Steering wheel!!!

[JohnZ4greece]

hello.... i think i have problem with the steering wheel... i dont feel it well... i have to put strainght in order to kip it stable! in every deficiency of the road the steering wheel turns bu it self!!! what do you think????

[chariszzzz]

Hi John!

Do you have RFT's?

[JohnZ4greece]

yes i have run flat tires

[JohnZ4greece]

do you think i have to reduce the presure???? and how it's the appropriate?... i have 17inc wheels!!!

[chariszzzz]

i would suggest to get a new set of NON RTF tyres.
this is a common way RTF's behave. You have to keep your hand on the steering wheel yo keep it straight!

[Shipkiller]

I had the same problem with my RFT's, until this weekend. I raised my tire pressure to 37psi. That eliminated most of the tramlining that I experanced.

This will be what I have to do until I get a new set of wheels/tires in the next couple of months.

[Lotus1]

I had the same problem with my RFT's, until this weekend. I raised my tire pressure to 37psi. That eliminated most of the tramlining that I experanced.

This will be what I have to do until I get a new set of wheels/tires in the next couple of months.

I too find that running slightly higher pressures helps - I've not gone as far as 37psi though

Steve

[JohnZ4greece]

I WILL DO IT... THX

[fire-n-ice]

John : I thought you said your steering wheel didn't feel right. Is it jumping around when you go around tighter curves and hit bumps in the road, like tramiling, or is it not feeling right around slow, gentle curves, sort of like a sticking feeling? Check out my thread here: http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic ... g+problems

[JohnZ4greece]

SORRY BUT MY ENGLISH ARE NOT VERY GOOD AND I DIDNT UNDERSTAND VERY WELL WHAT YOU MENTIONED AT YOUR THREAD. I WILL TRY TO EXPLAIN WHAT I THINK IS WRONG WITH MY CAR... I CHANGED MY WHEELS BEFORE 2 WEEKS I PUT (17'INC 225, 45) PREVIOUS I HAD THE STANDARD WHEELS 16'INC. AND KNOW I CAN FEEL EVERY deficiency of the road. the steering wheel follows the road, FOLLOWS THE CURVES. I DONT FEEL IT WELL... I HAVE TO PUT STRENGTH WHILE IM DRIVING. LIKE THE TRAIN FOLLOWS THE railway line. I DONT KNOW IF THE PROBLEM IS THE STERRING WHEEL OR THE WHEELS... I DONT KNOW HOW TO EXPLAIN TO YOU BETER... BUT THX FOR THE HELP. IF YOU CAN EXPLAIN TO ME ABOUT YOUR THREAD...

[fire-n-ice]

I will try John : So, are you saying you feel a difference now that you've put on new wheels? "I CAN FEEL EVERY deficiency of the road" - if you're running runflats, this is normal. My ride is hard and rough compared to others who have non-runflat tires.

Tramlining is a whole different thing: you feel as though you've temporarily lost a connection to the road, like you hop around for a second.

With bad steering however, the wheel itself will feel 'sticky' when you're steering, like you have to turn it hard or snatch it to get the car to go where you want it to. I've had both and they're two distinctively different feelings and should be easy to differentiate.

I hope this helps a little.

[JohnZ4greece]

i think i have to go to my dealer.... ha ha ha!!!

no i dont feel thAt im losing connection with the road... just that my car follows every thing its on the road... for example yesterday i stop because of red signal the road was awful and my steering turned for 15 degrees by it self,followed the road....

[Shipkiller]

John, your English is fine. Don't worry about it.

It does sound like you are 'tramlining'. Z4's with RFT's have a tendency to do that.

I also have 16" wheels with RFT's and every little seam in the road the car likes to follow it, and it rides like a tank. But I love it....
I decreased the tramlining on my car by adding some air to the tires. I first tried 37psi. but have now taken it down to 35psi. The tramlining will not go away until I get new tires to go on new 18" wheels, sometime in the next couple of months or so...

Hey, your car has character....

[Zeefour]

My vote is the run flat tires too, since he stated that he noticed it when he upgraded to a larger size wheel, which means shorter side wall tire. A Z4 with 16" wheels drives total differenct then a Z4 with 18"

[Shipkiller]

Zeefour,

I am in the process of upgrading from 16" to 18's.

How much difference? What kind of difference?

What can I expect, besides losing the RFT's and looking better?