Hi, so I have a 06 tC approaching 100k on it. And lately the steering and suspension feel loose/wobbly. Doesn't feel tight at all. Also at some speeds the steering wheel will shake a l'il bit, but also on other days it wont?

When I purchased the car with 88k, I replaced the passenger side axle. My buddy ( part time mech.) and myself lifted the car up and checked out the suspension a couple months ago. At the time he said everything felt tight and solid.

Not sure what to think, but I can def. feel somethings not right. I don't know if the car's every had a alignment done, also my tires are in great shape, maybe the they need balancing?

Any thoughts would be great! Thanks

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well i posted up checking the torque (tightness) of the bolts of the subframe, but being that old I'm wondering if rust has set up on the bolts and locked them in place instead? it's like rust is nature's loctite

the other thing that could be the issue is the springs/shocks need to be replaced. I've heard around 100k miles is when they go, and a loose, not firm ride is what you'd get.. might even feel like it's "floating" down the road, like an old buick or boat like that.

 

Dead shocks or loose shocks = loose handling when hitting some bumps. wheel vibration = re-balance, check torque on lug nuts, CV axles for leaks. Noises and clicks = check end links for damage.

The tC is hub centric ( like most Japanese cars ) so on some days the wheels will be 'centered' and no vibration; some days it will be thrown off and after a few more miles it will recenter itself.

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I'll def check it out very soon! The ride is smooth tho, over bumps and all. Doesn't feel harsh imo.

Thanks! Yeah I was probably gonna take it in soon for a re balancing and alignment, so hopefully that helps! I do have aftermarket rims on the car.... and there is a hub ring on the rotor so that the wheels sit perfectly in the middle if that's what you referring to.

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Hubcentric rings are usually not necessary....since...again..... our cars are hubcentric vs LUGcentric ;)

When you do get the tires taken off; be sure to examine the tires for any unusual / excessive wear. Abnormal wear will let help a lot in pointing what's wrong with your suspension

 

O okay! Well today, I lifted the car up, inspected the subframe bolts, ect. Everything felt tight. No tore cv boot's or axle boots. I also swapped the rear tires to the front. Then i took it for a ride, seems to help but not that much....

I've owned this car 10k now, not once have I had it aligned, because the steering wheel sits straight basically. Im thinking I should have all 4 rims balanced, and then get alignment?

 

Update: Got a new tire and all 3 tires balanced, still waiting on getting a alignment tho.

Not sure what it could be at this point? Suspension checked out, it just doesn't give me a solid feel in the wheel, and feels loose?

 

No need for alignment if your steering doesn't pull to the left or right on a straight-flat road, no to little wind. It may just be a waste of $$.

The wheel shaking is really due to improperly balanced wheels OR a rim may have been damaged / bent. A bent / damaged rim will be hard to properly balance; if at all possible to keep it balanced once driven.

If no rips or grease splatter from CV axles and boots .... did you check the tie rods as well?

Also, when you brake (after exiting from the freeway)... brake a little harder; do you feel your brake pedal "pulsating" ??

 

The tech said the rims and tires balanced out just fine. The rims are in great shape and have no bends on them. I had my suspension checked, and I looked at it myself. Tie rods appear to be fine, and the no rips in the boots or leaks.. Also no play in the wheel beering at all on both sides.

As for brakes, they have less then 10k on them and they feel great. So not that I know off...

 

Tire pressure, tow in/tow out. Caster +/-, Camber....

Mostly likely your issue is wear and tear. After 100K miles the car's not gonna be virgin tight like it was before you had it. She's been around the block a lot, so things like shocks and springs are starting to wear. You also could have failing ball joints/tie rods. Oh and the possibility of bad bushings in the control arms. There are many things it can be. An alignment rack can either fix it, or narrow your search.

Typically I think it's 60K it's suggested to change your struts/shocks. (thankfully in my case, my car never makes it that far with oem suspension!) But that depends on your road conditions, driving style, and how much butt you haul on a daily bases. And when I say "haul butt" I mean passengers and their combined weight. Heavier people/loads will wear parts faster.

 

I do have aftermarket rims, they are R17 215 50. As for that I haven't had alignment done yet so that I can say, but the steering wheel is almost dead on and doesn't really have much pull... but still I would like to get it done, but someone mention not to unless the pull was very bad and the wheel was off.

I agree, its def not new, but I would like to replace whatever needs replacing lol. You might be right with control arm bushings.... but im not sure how to check if there bad or not. I drive fairly conservative, never have more than one person in my car for the time i've owned it lol

 

you could have caster issues, which wouldn't been seen in pulling from one side to another.

 

Guessing the alignment people can fix that? Alright will i'll get alignment next.

 

Sorry to dig up an ancient thread but wanted to clear up some misinformation

This is not true, you could have both wheels toed in or out and would tear through a set of tires, but still drive perfectly straight. Or if the caster/camber is off in such a way that the 2 sides cancel eachother out it would still drive straihght.

This is also not necessarily true, Ive had the same problem on my 07 tC. I bought a new set of 4 rims, 4 new tires, had them all mounted and balanced, and still had wheel shaking and steering looseness

 

Here's a steering/handling (check list) from the service manual. Repair intructions are not included.