| Author | Message | ||
| James J. McGee (Dr_ferrari)
Junior Member Username: Dr_ferrari Post Number: 81 Registered: 7-2002 |
Craig, It is possible that the steering rack itself is loose in the bushings (mounting bolts for the rack come loose). the 348 and 355 are prone to this happening. The stress of the spin possibly shifted the rack slightly causing the steering wheel misalignment. Remove the trunk inner panels and you will find two rubber plugs that access the steering rack bolts to retorque the rack mounting brackets. Of course also realign the vehicle. Best regards, Jim | ||
| Craig Williams (Craigw)
Junior Member Username: Craigw Post Number: 131 Registered: 4-2002 |
Hi Dave, The spin was nothing to do with the car, it was rock solid with superb handling all day. I lost concentration for a second as I saw a 911 coming up fast then lost sight of him for a second, wasnt sure where he was and concerned as I needed to clip an apex, took a look over my shoulder, lapse of concentration, slightly wrong line into bend, completely my fault! oops. It was nice & sunny in the afternoon, shame you couldnt make it but dont blame you as it p**sed down in the morning. Have a look here for pics: http://www.fotango.com/cgi-bin/public_gallery_item.cgi?id=275122&index=0&key= | ||
| Dave Penhale (Dapper)
Member Username: Dapper Post Number: 643 Registered: 4-2002 |
Craig, what was the cause of the car going unstable and spinning? Was it the inherent 348 instability at speed (mine is more unpredictable than I am happy with at speeds over 100mph) Any pics of the day, weather was terrible so I didn't fancy a few very wet hours on the MV getting there and back! My car is being delivered back to me this afternoon with a new MOT and hopefully oil leak free again....yeeeeeeeessssssss! | ||
| Lou B (Toby91)
Junior Member Username: Toby91 Post Number: 160 Registered: 4-2001 |
I would very very carefully check the A-arms for cracks. Maybe spot Zyglo? They are amazaedly light aluminum fabrications with a very thin wall. I cracked my 512TR A-arm after a "slight bump" on a rumble strip entrance at Moroso not paying attention on a cool down lap. The steering wheel went off very slightly with nothing visible until the invisible crack progressed until it completely separated (!!!) at speed on an Interstare 2 weeks later. Got it stopped without further damage (whew!) but it was a struggle getting it on a flat bed with a front wheel flopping around. There was little warning from a slight off center steering wheel to almost uncontrollable steering in maybe 30 yds. | ||
| ross koller (Ross)
Intermediate Member Username: Ross Post Number: 1125 Registered: 3-2002 |
craig, as discussed previously, i think when you came back on the pavement from the grass is where the jolt might have bent something. so you didn't hit anything per se, but thats like hitting a small curb sideways...... and at least you weren't in a tvr.... | ||
| TomD (Tifosi)
Advanced Member Username: Tifosi Post Number: 3421 Registered: 9-2001 |
if you slide at 100 and did not hit anything - you are a lucky man - nevertheless have the whole steering, alignment and suspension checked out - you prob bent soemthing. BTW any video of this  | ||
| Frank K Lipinski (Kaz)
Junior Member Username: Kaz Post Number: 234 Registered: 11-2002 |
 Sideways at 100? Cool! Was your seat still dry when you came to a stop??? Suggest you consider jogging as an alternative to elevating your pulse rate in the future... | ||
| Craig Williams (Craigw)
Junior Member Username: Craigw Post Number: 122 Registered: 4-2002 |
its going in to garage on thursday so will see then, it was fairly scary, span about 3 times (I think), I think all things considered was pretty lucky. Thanks for advice guys. | ||
| Dave Goldman (Dave328)
Junior Member Username: Dave328 Post Number: 135 Registered: 11-2002 |
Ouch! 100mph drift over rough terrain. Sounds like something is probably bent. You'll probably be able to see it when you take the wheel off. Hopefully it's something minor like a tie rod. Good Luck! | ||
| Craig Williams (Craigw)
Junior Member Username: Craigw Post Number: 121 Registered: 4-2002 |
Its set at about 11 o clock at the moment. I didnt hit anything but the grass may not have been completely smooth and I was going completely sideways at about 100mph. | ||
| Frank K Lipinski (Kaz)
Junior Member Username: Kaz Post Number: 233 Registered: 11-2002 |
That's what I was going to say...but he did not hit anything...  Is it possible to have the wheel exceed the limits of it's travel limits up into the arch?? | ||
| Lawrence Coppari (Lawrence)
Member Username: Lawrence Post Number: 585 Registered: 4-2002 |
Tie rod damage/adjustment? How much (degrees) is it off? | ||
| Craig Williams (Craigw)
Junior Member Username: Craigw Post Number: 120 Registered: 4-2002 |
Hi Guys, Did that runway hire day yesterday and managed a top recorded speed of 169mph so not too bad. Top speed of day was 190, however... I had a spin off the track, didnt hit anything but tyre rode up into wheel arch, need a new tyre now but no problem. Car now runs straight and true but to drive in straight line steering wheel has to be slightly turned to left. I will get it checked this week but thought you guys might know. i've had a look under the car and all looks fine & straight. Do you think wheels need realigning or could it be something more serious? |