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Suspension Problems


sss107

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Hi there, my car is terrible to drive! Ill try to summarise whats happened so far.

 

Firstly, 2 weeks ago, I heard a knocking from the front drivers side (at low speeds over cobbly roads) and it turned out to be the dreaded banana bar. So I got that taken care of. At the same time, my discs and pads up front were worn so I got them done too. I got the car back and the knocking had gone but the car was horrible to drive. The suspension feels very hard and I feel every bump in the road. Once on the motorway, at speeds over 70mph the steering wheel vibrates and vibration felt through the footwell/legs. Once past 80mph, it's much worse. It gets worse as speed increases. So I got wheel balancing checked and that helped alittle. At the time, i was convinced it would be wheel balancing so i got it done again. So I went to another place and it slightly better. There is def. no brake wobble and brakes are nicely bedded in. Apart from wheel balancing, what causes vibration/poor ride? Any suggestions on what to check?

 

Also, the car is standard apart from the 20" alloys with decent tyre tread. (I know that the ride isn't going to be amazing with large rims but it was totally fine before)

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It was a mate who done the arm and brakes for me. The geometry wasn't set up again though. Would that have any effect? The discs were bought new off a member here but they were checked prior to being replaced. Doubt it would but I know that my rear droplinks need done (clunking about) could it be a possible cause?

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It was a mate who done the arm and brakes for me. The geometry wasn't set up again though. Would that have any effect? The discs were bought new off a member here but they were checked prior to being replaced. Doubt it would but I know that my rear droplinks need done (clunking about) could it be a possible cause?

 

If the issues have only developed since your mate did the work then I would suggest that the issues are related to that. Get him to retrace his steps and he will probably find the problem unless it is a pure coincidence but I doubt it.

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  • 1 month later...

sorry to bump an old thread but i thought it would be better than starting a new one. :blush:

 

i picked up my first Zed today and on the way back i noticed that the handling was very odd. on the motorway the issue got allmost scary as (what fealt like the rear right) of the car was squerming around to the point where the traction control light came on. i ended up turning it off as the TC cutting in was making he problem worse. i bought the car as i heard the handling was fantastic from many sources and when i test drove the car i don't recall it having these issues.

 

between test driving and picking the car up, it had 2 rear tyres installed. im thinking that they may have damaged one of the bushes. also i see some similar posts on the internet stating that it may be wheel allignment. must admit i'm not best pleased as i only got the car today and apart from this problem im so pleased with it. having my first rear drive coupe and not being able to drive it properly is rather frustrating to say the least.

 

any info or links to posts with similar problems would be great. also if it turns out to be the allignment can anyone reccomend somewhere near kendal (south cumbria?

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sorry to bump an old thread but i thought it would be better than starting a new one. :blush:

 

i picked up my first Zed today and on the way back i noticed that the handling was very odd. on the motorway the issue got allmost scary as (what fealt like the rear right) of the car was squerming around to the point where the traction control light came on. i ended up turning it off as the TC cutting in was making he problem worse. i bought the car as i heard the handling was fantastic from many sources and when i test drove the car i don't recall it having these issues.

 

between test driving and picking the car up, it had 2 rear tyres installed. im thinking that they may have damaged one of the bushes. also i see some similar posts on the internet stating that it may be wheel allignment. must admit i'm not best pleased as i only got the car today and apart from this problem im so pleased with it. having my first rear drive coupe and not being able to drive it properly is rather frustrating to say the least.

 

any info or links to posts with similar problems would be great. also if it turns out to be the allignment can anyone reccomend somewhere near kendal (south cumbria?

 

 

First thing to check are the tyre sizes and pressures.

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Is that a typo?

 

Front 225/45 and rear 245/45

 

Was it sold by a dealer? I'd ask them for an alignment to be carried out. If that's correct then I'd be pushing for OEM spec tyres.......

 

 

Are the pressures correct at 35 psi?

 

Are the tyres directional? Are they on correct?

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Is that a typo?

 

Front 225/45 and rear 245/45

 

Was it sold by a dealer? I'd ask them for an alignment to be carried out. If that's correct then I'd be pushing for OEM spec tyres.......

 

 

Are the pressures correct at 35 psi?

 

Are the tyres directional? Are they on correct?

 

yes sorry it was a typo they are Front 225/45 and rear 245/45.

 

it was bought from a dealer yes, he will be getting a phone call tomorrow morning after i check the tyre pressures. they should be 35 all round? the tyres are fitted in the correct direction.

 

so long as the pressures are ok this is the correct tyre set-up?

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Ditchfinder Kaiserchiefs wouldn't be my choice..... I'd check they have the correct speed rating. Obviously the dealer will have fitted the cheapest they could get but if everything thing else check out I'd look at changing the rears.

