'Tramlining' on motorway

[aquazi]

After i went from my 18 winters to my 19's earlier this year I got terrible tramlining on the a38... The car would literally veer off to once side.

Turned out to be slight flat spots with the tyres being set idle over winter.... Which eventually went away.

I guess aside from the advice above it may just be the roads you drive, i know there is a section of the M3 near southampton and its literally like train tracks!


Sent from my iPhone 5s using Tapatalk

 

[Chazaxl]

Some of the roads are bad but even on 'smooth' motorway, apart from the road noise dramatically decreasing, the car never really feels planted.

4 wheel alignment - here we come.

 

[Chazaxl]

I love the look of 19s but I woulnt dare go there - seems the 18's are better - the 19's must be really bad then.

 

[Caemon]

...it still felt "twitchy" & "light" at the front when hitting the 80/90/100 area... Never had it to 120/130 but interested to know if it worsen,s or if it hits a sweet spot & steady,s ?

I assume you mean when on a track

 

[Bing]

...it still felt "twitchy" & "light" at the front when hitting the 80/90/100 area... Never had it to 120/130 but interested to know if it worsen,s or if it hits a sweet spot & steady,s ?

I assume you mean when on a track

Mine does not feel twitchy at all at any of the speeds - and slightly higher - that mr wilks mentions. On a track, of course

 

[gazzamill]

As others have said, tyre pressures then hunter alignment.

I had the same issues you mentioned, I ditched the run flats - still the same problems, got a hunter alignment done and it felt like a different car, totally cured it.

 

[mr wilks]

...it still felt "twitchy" & "light" at the front when hitting the 80/90/100 area... Never had it to 120/130 but interested to know if it worsen,s or if it hits a sweet spot & steady,s ?

I assume you mean when on a track

May have been KMH 8) , , ,

 

[mr wilks]

...it still felt "twitchy" & "light" at the front when hitting the 80/90/100 area... Never had it to 120/130 but interested to know if it worsen,s or if it hits a sweet spot & steady,s ?

I assume you mean when on a track

Mine does not feel twitchy at all at any of the speeds - and slightly higher - that mr wilks mentions. On a track, of course

I came to the Z after 2 911,s & a 645 , The sheer weight of the 6 series + V8 kept that planted :evil:
The 911,s especially the aircooled 964 just suck down harder & harder the faster you went & the grip & feelback increased whilst feeling more stable .
TBH the twitchiness & light front in the Zc only came to mind after getting the TT out & about on the same roads & same speeds & having the same feeling as i got with the 911 :roll: that being the faster you go the more the car feels like its sucking down to the tarmac & becoming more stable ?
Hard to compare like for like as i know the TT is heavier & also has the Quattro system but it does instill faith whereas the Z felt skittish at times even off the runflats ?

 

[Chazaxl]

Ok, so checked the pressures and may explain the issues.

FL - 25 PSI
FR - 30.5 PSI
RL - 28 PSI
RR - 31 PSI

So have gone to 2.3 bar and 2.5 bar F/R as per the manual, lets see how that feels.

 

[Rusky]

Was it tram lining in all lanes or just the nearside lane? Reason i ask is because HGVs wear down the lane and do leave a nice set of ruts in this lane that will create havoc for the Zed you cant always see them but they are there. I am still on runflats and while not a total disaster, you do have to adjust your driving a little to compensate (none runflats will come one day)

 

[Nondizzyblonde]

Was it tram lining in all lanes or just the nearside lane? Reason i ask is because HGVs wear down the lane and do leave a nice set of ruts in this lane that will create havoc for the Zed you cant always see them but they are there. I am still on runflats and while not a total disaster, you do have to adjust your driving a little to compensate (none runflats will come one day)

I find this too and am still on runflats as they still have 5mm. My winter tyres which are going on 2 November aren't though, so it'll be interesting to see if this makes a difference.

 

[Chazaxl]

Was it tram lining in all lanes or just the nearside lane? Reason i ask is because HGVs wear down the lane and do leave a nice set of ruts in this lane that will create havoc for the Zed you cant always see them but they are there. I am still on runflats and while not a total disaster, you do have to adjust your driving a little to compensate (none runflats will come one day)

It tramlines in the truck lane on the motorway and around town with ruts in the road - the main issue however was the front end 'lightness' at speed. Clearly my pressures werent helping - so will see how my return journey goes later this week and then go from there.

 

[Rusky]

Honestly mine feels light when it tramlines, i am sure as many have said it is down to the run flats. Try getting out of the nearside lane and use your sport button to weight up the steering and see if this gives you confidence in the front end.

 

[Adamski]

I can only echo what's already been said in terms of hunter wheel alignment and bushes.

I get a small amount of tramlining in my car. However, mine is pretty low, and runs a fair amount of camber.

I run 32F and 37R pressure - on non runflat tyres.

Work through the potential fixes, and I'm sure it'll come together and reduce the effect soon enough

 

[Chazaxl]

Pressures changed, only did my morning 2.5 mile trip - cant believe how different the car feels. I dont think its 'fixed' but certainly it feels very different. Ill check once Ive done my 210 mile drive home and then see what to do.

 

[Lillywhite]

So have gone to 2.3 bar and 2.5 bar F/R as per the manual, lets see how that feels.

Is that the pressures stated on the driver's side door jamb for your model? On my 2.0i model it states 2.0 bar and 2.2 bar F/R although this relates to OEM run flats. That's why I queried with my tyre company for non-flats and are now using the pressures previously posted.

 

[Chazaxl]

So have gone to 2.3 bar and 2.5 bar F/R as per the manual, lets see how that feels.

Is that the pressures stated on the driver's side door jamb for your model? On my 2.0i model it states 2.0 bar and 2.2 bar F/R although this relates to OEM run flats. That's why I queried with my tyre company for non-flats and are now using the pressures previously posted.

Yep, its whats inside the door but didnt think of runflat versus not (mine are no longer runflats).

 

[Chazaxl]

Just thought Id feedback - post my drive back yesterday.

What a difference - clearly the left pressures were too low and this was causing most of the issues. The car felt very different on the motorway - a lot more settled. Ideally I think 4 wheel alignment should still be done at some stage, even just to double check. I know my local Kwikfit doesnt charge you unless the Hunter machine shows measurements that are out - my 535D was done by them and very different after (better).

 

[Mark-Z4]

I haven't really noticed the tramlining on RFT18's but now I've got my winter shoes RFT 17s on it can be quite bad at times.

 

[Nuclear Jam]

When i replaced my front tyres recently mine suddenly developed a vague wander at around 80mph. Ended up getting the tracking done on a hunter, then taking it into BMW who said they could find nothing wrong.. Ended up taking the car to Protyre in Bristol who within about 30 seconds confirmed the control arm bushes were worn, they demonstrated this by being able to move the front wheels around a couple of inches by pulling the wheel backwards towards the car. Anyway, bushes replaced and car is back to normal and is again very stable and confidence inspiring at 80mph. Its almost like the faster you go in these the better they feel, recent road trip in Europe I was very impressed with how well it cruises at around 135mph it felt better than driving at 50mph!