Hi all,
Ever since I bought this car *brand new* it has tramlined (followed ruts and groves in the road) and I was told by the dealer that this is "normal". To some degree I can understand that the design of the suspension may contribute to tramlining but my car seemed to do it worse than even the loaner cars I got... still the dealer did nothing.

Now, I have 60K on the car and it's almost at the point where the car goes wherever it wants. I have almost literally run into other cars next to me as the car wandered off my lane suddenly when I hit a section of road with groves or ruts.

I have checked the steering rack and it's tight. None of the wheels can be easily moved out of alignment with a crowbar when the car is on jacks, BUT, I can see a lot of play in the upper control arm bushings on the front. The back is harder for me to figure out. Close inspection of the control arm bushings shows that they are just really soft but they don't appear to be torn or damaged. Also, I've had three sets of tires on this car (including the OEM) and there doesn't seem to be much diff between tire brands with respect to the tramlining.

Can anyone shed any light on this for me? Which bushings would contribute to the tramlining the most? What can I do to finally put an end to this issue?
Thanks
Sunil

Welcome to NICO!

I've had this happen some places I've lived and on occasion, certain roads were the cause. Are there noticeable ruts on the surface?
If not, the road may be pitched for water run off.

Next, you may want to have the alignment checked. Cars are aligned out of the factory, but aren't always precise and most folks who service your alignment are just trying to make each wheel fall within the acceptable range of numbers and aren't going for any specific number.

You can find the official specs here in our FSM section:
http://www.nicoclub.com/FSM/G35/Sedan/2 ... an/fwd.pdf

Highlight the "nominal" numbers and have the alignment shop set you up with those exact numbers. If they don't hit them, make them do it again, its possible. Pay attention to negative and positive measures.

The reason is the same for why the tires wear out faster...camber. The car has negative camber to help with cornering...it will pull the car into ruts. Tires can also cause tramlining to some degree. How many miles on the tires? Have you tried to test drive other cars?? Do they act the same?? It may be just the "sport" suspension norms.

Don't forget toe.

Just had the '07 sedan aligned to spec on on some roads it still tramlines.

Well, thank you to all. In the end it came down to a 4-wheel alignment... the car was WAY off. Perhaps I was too eager to start replacing parts but in actuality I had discounted the alignment as the main issue because when I complained to the dealer a few times before the warranty ran out they claimed they checked it and "it was in spec"... total BS - I'm sure they never even put it on an alignment rack. I'm very bitter at the arrogance of the dealer and my service manager.

As audtatious says, I still have some tramlining on very rutted roads but I don't feel like I'm going to loose control of the car anymore. Another plus is that the car seems quieter now - which makes sense since the tires are not being dragged along the pavement so to speak.

Now that that is behind me - time for new tires. I live in a moderate snow region and don't want two sets of tires and wheels. However, I drive hard pretty much all the time and need a good all around tire. I did a +1 on the car (17 to 18 inch) and currently have Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus 245/45 R18 tires.

I know I should start a new topic but any suggestions for new all-season performance tires?
Sunil

Glad you got that fixed up!
Unfortunately most dealership service departments aren't very credible. Hopefully you didn't pay for them to not put the car on the rack.

In regards to tires-
Most everyone has a different opinion on what the best tires are. The questions you'll have to ask yourself are-
- What will you do with the tires? Mainly street driving? Any racing or auto-x?
- How much does comfort matter to you?
- How much do you want to spend?

The best advice I have for you (I'm not an M owner) is to pop on to Tire Rack and start looking at highly rated tires based on user reviews and compare them to the vehicles that best come close to yours- AWD BMW, Mercedes Infiniti, etc and the way the owners state they're driven.

Good luck!

lockon wrote:
I know I should start a new topic but any suggestions for new all-season performance tires?
Sunil

I just did that research for my '11 G37S sedan. I purchased the Hankook Ventus S1 Noble2 based on the Tire Rack reviews. The Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3 and Contis were in the last ones I eliminated. I dropped the Michelin because several of the reviews said they are NOT so good in the snow. They've only been on the car since Monday, so can't help you with more info yet - way too early in the break in period - so far though I like them. The Hankooks are a hundred bucks cheaper than the Michelins too, but that wouldn't have been a factor in my decision (nice bonus though).

For all-season I have been quite happy with ContiExtreme DWS. I have them on my sedan and they are on my coupes winter wheels.

Update on the Hankooks. Just over 500 miles now and the tires ride smoothly and reasonably quietly; handling is good (haven't pushed hard yet, too much snow and rain); braking is almost as good as the oem Bridgestone summers; Way too early to judge wear. I'm very happy with the purchase - thanks Tire Rack.

Starter wrote:

lockon wrote: I know I should start a new topic but any suggestions for new all-season performance tires?
Sunil

I just did that research for my '11 G37S sedan. I purchased the Hankook Ventus S1 Noble2 based on the Tire Rack reviews. The Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3 and Contis were in the last ones I eliminated. I dropped the Michelin because several of the reviews said they are NOT so good in the snow. They've only been on the car since Monday, so can't help you with more info yet - way too early in the break in period - so far though I like them. The Hankooks are a hundred bucks cheaper than the Michelins too, but that wouldn't have been a factor in my decision (nice bonus though).

Thanks for the update. I have decided on the new Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3 - I have exactly the same year/model as you and mine does fine in the snow even with almost bald tires! Gotta love adaptive 4-wheel The new A/S 3s are supposed to be better than the previous version in almost all aspects, and since I really have no complaints with the older Pilots, I don't want to open up a can of worms with a totally new brand. I'm actually more worried about the rain in the spring than the snow.

They should be at the Radial Tire Company in Silver Spring tomorrow. FYI in case you live in Maryland or Virginia, they are cheaper out the door than Tire Rack!

Keep us informed and I'll do the same,
thanks!

Starter wrote:Update on the Hankooks. Just over 500 miles now and the tires ride smoothly and reasonably quietly; handling is good (haven't pushed hard yet, too much snow and rain); braking is almost as good as the oem Bridgestone summers; Way too early to judge wear. I'm very happy with the purchase - thanks Tire Rack.

I've had mixed luck with Hankooks. The Ventus V12 summer tires were fine on my coupe but seemed to have somewhat less traction than my super sports (dry and wet). I had Ventus V4's on my G sedan as the first replacement tires and they were simply crap as a all-season.

lockon wrote:They should be at the Radial Tire Company in Silver Spring tomorrow. FYI in case you live in Maryland or Virginia, they are cheaper out the door than Tire Rack!

Paul Moorcones (Radial's owner) is a good guy, a racer himself and you usually get good deals through him. I've bought tires there myself. I'm nearer to Baltimore now and, by the time I could have gone there, it was just easier to get them through Tire Rack.