I have my car back from the tire shop now. 4 new Michelin X1's, 2 new inside and 2 new outside tie-rod ends and an alignment. Suuuweet tires. My car has never been so solid on the highway. I think the tires and the new rods REALLY made a big difference. I didn't think it was possible to get a smooth ride out of that car but I'm glad I was wrong.
So now that I'm on the fix-it path, there is a knocking at slow speeds over rough road in the rear end. Can someone give me an idea as to how to fix this? I think this is common but I can't remember what the problem was.
Rob