Jumpy steering

[antzrus]

same as RSA: 245/45/18

[83wildcat]

I have a 2006 M35X with 19" wheels off a M45 sport (the dealer swapped wheels because the person buying the M45 sport didn't want the lower profile 19" wheels). The tires are Bridgestone Potenza RE-050A's; 245/40-R19. The dealer told me the tires have about 11,000 miles on them, which based on the tread remaining seems about right.

I've also experienced the Jumpy Steering/Tramlining issue. It seems to only happen at moderate highway speed (65/70 mph). The car will track perfectly, then all of a sudden pull hard to the right, and then switch and pull hard to the left. And then visa versa or not. There doesn't appear to be any connection as to if the car will track correctly, pull to the right or pull to the left. The one constant is that it appears to only happen at highway speed. I purchased this car about a month ago, with 36,000 miles on it, and I've put about 1,000 miles on it myself so my experience with the car is fairly limited.

So, for what it's worth, you know have some additional info based on my experiences.

From reading the posts above, I think my next step will be to take it back to the dealer and see what they say. I purchased the car from Infiniti of Kirkland and they have been very helpful and so far have gone the extra mile to keep me satisfied, so I'll see what they will do here. If I learn anything about a solution, I'll report back.

[AG-M35]

Here's what may be an interesting report to some. My M35 (base) was problematic regarding the tires/alignment, etc when first purchased. The first road trip (2500 miles) started ok, but then had to be run at or below 60mph to keep from inducing shimmy. I thought I lost a weight or something, but at one point while we were at our destination, I noticed the right front tire was on backwards and the " side facing outwards" embossment wasn't showing on the right front.Upon returning to the dealer after the trip, I complained about the poor prep and they took care of the problem. The only "plus" about having to drive at this speed, was that with 2 adults and luggage, I achieved 27.5 MPG

After the dealer worked on the car, it drove much better, but I had noticed the "tramlining issue" already and thought it was something other than the tires. The "tramlining issue" has always been in my face and I couldn't believe this was a known issue with a new car and allowed to be looked past. There is also an issue with extremely neutral steering, where you almost have no self centering after making a turn. Like driving a 1929 Packard, you have to steer it back to a straight line. .. This past week I rotated the tires front to rear and the car, now, drives like it's gyro controlled. The road feel is 1000% nicer and much more like a car of this caliber should have. Hardly any tramlining or at least I haven't experienced it like before. Much to my dismay, the tires have 33K miles on them and they still have a lot of tread left, amost half. I can attribute this to the fact that, not only do I meticulously watch my tire pressure, but I keep it higher than recommended. At first inspection, I noticed the shop manual and the owners manual state 33psi cold. I believe the door jamb on mine says 35psi. I keep the tires at 36-38, albeit having a much harder ride, but the tread depth is inspected regularly and it is what it is.. As an aside, for those who have reported their TPM sensors going to "****" an having to be reset by the dealer after a tire rotation or replacement, mine went to the asterisks, and I had an appointment to go to the dealers tomorrow for the re-registration. Yesterday I took a trip of about 100 miles and the monitors came back to life. Things are looking up..

[dorlandm]

Hi There:

I respectfully disagree with you. The car does handle nicely, but when it feels like it fell into a rut the size of a car wash track, it is very alarming! I get the driver interaction thing but this Tramlining is wicked. It literally makes me put two hands on the wheel to steady it on some roads. Same exact roads my 2004 M45 was perfectly fine on with the same exact tires. I switched them before turning it in on a lease. So, the 2007 M35X, not the tires themselves are the issue. Also, if you feel this is not a "Problem" then why would you say different tires won't fix this issue? What issue? The tramlining?
Modified by dorlandm at 10:27 AM 12/10/2008

[lawcdav1]

Hello all,

I have a 2006 m35x with about 43000 miles. Whenever I make slow right turns i notice a grinding or pulling sound. I've taken her in for service and had the steering racks and power steering pumps replaced. Can anyone tell me if this a common problem and if anyone else has dealt with the same issue and gotten fixed? Please help!!

[M4T5]

Your posting your issue in the wrong area. This subject is not your problem. Your problem is strictly mechanical. Take it back to dealer and duplicate your problem with the car with the tech riding with you.

