My car shakes while sliding

[BC240]

Ive had this car for a few months now and ive kicked out the rear end a few times but ive never done a full on slide until yesterday. I went to a parking lot to play in the rain and did a slides and a 360 spin. The problem is when im sliding and the front end has no traction the whole front of my car shakes. Could this be because the guy before me chopped the stock springs? somehow LSD related? I have a 95 S14

[Quigs]

My '90 hatch does the same thing. I just know that mine is more toward the center of the car and sometimes toward the rear. My car has some mad wheel-hop, usually only sliding to the left. This is because the stock open diff doesn't lock while sliding under acceleration, primarily to the left. A LSD (1.5 or 2 way differential) should decrease this, and also strut bars/support bars etc will help.

And having the springs chopped probably isnt the best for it either. Wish I could say more to help, but I would say just get a new diff and some real coilovers.

[BC240]

I have the stock VLSD but I also have 155,000 (KM) so could it be toast? it only seems to make this noise when the front tires are slipping, When I slide the rear end out around corners for shits n giggles it sounds fine.

F+R strut bars are in the plans but I dont have a lot of extra $$$ atm.

[RightWheelDrive]

blown shocks and understeer

[BC240]

Blown shocks? even with chopped springs my car handles bumps very well. its not a harsh ride at all. Plus I had a mechanic drive the car (when I bought it)and he didn't mention anything about the ride quality.

[RedlineRacer]

Blown shocks? even with chopped springs my car handles bumps very well. its not a harsh ride at all. Plus I had a mechanic drive the car (when I bought it)and he didn't mention anything about the ride quality.

What kind of shocks are you running?

[BC240]

I didnt see any writing on them but appear rather new. The last owner got all his servicing done at a Nissan dealership so im assuming if they were replaced they are probably OEM. regardless the ride quality is quite nice for a lowered car. If you have worn/blown shocks don't they make loud noises when you hit bumps?

[RedlineRacer]

do they have a bouncy feel when you hit a bump? My rear used to do this alot when I would try to kick out my rear, then I got some AGX shocks and good lowering springs and its alot better now.

[BC240]

Not at all, they are very tight. if you push down on the front or rear of the car it doesn't bounce.

[Yuri]

Check your front bushings, tension rod, tie rod etc.

[BC240]

To be honest I don't know how to check suspension, how would you know if they are worn out? bushings are easy of course but ive never checked tie rods or tension rods. thanks for input

[slideways2004]

Check your front bushings, tension rod, tie rod etc.

for teh front its prolly the things mentioned above. replace teh t/c rods with pillowballs. makes a huge difference b/c your are prolly shot to hell. the rear can be numerous things. i would say start with a fresh set of coilovers/spring, shock so yur not playing the guessing game. and after that get a alignment.

[BC240]

Im pretty sure 95% of my suspension is running original parts and it handles like a dream. whatever the issue if the only problem is this shaking during understeer then i'll probably leave it for now. I was curious to see if it was a symptom of a larger problem. Regardless ill put it up on a ramp and check my bushings and whatnot. Thanks again

[steve shadows]

how does this sliding occur? is it severe?

Maybe the sliding is a symptom of a bigger problem like issues with the driver.

possibly an issue with what your trying to make the car do, somthing that is not natural maybe it is fighting you for a reason. maybe it doesnt like you?

soudns like typical s13 understeer severe with some bad bushing tc rods thrown in maybe even a bent LCA.

[BC240]

Sorry if I wasn't clear, I was doing the sliding on purpose and its an s14. Id accelerate and jerk the wheel while tapping the gas.. Did a few slides, a 180 and a 360.. The shaking was loud and resonated in the front cabin area.

[kaotic]

who would have thought... no traction, drifting in the rain?? thats new to me...

[BC240]

who would have thought... no traction, drifting in the rain?? thats new to me...

Did you even read my post? jesus

[MELLO*SOS]

Does the car feel like it's in alignment? Something could be loose, worn or bent on the front end suspension. You might want to jack the car up on jackstands and crawl under there and inspect everything (bushings, lca, sway links, tie rods, etc) closely. You can move parts with your hands to hear any popping or feel any abnormal play; you'll see if something is bent or otherise damaged... The car might have had a minor accident or ate a curb from the previous owner?

Cut springs probably don't help;coilovers should be on your upgrade-asap list... GL

edit: or it's just you understeering... If it doesn't make the noise on minor power-overs but does on feint-style drifts you may just be understeering. Check out the outer shoulder of your tire for wear from understeer?

[D1GP]

The easiest way to check your ball joints and tie rods would be to jack up the front end. To check ball joints, grab the tire on top and bottom and wiggle back and forth while looking at the ball joint, if you see excessive play, they are bad. As for the tie rods, grab the tire on the sides and wiggle back and forth, if you see play on the tie rod ends and the inner tie rods, they need to go. Most 240s you can already tell if the ball joints or tie rods need replacing, just give them a visual inspection at first. If the boots are split, they need replacing.