Discussion
I'm not sure if everyone calls it this but I'm referring to the way the car is affected by changes in the road surface which cause it to pull this way and that.
So, collected my 2017 f-type yesterday which I absolutely love, had a drive home of around 90 miles, mixture of motorway, a and b roads and it's great apart from the way it tram lines. Possibly one of the worst experiences of this I've had, to the point where both hands are firmly locked in the steering wheel in anticipation of the car suddenly trying to send me into the opposite lane.
Now, it could be tracking so I'm going to get the four wheel alignment done but can anyone else suggest anything that might help please? FYI it's done 30k and is the 3l v6.
Many thanks!
So, collected my 2017 f-type yesterday which I absolutely love, had a drive home of around 90 miles, mixture of motorway, a and b roads and it's great apart from the way it tram lines. Possibly one of the worst experiences of this I've had, to the point where both hands are firmly locked in the steering wheel in anticipation of the car suddenly trying to send me into the opposite lane.
Now, it could be tracking so I'm going to get the four wheel alignment done but can anyone else suggest anything that might help please? FYI it's done 30k and is the 3l v6.
Many thanks!
Tramlining in my book is when the tyres are running in a shallow depression - like the sort caused by HGVs - and tend to stay in them rather than steer out. I believe it's worse with wide low profile tyres. If your car is suddenly changing direction on a perfectly flat road I'd get it seen to asap.
I had an S-Type which suddenly developed vague steering and a desire to visit the opposite lane. It had just come back from a garage and they hadn't tightened something up properly...
I had an S-Type which suddenly developed vague steering and a desire to visit the opposite lane. It had just come back from a garage and they hadn't tightened something up properly...
12dan34 said:
Tires are p zeros, tbh I'm not sure whether they're run flat or not, should it be written on the side? All have been replaced within last 5k so pretty good all round.
Perfect roads are fine but not so perfect you need both hands on the wheel!
Pirellis print run flat or rsc i think it is on the sidewall of runflat tyres, but as above definitely check tyre pressures and probably have the alignment checked (a decent alignment place would check bushings for you beforehand) before replacing all 4 tyres.Perfect roads are fine but not so perfect you need both hands on the wheel!
If you're near southampton I know a top notch alignment place who does all sorts of performance cars for less than pro tyre etc!
I used to think that my 1958 XK150 on Avon Turbospeed crossplies used to tramline a lot till it became time to change LadyB8's Merc. She'd previously had a W210 and we were looking for W212, the demonstrator at the local dealer had stupidly low profile tyres on "fancy" wheels. That thing tramlined so badly I just had to laugh. You could barely drive it anywhere without 2 hands firmly on the wheel. I can only assume that most customers never asked for a test drive. On the standard wheels, hers behaves fine, I'd say that my XKR (X150) is less affected by road issues, but its still not as good my X300 which I think has 55 profile tyres.
The bridgestones on the 2003 Impreza STi had such a stiff tyrewall, that it tramlined like crazy. Basically the carcass could not conform to the road which meant off center loading and an big effective castor change.
Switched to some much softer Michelin's and the tramlining was eliminated.
After about 5000 miles, I wore through the sidewalls.
That car really needed stiff tyrewalls.
Switched to some much softer Michelin's and the tramlining was eliminated.
After about 5000 miles, I wore through the sidewalls.
That car really needed stiff tyrewalls.
If it's any consolation, my XKR was really bad with this, on a road near work. The southbound side was frequented with empty tankers going down to get filled up. The northbound side was used by tankers full of fuel heading off to petrol stations, and the ruts were obvious on the north bound carriageway.
Ps, this is how we know the Romans drove on the left.
Ps, this is how we know the Romans drove on the left.
12dan34 said:
Tires are p zeros, tbh I'm not sure whether they're run flat or not, should it be written on the side? All have been replaced within last 5k so pretty good all round.
Perfect roads are fine but not so perfect you need both hands on the wheel!
I wouldn’t get too hung up on the run flat thing. It’s a bit over egged and could head you down the wrong direction. Perfect roads are fine but not so perfect you need both hands on the wheel!
