Extreme "bump steer"
Discussion
We have a '07 R56 Mini Cooper S with 40000 miles, mostly city and short range driving.
The car left the factory with the sports suspension and mechanic locking differential option.
It sits on OEM 17" wheels, fairly new non-RFT Pirelli Pzero neros with correct pressures. The last alignment was around 20000 miles because I hit a pothole at speed. It didn't "pull" to any side, that alignment was done just to be safe.
Lately the it has started to exhibit "bump steer" to the degree where it is outright dangerous because a pothole could launch you into oncoming traffic if you're not careful and only have one hand on the steering wheel. My family members refuse to drive it until the issue is fixed.
Torque steer is also worse than before but not a problem and likely due to the LSD wearing out.
I’m wondering if anybody has an idea what could cause the bump steering effect. Shocks shot? Alignment required? Maybe a broken steering rack?
I should also note that one of the front wheels, I believe the outer one, starts to "hop" (jump) when I take a corner with serious speed, rather than just going into controlled understeer as it used to.
The car left the factory with the sports suspension and mechanic locking differential option.
It sits on OEM 17" wheels, fairly new non-RFT Pirelli Pzero neros with correct pressures. The last alignment was around 20000 miles because I hit a pothole at speed. It didn't "pull" to any side, that alignment was done just to be safe.
Lately the it has started to exhibit "bump steer" to the degree where it is outright dangerous because a pothole could launch you into oncoming traffic if you're not careful and only have one hand on the steering wheel. My family members refuse to drive it until the issue is fixed.
Torque steer is also worse than before but not a problem and likely due to the LSD wearing out.
I’m wondering if anybody has an idea what could cause the bump steering effect. Shocks shot? Alignment required? Maybe a broken steering rack?
I should also note that one of the front wheels, I believe the outer one, starts to "hop" (jump) when I take a corner with serious speed, rather than just going into controlled understeer as it used to.
Edited by EricE on Tuesday 30th June 21:30
andyiley said:
After 40,000 miles!
Really?
Yes, it's a relatively weak clutch-type LSD in a sealed unit and I think it's quite common for them to wear out after that kind of distance. No comparison to an aftermarket Quaife, ATB, Wavetrac, etc.Really?
some random internet forum poster found via google said:
Clutch-packs can be destroyed in minutes if they're ill-suited to the application...like the OEM clutch pack in the R56 MINI Cooper S in the example I gave above. They don't "blow", the discs simply slip and turn it into an open-diff.
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