Steering issue on long sweepers
 

I will post the link to a video I have uploaded to Google Drive. Pay close attention to both of the right hand turns I go through. Traction control is off (I did not do the pedal dance), but the traction still kicks in with very little steering input. It required countersteer to avoid going off road. This does not happen during autocross, only on roads like the video or highway on ramps.

What you might like to know about my car:
Tein S-Tech lowering springs with stock struts
XXR 530's 18x8.75 +33 on all 4 corners
245/35/18 Contiental Extremecontact DW on all 4 corners
Open Flash Tablet tune (idk if it affects the steering or not)
Stock everything else as far as chassis/suspension goes

Video link:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folde...zg?usp=sharing

Edit:

My front left ball joint was not completely tightened down, and the front left wheel bearing was replaced under warranty. The car now handles great again.

Has it been aligned? Could possibly be a rear toe issue

Car has been aligned twice since I put the springs on March 2016. It's been doing it ever since I have had the Teins. Possibly bad springs/struts? Installation was done by a Subaru dealer so i don't think it is due to a poor install.

What are the exact alignment specs, did they give you a printout? Have you verified tire pressures are good all around?

Watching the video, the slip indicator doesn't come on at all on the second right hander, just the first one.

What are your feet doing when it comes on in the first corner? Braking at all? How hard on the gas?

There's a patch of rough looking pavement near the entry of the first one, could just be too fast for the conditions? You were going ~85mph, but I can't get a good sense of what the pavement is like.

Your alignment is basically causing the car to think you are losing traction at higher speeds.

I used to have this problem when I had a fairly aggressive alignment for street use and any turns above ~50MPH sharper than an onramp would trigger traction control.

Either you have to readjust your toe or just do pedal dance. Saying "I got it aligned twice in last year" doesn't tell us much about what work was done.

Oh, my problem went away after I put the suspension back to stock.

-alex

Alignment specs as of 3/4/2017 F and B are front and back. L and R are left and right
-.7 camber FL / -.8 camber FR
5.6 caster FL / 5.8 caster FR
-.04 toe FL / .05 toe FR


-2.5 camber BL / -2.5 camber BR
.10 toe BL / .13 toe BR

Did they reset the Zero Point Calibration?

Could possibly one of your struts be blown?

That's the after?? Not great at all, but I still think you were simply above the limits of grip based on the video and how the pavement looks.

I'd still want the toe set better... I like it to be bang on 0* up front, and 1/16" total toe in (1/32" per wheel) in the rear. In degrees, that's 0.14 total or 0.07 per wheel. That'll be looser than what you're currently running though. At the very least you want to make sure you don't have toe out one side and toe in on the other like you currently have on the front, and that it's equal side to side.

Actually, watching in slow motion.. did you drop a tire off the inside of the pavement a little?

What exactly is zero point calibration? I heard it used before but nobody ever goes into detail

I almost did, because the steering snapped in that direction. Hence why I had to countersteer slightly. I did not apply any steering, throttle or brake input, but my car randomly snaps in the direction I am turning. It happens on smoother on ramps for highways as well so I don't think it is because of the road surface. I am leaning towards it being more of an issue of blown struts, cheap suspension with unbalanced front and rear spring rates, or something might be loose or bent under the car.

Yaw rate sensor and acceleration sensor zero point calibration.

Basically it set's to 0 (zero) or re-calibrates the way the car determines when to apply the VSC based on your current wheel, suspension, Alignment setup. The VSC is based on many values , speed, position of car on X,Y Axis and calculates if and when to apply the VSC. The values are affected by the overall tire height, alignment of the suspension changes. If these values are changed from the factory configuration of stock wheels and alignment with taller overall wheel height, camber bolts, etc. the values don't match the factory calibration thus will activate or won't activate the VSC properly and can cause loss of vehicle control or just over react and turn on more often.

Basically when you mod your suspension, wheels, tires, suspension parts, alignment (post). The Zero Point Calibration should be performed.

Where would I get this done? The dealership that installed my springs?

I'd get all the suspension parts checked out. Look at the ball joints, bushings, tie-rods, etc.

You can do most in your driveway with a jack if you have time, maybe see if there's anyone local that's knowledgeable to help if you're unsure.

I crawled under the car tonight. I noticed that the front left wheel and tire wobble just slightly when it is in the air. I took it off and shook the brake caliper lightly and it wobbles as well. My brother who is a mechanic suggests a wheel bearing may need to be replaced.

This makes me think this is the source of my issue since it is the front left side and my car only acts funny in right hand turns.

Can anyone confirm this is a symptom of a bad wheel bearing or is the whole assembly loose at the axle nut? Will try to post a video tomorrow.

The caliper is supposed to move when jiggled, that's how it operates.

What do you mean by "wobble"?

When it spins it isn't a perfect circle? Or when you grab the wheel and shake it, it moves in a direction it's not supposed to?

Neither would be a wheel bearing which is typically noisy before it starts causing handling issues. It could be a lower ball joint wearing out which may cause handling oddities.

To rule out bearing vs ball joint vs tie rod, jack the car back up and do the following:

1) Grab the wheel at 9 and 3 and see if there is any play (if the right front tire is on the ground still this is much easier)

2) Grab the wheel at 12 and 6 and see if there is any play.

If there's only play in #1 it's likely a tie rod, if there's only play in #2 then it's likely the ball joint. If there's play in both it could be both, or a bearing. Typically you'll hear the bearing before it has enough play to see though.

If it is a ball joint or a tie rod, would you recommend I go with a bump steer and roll center kit or just go with OEM parts?

I haven't priced out the OEM parts, but IIRC you can't buy just an OEM balljoint, so you'd have to replace the whole control arm (which means the inner bushings as well) and I would want to replace both sides at the same time. It's likely significantly cheaper to get the whiteline roll center / bump stop kit, and will help with front grip a bit. You'll definitely need an alignment after either option, so that's not really a factor.

100% agree with this, one small note that I will add is that I had a front wheel bearing that had some play in it, but the car makes so many weird and loud noises I never noticed until I wiggle the wheel. It had play on both directions with the other front wheel on the ground.

Update:

My front left ball joint was not completely tightened down, and the front left wheel bearing was replaced under warranty. The car now handles great again. Thanks for the help everyone!

That's good news! You might want to update the original post with your solution. It can help future users diagnose similar issues.