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they are not my choice either, and i think that the dealer, as you said, will have put some cheapos on. i must admit though, the problem doesn't feel like a tyre issue. its not losing traction, more feels like there is a lot of movement between the wheel and the body of the car, meaning that the rear feels very instable and as though its floating around of its on accord.this is what initially made me suspect that it was a bush. it is not breaking tracton as i am aware that driving with any sort of enthusiasm with this problem will most likely lead to my new car being suddenly thrown off the road and being a write off..

:byebye:

im going to try and get it looked at at my local garage tomorrow. i also think that i am right in thinking that by selling me a dangerous (thats what it feels, no other word for it) car they are in breach of some kind of legislation and they should pay for any work that has to be done.

 

thanks for you advise. i am aware that it's late... much appreciated

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The only time I have had a similar issues with my Zed was about 5 mins before a major blowout. The tyre was losing pressure and the rear of the car felt floaty when I went round a corner with the TC kicking in a lot. The tyre didn't make it very far.

 

Tyre pressures is something that is easy to check before setting off to the garage.

 

I'd probably call the dealer first thing to see what they suggest.

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Mixing the type/brand/pattern/sidewall rigidity of the tyre probably isn't helping either. Dealer shouldn't really be mixing, they should know better. Ooops, cough, they were perhaps trying to save some $$. What sort of Bridgestone's are they?

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From memory, when I did a little research on this forum into tyres, it's a bit of a cardinal sin to have a different brand of tyres on the front to the back on the Zed, if I were you I'd do some research yourself and put this to the dealer and ask if he'll put Bridgestones on the back.

I'd also complain about the fact no-one in their right mind would put cheap tyres on the back of a 300bhp rear wheel drive car.

Tyres aside, I hope enjoy your new car. I'm sure you will!

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thanks for all the response. after checking all the tyre pressures i took the zed to acompetant mechanic i have know for a while and let him test drive it. his words. "there's definately something wrong with it. it just wants to drive the back end all over the road." f at this point we were doing 60 on an arrow straight road.

 

so the dealer put me in touch with a garage they use not far from me. after dropping it off with them on monday they finally had a look at it today. they they test drove it and noticed the problem but there were no mechanical problems. ie bushes etc. they thought it may be down to the tyres. the dealer had allready spoken to them and when i called him he said. run it for a week to let the tyres run in a bit and if not they will replace them for manufacturers spec ones. i think he is trying to brush me off as an idiot who knows nothing the handling characteristics or tyre requirements of powerful cars.

 

what really annoyed me though is that despite the blatent problem and the fact that 2 proffesssionals have said that there is something not right with it. the boss at the dealer had the cheek to say that i was just naot used to driving a powerful car. :rant:

 

hopefully i will get to pick it up tomight and see what its like. i have a feeling that this isnt over yet... sight i just want to drive my new car

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I've done a bit of research on the Kenda Kaiser tyres the dealer fitted to your car. The reports on various forums are not good but are consistent in saying there appears to be some level of grip in the dry but almost none in damp or wet conditions. The very low price suggests they may not be up to much and the 350Z is very sensitive to tyres.

 

The quote below is typical of what I have read.

 

"The nastiest tyres I have ever had the misfortune of driving on. With a directional tread, and acceptable dry grip, they lure you into a false sense of security. However, at the first glimpse of damp, they lose the little traction they had and you may as well be driving on bald tyres. Uncomfortable, noisy, no feedback, and annoyingly hardwearing. A budget tyre to avoid at all costs."

 

I do agree with the others on here that it could all be down to the tyres. If the dealer agrees to put Bridgestones on there it would be good if you could get 050a rather than 040.

 

Good luck.

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Regardless of whether the tyres are causing the issues or not, you need to get some decent rubber on there instead of what you have now. If that solves the problem great, if not at least you've ruled it out and then will have good tyres too.

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I think the garage that the dealer asked me to take the car to were way out of their depth. I mean, the mechanic tried to solve the problem by switching the fronts and rears. even though they are staggered widths. :surrender: Also, he didnt seem to know what wheel allignment was, which shocked me a little.

 

I think its time i just got some decent rubber put on the car. It may be out of my own money but the fact that the kaisers are the correct size etc means its going to be very difficult for me to get any money out of the dealer. and as Ekona said, if i do this i will then have decent tyres regardless.

 

if the problem still persists i guess the next step is to get the allignment done.

 

it's been an interesting first week of owning the car to say the least. the most annoying part of it is that i can drive my old GTi much quicker and safer than the Zed at the moment which, given the sound of the engine and great feel of road holding and connectivity i get from the Zed before it starts crab-crawling around is rather frustrating.

 

Time to source some new rubber at a decent price. i'll keep you posted of any progress made.

 

Chris

 

P.S Sorry about all the typos in my last post, was using my phone.

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