Tom, Why would you be whackin a curb or a pothole??? Don't you like your AMC??? :-) You may be correct about the rougher ride part and the shock being worse. I'll give you that much. I've put poly bushings in the white Javelin's strut rods and not really noticed a rougher more shocking ride........... but then I try not to hit pot holes and curbs. I am however very cautious about how I raise the car up at the front, because I have noticed the difference in the stiffness at the strut rods when the suspension is at full droop. I have devised a block method that I place under the lower arm at the sway bar connection and raise the car up one side at a time and place blocks under the wheels. Actually I very seldom put the car in the air anymore at all to avoid this issue. I fear the lower arms or the strut rods won't be able to handle that deflection. I actually remove the summer wheels and tires and place the old steel slots and old tires on the car for winter storage at ground level. When I was racing I don't recall people referring to bump steer as only caused by the steering linkage being incorrect....... If the suspension geometry was wrong it could also induce bumpsteer, by changing toe, caster or camber. Armand ----- Original Message ----- From: "Tom Jennings" <tomj@xxxxxxx> To: "AMC/Rambler owners, drivers and fans." <amc-list@xxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Tuesday, October 07, 2008 9:17 PM Subject: Re: [Amc-list] Strut rod eliminators > Armand Eshleman wrote: > > > Wouldn't > > the rubber in the upper arm and lower arm mounts to the chassis still take > > up a lot of the road shock? > > There's not a lot of rubber in those places! Some minor misalignment and > high-frequency vibration isolation. > > > > It isn't the strut rod bushings that take all of > > this shock. I think this guy has it correct. Less bump steer equals less > > driving fatigue. > > The strut bush takes curb-whack or pothole energy that would break > things. I think that the strut "gettin shorter" when the bush compresses > causes toe change -- toe IN -- the steering linkage stays the same > width, but as the lower arm arcs backwards the distance from the > balljoint to the frame *shortens* a tiny bit. I bet AMC thought of this > too; the steering linkage (tie rod ends etc) and the lower arm remain > nearly perfectly parallel, causing little toe change. > > Bump steer, I think, is the name only for the geometry change caused by > the steering linkage not being parallel to, and in the same plane with, > the A-arms (real and virtual). Maybe it applies to the forces in other > directions. > > > But for us non-racers, the main thing the strut bushing does, besides > pivot, is keep us from crackin things when we whack a curb or pothole. > > Do we have and road race chassis people here? I'm sure no expert. > _______________________________________________ > Amc-list mailing list > Amc-list@xxxxxxxxxxxx > http://splatter.wps.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/amc-list > > > > -- > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG. > Version: 7.5.524 / Virus Database: 270.7.6/1710 - Release Date: 10/6/08 9:23 AM > > _______________________________________________ Amc-list mailing list Amc-list@xxxxxxxxxxxx http://splatter.wps.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/amc-list