It's Spring here in the Southeast and Spring means wind, lots of it. After adding the bigger Coopers to the Tracker it has become almost uncontrollable in high wind. Do I need a Steering Stabilizer or is this something that I just have to live with? :-/

A stock Trucklet is almost uncontrolable
in the wind, I swear if somebody sneezes out
the car window I go over half a lane, I think
it's a live with it issue, Sorry  

Wild

I'LL TELL YA THE WIND REALLY MESSES WITH MY KICK, ON 32'S........YOU'LL BE DRIVING ALONG AND THEN WOOOOSH  YOUR ROCKING THE STEERING WHEEL BACK & FORTH JUST TO STAY IN YOUR LANE. IT USED TO BE A BIT SCARY, LIKE WHAT THE HELL , IS THERE SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE FRONT OF THIS THING OR WHAT. AFTER A FEW ROADSIDE INSPECTIONS & ALL APPEARED TO BE WELL , SO NOW I JUST FEEL AS IF I'M IN MY UPS TRUCK THAT HAS ATLEAST 3- 6" OF PLAY IN THE WHEEL . BUT HELL ITS GOT 655,000 MILES ON IT, SO I GUESS ITS LUCKY TO STILL BE GOING DOWN THE ROAD. THE BEST IS WHEN YOUR STEERING INTO THE WIND OUT IN THE  FLATS, AND THE WIND STOPS, & YOU NOW CROSS OVER THE LINE & PEOPLE THINK YOUR SWERVING AT THEM   SO I GUESS ITS A LIVE WITH ISSUE. MATTY D.  

The Sidekick/Tracker are very prone to high winds.  I've had some freaky moments too, especailly out in the country, but nothing overly serious.

i have just a stocker..but when i switched to a hard top the wind has kind of left me alone..head winds or side winds i can drive across the bay bridge and dumbarten bridge w.o vering all over the road lol

Open your windows - remove your doors - wind passes right on through.

i have just a stocker..but when i switched to a hard top the wind has kind of left me alone..head winds or side winds i can drive across the bay bridge and dumbarten bridge w.o vering all over the road lol

Very interesting! I find it hard to accept that a vehicle so well engineered would handle so poorly in a windy situation. There has to be a cause.
Upon further inspection it seems I have a bad sway bar bushing. It may be the problem.

they do have a wind problem just because of the ammont of surface area on the sides and lack of weight..but what may be for u is that the problem is even worse because of the bushing or some other thing..u should feel out of controll in the car just the wind should be more of a presence then in other cars

my tracker is all over the road too. I think its probably just cause they don't weigh anything and they are shaped like a block. Not exactly aerodynamic.

With the stock uni-won't royals, handling in high winds was a bit of an adventure.......even in a stock 4 door!  :-/

Since I installed Cooper Weathermasters, that issue is not nearly as bad but its still there.  Makes the bunghole pucker up big time when an 18 wheeler is a hammerin' down in the left lane and you're on a rather high bridge!  

It seems Autozone sells greasable poly bushings and brackets for the sway bar. Anybody know what the sway bar diameter is on a '96 Soft Top Tracker?

Wind is my worst enemy. Weve had 35mph winds lately and they have been kickin my rigs ass all over the place. One day last week I was driving into a nasty headwind and had to shift into 3rd! My top speed was only 42mph for at least a mile. The way home was a breeze....


I really hate the sidewinds. Most of the time its just a little anoying but the other day I actually got off the freeway and took sideroads.  However, I did see other vehicles having trouble too.

Mike

why does shifting into 3rd help with the wind? i dont understand

i know im slow bare with me =)

A little update. I crawled under the Zook today and it was worse than I thought. Seems the Auto Trans Lines had been leaking just enough to ruin the rubber sway bar bushing, it's turned to jello. Put a caliper on the bar and comes out to be 24mm. Of course Autozone doesn't stock this size and I have to order it. Does anybody have experience with Energy Suspension Products, good stuff?

why does shifting into 3rd help with the wind? i dont understand

i know im slow bare with me =)

Cause I was bogging out in 4th and 5th. The headwind was that strong.

Mike