Vibration when turning to the left and accelerating

[YungJulio]

Hi guys,
Last night while on the highway i realises that my car vibrates when turning to the left AND ACCELERATING. The problem is very specific to the point that I was able to activate it at will. When turning ONLY to the left on the highway and giving some gas, there would be a weird vibration/shudder but soon as I let go of the gas, it would stop. note: this doesn’t happen at normal road speeds. It’s at around 70km+ and highways where this happens.

I have recently changed my tyres and wheels but I made sure to get a tyre balance so it shouldn’t be that. I’ve looked around in this forum and couldn’t find any helpful information. Also, I do have warped rotors which I have an appointment to completely swap out rotors and pads tomorrow.

What can it possibly be? Transmission fluid? Wheel bearing? CV joint? Bushes?
If this issue has been solved, please point me to the right direction. Anyways I would greatly appreciate your help in solving this issue as this means I can’t go fishing until it’s fixed

[BillyCorgi]

Most people would say to check the condition of the Rear Bush - Front Lower Control Arm.
Especially given the age of the car.

[YungJulio]

https://automotivesuperstore.com.au/whiteline-kca334

Thank you for your reply. checked it out and its looking pretty busted up. if the above link the correct part? i found the DIY forum from this website and they state that i should replace the bushing with one that adds caster correction. the above product shows that theres an added 0.5degree caster. when the search the same KCA334 product on Repco's website, it shows a different yellow product? is there any difference?
thank you

[Ric]

Are you experienced enough to be swapping suspension components yourself?
(Please don't take offence if you are! )

Otherwise take it to Pedders and speak to them about it. This is a part of the car you do NOT want to fail!

[YungJulio]

ahahah no offence taken mate and no im not changing it myself. im getting my brakes rotors and pads changed by my chosen mechanic so i will try to get the bushes tomorrow and get it changed along with the brake parts

[BillyCorgi]

If you look at the picture of the Whiteline product, you can see that the central metal bush is eccentric



What happens is that the mounting of the excentric bush "rotates" the lower control arm about the fixed front bush which moves the position of the ball joint which changes the inclination of the front strut - CASTER



You observe two colours Black and Yellow. This is the colour of the polyeurethane material from which the polymer part of the bush is made.

Yellow was the colours for Selby's Sway Bars, whose bsuiness was purchased by Whiteline. Yellow is often used by Whiteleine for their products, just as SuperPro use their blue regalia.

This is a specialist product to fit and adjust correctly. The caster angle is "adjustable" and must be adjusted during the wheel alignment procedure.
A full wheel alignment is mandatory as the length of all steering rods and tierod ends are being affected when moving the position of the lower ball joint.

If I was in your position, I would first repalce with standard and confirm the issues has been fixed before launching on a suspension geometry upgrade.

[YungJulio]

thank you for your tip.
Would you know where i can find the normal standard bushings from? been trying to look for it online but cant seem to find anything.
Only reason i wanted to put the whiteline parts is i could save on labour fees since the car will already be up and the wheels off when i change my rotors and pads. if i put standard ones, i would have to pay for labour again to put whiteline ones.
i was thinking, take it to pedders tomorrow, based on their advice make a decision whether to get the whiteline bushings or standard ones.

Also by the colours question, what i meant was that when i search the KCA334 on both the whiteline website and repco, it shows two different versions of the bushings. the repco one has the yellow colour and the descriptions shows a 0.33+ degree caster while the same KCA334 on the whiteline website is a black one and shows a 0.5+degree caster. im guessing the yellow accented one is a older version maybe?

im sorry if these questions are stupid @BillyCorgi, i just want to make sure i get the right part.

[Yowie]

Forester-specific comments below.

I ended up dealing with that busted lower-control-arm bush by getting Fulcrum Suspension to replace the entire LCAs with their aftermarket alloy ones - giving more caster.

A similar result can probably be achieved by replacing the bushes with aftermarket offset polyurethane bushes (keeping factory LCAs). This would not be DIY for most people (including me) due to the need to press out/in the bushes.

"More caster" tends to be a good thing handling wise due to the additional dynamic camber. Down-sides include "more bumps felt through steering wheel" and a greater tendency for the front wheels to follow ruts in the road. To me this is an acceptable trade-off for better cornering and better wear on the tyre shoulder.

I've dealt with Pedders in the past and Fulcrum more recently and I much prefer Fulcrum on account of their (perceived to me at least) service and better understanding of performance handling.

