Violent Rear Side to Side During Hard Acceleration

svtcobra440

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I'm going to try as hard as I can to describe this accurately. I had an 03 Cobra for about 6 years before selling it to my dad and moving onto something else a few years back. Three years later I'm buying it back and am super excited to get back into it!! Anyhow, at the time I lowered the car on Eibach Springs (like 1.5" and 1" or something like that) and put 18x9 and 18x10 wheels on the car. The rear tires were 295/35/18. All pretty normal mods. In fact my brother has the identical same mods on his 03 Termi. In 6 years of owning the car, at year 5 at some point I noticed during WOT at 70+ mph the car started this incredibly scary rear end side to side motion that forced you to let off the gas by 85-90 because I was scared I was going to kill myself - almost like a dog wagging his tail quickly. Under easy acceleration I never felt a thing. I took it to a suspension shop but they wouldn't drive the car the way it needed to be driven to create the problem, nor would they ride along with me for me to show them.. lol. So all I could do was describe it as good as I could and that got me no where. Eventually I moved on to a C6Z and just said screw it. Dad knew about it and didn't care because it sat in the garage for the three years that I had the Z. But now that I'm getting back into it, it is something I want to figure out. I'm re-sealing the diff here in the next week or two, and am putting different tires on the car, so I will see what its like once I get it out again. Just wanted to see if anyone has ever experienced anything like this with theirs or if anybody has any suggestions before I get it rolling again. Thanks in advance guys!
 

SilverNotch

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If it still has the irs you need to change the bushings. The factory rubber bushings bind terribly to the point that the control arms only move under extreme force. I used everything from full tilt boogie racing. The scary fish tailing is gone and no wheel hop.
4eda6fb9198f30d5089f9e1257363d79.jpg
9fe2bc4e5108de4388ff4c786de46db2.jpg



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Skitzerman

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As stated above, the IRS bushings are the most likely cause of your instability at speed. Shocks, springs and tires can also play a role, but if you're confident all is well there, concentrate on the bushings.
 

svtcobra440

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If it still has the irs you need to change the bushings. The factory rubber bushings bind terribly to the point that the control arms only move under extreme force. I used everything from full tilt boogie racing. The scary fish tailing is gone and no wheel hop.
4eda6fb9198f30d5089f9e1257363d79.jpg
9fe2bc4e5108de4388ff4c786de46db2.jpg



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Okay awesome! Are you referring to irs subrframe bushings? Do you have a particular kit you recommend? Is this what I should be looking at? http://www.ebay.com/itm/Steeda-097-...m5d33f0d165:m:mYOxFihG89jKHjyezaQOYBQ&vxp=mtr
 

SilverNotch

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The setup I used in the picture is full tilt boogie racing. My upper control arms were so seized had to put almost my full weight on the control arms to move them.


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svtcobra440

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The setup I used in the picture is full tilt boogie racing. My upper control arms were so seized had to put almost my full weight on the control arms to move them.


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Holy cow. How many miles did it have on it? I'm not looking to throw $700 at that right now. I simply cant..and thats how much all of the kits look like they cost on FTBR. Is there a particular kit youre referring to?
 

SilverNotch

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Holy cow. How many miles did it have on it? I'm not looking to throw $700 at that right now. I simply cant..and thats how much all of the kits look like they cost on FTBR. Is there a particular kit youre referring to?

100k on the car. I would look on forums or fb to see if someone has one they didn't install. It's an undertaking so I'm sure there's a lot of people selling them.


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Skitzerman

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It's not just miles that have an effect on those bushings, they deteriorate over time. I changed mine out with just 4K miles on the car. I just didn't like the way the ass end was acting. No more wheel hop, clunking or instability at speed. You'll just have to keep your speed down until you can change out those bushings. You might also check your tie rod links and the hub nut. Unless you're driving through a 60 mph cross wind, that car should feel solidly planted and stable at speed.
 

svtcobra440

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I understand! Thanks guys! One last question. When I do the reseal and install the brace, I don't plan on pulling the irs (as I've read in multiple places I wont have to). I hear however its wise and easy to change the differential bushings -> http://www.ebay.com/itm/Steeda-Diff...ash=item4d286e5a77:g:CtYAAOSwBahVAPtZ&vxp=mtr

Do I need to pull the irs to install this kit, or can it be down while I'm resealing and installing the brace?
 

SilverNotch

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The brace no but it would be easier. I installed my billet flow brace with irs in the car. Now, that was a pain you almost have to pull the entire pumpkin to install it. I now have the frpp cover. Which has the bearing supports and the drain plug.


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svtcobra440

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The brace no but it would be easier. I installed my billet flow brace with irs in the car. Now, that was a pain you almost have to pull the entire pumpkin to install it. I now have the frpp cover. Which has the bearing supports and the drain plug.


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When you installed your BF brace with the irs in the car, did you reseal too? Or did you not have a leak to begin with?
 

SilverNotch

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When you installed your BF brace with the irs in the car, did you reseal too? Or did you not have a leak to begin with?

Resealing is impossible without removing the pumpkin. It didn't leak before. When you take the bolts out it may drip but as soon as you tighten it it will stop. After doing the irs bushings I'd do the brace install differently now. I'd remove the rear subframe bushings and lower shock mounts. That way I could get more clearance for the install.


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killer428

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As much as I absolutely love my FTBR bushings, before you spend dime one on anything, makes sure the rear hubs axle nuts are torqued to 250 foot pounds and then retest the car.


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That's what my old Cobra did about 7 years ago. Turned out the hub bearings were shot because the hub nuts backed out.

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killer428

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As much as I absolutely love my FTBR bushings, before you spend dime one on anything, makes sure the rear hubs axle nuts are torqued to 250 foot pounds and then retest the car.


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T

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ac427cobra

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IRS Maintenance
One item that is frequently overlooked regarding the IRS are regular checks of the torque on the rear axle halfshaft nuts.
These are the 36mm nuts that attach the halfshaft to the rear hub on the knuckle.
The torque on these nuts should be checked on a regular basis.
If your car never goes to a race track, two or three times a year should be sufficient.
Torque these 36mm nuts to 240-250 ft. lbs.
If you’re going to a race track, torque before EVERY event.

From my IRS Informational article here:

http://fulltiltboogieracing.com/mystery_of_irs.htm

 

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