2006 V70 2.5t - nervous steering

My car feels a little bit like driving in a strong wind. It seems to like tracking grooves in the road, or the raised lane markings. It's not extreme and doesn't feel dangerous, but it's annoying as I know how solid the car can feel.

I have about 40000 miles on Volvo lower control arms with factory bushings. Inner and outer control arms, ball joints, struts and strut bearings and that top strut mount.
Since last November, I have new Volvo subframe bushings installed and just installed new hubs/bearings and rotors/pads.

The car still feels a little nervous, and the only things I can think of right now would be tires (mine are getting on in age, but have plenty of rubber left), engine mounts and I might need to redo the upper and lower torque mounts.

Is it possible that tires/engine mounts might cause the car to feel this way?


One thing I am wondering about is if the dealership that installed the new subframe bushings might have screwed something up, but I can't see how (they're either installed or not).

Is there anything else I am missing? When I grab the wheels at 9 and 3 and wiggle, there's no looseness and any slight motion will instantly move the steering wheel. Same thing with wiggling the wheel at 12 and 6. No clunk or movement that I can detect.

Have you had the tracking checked?

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Originally Posted by Dangerous Dave

Have you had the tracking checked?

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I have, yes. It was done as part of the subframe bushing replacement (I just saw that Kaplhenke has P2 delrin bushings available!) after which the dealership neglected to tell me that I had a torn CV boot, so I replaced the axle and then had to align it again.

In talking to some other people, given that it got better with replacing the hubs, it seems likely that my aging tires are the culprits. I still have some miles left on them before replacement, but maybe I need to wait for that to rule out that I am chasing a ghost and it's only a tire problem.

What brand/spec are the current tyres?

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Originally Posted by uqj83l

What brand/spec are the current tyres?

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Continental ContiAttack (or ContiExtreme?) DWS. 225/45/17. I bought them in 2011, so I wonder if it's possible that just due to age, they're ... marginal and exhibit weird behavior. I did rotate them and didn't notice a difference, but unfortunately I used up my other set of wheels so until I buy a new set of tires I won't know for sure.

You mean you haven't had your tyres changed in 9 years?!?

Mine don't last 18 months :D

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Originally Posted by Dangerous Dave

You mean you haven't had your tyres changed in 9 years?!?

Mine don't last 18 months :D

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Hahaha, yeah. Well, I get a little crazy sometimes and pick up other stuff. I found a set of Canistos for a good price. With tires. I used them for a year, then wanted to try out some Michelin Primacy MXM4s on them, so I ran them for a few years, then I finally realized I had to use these tires before they expire from old age (and I think a decade is about it - sooner if the tires are the issue here). So now I'm using them up.

That may well be you problem.