I found the same thing. Smooth but stiffens up at points. I moved stuff around and it did not make any difference. I'm figuring that once I get tires on it, the weight of the car, andthe electric steering operational that I either will not notice it or it will be minor enough to get on with life. Not sure what I could do to change anything. Maybe space the power steering off the mount and closer to the rack? Maybe I'll give that a try...