If your car is tramlining then you’re going to feel it on stronger than normal road cambers and with the truck ruts on motorways most obviously.
It’s something that used to be quite common but I really don’t think you should be expecting it in something like an F Type. It ticks boxes to be a candidate though, wide, low profile tyres on a wide track. It might just be the case that a half worn set of runflats changes things enough to trigger the issue on extreme roads.
Typical non hard suspension set up causes tend to be over rubbering the car, wrong true pressures and even directional tyres on the wrong way and maybe even a damaged tyre. Buckled wheels often show up through steering wobble so you’d probably know about that.
Personally, I would check the tyre sizes are correct for the car, check all the pressures are correct for the car, check that if the tyres are directional they are on correctly and then check for any tyre wall damage on the inside. If someone has had the wheels off recently to refurb them for sale, did the chap put them back on the right sides? Did they get the pressures right?
After that you can consider the possibility of the steering geometry being out. The most obvious being tracking. That might show up via uneven wear on the fronts of its been going a long time. Do you also know if the previous owner mucked about with the car changing springs or anything like that? Seems unlikely on such a new car.
4 wheel alignment is going to be cheaper than changing the tyres but in the ideal world you want to borrow another set of wheels and drive down the offending road to get the best supporting evidence as to where to start looking and spending.
12dan34 said:
Tires are p zeros, tbh I'm not sure whether they're run flat or not, should it be written on the side? All have been replaced within last 5k so pretty good all round.
Perfect roads are fine but not so perfect you need both hands on the wheel!
Well for a start. Get those sPerfect roads are fine but not so perfect you need both hands on the wheel!
t Pirellis off of it and put some Michelins on it. It’ll transform it. But before that check to make sure the crap tyres were wearing evenly. You may have a control arm bush gone. Right..... Thanks everyone for taking the time to reply, appreciated.
Tires are not run flat, pressures are good, about 36psi all round. Yesterday though I drove it longer in dynamic mode and I swear it wasn't as noticeable, whether this makes sense or not is another matter. Next step is to check alignment, might not be immediate so please bear with..
Tires are not run flat, pressures are good, about 36psi all round. Yesterday though I drove it longer in dynamic mode and I swear it wasn't as noticeable, whether this makes sense or not is another matter. Next step is to check alignment, might not be immediate so please bear with..
12dan34 said:
Right..... Thanks everyone for taking the time to reply, appreciated.
Tires are not run flat, pressures are good, about 36psi all round. Yesterday though I drove it longer in dynamic mode and I swear it wasn't as noticeable, whether this makes sense or not is another matter. Next step is to check alignment, might not be immediate so please bear with..
What width are fronts? Mine are 265 and is does wander a bit on worn carriageways. But not a problem. Tires are not run flat, pressures are good, about 36psi all round. Yesterday though I drove it longer in dynamic mode and I swear it wasn't as noticeable, whether this makes sense or not is another matter. Next step is to check alignment, might not be immediate so please bear with..
Update:
This was my own fault, I didn't check the tires properly when I bought! The previous owner lived in London so the car has had its fair few speed humps and pot holes to deal with, this knocked out the tracking and geo and the fronts were really badly worn on the inside edge (I didn't see this!!)
Luckily the rears are new so I ordered 2 x Michelins for the front, got them fitted and had the four wheel alignment at Tyre Smart in Witham (who are great btw) and it drives like a new car now, wow what a difference and what a car!
Thanks again to all here who helped point out potential issues.
This was my own fault, I didn't check the tires properly when I bought! The previous owner lived in London so the car has had its fair few speed humps and pot holes to deal with, this knocked out the tracking and geo and the fronts were really badly worn on the inside edge (I didn't see this!!)
Luckily the rears are new so I ordered 2 x Michelins for the front, got them fitted and had the four wheel alignment at Tyre Smart in Witham (who are great btw) and it drives like a new car now, wow what a difference and what a car!
Thanks again to all here who helped point out potential issues.
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