Whiteline and Superpro are probably as good as each other as a general rule. Individual products can be researched to see if any differences will matter to you.

[LibertyPrime]

Forester-specific comments below.

I ended up dealing with that busted lower-control-arm bush by getting Fulcrum Suspension to replace the entire LCAs with their aftermarket alloy ones - giving more caster.

A similar result can probably be achieved by replacing the bushes with aftermarket offset polyurethane bushes (keeping factory LCAs). This would not be DIY for most people (including me) due to the need to press out/in the bushes.

"More caster" tends to be a good thing handling wise due to the additional dynamic camber. Down-sides include "more bumps felt through steering wheel" and a greater tendency for the front wheels to follow ruts in the road. To me this is an acceptable trade-off for better cornering and better wear on the tyre shoulder.

I've dealt with Pedders in the past and Fulcrum more recently and I much prefer Fulcrum on account of their (perceived to me at least) service and better understanding of performance handling.

Whiteline and Superpro are probably as good as each other as a general rule. Individual products can be researched to see if any differences will matter to you.

I got a quote off Pedders to replace some control arm and bushes, is it worth getting Fulcrum to quote the same? I see Ultratune Mascot is a Fulcrum specialist.

[Yowie]

I got a quote off Pedders to replace some control arm and bushes, is it worth getting Fulcrum to quote the same? I see Ultratune Mascot is a Fulcrum specialist.

I would.

Obviously this is personal opinion based on a limited sample size only, but I get the vibe that Pedders' business model is fleecing ordinary mums & dads for over-priced suspension service jobs (eg the 100-point free safety check as the gateway drug). Before I knew any better I paid up $400 or $500 for Pedders to replace front swaybar bushes - something I've since learned to do at home in about 30 mins. Likewise paying a silly amount extra for dust covers with the "Pedders Sportsrider" spring set, for half to be missing on packet-opening.

Conversely, my local Fulcrum shop (Yeerongpilly Qld) has always impressed me with their approach to customer service/communication and their knowledge of performance suspension. Ironically I've spent more with Fulcrum than Pedders over the years, but not walked away from a Fulcrum job feeling like I had been "done-over". Eg it was my informed choice to go for alloy Lower Control Arms rather than just press-in replacement bushes.

To be clear, I have no stake in pushing a barrow for or against either brand - just my own impressions from my own experiences.

[Vidrson]

Maybe you need wheel balancing

[Ric]

Vidrson is almost certainly a spammer.
You have 24 hours to prove otherwise...

[LibertyPrime]

I got a quote off Pedders to replace some control arm and bushes, is it worth getting Fulcrum to quote the same? I see Ultratune Mascot is a Fulcrum specialist.

I would.

Obviously this is personal opinion based on a limited sample size only, but I get the vibe that Pedders' business model is fleecing ordinary mums & dads for over-priced suspension service jobs (eg the 100-point free safety check as the gateway drug). Before I knew any better I paid up $400 or $500 for Pedders to replace front swaybar bushes - something I've since learned to do at home in about 30 mins. Likewise paying a silly amount extra for dust covers with the "Pedders Sportsrider" spring set, for half to be missing on packet-opening.

Conversely, my local Fulcrum shop (Yeerongpilly Qld) has always impressed me with their approach to customer service/communication and their knowledge of performance suspension. Ironically I've spent more with Fulcrum than Pedders over the years, but not walked away from a Fulcrum job feeling like I had been "done-over". Eg it was my informed choice to go for alloy Lower Control Arms rather than just press-in replacement bushes.

To be clear, I have no stake in pushing a barrow for or against either brand - just my own impressions from my own experiences.

Appreciate the feedback, ill go have a chat with Fulcrum. At least with more information i can make a better decision

[bigBADbenny]

I’m on avo caster offset bushes.
They seem to be still working after 5+ years, possibly more!

You might get some inner front guard rub with stock offset rims and tall tyres, but I get none with 18 8.5 +35, 18 235 40...

You’d want to rotate your tyres more often as extra caster = slightly more shoulder wear on the fronts iirc.

Otherwise: grouse!

[Yowie]

extra caster = slightly more shoulder wear on the fronts iirc.

Interesting. I would have thought the extra dynamic camber puts less wear on the outside edges of the tyre (and therefore reduces shoulder wear), but that's based on a set of unsophisticated assumptions.