspension (at least for folks who track their cars hard). Play there is also likely to induce a similar lateral twitch if the entire steering knuckle is moving around at the base (there's nothing in the strut design that would counteract this sort of play).

Also, high winds are placing lateral loads on the car; they're typically not compressing the car much. So the struts are kind of oblivious to them, except insofar as the sideways push may induce a bit of body roll that they need to respond to. I just don't see that creating the effect you're describing (unless there is a special problem at the very start of their range of movement).

Keep us updated. This kind of problem solving helps everyone.

Best,
-j

Sam Strano

Any time you make a car stiffer, it can tend to tramline and follow dips and ruts more than it did. The body will more closely follow the road surface, and since it seems random that's my guess. I do not think it's actually random, but think it's happening when the road is less than level.

the bounce in the front end is because the front struts are IMHO set too soft for the springs you have. Many figure the softer the shocks the better the ride, but forget that too little damping is just as bad and can actually be worse than too much.

Can't tell you what the clunk is. Could be a bad ball joint, could be a bad ball joint end on a stock endlink. They aren't the most durable things, and the stiffer front bar only makes like harder on them.

2006gtmike

Are there better replacement ball joints for our car's other than the Steeda option?

I don't have 18" wheels so the Steeda X5 Ball Joint Kit is a no-go.

I'll let everyone know what the issue(s) are though.

Thanks for your feedback!

2006gtmike

I was informed by a dealer that Steeda's Street Endlinks Part#555-1053 were discontinued.

Is this true?

If so, does anyone know if it was a quality issue?

I did notice the endlinks are no longer on Steeda's website.

Sam Strano

I don't know how to say this delicately... so I'll just say it.

The number is no longer on the website. I *AM* a Steeda dealer too (though seemingly not one you want to use). I discussed that very issue with my Steeda Wholesale rep the other day and he assured me they were on order.

Riptide

What's up with their driveshaft Sam? I've noticed it's disappeared off the website as well.