Darty/wander at highway speeds

[arsine]

I was driving on the highway today going 80ish and the front end seems to wander/dart around once you start getting around 75. I checked the pressures on all the tires (cold) yesterday and have them at the posted psi's (39/36?). The car is a '19 on stock wheels and tires and I haven't owned it too long and the majority of my driving has been city driving. I wanted to know if other owners run into this or if it may just be the roads (I'm in south Florida).

 

[Mikey456]

I was driving on the highway today going 80ish and the front end seems to wander/dart around once you start getting around 75. I checked the pressures on all the tires (cold) yesterday and have them at the posted psi's (39/36?). The car is a '19 on stock wheels and tires and I haven't owned it too long and the majority of my driving has been city driving. I wanted to know if other owners run into this or if it may just be the roads (I'm in south Florida).

I would have the alignment checked.


2017 Ford Fiesta ST, Shadow Black, Recaro seats, Mountune RMM, Swift springs, 5mm rear spacers, Falken 615+ tires

 

[Djkid1456]

I second Mikey. Also I find that the wheels are just narrow enough to tram-line just a little bit in the deformations on the road. Either that or you may have hit a bump/pot hole (think city driving) large enough to throw off your alignment. Let us know what you find!

Sent from my SM-F700U1 using Tapatalk

 

[arsine]

i had thought about an alignment but at lower speeds i can let go of the wheel and it stays straight, the same under braking. i am the second owner of the car though so getting alignment in general isnt a bad idea. thanks for the replies

 

[Business6]

If it isn't an outright alignment issue it is almost definitely your tires plus the road(s) you drive on.

Tramlining is where your tires follow the grooves in the road. Wider tires actually make it worse, not better, because it introduces more of the tread pattern (and the parallel 90° angles, eg gaps, relative to the surface) which instigate tramlining in the first place. Uneven wear and other factors can also seriously increase the effect.

I've run a lot of summer tires and I'd have to say that the Indy 500s have tramlined harder than any other tire I've run. Doesn't help that the road surfaces on the highways here look like they were etched with a comb, but I'm forced to have two hands on the wheel more often than not (even though I would, anyway)

 

[arsine]

there's a lot of construction going on down here at the moment. i think they were trying to use the corona virus slow down to widen roads to make bike lanes but it's made driving here like driving through a war zone lately. i thought about lowering my psi's a little bit but that would increase my contact which sounds like it may make things worse

 

[HardBoiledEgg]

You can reprogram the steering with a IDS

 

[haste]

I get the same behavior on my stock '17 fiesta but not on my '15.

I feel like I have to concentrate much more keeping the '17 straight when driving at higher speeds compared to the '15.

From what I understand there was some suspension changes introduced in late '16 to the STs. That's the only difference I can attribute this behavior to.

 

[arsine]

Interesting, haven't heard that. So you know what the changes were?

 

[PunkST]

Softer dampers and springs with thicker swaybars.

 

[Hypergram]

^^^^ Basically softer ride but maintaining the same cornering characteristics

 

[Dpro]

I get the same behavior on my stock '17 fiesta but not on my '15.

I feel like I have to concentrate much more keeping the '17 straight when driving at higher speeds compared to the '15.

From what I understand there was some suspension changes introduced in late '16 to the STs. That's the only difference I can attribute this behavior to.

My 18 Tramlined on the the Freeways here some of which are grooved. The factory Bridgestone’s actually lend themselves to tramlining on grooved highways. After my coilover‘s went in it was less apparent after I went through my stock tires and put on RS Pro’s It disappeared completely..
I

 

[arsine]

Good stuff, didn't know that about tires.

 

[maestromaestro]

Or maybe it’s just torque steering... so, so much torque.... check your right foot: is it dull and metallicky looking?

 

[Business6]

Or maybe it’s just torque steering... so, so much torque.... check your right foot: is it dull and metallicky looking?

No, that's not what is being discussed here.

Read the other posts. Tramlining is a well-known effect.

 

[Hypergram]

When you are at speed on the highway (75+) do you notice that the steering wheel vibrates a little bit? Noticed it after I changed my tires (from 205 to 215) but I'm not sure if its new or I'm just tripping.

 

[Crystals]

When you are at speed on the highway (75+) do you notice that the steering wheel vibrates a little bit? Noticed it after I changed my tires (from 205 to 215) but I'm not sure if its new or I'm just tripping.

I also went with wider wheels and noticed more vibrations in the steering wheel. In fact I have the same wheels as you! 😂

Much of the vibrating was my own fault. I thought I centered them well when I first installed them, but I got hub centering rings and much of the vibration disappeared but some is still there. Car rides smooth as hell now, though, so I think it’s just from having wider wheels and tires.

 

[Hypergram]

I also went with wider wheels and noticed more vibrations in the steering wheel. In fact I have the same wheels as you! 😂

Much of the vibrating was my own fault. I thought I centered them well when I first installed them, but I got hub centering rings and much of the vibration disappeared but some is still there. Car rides smooth as hell now, though, so I think it’s just from having wider wheels and tires.

Nice to know. Thank you!

 

[Se7eN]

I was driving on the highway today going 80ish and the front end seems to wander/dart around once you start getting around 75. I checked the pressures on all the tires (cold) yesterday and have them at the posted psi's (39/36?). The car is a '19 on stock wheels and tires and I haven't owned it too long and the majority of my driving has been city driving. I wanted to know if other owners run into this or if it may just be the roads (I'm in south Florida).

I've noticed it wanders in windy areas with cross winds

 

[TyphoonFiST]

What kind of Tyres are you running also? The Tread pattern plays a part in this sometimes too*