'99 Blazer rear end feels loose
 

I'm having a strange problem with a '99 Blazer. The rear end has gotten "loose" over the past few weeks. When I turn corners, it feels wobbly and like I'm losing traction and will slide too easily. It got interesting when I hit a cloverleaf off-ramp at normal speed (brisk, but not excessive) and it went into a pretty good skid. I caught it and kept going with no problem, but I'm not sure that other drivers in the family wouldn't have had an accident.

I've checked the rear tires and they're up full - that's usually the problem when the rear end feels loose and unglued. It's not air pressure, and unless there's something wrong on the inner wall of a tire, it's not the tires. The problem is worse when turning right (and transferring weight to the left) than it is when turning left. I even feel it on low-speed corners, like turning a 90-degree corner in town - the rear end often feels like it's trying to slide out, although it doesn't.

I haven't been underneath this vehicle yet because I'm in northern Colorado and the weather has been colder than a welldigger's brass monkey. However, it's going to be above freezing this week for the first time in six weeks, so I can get a look without freezing my butt off. I'd welcome ideas of where to look...is there any component that I ought to really check out?

Thanks in advance....

RE: '99 Blazer rear end feels loose
 

Follow-up:

I had a shop check it and nothing obvious was broken, but the shocks were gone and the LF hub was getting loose, so after checking some threads here I bought Monroe Reflex shocks and installed them last weekend. I haven't driven it enough yet to know whether it's improved at all or not. I suspect that one problem is indeed the temps near freezing here - roads get real slippery.

I'll do the hub in the next week or two - it's not falling apart yet.

RE: '99 Blazer rear end feels loose
 

I know my Blazer will do that, when turning left, however, I'm still running the factory rubber, and they don't seem to like the cold at all, in any way, shape, or form... Never driven with tires that spin so much in 4wd, lol.

If it does it when things warm up, if I still have these tires, anyway, then I'll see about other things...

RE: '99 Blazer rear end feels loose
 

If you're running the factory Uniroyals that came on my '99, I'm not surprised to hear it. Those were some of the slipperiest tires I've ever seen. I got rid of them pretty soon after buying the Blazer.

RE: '99 Blazer rear end feels loose
 

I've got Wrangler R/T's on mine

RE: '99 Blazer rear end feels loose
 

I have the same as drperry. Straight from the factory. Mine have squealed from the day I got them on dry pavement. Hope'n to get new ones very soon.

RE: '99 Blazer rear end feels loose
 

Mine haven't squealed yet, but that could be because there's no warm pavement around me for awhile, lol.

RE: '99 Blazer rear end feels loose
 

I replaced the Uniroyals with Michelin MXL A/T tires and I have bout 60,000 miles on them - and I must say that to this point, they're the best tires for an SUV that I've ever run. however, as they're wearing down to the last 10-15% of tire wear, they're getting a bit more noisy. I don't know whether they're also getting more slippery...but I've actually felt the FRONT end slide a bit going around some low-speed corners. There's a lot of snow and ice here (Colorado), so maybe I'm hitting patches that have thawed and re-frozen, but I'm starting to watch these tires.

But after 60K+ miles of superb service, I sure don't feel like they're letting me down. I've never gotten so much mileage, good ride and great traction from a set of tires.