Jumping PT suspension ??

[Ctown]

1st off I have a 100% stock 01 LE PT with new Poly bushings.

The car suspension feels OK on flat smooth roads but when I go over random continous small bumps road going 50+mph sometimes I can feel the car is jumping from side to side. It's the feeling that all 4 wheels lost contact with the road. Sometimes only the rear would jump and u can feel it jump from right to left. It would be fine if on dry roads but on wet and snow the car would 100% spin out.

I know the PT has a floaty? spongy boat feel suspension but this is a little dangerous.

I have checked the struts and shocks and they're still OK. Is it the:

1)Shocks are too old?
2)It just the OEM springs?
3)It's the sway bars? (big would be better?)
4)it's the design of the suspension and there nothing we can do to make it feel like a BM?
5)New wheels&tires

[MichaelDay]

quote:Originally posted by Ctown

The car suspension feels OK on flat smooth roads but when I go over random continous small bumps road going 50+mph sometimes I can feel the car is jumping from side to side. It's the feeling that all 4 wheels lost contact with the road. Sometimes only the rear would jump and u can feel it jump from right to left. It would be fine if on dry roads but on wet and snow the car would 100% spin out.

I know the PT has a floaty? spongy boat feel suspension but this is a little dangerous.

I have checked the struts and shocks and they're still OK. Is it the:

1)Shocks are too old?
2)It just the OEM springs?
3)It's the sway bars? (big would be better?)
4)it's the design of the suspension and there nothing we can do to make it feel like a BM?
5)New wheels&tires

OK, let's look at the dynamics of the situation. You feel you are losing contact with the ground when you hit small bumps at 50 mph. This did not occur until you replaced the bushings. The stiffer bushings do need time to "settle in". After that, hopefully you not still have the sideways motion problem. Bigger sway bars would make the problem you have having worse. Lighter wheels and tires would help but shouldn't be necessary. Your springs are both worn and soft but that should actually help in the situation you are describing. The softer the spring and the more travel the spring has, the less likely the car will want to move sideways on rough roads. The old Citroen 2CV's were noted for leaning like crazy on curves but they ate up rough French roads like crazy with lot's of wheel travel. The PT has much more limited wheel travel.

Shocks, particularly in the rear where your problem is probably coming from based on your description, could be a contributing factor.

Let the bushings settle in, make sure they were installed correctly and if a few miles doesn't solve the problem, you either need new shocks or softer bushings.

[quicksilverdon]

My bet is tires - you just got new ones? What'd you get in the way of tires? I noticed the Good-for-a-years would wander - I got used to it. Try varying tire pressure. [:I]

[Sci-Fi]

Time for new shocks and struts.

[RallyDRock]

agree with sci-fi feeling loss of suspension control is definitely the struts and shocks. Remember CTown is from NYC, home of the second worst roads. (detroit is the worst)

go with monroe for stock feel $
KYB or tocico for an upgrade $$
koni for maximum control and lifetime warantee $$$

[SteelBlueGT]

BTW I just ordered Tokico's on eBay for $240.00 delivered to my door.

[1ptturbo]

Was this problem present before the bushings were installed?

Which bushings were replaced?

What,if anything, else was done before this problem started?

Lets not throw parts at something until you know what the cause is and without actually driving it, that can be difficult.
[8)]

[Cal Cruzer]

How many miles do you have on the car first of all. This will give us a better indication of wear items.