Car darts, or shimmies, or zig zaggs.

[Blkstripes]

Anyone else's car self steer going down the road? I have a section of freeway that will push my car back and forth since the new snow tires. Put 80,000 on the car and it has always did it some but with the new tire change it's particularly bad. I've noticed it in partially slippery conditions also.

 

[RubenZZZ]

Alignment may be off?

I know certain tire treads catch the seams on the highway and steer the car.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Rocketst]

Your first action should be verify the alignment is correct. Most shops will check it for free and align for around 100 bucks. Your tires may need to be rotated, you may have loose suspension components (I've experienced this myself) at the end of the day, your car driving straight is dependent on the tires staying straight, remember they prefer path of least resistance so if they are straight it'll stay that way.

Sent from my IN2019 using Tapatalk

 

[M-Sport fan]

Also, if it is roadway that sees incessant HEAVILY loaded, tractor-trailer/tandem trailer traffic, there are 'double track' troughs plowed into the road surface by their usage.

Wider, more square tires on the car tend to exacerbate the so-called tramlining effect of these depressions.

 

[thecman02]

You don't happen to live in Michigan do you? Michigan DOT (MDOT) literally did experimental highway surface design. It will cause exactly what you are saying. I need to find the article mentioning it. My poor Cadillac with 285mm wide tires are terrifying driving over it. The Fiesta with old snows were horrible too, the tires would grab the grooves violently and make you feel like you were about to eat shit. The new Michelin X-ICE Snow model seems to be way less susceptible to it. If you have just gotten your snows you should try to take them back and get a different model.

 

[Blkstripes]

If there isn't anyone else claiming similar symptoms from time to time I will have to consider getting an alignment, checking all the likely culprits. Or buy different tires... I'd hate to do that. Up until this point I only noticed it when the roads were partially slippery. The car did great 99.8% of the time. With stock summer tires, the michelins ice 195/15, and nitto neo gen 205/55/15.


To clarify some, this is my 4th winter with this car. Bought it with 20,000 miles on it. It has 105,000 now. I've noticed the jerk back and forth for the entire time I owned the car in partially crappy conditions. My car does awsome in snow and ice. I live in Michigan and it's done it in several parts of the state. It was sketchy some here and there not enough for me to do anything about it until recently. I had the michelins x-ice for 3 winters, I hated them. They had barely any more traction on dry roads than icy ones. I locked them up on dry pavement a couple times and barely avoided hazards. Honestly only by luck because the michelins left me helplessly sliding. I bought Goodyear ultra grips this fall. They have fairly decent dry traction, they're a little noisier but decent so far. The worst spot is on US-10 east bound right after getting off M-18. There's another spot in the curve before the M-47 off ramp it's not as bad.

I have heard and witnessed they test stuff on US-10 in different places.

 

[Sam4]

I'm overdue on front end links. Noisy, weak at every bump, shimmy, 'lane-hunting' (constant steer/darting).

 

[Sam4]

I'm overdue on front end links. Noisy, weak at every bump, shimmy, 'lane-hunting' (constant steer/darting).

Should also make mention of how critical tire pressures are on our STs. Parked for several days last week and had to adjust for the TPS light.

 

[TyphoonFiST]

What kind of tires are you running on it?

 

[Blkstripes]

Goodyear ultragrip winter 195/55/15 now. It's done it some with others. These work great so far besides some noise and this issue which is probably more the car and road more than the tires. I'm surprised nobody else has witnessed the car pulling around some. Enough to mention it. If anyone else made a post I'd like to know. Wasn't sure how to describe it.

Maybe I could try tire pressures to see if it helps. Sam4 the light doesn't come on for me till nearly 10psi down.

 

[SteveS]

https://motoringjunction.com/tips-tricks/what-is-tramlining-and-how-to-avoid-it-dangerous/

 

[Business6]

Anyone else's car self steer going down the road? I have a section of freeway that will push my car back and forth since the new snow tires. Put 80,000 on the car and it has always did it some but with the new tire change it's particularly bad. I've noticed it in partially slippery conditions also.

Tramlining can be dangerous as hell especially for new drivers and vehicles with higher centers of gravity because the floating feel is considerably more pronounced. The taller, narrower and softer snow tires that we put on during the winter only amplify the effect.

 

[thecman02]

I think you might be underplaying the effect that the crappy Michigan Road surfacing has on the car. At least if you get an alignment the shop will usually double check to make sure all the steering/suspension components are tight/not worn before the align the car. The fact that you don't really notice the issue as much with the old X-Ice's and your summer tires backs up my feeling that your issue is most likely that Goodyear tire. I have a family member that lives out towards Ludington with the same model tire only a bigger size and she thought her car tire went flat it zigzagged and vibrated the car so bad. It was bad enough that she took a video and brought it into the tire place she bought them from and they exchanged them out no other questions asked. I've had similar results with a select few tires. Indy 500 tires grab the high groove surface violently and so did Winterforce tires. My Continental Extremecontact Sport and new X-ICE Snow (4th Generation x-ice) seem to be good. Also my wife's car with the WS90 blizzaks seem to tolerate the grooves well, but they are exceedingly loud on that surface. I'm assuming you had x-ice 2's or 3's? They tended to be garbage once you burned past the first 1/4" of tread because the real grippy part of the compound was burned off.


I'm definitely following this thread to see what ends up helping or causing your issue. I feel your pain, and it something really only Michiganders have to deal with because of the stupidity of MDOT.

 

[Sam4]

Goodyear ultragrip winter 195/55/15 now. It's done it some with others. These work great so far besides some noise and this issue which is probably more the car and road more than the tires. I'm surprised nobody else has witnessed the car pulling around some. Enough to mention it. If anyone else made a post I'd like to know. Wasn't sure how to describe it.

Maybe I could try tire pressures to see if it helps. Sam4 the light doesn't come on for me till nearly 10psi down. View attachment 45845

less 10 is correct for the light, I'm actually referring to minor changes being noticeable - a few pounds. God Forbid you have them rotated and don't make a scene about updating the pressures!