Steering and tramlining issue

[zacpounds]

I have been having issues with my car following grooves in the road, the groves could be very minimal and cause the whole car to shift to the side without warning. I know that wider tires can cause this issue but I know people have run 305's all around and never heard them complain about tramlining.

I currently run a 275 all around and wanted to know if this is truly a tire size issue or an issue related to my suspension settings. My current alignment is as shown in the attached photo. I'm mostly curious about the caster setting since the left side is at more of an angle than the right. Could inconsistent left to right caster cause this issue??? The car also tends to go to the right on, what seems to be, level ground after a short distance. When the road leans to the left, it will remain straight for a longer distance only to begin going right again.

Does anyone think they could shed some light on this for me?

**Edited to add a photo of my current ride height**

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[BmacIL]

I have been having issues with my car following grooves in the road, the groves could be very minimal and cause the whole car to shift to the side without warning. I know that wider tires can cause this issue but I know people have run 305's all around and never heard them complain about tramlining.

I currently run a 275 all around and wanted to know if this is truly a tire size issue or an issue related to my suspension settings. My current alignment is as shown in the attached photo. I'm mostly curious about the caster setting since the left side is at more of an angle than the right. Could inconsistent left to right caster cause this issue??? The car also tends to go to the right on, what seems to be, level ground after a short distance. When the road leans to the left, it will remain straight for a longer distance only to begin going right again.

Does anyone think they could shed some light on this for me?

Alignment actually looks good. Rear camber is higher than necessary but even (around -1.5 or a tad less is good). What are your wheel sizes and offsets? How low is the car?

 

[zacpounds]

Alignment actually looks good. Rear camber is higher than necessary but even (around -1.5 or a tad less is good). What are your wheel sizes and offsets? How low is the car?

Well that's good to hear I suppose... lol.

Rear camber is the best they can get it I suppose due to the drop I have on coilovers. Wheels are 20x10 all around, same offset but I have a 3mm spacer to clear the front brakes so in the end, the front offset is lower than the rear.

I'm on a 275/35/20 tire and the car tucks about 1/8th of an inch of tire. I couldn't tell you how much of a drop it has now from stock height since it was lower than 2 inches from the ground and then raised to a functional height two years later.

Hope that helps...

 

[Lexman]

BmacIl he has the same wheel setup that I have. He’s probably lower than me though.

I have Continental DSW 06. I’ve heard tires can effect how much tramlining you experience...

What tires do you have?

 

[zacpounds]

BmacIl he has the same wheel setup that I have. He’s probably lower than me though.

I have Continental DSW 06. I’ve heard tires can effect how much tramlining you experience...

What tires do you have?

Sumitomo HTR Z3.

 

[Roadway 5.0]

Did you align the car following the latest change in your suspension height? If not, this surely could be your cause.

If the alignment displayed really is your current alignment, then check tire pressures first. I understand the door-insert card states to have 32psi, but these cars just run best when setting the pressures so that you hit 36psi once warm (I usually set mine at 34). Also, be mindful that your high performance summer tires may act unusual while operating in the less-than-40-degree weather Atlanta is seeing right now.

Next check that your directional tires are indeed going in the correct direction.

Lastly, adding a bit more toe-in will certainly help reduce or eliminate tramming. I was having similar issues at .00, I dialed more toe-in (.12), and all is now good. Really good actually.

 

[sculptor310]

I experienced tramlining with a 295 up front. I now run a 275 (Continental DW) up front and don't feel it at all. I'm guessing it isn't the 275 width.

 

[Lexman]

Somehow my last post I wrote didn’t end up posting, but Roadway summed it pretty well.

From what I see mentioned on the boards this can be caused by

Toe
Tire pressure
Tire tread
Road

Interestingly I saw people state that too much pressure would cause tramlining, bot Roadway suggest otherwise. Just for reference my tires are all at 34/35.

 

[BmacIL]

Check your tire pressures. As Lexman stated, anything over 34-35 warm is more than necessary. Is your car as low as the pic in your signature? If so, that could easily explain it too. Your geometry is so far from stock that the slightest bump or change in road surface will induce bumpsteer. The HTR ZIIIs are also a bit prone to this as they are a nice tire but have a stiff sidewall.

 

[Rick#7]

I'm not sure a .1 degree difference in camber will have any effect on the car drifting to the right, but your car does have just that much more negative camber on the left.

