Hello all,

I inherited a 98 base model last September. I've always loved the Mark VIIs and my father-in-law was nice enough to give me his when he was done with it. I check in here from time to time just to see what's new and can't thank everyone enough for all the wisdom... it's already saved me a ton of time and money. Now, a little history (the short version)...

98 base model, 104k, stock
The wife ran into a curb 2 months after I got the car (fresh rain/slick roads). Front end components looked ok on initial inspection. 1 new wheel and 4 new tires and everything seemed fine (shop didn't find anything bent/broken). Finally, my issue...

The steering feels mushy. It doesn't feel as precise as before. There's no play in the wheel and I had it back in for front brakes yesterday and had them check everything again. I've pretty much come to the conclusion that it's the tires. But wanted to see if anyone had other ideas. Due to unfortunate timing I had to go with some unfamiliar tires... Dunlop (not sure of the model) touring tires. Firgured they'd be fine since I don't do any racing and rarely get too aggresive. Since I don't have a ton of driving time with the Mark I wanted to run it by everyone here and see if I might be missing something. Don't really want to buy another set of tires but this is really annoying.

Sorry for the long post. Thanks again!

KEEP AUSTIN WEIRD!!!

as for your tires, if you put a "touring tire" on the car it might have a very soft sidewall, that will produce the symptoms you describe.
the stock size 225-60-16 already has a large sidewall.

I run a 245-50-16 tire all the way around on my 98.. and I love the way the car rides, drives, and handles.

The shorter stiffer sidewall goes along way in taking the "mush" out of the Mark 8 steering feel.

If you ever get close to houston, let us know...

Is it mushy all the time or does it feel mushier the fast you go?

The steering in the 98's is variable assist and it might be assisting too much at higher speeds.

aahhh, it does seem to get worse at highway speed. thanks for that little bit of info... did not know that.

when i got the car it had some Michelin MXVs and it seemed to handle so much better so I'm pretty convinced it's the tires. I should have known better... I had a similar issue with my Acura Legend years ago and ended up getting new tires after 5k mi. Luckily, someone bought my "old" set to offset the cost.

Thanks for the replies.

ps don't get to H-town much but will let you know if I make it to your area.

245/50/16 is a sweet size!