Horrible bump steer

Houranimd49 · 08-10-2023, 10:11 AM

Lately, I’ve noticed a somewhat new onset of horrible bump steer. And in case I have the terminology wrong…. Whenever I go over a bump, the steering wheel jerks out of my hand. Most particularly over bumps on the front passenger side and even more so when taking right hand curves over bumps on the highway, and/or making a right hand turn. Turning left the steering wheel is much more stable.

I should note that both front control arms aren’t that old (#1 in the photo)… 15k miles on them at best and the car was aligned at the dealer at that time. So I can’t imagine that THESE are issue. Good to note the car has 106k miles on it now.

But what I did see on the front passenger side is that the bushing where the front strut attaches to is obliterated on the passenger side (#8 in the photo). On the driver side not as bad.

The question is if this is largely or completely the cause of the bump steer? I don’t want to throw parts at the car and it doesnt fix the problem. It’s my daily driver and driving on Michigan roads with this issue means the steering wheel is jerking out of my hands every half second.

And if nothing I listed is causing the issue, any idea what is?

ChiltiCoatl89 · 08-10-2023, 08:09 PM

Is there any harsh noises coming from the front end while driving at certain speeds? or it is mainly just the feel of such and only steering?

Houranimd49 · 08-11-2023, 07:11 AM

Nothing audible but definitely a lot of wandering on the highway (which I attribute this to the car being misaligned due)

ChiltiCoatl89 · 08-14-2023, 04:03 AM

Tires are the same on the front I presume? same and even treadwear? Definitely try and get a front end alignment, check treadwear, make sure the tires are properly balanced as well which I believe is a great start.

Houranimd49 · 08-14-2023, 12:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChiltiCoatl89

Tires are the same on the front I presume? same and even treadwear? Definitely try and get a front end alignment, check treadwear, make sure the tires are properly balanced as well which I believe is a great start.

I think the alignment is off because of the aforementioned control arm. But otherwise the tire pressures are relatively equal and balanced.

I decided to change out those control arms and I’ll get a 4 wheel alignment afterward. We’ll see the outcome afterward. But I’m still open to other ideas on what could be causing this.

ChiltiCoatl89 · 08-16-2023, 03:21 AM

Yeah I just got 4 new tires and a lot of my oddness in steering has been corrected, My wheels were off in torque spec, be sure all of them are torqued properly. I had a similar issue with changing lanes and that drift you experienced, it is now gone since new tires and all torqued to 140 nm

walmark · 08-18-2023, 07:04 AM

It’s sad that dealers use air guns instead of torque wrenches to tighten the wheel lugs to 1000+ NM. Very often I have to use breaker bar + extension (!) to loosen them up. Glad it worked for you!

ChiltiCoatl89 · 08-18-2023, 09:38 PM

My G35 ate through front tires due to lower and upper control arms being old, (non adjustable control arms), since replaced and upgraded (to adjustable), it is nonexistent, (watch for darn potholes) if you are experiencing excess wear on the inside, I would definitely put my money on the control arms. Old Struts can also contribute to wear on tires. Check for loose hardware on your current set-up.

08-10-2023, 10:11 AM	#1
Houranimd49 First Lieutenant 252 Rep 332 Posts Drives: F10 535i xDrive, F25 xDrive35i Join Date: Apr 2019 Location: MI iTrader: (0) Garage List 2012 BMW X3 xDriv ... [9.25] 2011 BMW 535i xDrive [9.50]	Horrible bump steer Lately, I’ve noticed a somewhat new onset of horrible bump steer. And in case I have the terminology wrong…. Whenever I go over a bump, the steering wheel jerks out of my hand. Most particularly over bumps on the front passenger side and even more so when taking right hand curves over bumps on the highway, and/or making a right hand turn. Turning left the steering wheel is much more stable. I should note that both front control arms aren’t that old (#1 in the photo)… 15k miles on them at best and the car was aligned at the dealer at that time. So I can’t imagine that THESE are issue. Good to note the car has 106k miles on it now. But what I did see on the front passenger side is that the bushing where the front strut attaches to is obliterated on the passenger side (#8 in the photo). On the driver side not as bad. The question is if this is largely or completely the cause of the bump steer? I don’t want to throw parts at the car and it doesnt fix the problem. It’s my daily driver and driving on Michigan roads with this issue means the steering wheel is jerking out of my hands every half second. And if nothing I listed is causing the issue, any idea what is? Attached Images
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08-10-2023, 08:09 PM	#2
ChiltiCoatl89 Lieutenant 1769 Rep 435 Posts Drives: 2016 F10 BMW 535i M Sport Join Date: Jun 2023 Location: Nevada iTrader: (0) Garage List 2016 BMW 535i M Sport [8.34]	Is there any harsh noises coming from the front end while driving at certain speeds? or it is mainly just the feel of such and only steering?
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08-11-2023, 07:11 AM	#3
Houranimd49 First Lieutenant 252 Rep 332 Posts Drives: F10 535i xDrive, F25 xDrive35i Join Date: Apr 2019 Location: MI iTrader: (0) Garage List 2012 BMW X3 xDriv ... [9.25] 2011 BMW 535i xDrive [9.50]	Nothing audible but definitely a lot of wandering on the highway (which I attribute this to the car being misaligned due)
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08-14-2023, 04:03 AM	#4
ChiltiCoatl89 Lieutenant 1769 Rep 435 Posts Drives: 2016 F10 BMW 535i M Sport Join Date: Jun 2023 Location: Nevada iTrader: (0) Garage List 2016 BMW 535i M Sport [8.34]	Tires are the same on the front I presume? same and even treadwear? Definitely try and get a front end alignment, check treadwear, make sure the tires are properly balanced as well which I believe is a great start.
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08-16-2023, 03:21 AM	#6
ChiltiCoatl89 Lieutenant 1769 Rep 435 Posts Drives: 2016 F10 BMW 535i M Sport Join Date: Jun 2023 Location: Nevada iTrader: (0) Garage List 2016 BMW 535i M Sport [8.34]	Yeah I just got 4 new tires and a lot of my oddness in steering has been corrected, My wheels were off in torque spec, be sure all of them are torqued properly. I had a similar issue with changing lanes and that drift you experienced, it is now gone since new tires and all torqued to 140 nm Last edited by ChiltiCoatl89; 08-18-2023 at 09:29 PM..
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08-18-2023, 07:04 AM	#7
walmark Apprentice 86 Rep 491 Posts Drives: 550i F10 '15 Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: SF Bay iTrader: (2)	It’s sad that dealers use air guns instead of torque wrenches to tighten the wheel lugs to 1000+ NM. Very often I have to use breaker bar + extension (!) to loosen them up. Glad it worked for you!
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08-18-2023, 09:38 PM	#8
ChiltiCoatl89 Lieutenant 1769 Rep 435 Posts Drives: 2016 F10 BMW 535i M Sport Join Date: Jun 2023 Location: Nevada iTrader: (0) Garage List 2016 BMW 535i M Sport [8.34]	My G35 ate through front tires due to lower and upper control arms being old, (non adjustable control arms), since replaced and upgraded (to adjustable), it is nonexistent, (watch for darn potholes) if you are experiencing excess wear on the inside, I would definitely put my money on the control arms. Old Struts can also contribute to wear on tires. Check for loose hardware on your current set-up.
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