[idosubaru]

At 50+mph, the back end of my 2002 OBW H6 VDC seems to slide, when it hits a bump, a few inches from one side to the other and back again, I don't know how else to explain it, it is strange. Without hitting a bump it drives and feels perfectly normal.

Had some sagging issues if I had like 500 pounds in the car (like 3 people in the back seat or gear in the back), the rear drivers side would sit so low the tire would rub. I put more weight on the passengers side to make it home without rubbing on a long trip. Without weight in the car it drove perfectly normal.

I installed new struts and springs and i assume that issue is corrected, though I haven't loaded the car since then either. And i haven't driven at highway speeds since the spring replacement but it still seems a bit off in terms of the sliding issue.

I yanked on sway bars and links underneath, nothing obvious. Really isn't much rust to speak of, just standard for here rust, no rotting.

200,000 miles
New rear struts and springs
Front struts are original (hands head in shame LOL).

Anything else to look out for?

Could bushings cause something this drastic?

 

[subiesailor]

Tire inflation - and whatever it is you replaced the rears with could be the issue.

 

[idosubaru]

Tire inflation

Really? What would that do , I've never heard of tires causing a car to drift and slide. They appear fine and hold proper air pressure.

whatever it is you replaced the rears with could be the issue.

Oh yeah, KYB GR-2's.

 

[subiesailor]

"seems to slide, when it hits a bump"

Over inflated rear tires will cause any car to do this

Stiff springs - and shocks that don't dampen enough will allow the tires to bounce ie loose contact with the pavement and also cause this. Anything that increases the chances or allows the tires to skip ie leave the pavement when they hit a rough patch will give someone "seems to slide, when it hits a bump" this experience

 

[idosubaru]

they're not overinflated, but one tire was in really bad shape, it's getting replaced as i type.

new KYB's and springs everyone else is using. here's the timeline of the struts/springs before i ever had this issue to now:

1. all original rear suspension with 200,000 miles. rear passengers side tire was wearing quickly, faster than the rest. I thought I heard some sliding on gravel patches and tight turns. alignment didn't help, I replaced the rear struts.

2. rear drivers side started sagging with excessive weight on that side and the tire would rub - like 3 people and lots of gear in the back. but car drove perfectly otherwise.

3. then this sliding type issue crept up two months later.

i installed new rear Subaru springs for a baja...i can't be certain until i take it on the interstate but it seemed twitchy still.

 

[idosubaru]

this car drives great now - new springs solved the issue.

it was so bad that i was nervous to drive it after installing the springs. have put a few loaded trips on it now and it runs great. oddly - there were no visible issues with the old spring and it looked just like the other side.

i can not exaggerate how bad it handled before the springs were replaced - the car would jump sideways in the rear...so much so that i wouldn't have believed it possible if someone else described it without feeling it myself - the car would then oscillate and fishtail....very dangerous and basically had to drive it under 50mph to keep it from happening, it would have been a matter of time before the vehicle lost control to keep driving it like that.

 

[98Scooby]

Improper alignment could possibly be the cause, I had a similar issue, when to get an alignment one of my rear tires was toed out a bit, doesn't skip anymore

 

[plain OM]

this car drives great now - new springs solved the issue.

I'm somewhat puzzled by the time line. If I read the thread correctly, it appears that you had installed Baja springs some time ago, and had the sagging problem, but since then "new springs solved the issue". If this is correct, then the Baja springs, or at least one of them, were either incorrect or defective.

Or is it the Baja springs that corrected the sagging . . .?

 

[idosubaru]

Sorry - it's confusing because I posted this thinking there was still an issue - but there wasn't...it took me awhile to get it over 50mph with a lot of weight in the car...i was guessing from in town driving.

Installed new rear struts
2 months later - massive sagging at rear drivers side door
1 or 2 months after that - performance issues - the abrupt fishtailing at 50+mph
Installed new springs and issue went away.

Car has 200,000+ miles.

When I first installed the springs I posted this thread as i was nervous and seemed to still be twitchy...but it wasn't, it was just an artifact of me being nervous driving the thing. I was just going by in town driving (which rarely gets to 50 mph) and I usually don't have 3 adults in the car....so i was just going by perception...it took awhile before i got some highway miles and loaded down weight in the car to verify that the issue was solved.

 

[nipper]

With the multilink suspension, ride height throws off the geometry of the rear wheels.

New springs, new springs from what or whom or whom and what