Steering Judder
Discussion
I had always thought the steering judder that I have in the wedge was normal - driving my dad's Griff today made me realise how much you can notice it.
Do all wedges have a steering judder? I read on another thread that someone had solved it by changing the 'steering knucles' which had become worn.
I have to say I was amazed at how much more well planted the Griff felt on the country lanes - is there much that can be done to improve the wedge's ride and handling? (my car has 'adjustable' koni shocks as I think all the SEs do)?
Do all wedges have a steering judder? I read on another thread that someone had solved it by changing the 'steering knucles' which had become worn.
I have to say I was amazed at how much more well planted the Griff felt on the country lanes - is there much that can be done to improve the wedge's ride and handling? (my car has 'adjustable' koni shocks as I think all the SEs do)?
Mine judders pretty badly too. I fitted Steves Drop Links and that made a vast improvement. I have to say that the car does handle well but then i don't have much to compare it to. the steering knuckles should improve it and also the bearing in bulk head can become worn allowing more play.
Front wheel/s out of balance, backlash/play in any steering/front suspension components.
A proper MOT is probably the cheapest and quickest way to get most of these checked. Try swapping rear wheels with fronts as it is unlikely they are out of balance by the same amount. Otherwise just get the fronts balanced which should be cheap enough.
I would think that it is unlikely to be dampers if it judders on a smooth surface?
Do the symptoms change under acceleration, deceleration, breaking, coasting, cornering?
BTW Mine (350i series 2) had adjustable Konis on it when I got it but I don't know if this was, standard, optional, or after market. Have since then fitted front dampers from Wedge automotive (now RT racing) with much better results and easy, on car, adjustments to boot.
A proper MOT is probably the cheapest and quickest way to get most of these checked. Try swapping rear wheels with fronts as it is unlikely they are out of balance by the same amount. Otherwise just get the fronts balanced which should be cheap enough.
I would think that it is unlikely to be dampers if it judders on a smooth surface?
Do the symptoms change under acceleration, deceleration, breaking, coasting, cornering?
BTW Mine (350i series 2) had adjustable Konis on it when I got it but I don't know if this was, standard, optional, or after market. Have since then fitted front dampers from Wedge automotive (now RT racing) with much better results and easy, on car, adjustments to boot.
Tyres, Wheels, Track rod ends, Top bottom ball joints, Steering rack. Start with the easy, cheap things, swap the wheels round or borrow a pair ( Blaine has 2 he wont miss for an hour os so) my first call would be wheels /tyres other things should not cause a judder IF the wheels and tyres are ok. If you get stuck I have a spare set of 400se split rims you could try for a few miles if you want. I am in Stoke, just email me, or I could meet you half way with a jack and a wheel brace.
Thanks for the offers of trying other peoples wheels. I have the original SE wheels that I could try on the front - will look strange with different back and front alloys ...
It could be the tyres and/or balancing, I haven't changed the front tyres since I've owned the car.
Spent 50 miles with the roof down today trying to work out where it judders and where it doesn't. On a very smooth road it doesn't seem to judder, I would say otherwise it seems to judder with the suspension varying on how bumpy the road is. At constant speed and braking it judders a little. Under heavy acceleration it doesn't seem to judder at all.
It could be the tyres and/or balancing, I haven't changed the front tyres since I've owned the car.
Spent 50 miles with the roof down today trying to work out where it judders and where it doesn't. On a very smooth road it doesn't seem to judder, I would say otherwise it seems to judder with the suspension varying on how bumpy the road is. At constant speed and braking it judders a little. Under heavy acceleration it doesn't seem to judder at all.
cdt said:Sounds like damping then. You could try adjusting your Konis to see if it makes a difference, otherwise rebuild or replace. but get proper advice before spending out hard earned.
... On a very smooth road it doesn't seem to judder, I would say otherwise it seems to judder with the suspension varying on how bumpy the road is...
cdt said:Ahh sounds like a fine solution
... Under heavy acceleration it doesn't seem to judder at all.
You just have to go everywhere at warp factor nine!
rrRRAMMING SPEED NUMBER ONE!
leorest said:
... On a very smooth road it doesn't seem to judder, I would say otherwise it seems to judder with the suspension varying on how bumpy the road is...
I presume they aren't easy to adjust?
cdt said:You have to remove them from the car (which is easy enough) then if I remember correctly you have to remove the bump stop and do some trick like push the shaft fully in before rotating it to adjust the valve. Confused? Well I must admit a lot of beer has passed through me since I last did it and I'm sure someone with a better memory will post soon enough. You'll work it out in a couple of minutes. Quite easy really, the only difficulty is knowing if you have adjusted both sides to the same stiffness. I understand that these are rebuild-able and that the valving can be changed if you feel like experimenting.
I presume they aren't easy to adjust?
Leo
cdt said:
What options have I got with changing the shocks? Adjustable shocks are probably a bit of overkill, so what does a good standard set cost and how would this compare to getting the existing ones refurbished?
Chris, give TVR Car Parts a call. Neil is always helpful and his prices aint bad...
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