[millern98]

I have a 98 LS I bought in April 05. It has 145k on it with stock size tires. I have noticed ever since I bought the car that at around 75mph the steering seems to loosen up. It gives me an uneasy feeling. There is too much play in the wheel. I have owned many Hondas and have always felt they handled great at higher speeds.

Any ideas?

 

[dab7wr2]

what kind of tires? how worn are they? been allined and balanced?

 

[KaBlookie]

kind of going off what dab7wr2 said, the problem is likely to be your tires or your alignment...it's more likely that it's your tires though, so check your tread depth.

 

[TheGSRGuy]

This loose steering is probably because your car's suspension is literally lifting at high speed. This is why we use aerodynamic packaging...it holds the car to the road at higher speeds (via downforce and zero-lift aerodynamics).

 

[KaBlookie]

^ at first that's what I was thinking, but before I put my coilovers in, driving 75mph was absolutely no problem in my 96 SE 4-door with no aero mods at all, so I don't think aerodynamics is his problem here

if a car from the mid-late 90s, stock, lifts at 75mph to the point that the steering gets loose, then it's not an acura...or any very well-built car for that matter.

 

[MarkAnthony]

Get your vehicle aligned. IF there is still a problem, you need to inspect the suspension for bad parts, etc.

 

[TheGSRGuy]

^ at first that's what I was thinking, but before I put my coilovers in, driving 75mph was absolutely no problem in my 96 SE 4-door with no aero mods at all, so I don't think aerodynamics is his problem here

if a car from the mid-late 90s, stock, lifts at 75mph to the point that the steering gets loose, then it's not an acura...or any very well-built car for that matter.

75mph is pretty fast compared to city driving. It's a fact that the car's ground clearance will increase as he speeds up. The air is getting under his car and pushing upwards. Sure, a stiffer suspension will help resist this upward motion, but proper aerodynamics will push the car down, increasing stability.

I'm still rather confused as to what "loose steering" means.

 

[KaBlookie]

TheGSRGuy, what you're saying is definitely true, but what I'm saying is that I don't think it's really applicable here, as our cars are capable of well over 75mph and still being stable.

what I think is happening is his tires are just really low on tread, and at speed, because the tires don't have as much grip as they should, the steering wheel is getting light and "loose," as there isn't enough friction between the front tires and the ground...yes, because of the aerodynamic lift at speed, but in this case moreso because of the (most likely) bum tires

I also just remembered that it might also be your tire pressures...so do the free stuff first: check tire pressures, check tread depth. if the pressure is off, set them to the right pressure...if the tires have very little tread left, replace the tires.

you dont need to go doing an expensive alignment if you don't know whether that's even the problem

 

[ISX-F1]

I had the same problem when I was on stock tires. Alignment was not the issue. With my kumho's on 17's, the loose steering lessened. Bernoulli's principle (Aerodynamics) is definitely involved here.

 

[millern98]

thanks for the responses...i bought some new tires this summer. I didnt have an alignment done however. It is just way too loose. It seems like something is wrong with the car.

 

[Integra15lb]

75 is faster than city driving but thats hardly a speed at wich the car would feel unsafe, this guy has a problem and its not aero related.

did you have your car aigned after doing coilovers?
If it was fine before coilovers and feels unsafe after you added them then thats obviously the place to start.Too much toe-in or out would feel unsafe at higher speeds so yeah.

 

[uoduck2k1]

LMAO, does he ever give a thought before he posts? I mean sometimes I do sometimes I don't but I at least delete my posts and repost..

 

[tiger6386]

ahha.. ha... ha...

......

lol, omg.. nice..

~P2P

anyway.. get an alignment, and check your caster. my guess is your caster is a bit more-negative-than-factory spec's

~P2P

 

[racerx159]

bring your car in to get the suspension checked. I just had the same problem and I brought it to my mechanic and noticed that both of my outer tie rod ends were worn out, the ball joints on the outer rods had to much play in them. Let them put it on a lift and let them use a bar or something like that to move things back and forth to see if all your bushings are fine and to see if your upper and lower ball joints are good to go. Let us know how it turns out after you go to the mechanic.

 

[tiger6386]

what ^^ said, that could lead to bad readings of caster over time (and in this case, I dunno from what, previous owner(s) hittin' too many damn curbs? going up steep inclinations too damn fast? sheesh lol)

~P2P

 

[TheGSRGuy]

To the original poster....please go get an alignment. Post the before/after specs in this thread. We need more info before we can start ruling things out.

 

[xXDimsumBoyXx]

it's not aerodynamics... if an suv can do 75mph on the highway safely... while having a full load of luggage/people etc. etc... a SPORTS COUPE INTEGRA will be fine... my guess is it's caster... my car was "loose" after putting my tein coilovers in... after an alignment everything was fine.. if your alignment is THAT much off.. you should be able to visually tell by looking down the side of the car and using reference points

 

[seekerz]

it could also be tire pressure. Over inflated tires will result in a smaller contact area and any imperfections in your alignment will be felt clearer at higher speeds. Don't pump tires up to near max. For example, my max tire pressure is 51 psi, but i only go up to 35 front 33 rear. I had it at 44 psi before and at high speeds, the steering wheel is very loose and the car would become off balance over bumps on the freeway, which caused me to fight to keep my steering wheel steady all the time. Trial and error ~.~

hope that helps.

 

[millern98]

I will take it in to my mechanic when I get a chance. I usually don't have a need to drive over 75 but I know this is something that should be looked at anyways. Thanks for the responses

 

[Teggy_obsession]

I have a similar problem, just got an alignment and it still is very loose 60+. only thing that I can think of is that my plastic rock guard under the engine (connected to front bumper) is sagging from when I had to be pulled out of the snow and it keeps popping the fasteners out. would the sagging (4inches +) possible create enough lift to create the loose feeling?