Why are my struts moving ?........ALOT

[GXP-G8]

https://youtu.be/rl3rEly16qA

What is happening at the top that it moves that much ?

Help !

[Slizzo]

Have they ever been replaced? Many of these cars had strut bearings and bushings wear out prematurely from the slow boat ride from Australia where they were strapped down very tightly to the boat.

[GXP-G8]

Brand new set of Super Pro's installed, blue ones.

New struts over a year ago with purple Super Pro's installed by a friend,
car seemed a bit loose on rough roads and got worse. I noticed the strut towers moving one day so I ordered a new set just in case.
Took struts out and nothing looked odd or out of direction, so I replaced them any way.
Above video is what I have now with new mounts :(

[roman1978]

that movement is when you terming the steering wheel?

[Chewy]

That's totally normal!

[Napalm]

what were you doing to make it move like that - turning the wheel or pushing down on the chassis?

If turning the wheel some movement is going to happen but I don't believe it's that much.

First thing that comes to mind is your struts aren't the right length for the car/ride height and you don't have enough

Second thing is that the washer stack at the top where the mount meets the body isn't setup right and the nut isn't tightened correctly. If not stacked right I think (it's been a while since I had mine out) you could get a condition where the tighten up the second nut but the washer and body washer interfer and snug up without capturing the chassis tightly.

Can you turn the top nut with ease? in either direction

[GXP-G8]

Turning the steering was what was making it move.

The struts I bought from Pace, GXP FE3 strut and shock package over a year ago.
The mounts are super pro with updated washers, both are installed correctly.

You can NOT turn the top nut except for the bit of spring loaded tension.

Old set did same as this set, guess I'll look at tie rods, this thing steers like crap, wondering around :)

I just don't know

[Napalm]

maybe there's a piece missing - or they aren't clocked right.

It's been a while since I did it but I vaguely remember there is a Left and Right and a certain positioning for the spring top such as to make sure it seats properly in the pockets. It's something to the affect of looking at the strut with the knuckle flanges behind it - spring, boot etc on - then the top plate has a orientation with respect to the strut body and when you put on the nut and torque it to hold the assembly it has to be in this position or it doesn't fit up under the car correctly. somewhere on this board or the other g8board there is a thread with some example pics. Once you see it it will look slightly obvious. Do they pop when you turn - usually when someone got it clocked wrong it would make popping noises

did you own the car since new - where there any modifications?

It needs to come back apart to see the setup and check it that's no where near right.

[GXP-G8]

No pieces missing, W notch in top spring plate is facing the engine, spring is aligned with the factory marks on spring and top seat.

No popping or noise of any kind.
Car was totally stock at 50,000 miles when I bought her.

hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

[-Ray-]

That's totally normal!

Looks completely normal to me. Mine looks just like that. Pedders Street II and new bushings installed after the turbo fire.

[GXP-G8]

Thank You !

[Napalm]

I guess I'll have to get a camera but I'd swear mine don't move nearly that much. I'm on lovells(superpro) mounts and bearing, Fe3 struts and factory orginal springs etc etc.

I would however certainly say my car steers clean and on point though. The OP said his steers like crap so curious as to what you're feeling at the wheel when on the road too.

[BMR Sales]

Totally Normal

[GXP-G8]

Looks completely normal to me. Mine looks just like that. Pedders Street II and new bushings installed after the turbo fire.



The OP said his steers like crap so curious as to what you're feeling at the wheel when on the road too.

Car drives perfect on nice smooth roads.....
Roads that have high and low spots, the car is ALL over the road fighting to keep her going straight.
Drive over raised lettering in the road while applying the brakes and it sometimes wants to yank the wheel out of your hand.
You can feel the whole car want to go one way or the other when this happens.
Thank You

[norm8332]

Car drives perfect on nice smooth roads.....
Roads that have high and low spots, the car is ALL over the road fighting to keep her going straight.
Drive over raised lettering in the road while applying the brakes and it sometimes wants to yank the wheel out of your hand.
You can feel the whole car want to go one way or the other when this happens.
Thank You

This sounds like an alignment issue to me. Maybe have it checked?

[GXP-G8]

She has been to 2 different shops for alignment since the strut install over a year ago.

Told both shops, something is loose or not right please check it good.

Both shops said they find nothing loose.

She goes in next week for an align after playing with the struts this time, but I don't think that is the issue since it has been doing this for longer than the new strut install :(

[-Ray-]

Car drives perfect on nice smooth roads.....
Roads that have high and low spots, the car is ALL over the road fighting to keep her going straight.
Drive over raised lettering in the road while applying the brakes and it sometimes wants to yank the wheel out of your hand.
You can feel the whole car want to go one way or the other when this happens.
Thank You

That sounds a little dramatic to me. If you have a steering wheel turning on small bumps in the road, it's not the struts. Those damp the bumps, not control steering. My guess since I do not have the car in my possession is you have some component loose between the wheel and the steering wheel.

Start with the lower control arms. Look at the ball joints. I would also get the wheel off the ground and look for any side to side movement. When you have a loose tie rod or other component, when the wheel is moved by the road or other surface it gets magnified at the steering wheel.

[WhatNext]

Yeah, something has gotta be loose and moving. My poly strut bushings (with 20K+ on them) move almost as much as yours and I just drove my G8 over 100 miles of winding back country roads (a lot didn't even have a painted center line). Solid tracking and handling. So I hope you find what's moving in your front suspension/steering components.

[Napalm]

I would have to agree wandering sounds more like a bad ball joint than anything else.

Worse upon alignment - if done on a roll up lift which is normal - with weight on the wheels the worn out ball joint might not show up as an issue.

[GXP-G8]

Lower control arms were replaced over a year ago.

Hope to get it up in the air and do some looking this weekend.

[GT Drew]

Don't be a "Chicken Little". It is supposed to move that much. Our suspension is not like any other car you have ever owned, unless it was a BMW or MB. If you think that movement is too much? Have someone turn the wheel for you and watch the movement of the lower control arms and knuckle. Look at the shape of the mount. It goes in a cup. It is a pivot point, not a fixed mount. This is a very dynamic suspension. It pivots under the Tire's surface. Not around the ball joints like an old A-arm suspension.

[GT Drew]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VHwxFHPWhM Post the before and after specs of your alignment. What is your cold tire pressure? too high makes the car squirrelly

[Samuel]

In the year 2000 Holden Engineering Report they wrote extensively about the front shock towers moving under load. No longer available even on line. "He lives now, only in my memory". Cracking on strut towers goes back to before the flood on Statesman, Commodore and Monaro cars. "Imprecise steering" made them crazy and they came up with a fix but went out of existance before ever implimenting it. BMR read all about it and created part # STB012. The STB 012 mounts ~6" below the top of the strut tower. I use the Whiteline KSB637 Strut Tower Brace because it is adjustable for more pre-load on the top of the tower. Together they make a very big difference in steering feel. A video from a camera mounted under the hood clearly shows how much an oem car's strut towers moves in normal driving and more so at an autocross. Also no longer able to be found but a movement of ~1/8" could easily be seen. The rest of the chassis reinforcement makes a noticable difference too while adding weight in just the right places for a 50/50 weight distribution. To be clear, A STB does not fix this, you need the weirdly labelled BMR STB 012 to stop the side to side tower flex, which only increases with metal fatique.