# Shed: Vague/wooly handling help or recommendations for a specialist near Hertfordshire



## alexgreyhead

Hello all, I’m looking for a bit of help with Shed’s handling, please - or, if you can recommend a specialist near to Hertfordshire who could take a look at Shed, I’d be very grateful 

Shed’s handling has never been sharp as a tack but I’ve always put this down to being an older car.

The best way I can describe it is that, while the car drives straight (the alignment has just been done by Elite Autos in Essex and I trust their work), the car tends to wander a little and feels “vague”. Cornering is fine - in fact, when established in a corner, the car feels nicely planted.

It drives as though the tyres are a little bit low on pressure, and/or the back end is a bit loose - e.g. from knackered trailing arm bushes.

In the last year or so this has become noticeably worse and it’s quite difficult to make small corrections to the steering without then having to correct in the opposite direction.

In addition to this, there is occasionally a very slight vibration/hum coming I think from the left-hand-side - I suspect a bearing might be a bit grumbly, but there’s no free play when the wheels are in the air, and no notichiness when hand-rotating them.

What’s been checked/changed:

Front end:


New track rod ends 2 months ago (one was knackered)
Front lower arms polybushed/Cookbot’d
Steering rack polybushed
Top mounts replaced (OEM spec)

Back-end:


Trailing arm front (large) bushes poly-bushed in 2018-ish
Cookbot arms with poly inner bushes fitted (outer bushes are the original rubber ones but not noticeably worn/split)

All round:


New OEM/Bilstein B8 shocks and OEM springs
Tracking/alignment double-checked all ok
No noticeable play in any wheels when jacked up

What hasn’t been changed - possible culprits?


Front subframe to chassis bushes
Rear subframe to chassis bushes
The rack itself

I’m stumped ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

Thanks for any input, folks 

/Al


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## mk1chopper

What tyres are you running and what condition are they in? What condition is the rear arb in, are the collars still present or have they failed/fallen off, if so can you move the arb? If the collars have fallen off (they should be on the outside face of the bush) fit some jubliee clips to prevent the bar from moving.


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## darylw357

Can we see the print out from the last wheel alighnment ? And have you considered that the steering feel may be the result of your changes?


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## alexgreyhead

Thanks for your replies mk1chopper and daryl.

Tyres are Hankook Venus S1 Evos with about 1,000 miles on them.

Rear ARB is an H&R (thicker) jobbie with new bushes and links fitted in 2016. No reason to think it’s failed.

I don’t have the last alignment to hand but it was one of those laser alignments where you get a print out with red/green labels depending on whether it’s in or out of spec - everything was in spec front and back and of the non-adjustable values (castor being one I think?) all was fine.

As to whether the vague steering response is a result of my changes - well, it would be strange if that was the case  Especially as I can’t think that anything I’ve changed would make the steering feel less-connected and more-wooly… ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Thank you both for your input 

Al


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## McPikie

When the trailing arm bushes were installed, were they torqued up with the vehicle at ride height?


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## mk1chopper

What size is the rear ARB and was the front ARB also changed for a thicker item or does it still run the 20mm bar?


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## mk1chopper

McPikie said:


> When the trailing arm bushes were installed, were they torqued up with the vehicle at ride height?


Not required for the lower arm front bush although the mounting bracket should be positioned so the rear/back edge of the bracket is 53.5mm away from the lower arm when torquing up the bolt. Rear tie bars need to be underload the load of the vehicle when torqued up which is normally done by jacking up the hub with the wheel off.


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## davebowk

How much rear camber have you got. Mine was around -2.5 degree when i got it and the car felt unstable. I reduced it to -1.5 and set a slight toe in (approx 0.2 degree) and it improved things massively.
I also set a slight toe out on the front rather than the parralel in the spec.
I got a stable car, no understeer and have even tyre wear all round


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## TT'sRevenge

How are the front swaybar endlinks? (Think you guys call 'em droplinks in the UK?) I don't see mention of those being replaced, above? If you grab the endlink rods up front and twist, if they move with relative ease or have noticeable play, those are probably done for and in need of replacement. On the rear you say they were replaced...in 2016. That's like nearly 7 years ago now, so they're not exactly gonna be new, either. Other thing maybe to add, not seen on your "possible culprits" list is the ball joints--or were those replaced when the bushings were done?


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