On my 1999 Saab 9-3- but only when I am not accelerating. As soon I slam the pedal down and get some turbo boost goin the wheel stiffens up. When I let go- its back to thudda thudda thudda.

I think I was told I have either bad front or rear struts and I know I have two bent rims. Are struts and suspension the same thing? I guess I don t really understand the concept of a struts- my brothers have trucks- and they spend $400 getting "shocks" replaced when the ride is shaky or bumpy. How come I have to shell out $1800 for a front strut "assembly"?

Is this acceleration/steering correlation common with those items being out of whack- or could it be something else causing the shaking? I want to get the struts and the rims fixed- but it s around $2500 for said repairs- maybe more if the front an back struts are out- if there s a quick fix it d be great.
Alignment is fairly good- I ve had it adjusted twice as a stop-gap solution- it did nothing. Car does drive in a straight line- thanks for asking.

After experiencing so much bouncing and swaying and unable to drive on the freeway- I replaced my brakes- rotors-control arm- all four tires- got an alignment- Wheel balancing and tire rotation- I was told by my dealer to replace all shocks and struts. I opted for Monroes Sensa Trac all the way around and also replaced the strut mounts. After this- I noticed a little improvement- but not much. The car still shakes and bounces and it is a very rough ride and my steering wheel feels like it is barely controlling the car. I took it to another garage and after test driving and inspecting it- he said the car was fine- but that my rack and pinion had a leak and one of my wheel bearing would need replacing soon because it was a little moveable. I was told that the Sensa Trac Strut do give a rough ride and that I should try KYB Monomax heavy duty for a smoother- more controlled ride. Before I do this- I just wanted to ask if this could be my solution or is there something else that could be wrong? Sorry this queation is so long- but I just wanted to give all details that may help with answering the question. I am a Nuclear Medicine Delivery person and I have to go out of town often and a dependable car is a must! Please help me figure this out. I bought the car new in 2005- so there has been no other owner! The car is a 2004 Suzuki Grand Vitara 4X4. ( 2.5 L- V6) Thanks in advance.

I understand that for most peple- this is a pretty contentious subject and far too varied to decide on just 5 but I ve been thinking about this one for ages and I d like to put it to the floor. After much deliberation myself- I ve decided on the following- in order:

#1 - Love Will Tear Us Apart - Joy Division

#2 - Can t You Hear Me Knocking - The Rolling Stones (Try walking down the street listening to that baby on your ipod without breaking into a strut!!)

#3 - The Boss - James Brown

#4 - Club Foot - Kasabian

#5 - Don t Look Back Into The Sun - The Libertines

Thanks for reading :o)

An old farmer decided it was time to get a new rooster for his
hens. The current rooster was still doing an okay job- but he was
getting on in years. The farmer figured getting a new rooster
couldn t hurt anything. So he buys a young cock from the local
rooster emporium- and turns him loose in the barn yard.

Well- the old rooster sees the young one strutting around and he
gets a little worried.

"So- they re trying to replace me-" thinks the old rooster. "I ve
got to do something about this."

He walks up to the new bird and says- "So you re the new stud in
town? I bet you really think you re hot stuff- don t you? Well
I m not ready for the chopping block yet. I ll bet I m still the
better bird. And to prove it- I challenge you to a race around
that hen house over there. We ll run around it ten times and
whoever finishes first gets to have all the hens for himself."
Well- the young rooster was a proud sort- and he definitely
thought he was more than a match for the old guy. "You re on-"
said the young rooster. "and since I know I m so great- I ll even
give you a head start of half a lap. I ll still win easy."

So the two roosters go over to the hen house to start the race
with all the hens gathering around to watch. The race begins and
all the hens start cheering the roosters on. After the first lap-
the old rooster is still maintaining his lead. After the second
lap- the old guy s lead has slipped a little but he s still
hanging in there.

Unfortunately the old rooster s lead continues to slip each time
around- and by the fifth lap he s just barely in front of the
young rooster. By now the farmer has heard all the commotion. He
runs into the house- gets his shotgun- and runs out to the barn
yard figuring a fox or something is after his chickens.
When he
gets there- he sees the two roosters running around the hen
house- with the old rooster still slightly in the lead.

He immediately takes his shotgun- aims- fires- and blows the
young rooster away. As he walks away slowly- he says to himself-

"Damn- that s the third gay rooster I ve bought this month."

I have an 87 Camaro and I got the suspension checked at Midas. They said I need new sway bars- shocks- and struts- tie rod end outers- idler arm- pitman arm- and to repack front wheel bearings. I would like to get it done but I dont want to waste $2grand for it. How important is it?? It rides o.k. in my opinion But do I run any risks?? If so in what order should I fix em?
The only thing I feel wrong is the shocks are dead- and everything looks old- but no bent or broken pieces.