EPAS Terrible Shudder

[Napoleon85]

I now have the shudder but only when advancetrak is turned off. If the nannies are on then i have no shudder.

That's most likely active nibble control - your wheels probably need balanced.

 

[Sky Render]

That's most likely active nibble control - your wheels probably need balanced.

No.

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[Napoleon85]

No.

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Care to elaborate? My car did this since day one on completely stock suspension until I replaced the factory 19" wheels that are apparently difficult to balance.

 

[cyclerick]

Any alteration to wheel sizes (sometimes, not always), tire sizes or tire compound (R), larger brakes or suspension changes can result in the EPAS shudder. Got mine after bump steer kit and also after big brake package. It's kind of unpredictable at times. Some changes may cause it, some don't.

 

[Jefro]

I did the Steeda x11 ball joints and bumpsteer kit over the winter. It just recently got warm enough here to try it out and it seems to have improved. Not completely gone but tolerable.

 

[JEWC_Motorsports]

It just started. Wheels were road force balanced when i had an alignment done 3 weeks ago. It just started happening a week or so ago. Its only when advancetrak is off. In sport mode and stock mode it does not do it. I hardly think its an out of balance wheel since it drives like a dream in the other 2 modes.

 

[black2008gt]

Thinking i have the EPAS shudder. Only 21k on the car........ guess ill start saving for the FRPP rack.

 

[steveespo]

I have the EPAS rack installed and it really is much better than the stock Brembo rack in my '11. Eliminated the crazy shake on track and the feel/weight of the steering is much improved. Worth the $1000 if you plan on changing the front control arm bushings and tracking the car. If not, get Ford to fix it under warranty, should not happen on stock cars under normal driving conditions.
Steve

 

[black2008gt]

Yeah I am going to have them fix it. Mine is not as bad just a slight back and forth motion of the steering wheel around 60 to 70 quite annoying.

 

[Full_Tilt]

Anybody ever opened one of these steering racks up and looked at the electronics inside?
At this late date it may be too complex for anybody to figure anything out, but we might get lucky and find that there is a common microcontroller in there that can be read. Then maybe the firmware could be modified to fix this crap.

This is a great example of the things that bum me out about this car. Id love to get rid of that big oil filled bushing and replace it with delrin or something. Should be a good cheap mod to help with the numb front suspension, but in order to do so you have to spend a grand on a replacement steering rack with different firmware on it? wtf is that?
This is why my shit is still so stock.

 

[Napoleon85]

Anybody ever opened one of these steering racks up and looked at the electronics inside?
At this late date it may be too complex for anybody to figure anything out, but we might get lucky and find that there is a common microcontroller in there that can be read. Then maybe the firmware could be modified to fix this crap.

This is a great example of the things that bum me out about this car. Id love to get rid of that big oil filled bushing and replace it with delrin or something. Should be a good cheap mod to help with the numb front suspension, but in order to do so you have to spend a grand on a replacement steering rack with different firmware on it? wtf is that?
This is why my shit is still so stock.

As much as I'd love to see that happen, I doubt that any solution that could be derived by someone with the appropriate equipment and skills would cost less than the replacement rack anyways. I'm with you, it's definitely a bummer, but I guess this is part of the price to pay for all this high tech stuff ...

 

[superslow86]

It just started. Wheels were road force balanced when i had an alignment done 3 weeks ago. It just started happening a week or so ago. Its only when advancetrak is off. In sport mode and stock mode it does not do it. I hardly think its an out of balance wheel since it drives like a dream in the other 2 modes.

I just noticed that mine does this as well. I have been turning off advance trac instread of using sport mode lately and aroun 65-80 I can feel a shake in the steering wheel. Seems to be signifacantly less noticeable in sport mode and in normal mode/stock.

 

[Sky Render]

This is why my shit is still so stock.

As long as you don't touch the front control arms or bushings, you can pretty much go hog wild with suspension mods. I even run 285 tires up front with no issues.

 

[Full_Tilt]

As long as you don't touch the front control arms or bushings, you can pretty much go hog wild with suspension mods. I even run 285 tires up front with no issues.

Im planning on doing springs, yellows, and camber plates pretty soon, but you knwo what Im saying. According to Vorshlag there is a lot to be gained with that bushing, and its not to hard on the bank account either, except for this whole EPAS mess.
This cars steering feels super numb to me and Id love to figure out how to fix it. Of course after driving a Miata for 7 years Im a bit spoiled.

 

[cyclerick]

As long as you don't touch the front control arms or bushings, you can pretty much go hog wild with suspension mods. I even run 285 tires up front with no issues.

Mine happened with a bigger brake package on a CS (non Brembo GT). Went to 6P, 14" (F&R)

 

[cyclerick]

Okay 302R EPAS got rid of my horrible shudder. Now I'm left with a very minor steering vibration which has to be a slight out of balance front wheel.

 

[BMR Tech]

Well, the bug has bitten us. Our 2011 started this shudder over the weekend and we duplicated it again today.

Our full front suspension, IIRC, went on about 13k miles ago, around March 2011.

I'll update when we do some digging and fixing.

 

[Napoleon85]

Well, the bug has bitten us. Our 2011 started this shudder over the weekend and we duplicated it again today.

Our full front suspension, IIRC, went on about 13k miles ago, around March 2011.

I'll update when we do some digging and fixing.

Definitely a bummer, but not surprising to hear. I seem to recall some people saying the heat really brings this out, and it's been quite warm the last few weeks. Are you going to get the FRPP rack?

 

[2013DIBGT]

This whole shudder mess really blows since it appears to be exaggerated by adding stiffer FCA bushings which just so happen to fix the other mess some of us are experiencing with a clunking front end due to the control arm bushing loosing any bushing like behavior they were designed to provide.

Seems like what ever Puss Ford chose to fill the hydro bushings with has very little heat resistance before turning to into the consistency of water causing all the slop up there.

Its like a classic domino effect. Maybe some of the problems can be squashed upstream of all these other parts by a heat shield or something between the Cats and the FCA bushing location to help the fluid stay cool inside the bushings. Its my understanding that they are very close to one another

 

[captdistraction]

Well, the bug has bitten us. Our 2011 started this shudder over the weekend and we duplicated it again today.

Our full front suspension, IIRC, went on about 13k miles ago, around March 2011.

I'll update when we do some digging and fixing.

Same here. Though it happened the moment I changed the FCA bushings. It used to be pretty minute, just an annoyance, now the car is absolutely unstable in corners from the shudder. I can guarantee no fasteners are loose on my car, as they'd otherwise be gone.

Working to save up to buy the 302R rack. Thanks Ford for such a "cheap" fix.