2007 1.8 Handling

[michelangelo]

Anyone else had any problems with the stability/ handling of their 2007 1.8 Avensis (question specific to 1.8 as all ifferent versions have different steering).

If you had a problem what id mr T eventually say?

Mine has had problems since 2 months old. Eventually 'allegedly' tracked to wheel alignment, but after sorting, no significant difference.

[B3rtie]

Anyone else had any problems with the stability/ handling of their 2007 1.8 Avensis (question specific to 1.8 as all ifferent versions have different steering).

If you had a problem what id mr T eventually say?

Mine has had problems since 2 months old. Eventually 'allegedly' tracked to wheel alignment, but after sorting, no significant difference.

What sort of poor ride/handling characteristics are you getting?

[michelangelo]

Car very unstable/ twitchy. Constantly correcting car as it seems to 'wander' badly (wallows badly too). In windy weather the car is all over the place. Not looking forward to winter driving.

Probably my last Avensis/ Toyota.

[michelangelo]

Car very unstable/ twitchy. Constantly correcting car as it seems to 'wander' badly (wallows badly too). In windy weather the car is all over the place. Not looking forward to winter driving.

Probably my last Avensis/ Toyota.

[Mkuk0]

Try over inflating the tyres slightly,, up to about 37psi all round, someone posted here a fair while ago with similar problems and this seemed to help them as I recall.

[B3rtie]

Car very unstable/ twitchy. Constantly correcting car as it seems to 'wander' badly (wallows badly too). In windy weather the car is all over the place. Not looking forward to winter driving.

Probably my last Avensis/ Toyota.

From my experience of driving, Japanese cars all have a “lively ride” quality on British roads. This is mainly due to the rear suspension being McPherson Strut type design rather than trailing/semi trailing arms found on Fords and French makes. I own a 2002 Avensis 2.0 VVT-i at 90,000 miles which is no different to yours in terms of its overall characteristics - it wallows when really pushed through bumpy corners but has plenty of grip. If I was being really critical, slower speed cruising on motorways does require more steering input than I expected. I found that the car is slightly over sprung/underdamped meaning the dampers feel like they aren’t up to the job of controlling the movement of the springs over bumps. The Avensis does have a generally good ride quality so being “unstable” there must be something wrong.

I don’t know how many miles your car has done but I would say that even on a Toyota of this age there is some chance that the components are wearing. Some may not have been perfect from the factory so will wear faster than others i.e. a wheel bearing went on my Mini One at 35000 miles for “no reason”. The car has now done 79,000 miles and nothing else has broken although the car feels “slacker” than it did three years ago.

• Travelling straight ahead, on a straight road (try middle lane of a motorway), if you get a constant force or resistance one way it may point to the tracking being out one way or another. Tyres worn more on one side than the other also create this problem. You must remember the camber of the roads in the UK will lead to cars gently, but only gently, drifting left.

• If the car “snakes” generally it could point to wear in steering component. When bottom ball or steering joints wear they create this type of problem and are not that much to replace.

• If you feel that on a generally level/smooth road you are constantly “correcting” the steering it will pint to wear in one or more components. Without driving the car, I can’t really make a judgment on what the problem may be. Generally, wear will manifest itself in the steering, suspension and driveline. These should all be looked at for wear by a garage when the car is on a ramp. Wear in driveshafts on FWD cars I have found does make the car feel different and will affect steering weight.

• If the car wanders or steers over bumpy surfaces you may have or suspension damper wear. Excessively worn bushes can make knocking or thumping sounds over sudden bumps or cornering (one way to locate these is have someone drive whilst you sit in the middle of the back seat). Pay particular attention to the rear dampers of the car over bumps as FWD cars tend to be heavily influenced by the condition of the rear suspension. If the dampers are worn at the back you may get the front being knocked off course. I recently replaced just the rear dampers (perfectly useable) on a mkIII Escort with SPAX dampers on standard springs. The Escort was constantly being knocked off course over bumps and became unstable during cornering. The result was even on the roughest roads it would stay on its course.

Replacement Toyota dampers will cost you quite a bit, but if you have a high mileage car they are probably all shot anyway and it may be worth replacing them even if you passed an MOT. I have looked for aftermarket sports dampers for Avensis and there aren’t many on the market. Koni do a full spring and damper kit (I think) and for that you will trade off comfort for a sportier feel than existing dampers and will be a lot more stable at speed and no bounce!

Start with the most obvious and cost effective items first.

It’s worthwhile getting four wheel alignment done at a reputable place and ensure your tyres are matched side to side in terms of make and tread depth (front and rear) and that wear is consistent.

I have often noticed at alignment places that they come back and say “well the left is out by +1 and the right by -1 so the error is canceling itself out. Do you still want me to track it?” I always get them to set everything, front and rear to within factory tolerance and I always notice the difference it makes (but then again I am particular about these things)

You could start by rotating the tyres in the traditional way as this may make a change. (Tyres should be rotated every 3-6000 miles anyway but seldom are these days)

If the tyres are worn unevenly or are different makes replace them when the time comes with a full set of good quality tyres which suit your driving needs and style. This is particularly important if you are a “press-on” driver like me. Don’t “mix and match” brands or types. Only replace tyres if there are no other obvious problems remaining – i.e. if the wear on existing tyres looks uneven it points to a mechanical problem like tracking or component wear. Often changing the make of tyre (and/or compound) used dramatically alters the feel and stability of a car. When replacing tyres read up about them and make up your own mind since others always have things to say about their experiences with ‘particular’ brands

I wouldn’t recommend over/under inflating the tyres by a large amount unless you really know what you are doing as it does affect braking and steering characteristics. You might try going up or down by a small number of PSI from the factory recommendations to see how it “feels”.

I hope this might help in some way even if it is a lot to take in. Message me to say how any of this has gone.