Help diagnose this steering problem...

[summers3d]

My car seems to be following ruts in the road, which I think is normal for these cars (correct me if I'm wrong). The problem is that this movement does not translate to the steering wheel, so the car seems to wander around the road. Where should I look first?
Thanks,
-David

[summers3d]

Please?

[na2ub]

Assuming your diagnosis is correct, you need to check for worn suspesion parts. Jack up the front, and with a helper holding the steering wheel, wobble the front wheels by hand. Areas of looseness are: Tie rod ends, wheel bearings (a VERY slight wobble is ok), and maybe ball joints. I suppose it could be your steering rack, too. Try this and see if you can mimick the loosness, noting what moves and what does not when you do it.

Wandering front wheels can also be an alignment issue, but the lack of transmission of movement to the steering wheel would suggest other culprits.

Doug

[nhromyak]

My worn BFG RE730s did this. This was about 1/4" before the wear bars...

What tires are you running?

[Early_S_Man]

That sounds more like a tire characteristic [I hesitate to say PROBLEM] than something caused by any suspension condition or problem. Similar reports to Road & Track have been attributed to specific brand and model tires ... over many, many years!