[TheSaracen]

I drove a GT500 and ZL1 over the weekend and surprisingly the difference I noticed most was that the steering felt more direct.

I have Koni street shocks, Ford Racing springs and fully adjustable sway bars front and rear so I don't think it's the suspension itself. There's a noticeable amount of play in the steering wheel when cruising strait down the highway that I believe is the cause. Now that I noticed it it's bugging me. Does anybody else have this problem and can it be fixed?

 

[cpembach1]

Check to see if your front LCA bushings are shot? Mine look like this and it's not as tight as it could be...

 

[stevegt2012]

I drove a GT500 and ZL1 over the weekend and surprisingly the difference I noticed most was that the steering felt more direct.



I have Koni street shocks, Ford Racing springs and fully adjustable sway bars front and rear so I don't think it's the suspension itself. There's a noticeable amount of play in the steering wheel when cruising strait down the highway that I believe is the cause. Now that I noticed it it's bugging me. Does anybody else have this problem and can it be fixed?

Does it change any when you adjust the steering feel between the three settings?



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[TheSaracen]

No, that only affects force required to turn the wheel but there is still a gap between the initial turning of the wheel and the wheels biting. Going straight down the highway I can wiggle the wheel back and forth to a degree without changing direction. Then when it does bite it is pretty sudden and abrupt.

 

[IceBlue]

How many miles on your Mustang? Has it been wrecked at some point in time? Hit anything big in the way of potholes or speed bumps?

In any case, sounds to me like play in the steering rack perhaps.

If the car is high mileage and or several years old, maybe some bushings.

Then again, maybe something is bent, even if the alignment is good.

I am still thinking the steering rack though.

 

[TheSaracen]

Its a 2012 with 38k miles on it. It's been in one low speed accident that was repaired by insurance. Have definitely hit a share of potholes over the years but nothing big stands out. Can the steering rack be adjusted at an alignment shop?

 

[TheSaracen]

I found this article on the subject that suggests it might be the intermediate shaft or the steering box, but I don't think it's high mileage enough for that. Haven't been able to find that part for our car in a quick google search. Also still need to rule out suspension components and bushings.

Facts about steering slop.... - Car Forums and Automotive Chat

 

[TheSaracen]

Just looked underneath. The bushings are all in great shape, nothing noticeable loose or out of place, nothing looks bent. With the wheels off the ground there is absolutely zero slop between turning the wheel and moving the tires, leading me to believe its not the steering rack. So..leaving more confused than when I started. Next time its at the shop I'll have them check the tightness of the GT500 strut mounts, struts etc.

I did notice uneven tire wear. The inside of the front tire is significantly more worn than the outside on both sides. The passenger side inner seems the be slightly more worn than the drivers side inner. Looks like negative camber or a toe issue? Maybe I should get it aligned, although I've heard negative camber helps handling.

 

[cpembach1]

Just looked underneath. The bushings are all in great shape, nothing noticeable loose or out of place, nothing looks bent. With the wheels off the ground there is absolutely zero slop between turning the wheel and moving the tires, leading me to believe its not the steering rack. So..leaving more confused than when I started. Next time its at the shop I'll have them check the tightness of the GT500 strut mounts, struts etc.



I did notice uneven tire wear. The inside of the front tire is significantly more worn than the outside on both sides. The passenger side inner seems the be slightly more worn than the drivers side inner. Looks like negative camber or a toe issue? Maybe I should get it aligned, although I've heard negative camber helps handling.

One of the best things I have done to tighten up steering feel was going from GT500 upper strut mounts to Maximum Motorsports camber plates.

 

[XRacer]

There shouldn't be any play or slop. Every rack and pinion I've driven was tight and direct so long as all the parts were good. Even the older cars with recirculating ball steering boxes are OK with fresh parts. Since you have play in the steering something has to be worn/loose. You said it seems tight with the wheels off the ground, but when the wheels are off the ground with no weight on them there is also very little resistance. Perhaps you can find a way to keep the wheels from turning while you have the car in the air and then have someone try to turn the steering wheel while you watch for movement. A big muscular friend can help here. Lots of places for play to develop. There are universal joints in the steering shaft. The bolts holding the rack to the "K" member could be loose. The rack could be defective. Worn tie rod ends are a common source of play. Worn wheel bearings or suspension parts. The tire wear sounds like the toe in adjustment is off. Radial tires are pretty forgiving of camber so long as it's not too extreme. Rear drive cars do best for "normal" driving with a small amount of toe in. Autocrossers and road course racers sometimes use a bit of toe out to get the car to "turn in" quicker. Toe out can sometimes cause the car to feel a little "snaky" at higher speeds on the straights. This would probably be more pronounced on the street if the roads have rain grooves from heavy truck traffic. I am sure if you keep looking you'll find the problem. Good luck.

 

[TheSaracen]

Quick update - I put a wrench on the adjustable panhard this afternoon. It was about an 1/8th turn away from being tight. Seems to have solved most of the problem. Worried that the joint still isn't completely rigid. Makes a watts link tempting. Having a shop check over the rest of the suspension on friday.