An alignment tech once told me the roads are crowned in the center to help rain drain off, so he always tried to set about .5 degree more negative camber on the right tire to help keep the car from drifting right due to the slanted road.

 

[GTP]

Your specs and tire sizes are the same as mine. My car goes very straight, but I have to "steer" on the straight highway more than when it was stock. IOW, the steering is more responsive with our alignments. I run about 29psi in my tires.

You could try rotating tires to see if it is a tire.

Also, try this. Ignore the position of the steering wheel, and get your car to go straight down the highway. Does your car drift at all, even if the wheel isn't centered? If not, then your alignment tech didn't prop the wheel in the center spot quite Perfect Enough.

 

[keltymd]

yeah looking at the pic bumpsteer is it I would bet. you need to get the toerods inline wit hteh control arms again

 

[JuRuKi]

Some tires tramline a lot more than others. I had Continental Extreme Contact DW in 285/35/19 in the front and they rarely tramlined. I upgraded to the new Extreme Contact Sports in the same size and the tramlining got so bad its almost annoying.

 

[Rebellion]

Also, try this. Ignore the position of the steering wheel, and get your car to go straight down the highway. Does your car drift at all, even if the wheel isn't centered? If not, then your alignment tech didn't prop the wheel in the center spot quite Perfect Enough.

Could it be that either the caster sweep was not done correctly, or needs caster adjustment?

If I remember right, these sort of issues can be easily spotted after the caster sweep (if done correctly).

 

[zacpounds]

Did you align the car following the latest change in your suspension height? If not, this surely could be your cause.

If the alignment displayed really is your current alignment, then check tire pressures first. I understand the door-insert card states to have 32psi, but these cars just run best when setting the pressures so that you hit 36psi once warm (I usually set mine at 34). Also, be mindful that your high performance summer tires may act unusual while operating in the less-than-40-degree weather Atlanta is seeing right now.

Next check that your directional tires are indeed going in the correct direction.

Lastly, adding a bit more toe-in will certainly help reduce or eliminate tramming. I was having similar issues at .00, I dialed more toe-in (.12), and all is now good. Really good actually.

The car has been aligned after every height adjustment, the photo is the current settings. Tire pressures have been set to 32 cold and the issue has remained regardless of tire pressure so far from what I have noticed.

Adding more toe sounds like it could be the solution but won't my tires start to wear on the inside? I had issues with that before when the car was slammed, I don't want that again...

Somehow my last post I wrote didn’t end up posting, but Roadway summed it pretty well.

From what I see mentioned on the boards this can be caused by

Toe
Tire pressure
Tire tread
Road

Interestingly I saw people state that too much pressure would cause tramlining, bot Roadway suggest otherwise. Just for reference my tires are all at 34/35.

Tires are brand new, within a couple of months and the issue started when I got them, regardless of tire pressure. Toe seems to be the best solution I'm hearing so far, or different tires with a softer? sidewall.

Check your tire pressures. As Lexman stated, anything over 34-35 warm is more than necessary. Is your car as low as the pic in your signature? If so, that could easily explain it too. Your geometry is so far from stock that the slightest bump or change in road surface will induce bumpsteer. The HTR ZIIIs are also a bit prone to this as they are a nice tire but have a stiff sidewall.

The car had no issues with this when it was slammed. It is now at 4.5" ground clearance versus the 1.75" of clearance before. My suspension geometry is not an issue at my current ride height.

Your specs and tire sizes are the same as mine. My car goes very straight, but I have to "steer" on the straight highway more than when it was stock. IOW, the steering is more responsive with our alignments. I run about 29psi in my tires.

You could try rotating tires to see if it is a tire.

Also, try this. Ignore the position of the steering wheel, and get your car to go straight down the highway. Does your car drift at all, even if the wheel isn't centered? If not, then your alignment tech didn't prop the wheel in the center spot quite Perfect Enough.

The issue started when I got the tires new so they are not the issue unless the sidewall is too stiff?

Some tires tramline a lot more than others. I had Continental Extreme Contact DW in 285/35/19 in the front and they rarely tramlined. I upgraded to the new Extreme Contact Sports in the same size and the tramlining got so bad its almost annoying.

I'll probably be changing to a different tire down the road if it truly is the issue. We will see if I adjust the toe and it doesn't help.

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