Suspension and Braking woes.

[MartynC]

Hi, i've been having some braking and suspension issues with my Roadster, which i'm hoping are related and that the knowledgeable folk on here can point me in the right direction to fix, so no pressure
The braking issue is that when I brake gently the car pulls up straight A's it should, however if I apply the brakes with medium pressure, the rear of the car seems to pull to the right.
I've replaced all the brake pads, and the calipers all slide and are not seized. The tyres are all Continentals, the correct sizes, are staggered and at the correct pressures with plenty of tread remaining.
The suspension issue is that when cornering, such as going around a roundabout, the rear of the car can feel loose, and feels like it suddenly jumps. It's a difficult sensation to describe but considering these are great handling sports cars, mine doesn't feel right.
My thoughts are that either the shocks need replacing or the rubber suspension bushes.
Would either of these cause the issues I'm having?
Any help would be greatly received, thanks 

[Ardent]

Any work done to the cross member or anything recently?
A Memeber on here The Other Stu reported what I belieive to be similar charateristics as you describe.
Went round all of the rear checking everything was torqued up correctly. Something wasn't. Torqued it up. Hey presto.

On the subject of cross members have you checked yours. I mean up close and personal.
Unlikely to be bushes.
Suspension will always benefit from a re-fresh.
Has it been doing it long or just recently?
Any oter work done to it?
Geo?

Lets start at the cheap end.
Check everything is torqued up.

[shnazzle]

First thought was subframe.
It's definitely something in the rear.
Makes sense; if you stamp on the brakes the weight transfers forwards so the front takes the brunt.

Brake with medium force and the car settles on all fours and any misalignment in the rear will show its ugly head.
Try sudden acceleration to test that theory. 2nd gear,  straight clear road, 3.5krpm, hold it, then drop the accelerator to the floor quickly just long enough to feel the car. Does it veer left or right?

Then really it needs to get on a ramp and have a good hard look at all the suspension components. Snapped rods? Look/push/pull/wiggle. Subframe ok? Play in wheels? Bolts tight?

[MartynC]

Thanks for the suggestions both, I did a quick look at the subframe when I was changing the rear pads and it looked in good condition so don't think and hoping that's not the cause.
Also had a quick look at all the suspension arms etc and nothing seemed out of place / broken. When changing the pads, one of the rear passenger side ones had the brake material lifting from the metal plate and the metal brake was slightly bent so thought this was causing the car to pull to the right, but with new pads it's still doing it. Strangely if I brake really hard, I don't notice the pulling?
Weather permitting i'll get her jacked up on the weekend and ensure all suspension bolts are correctly torqued and have a more thorough poke around.
Is there a list of the correct torque settings available on the site?
Thanks again both

[Carolyn]

Thanks for the suggestions both, I did a quick look at the subframe when I was changing the rear pads and it looked in good condition so don't think and hoping that's not the cause.
Also had a quick look at all the suspension arms etc and nothing seemed out of place / broken. When changing the pads, one of the rear passenger side ones had the brake material lifting from the metal plate and the metal brake was slightly bent so thought this was causing the car to pull to the right, but with new pads it's still doing it. Strangely if I brake really hard, I don't notice the pulling?
Weather permitting i'll get her jacked up on the weekend and ensure all suspension bolts are correctly torqued and have a more thorough poke around.
Is there a list of the correct torque settings available on the site?
Thanks again both

The partly separated pad indicates a pad sticking in the stainless steel spring clips.  This is caused by corrosion building up behind the clips.  The pad should slide in its mounts.  I suspect the new pad is also sticking.  If you take the pads out, make note or take a pic of how the clips go in (they're handed), take the clips out and remove the rust in the pad slots with a square file.  Clean the clips and put it all back together.   That should cure it.

Edit:  We saw the same thing on Other Stu's car when he came here for brake problems.  The loose suspension was the aftermath of replacing a bad sub-frame.  He'd bought new calipers and cables, but when we took the old calipers off the car -they were working fine on the bench and the cables were moving fine as well.  It's easy to overlook the need for the pad to move in its mounts.

[Carolyn]

Torques: N-m   Ft-Lb

Suspension support x Body 80  59
Shock absorber center nut 73  54
Strut rod x Suspension member 78  58
No. 1 lower suspension arm x Suspension member 87  64
No. 2 lower suspension arm x Suspension member 87  64
Stabilizer bar bracket set bolt 39  29
Stabilizer bar link set nut 44  32

[james_ly]

I'd get the alignment checked, I've had it on previous cars where the car feels 'weird' but tracks in a straight line, but in fact the toe was way out and had worn the tyres on one side.

[MartynC]

Thanks for the suggestions Carolyn, I was hoping to report back today and confirm that you were correct but unfortunately the traditional Welsh summer weather has returned this weekend so haven't had a chance to look at the brakes. Hopefully the sun will return on Wednesday so I'll have a chance to look then