Firm ride & highway speed bouncing questions?

American Muscle

Registered User
Hey guys ive been leaving my firm ride on auto and have noticed that it turns on randomly. Does anyone know what makes it turn on when on auto? The second thing is when i was driving it home i noticed that the car shook at highway speeds. Now the guy i bought it from said the tire went flat so he added some of that sealer to the tire but let it sit for like 1-2 days. would all of that make that rear tire unbalanced and shake like hell? Otherwise im thinking possible suspension problems or something.
 
There are certain conditions that will turn on the ride control when it is in auto.
1) exceeding I think it is 83 mph
2) aggressive acceleration
3) aggressive cornering
4) aggressive braking

I don't remember if that is it or not. I keep mine on all the time anyway, so it's been a long time since I paid attention to what it takes to turn it on. I also don't remember if it was on this site (like FAQ) or in a manual that told me when it turns on. That's just going off memory from a while ago. It'll give you a good idea though.
 
fyi re: when does firm ride come on when set to automatic..

Brake Sensor - when brake system hydraulic pressure over 400 psi is communicated to the ARC - it activates FIRM ride setting

Acceleration Signal - when EEC communicates large throtlle openings to the ARC it activates FIRM

Steering Sensor -cornering forces over above 0.35 G will activate "FIRM" setting

Speed - when driving over 140 km/hr (i think that is about 75 mph? ) the FIRM setting also comes on - at least on my car !!

btw - if you have a bad tire - or even an unbalanced one - you will definitely feel it while driving - especially at higher speeds- it may not be wise to drive around until you get the tire checked, repaired or replaced.

cheers !!
 
Tires

Man, I can vouch for the tire balance issue on these cars; they're very sensitive to proper balance. When I bought my white '89, it had been in storage for about 5 years, sitting in one place. I started on the trip home, and thought the flat spots would work themselves out. I could only take it for about 50 miles before I had to stop at the first tire shop I could find for new tires. I had about a 1200 mile trip to get home, and those tires would have shook the car apart.

Get those tires on a good balancer and see what you've got. If they can't re-balance them perfectly, get new tires. You'll be glad...

JD
 
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