Steering problems, need advice..

[John_H]

Originally Posted by Bumble-Bear

Hey NuBiker,
I can't get my car past 74 mph without it starting to shudder and having a feeling like I am "hitting a wall" for speed.. Hard to explain it other than that.. It's like no matter how much gas I give it I can't get past that point easily.. The dealer told me this was normal, that they all shake above 70 mph. I am getting a little upset with my local dealer service...

Dear god. It's normal for any car with unbalanced wheels to feel like that. My Smart is smooth as silk on a blemish free road at 75. No shudder. No problem going faster if desperately needed (I honestly don't like to see my speedometer at 85 when passing).

[Gilbert's]

Originally Posted by Bumble-Bear

Hey NuBiker,
I can't get my car past 74 mph without it starting to shudder and having a feeling like I am "hitting a wall" for speed.. Hard to explain it other than that.. It's like no matter how much gas I give it I can't get past that point easily.. The dealer told me this was normal, that they all shake above 70 mph. I am getting a little upset with my local dealer service...

Go to another dealer "if it is still warranty" and or go to A shop that only they do is wheel alignment not a tire shop they are screw up.... then if the tech said need alignement then let them do it get the reciept and slap it to that dealer remember i'm in your back....

[Bumble-Bear]

Again, thank you all for the advice.. I think I will take the car to an alignment specialty place, have them check the alignment and get the tires expertly balanced. I just hate that my local dealer service just tries to push everything under the rug, so to speak, just hoping that their problem/customer, will go away thinking the problem is normal. If they keep this up, they are going to start giving smart a bad reputation. Thanks again,
Ryan

[kdfcogwheel]

Just to throw my hat into the ring, I have a 2009 Brabus Cabrio with the wider tires and EPS. In a no wind condition she holds firm straight and true at all speeds up to and including 85+mph. I have noticed that as the speed increases especially over 55mph the steering gets progressively stiffer (let's say speed sensitive). At 75mph it gives me that go-kart feel at the wheel. In the afternoon when the wind picks up I do notice a bit of buffet, but nothing that makes the car uncontrollable. I know that when I come upon a semi that I can steady the car with both hands on the wheel. I notice a bit of a 'push' as I pass and break free of his wind wake. I typically will ride 'high' in the lane to stay out of the imperceptible ruts created by those tractor-trailers. The tight steering tends to give you the feeling of over-correcting. I overlook that due to the very short wheelbase, though.

[SmartDigger]

Mine stiffens with speed also. At least it feels like it. I wonder if the front tire needs ballanced

[Bumble-Bear]

After reading the last two posts, I know there is a big problem up front.. My car feels loose and sloppy at higher speeds, not tighter.. It it was tight and in control I would love it.

[SuperGeek]

Mine will only loosen up over 70mph with winds (in heavy winds I feel it even at 60mph but I'm certain it's crosswinds then). Ruts in the road are wider than the smart's wheelbase, so if I encounter a rut, I ride offset so that neither wheel is in a rut (and tend to hug either side of the lane). But with fresh paved road, I'd think either the road isn't even (curved higher in center) or is slanted to allow drainage, in either case you could duplicate the effect every time and would have a different effect on a different stretch of road.

Tire balance could be an issue; if one tire's weights dropped off, you would feel a shudder above 60-70mph. It might even pull to one side. If pressure's not up to specs (remember, the front and back get different amounts but left and right should match), it will do the same thing. Keep in mind, unless you got a tire warranty, anything related to the tire and wheel (damaged tire, balance) is probably not under warranty unless you can prove the dealer delivered you a car that wasn't up to their standards.

Still, the EPS steering control is super sensitive and took me 100 miles to adjust to its behavior. Other cars, you can swing the wheel 2" side to side and barely move... on a smart, instant response. Trust me, if you need to swerve, you'll be happy you had that extra 1/4 second... it has already saved me three times.

[NeWave]

Just to fill in a point.. As far as I know, the EPS assisting power is reduced the faster you go, since it's meant to help steer at low speed. That's in the manual I believe.
As for that uber sensitive steering, thats absolutely right. You can just shimmy the wheel very slightly and you can feel the car respond. I actually quite like that.
The steering holds well at highway speed, but still retains that sensitive response.
I'd definately keep pestering the dealer til something gets done.

[Bumble-Bear]

Sorry it took me so long to get information back to you all.. I took the car to a very well respected tire place. They rebalanced the tires and found that the 2 rear tires were out of balance causing the car to shake above 70mph. That problem was solved. The front end issue was still driving me crazy. After waiting for a solution to my sloppy front end issue, after the dealer said they submitted it to headquarters, I got frustrated. I took the car back to the dealership, along with the paperwork showing the rear tires were out of balance, and they agreed to put the car back up on the rack and check out the front end. After getting the car back, the front end was still sloppy. The smart service manager suggested that it more than likely would feel better with wider tires. I have switched to 16" rims and tires. The results are much better. The car has a much more stable feeling now. I am still convinced that there is something wrong in the front end, as the front end never feels centered on the highway, and always seems to pull to one side and then the other. I am going to take the car to a front end specialist and pay to have the front end re-aligned again. I hope this will fix it. I love my car, I just want it to feel more connected to the road and stable.

[jefferios]

I am glad to hear it is better.

Have you ever thought of taking one out for a test drive on a highway and bringing it up to speed to test it?