Escort mkv crap steering...... HELP!!!! :-)

If there's no worn components, it sounds like there's too much toe-in or less likely a lot of toe-out. One wheel takes the priority for steering depending on weight transfer, so it's OK round bends as the weight is always on the outside tyre, but in a straight line it could be either side depending on road camber and any recent steering input from you, so it feels awful as it's trying to go in 2 directions alternatively. A little toe-in is commonly needed though for stability as it helps take up slack in the steering/wheel bearings etc. As your motor isn't standard then you can't expect the standard settings to work optimally. I would get the wheels set up to zero tracking, you may even be able to do this yourself as it's quite easy especially if the rear and front wheel tracks are the same as you can use line of sight along the tyre edges. Then mark up the adjustment arms so that you can always go back to this setting, and tweak the adjusters something like 1/8 of a turn at a time (longer arm for toe-in) with a test drive each time till you find the best setting. I've done things this way myself with no problems with tyre wear.

The message from "Shengis" contains these words:

You've buggered it up by lowering it and putting silly wheels on. Put everything back as it was and I betcha it'll behave.

What guy said, and have the suspension arms checked. Normally easiest to swap them for pattern parts rather than fix all the bushes.

This:

and this:

Would seem to be your problem.

Although the alternative is that you own a MkV Escort, which is enough in itself.

You've lowered it and put big wheels on.

HTH

Thanks for that mate. I was thinking along the same lines. You take a car for tracking and what do they do? Set it by the book without taking into account any changes from standard. Thing is I even took it to a ford specialist garage to get it done. First corner I went round after I left and there was an awful scraping noise that wasnt there 15mins before..... I've been searching on the net for info on how wheel width affects handling and havent been able to find anything really usefull. On the one hand i'm thinking of totally blaming the wheels but logically I have to ask, how can an extra 10mm of width make that much change in handling? Can't see it somehow, except of course when you add less flex in the tyres into the equation and therefore less ability on the tyres part to flatten itself onto the road. That was why I wondered about the correct pressure for the tyres. Well one way or another i'll get it sorted cos I can't give up my chrome barry boy wheels as they look too good on the car lol ;-)

:-) Can relate to the last bit lol. For the record I didn't have this problem with 15's (15x6.5 ET40) so while I don't TOTALLY discount the lowering as a cause (v. slight change in camber angle), I don't put it top of the list either. The more I think about it the more i'm convinced it's actually down to the tyres/toe setting more than anything else.

It's the combination of quite a severe drop on the suspension and the extra 2 inches of wheel diameter that are causing the problem.

You can often get away with silly sized wheels if you leave the suspension alone, or get away with a big drop if you leave the wheels alone (did this one on my Cinq - 5cm drop with the standard 13" alloys).

Bear in mind that the Escort was designed for 13" steels with a 175R13 tyre, with more upmarket versions having 14" alloys on a 185/60 tyre and it's easy to see why 205/40R17s bugger things up.

Bwahahahaha.

MkV Escorts are shit.

You going for an entry on chavscum?

Unfortunately, I have as yet been unable to train my cat to fling itself at my front door and wave its paws through the letterbox, so thats out LOL

It won't. He's a Kev and in true Kev style thinks that cos it fits it'll be OK.

She's used to it.

LOL. Top man ;-)