Has anyone ever seen this happen?!? - SRT Forums

nfrancis1 · 10-23-2009, 10:27 AM

So, i always considered myself a pretty good driver. i've dabbled into rally racing about 7 years ago, so i can control a car pretty good. found out last night that i am actually an EXCELLENT driver. here's what happened. i was on the interstate doing about 65 (the speed limit) and went over a bridge transition. little bump, not anything CRAZY. and then the rear end of my car kicked out from behind me and the next thing i know im going sideways down this bridge in traffic. and i cant get the rear end under control. every time i would get straight it would kick out again. finally get stopped on the side of the road (thank god i didnt hit anything, and the road was straight, cause i dont think i would have been able to handle a turn). so after checking to make sure my wife and kid were ok (and believe me, they were pretty hysterical. this took a couple minutes) i get out to check out the car. no damage that i can see

, until i notice the rear passenger side wheel is at about a 20* toe-out

. WTF!!!! Look under the car and come to find out that it appears that the forward lateral bar popped off the bolt that holds it in. not the bolt snapped, the bar just came off. i havent looked at it more since towing it home, but i'll post some pics of it. im pretty sure the bolt isnt broken though. Has anyone ever heard of this happening before. my car only has ~30,000 miles on it and i sure as hell dont abuse the suspension (i do live in norfolk though). i sure as hell havent heard of this happening before. and if anyone has, do you guys know if there is anything else i should check to see if got damaged. ill post pics when i leave work so you guys can see what im talking about, maybe give you some more insight. anyway, any help would be greatly appreciated. thanks guys.

rosejm · 10-23-2009, 11:53 AM

Love to see the pics...

Is this the body attachment or the spindle attachment? (which end of the lateral arm)

nfrancis1 · 10-23-2009, 11:55 AM

its the spindle attachment. pics will be up when i get home.

hercfe · 10-23-2009, 11:58 AM

jesus man, glad to hear you and the fam are ok.

nfrancis1 · 10-23-2009, 02:21 PM

the wheel (20* toe-out might have been a little exagerated, but this was bad enough)

pic from under car

after wheel removal

nfrancis1 · 10-23-2009, 02:23 PM

need to change date on camera. does a bushing kit have this bushing? and possibly the bolt that holds it in. its been about 5 years since i did a bushing kit so i dont exactly remember. it looks like the head snapped off of the bolt, or the washer wasnt on it. im not sure. anyway, any insight would be great. thanks

csx321 · 10-23-2009, 02:50 PM

Yeah, I was wondering if there was a washer missing. Scary; glad you all are okay!

Sota · 10-23-2009, 03:01 PM

holy shit. no wonder you couldn't catch the tail.

rosejm · 10-23-2009, 04:06 PM

Yeah it does look like the washer between the nut and bushing is gone.

I don't know of a bushing kit that would have the washer, but a replacement should be pretty easy to come by on its own.

lyncoo · 10-23-2009, 04:17 PM

damn. the back end on these cars are a pain to control while braking hard anyway

morgantj13 · 10-23-2009, 04:18 PM

Holy crap thats scary, mine was bent once, so i know what you mean about the back end trying to swing around.
order a set of adjustable lca's from dcr or rage...

ive got a set from rage-tek

thread link

nfrancis1 · 10-26-2009, 02:36 PM

so i took it apart this weekend. found out the arm was installed upside down from the way it was supposed to be. and there definately wasnt a washer there either. dont know if the two might be connected. i'd be pissed if it came from the factory like that, but im not the original owner. i got it with 4500 miles on it. oh well, gonna go test drive it in an empty parking lot tonight to make sure the problem is fixed. would hate to find out that it still kicks out while im on the road. the wheel doesnt appear to have any toe out to it anymore though so thats a big plus.

morgantj13 · 10-27-2009, 12:03 AM

i would take it to get aligned, the large silver metal nut/end piece that faces towards the exhaust pipes tips adjust toe...it might be close, but if its off a degree or two it'll eat your tires(plus handling will be affected)

csx321 · 10-27-2009, 09:57 AM

Here's what that's supposed to look like (except stock has black bushings):

uturner · 10-27-2009, 10:05 AM

Or you can get some DCR solid bars and forget bushings all together...