Poor handling :(

[Paul M]

I've just bought a 1988 T-bar and I am disponted with the way the car handles. I'm sure it's not right - the steering feels vauge and when pressing on the steering weights up and there's a sort of pedulum feel through the wheel. Any ideas??

Thanks

Paul

[skinthespin]

How big are the wheels?

What suspension mods?

Is anything lose?!?!?!

[Paul M]

Hi

They're the standard 14" alloys and as far as I'm aware it's had no suspension mods. I need to get the car the car up on a ramp and check to see if anything is loose - what should I look out for?

[anna]

Hi

They're the standard 14" alloys and as far as I'm aware it's had no suspension mods. I need to get the car the car up on a ramp and check to see if anything is loose - what should I look out for?

Any of the suspension or steering components. Could be old and 'soggy' bushes.
Also - check the wheels are seated properly, and the wheel nuts are tight!
Could also be the alignment - take a look at the tyres to see if there is any evidence of uneven wear.

[flippin'eck]

I got a real good improvement from new front strut bushes, straightened rear tie rods & a 4-wheel alignment.

The front strut bushes were worn to nothing inside, and the back wheels were pointing in random directions due to someone having jacked the car up on the track rods in the past & bending them.

[Paul M]

Anna

Thanks for the advice, I'll try these things first.

Paul

Hi

They're the standard 14" alloys and as far as I'm aware it's had no suspension mods. I need to get the car the car up on a ramp and check to see if anything is loose - what should I look out for?

Any of the suspension or steering components. Could be old and 'soggy' bushes.
Also - check the wheels are seated properly, and the wheel nuts are tight!
Could also be the alignment - take a look at the tyres to see if there is any evidence of uneven wear.

[Paul M]

Thanks advice much appreciated.

I got a real good improvement from new front strut bushes, straightened rear tie rods & a 4-wheel alignment.

The front strut bushes were worn to nothing inside, and the back wheels were pointing in random directions due to someone having jacked the car up on the track rods in the past & bending them.

[russthedude]

does anyone know how much the bushes cost from Toyota? Need to replace mine, but everything has got to be done as cheap as poss on it now, my holiday looms ever closer....

[Tony jinxy froude]

Also check to make sure the front Anti-roll bar bush mounts havnt pushed through the chassis, this is becoming more comman now that the cars are ageing, also check to make sure the steering rack bushes havnt gone soft. Jinxy

[ChavMR2]

does anyone know how much the bushes cost from Toyota? Need to replace mine, but everything has got to be done as cheap as poss on it now, my holiday looms ever closer....

With a 10% discount, I paid a little under £18 for mine last week.

[un1eash]

I would try replacing just the front strut bar bushes first and you can get them from twosrus.co.uk for £5.80 inc delivery.

I replaced mine and it made a massive difference, i ended up buying a full kit which made things alot tighter. Have just ordered a full koni suspension kit aswell, cant wait for that to be fitted.

[luthor1]

I would try replacing just the front strut bar bushes first and you can get them from twosrus.co.uk for £5.80 inc delivery.

I replaced mine and it made a massive difference, i ended up buying a full kit which made things alot tighter. Have just ordered a full koni suspension kit aswell, cant wait for that to be fitted.

Just being picky - a strut bar is a bar that goes between the tops of the suspension towers to ensure rigidity of chassis when cornering.

The Anti Roll Bar which I think you are talking about, is the U shaped bar that connects the struts together under the car to reduce body roll.

I think you mean ARB bushes, as the strut bar isn't connected with bushes.

Hope that's not condescending.

[alfiembra]

Just to throw another spanner in the works are we talking about strut "rod" bushes, if we are the nuts holding them in can be difficult to remove, you need to get yourself a 22mm long reach socket if it is the strut rods, and will most likely need a wheel alignment check afterwards.

Alan

[russthedude]

have ordered those £5.80 ones above and will get them slapped on this weekend if they're here, and see if it makes any difference to the knocking noises I have to put up with lol

[bikerman90]

Hi

They're the standard 14" alloys and as far as I'm aware it's had no suspension mods. I need to get the car the car up on a ramp and check to see if anything is loose - what should I look out for?

Stick your head down in the drivers footwell, look at the steering column just above the UJ. rock steering wheel back and forth and see if anyplay in joint above steering UJ. Mine had loads there and made it vague etc

[Paul M]

Thanks guys, Iv'e decided to replace the the lower arm and the strut bar bushes (that's what they call them in the Haynes manual p.184) first off and see how goes - I'll get the alignment checked afterwards.

Wish me luck!

[un1eash]

The alignment should be fine after, when you do the strut bar bushes leave the inner nut so that the caster wont be affected. You should notice an instant improvment.

[Paul M]

Oh yeah - good shout!

[Jim-SR]

The alignment should be fine after, when you do the strut bar bushes leave the inner nut so that the caster wont be affected. You should notice an instant improvment.

more than likely it wont be! just because you are replacing parts which will stop the geometry from CHANGING when you dont want it to, doesnt mean that it isnt set completely wrong to start with!!

MR2's are old, old cars have had long lives. this means lots of hits to the wheels, and things get bent, get moved, nuts work loose and move around, etc. the alignment on them is almost always significantly off. and even a 0.1mm toe difference or a 0.1 deg camber difference can make a night and day difference (i do full car alignment a good 2-5 times a month at work on trackday and race cars depending on how many we have booked in, and its amazing how much of a difference the fractions can make, more than most people can comprehend without seeing it for themselves)

id definitely get a proper alignment done afterwards (toes, cambers, castor on the front, tyre pressures (and if applicable then ride height, damper settings, corner weights, but these arent adjustable without aftermarket struts). i set up a mk1 supercharger a month or so ago for a member on here and before it felt reasonable, but a little vague, set it almost to TRD specs (i slightly modified them) apart from rear toes because the rear tie rods were seized and needed replacing first, and the car felt a LOT better. sharper turn in, more feedback and control. it wasnt miles out to start with, but it was far enough to make a difference. and that had only been aligned a year or so earlier. if the car hasnt had an alignment in more than 2 years then it definitely would benefit from having it done again

[Paul M]

Is it the sort of work any reasonable type shop could carry out or do I need to take it to a specialist?