[Cheffy]

darkpuppet,Apr 11 2006, 01:41 PM Wrote:what exactly do you mean rear bumpsteer?

It sounds like you might have worn shocks/bushings which might make the car feel 'floaty'...

If you want to decrease bump steer, usually, ensuring your bushings are in good shape would be the first order of the day.  And if you're not going to lower the ride any, stiffer dampers than stock may result in more bumpsteer than less...and a decidedly unnerving ride if the dampers overpower the springs on choppy sections.
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Sorry for the brief description. By bumpsteer I mean that hitting certain bumps, especially recessed manholes and expansion joints, tends to make the back end "side step", like it jumps to the side a wee bit and then hops back to correct itself. I've researched this a fair bit, and have found a number of other people with the same issue, more so for wagon owners. This effect gets worse with speed, and results in sometimes a feeling of control loss, or in the case of a wavy highway (say, like the 401 east of Scarborough), the undulattions tend to cause the car to wander. Perfectly smooth highway makes for good driving, but the effect also seems to make the car very sensitive to cross-winds (constant corrections). I should add that it carves through corners quite nicely!

Seems the reason is the passive steer system, causing the rear tire hit to toe in for a moment before pulling straight again. I suspect a combination of excess rear negative camber, aging bushings, and the need for realignment to be aggravating an otherwise barely noticeable phenomenon.

I will be getting rear camber adjustment bolts/control arms - the problem with excessive rear camber on early foci was noted by ford in a TSB, but since the warranty has expired so has my opportunity. I was also thinking while down there changing arms and bolts that require unconnecting the rear shocks, I might also change the shocks themselves (and bushings). They seem to dampen just fine, but at 5 years of age they are probably a bit worn out.

So I was thinking GR2s. Generally considered a premium OEM replacement from my understanding. I was wondering if anyone here could vouch for them on a focus. Also, if anyone here knew where to get them reasonably priced in the GTA. So far $70 each is the best I can find, still a tad high for what they are I think. Especially when they can be bought for nearly half the price in the USA (taking exchange into consideration)!

I would consider replacing the springs with upgraded ones if they maintained the stock height. But I just bought the car and don't want to sink too much into it yet!

Thanks all!