BTW, To all of you ranting about your M's tramlining or wondering from side to side, THIS IS NOT AN ALIGNMENT ISSUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I've worked as an alignment tech for 5yrs in the past. Alignment adjustments will not correct your car from going all over the road. If the car was in a wreck, hit a curb hard, or hit something hard in the road, then it could be possible to throw the alignment specs so far out of adjustment that it would cause these issues at 50+ mph. Majority of alignments are just a few degrees out of specs. This can and will cause abnormal excessive tire wear or a PULL to ONE side or the other. NOT back and forth or one way then the other.Some of the issue lays in the design of the car slightly. Was the M's chassis originally designed to be for front wheel drive or is the chassis completely different than the Nissan Maxima chassis?? I'm not sure. This could very well be a suspension design flaw if the M use the same base chassis as the Maxima.

This issue seems to be only alleviated from a tire change. NOTHING ELSE!This issue is also directed at the Sport versions...so it seems. Is the actual suspension (spring rates, struts/ shocks, & ride hidth) different than that of a base model? Besides the point that a 19" rim will slightly raise the car up more than the a 18" wheel.

The reason I'm asking for technical info is because my 07' M45 base does not do any of this wondering/ tramlining. Yes, it has the O.E. GDY Eagle RS-A's on it with 19,000mi on them. Mine drives and tracks straight as an arrow.

BTW, excessive grooves in any road will tend to make almost any vehicle slide into the roads grooves....left or right. Your steering response may be placing the car back into the other groove causing the car to once again shift directions.

Understanding how your cars suspension is designed, different tire types and ratings, and how a flat, convexed, crowned, or grooved road can effect your cars drivability and reactions to road changes and conditions will make everyone more aware of WHAT is possibly causing your problem.

J

[palincal]

I did some more research on tramlining issue since I am feeling it on my car. Some degree of tramlining on Ms is due to it sport oriented steering and chassis design. Tramlining is seen on any sports car of any brand. I have checked forums for BMW, Saab, Subaru etc. where good number of such car owners have sports tuned suspension and low profile tires. They all have tramlining issues.

Low profile tires == some degree of definite tramlining.

Sensitivity to tramlining depends from person to person. Some cars may have serious alignment problem (due to accidents or very uneven wear) which will cause very noticeable pull and tramlining.

[trubaj]

I had my 07 M45 sport for 3 months now. Was previously in 2 FX 35's and a couple of BMW's before that. The M45 sport is superior and the problem you are are experiencing in my opinion are related to the OEM tires that are on the car. The car didn't track well and it was all over the road. From info I saw on this site, I knew it was the tires and not the steering rack issue that some folks talk about. I just got rid of the crappy Bridgestone RSA's that were on it and it's a totally different ride. Smooth and straight as an arrow...Just get rid of the tires. I put on Falken FK452s and they are awesome. If you do some research you'll note that the treadwear rating for the OEM tires are less than 200 so they won't last long. I totally agree with M4T5....Good luck!

[SteveTheTech]

Wow this seems to have become a heated debate.

Tires are the vehicles direct connection to the road. Replacing the stock tires with Primacys will indeed resolve many wheel related issues. These soft tires that I think come stock on a Camry are not designed with the same characteristics as the sport tires the M. The main characteristic that give the M is sporty feel and handling characteristics is the front end geometry, the caster is set at ~1/2 of what many of the other Infinitis are set to. Caster cannot be corrected and is not adjustable, the handling capabilities and steering response will be adversely effected if this is removed.

Using a tire like the Conti-trac is a good way to deal with this and always have them rotated and balaced at every other oil change. This will be doing everything you can to keep the tires running smoothly along the road surface and decrease wear. Also having a 4 wheel alignment performed once a year is always a good idea.

Sorry I cannot offer you guys a fix for this but it really seems like an inherent part of this sport sedan. As one of the posters here mentioned many other sport sedan drivers complain about the same thing. At least you are not alone. Having a pull while cruising is never a good idea, you know it happens so more attention is required when driving. If you really want to get rid of this at all costs I would recommend getting a set of M35X 18" wheels. The smaller the sidewall the less deflection you will have for road inconsistencies. The roads in the DC metro area are a great test of this and I have driven the same circle with countless cars and some of them do indeed require more attention while driving the same roads. I find that changing to the middle lane or left lane (where less trucks tend to wear ruts in the road) helps a little.

[daveM45]

Have any of the critics of the MXV4 actually driven the new primacy MXV4? I've had the old MXV4 and agree its not a sport tire but this is not the same.

I'm still holding off on the purchasing the new summer tires. So far I'm not impressed enough with the M handling to go with PS2. The M traction control is great and the balance is great but in everyday driving it floats. It also doesn't settle into a turn that well - nothing like the feel of the German sedans or even lexus. I'm still leaning toward quiet over handling given the feel of the car with RSAs. Convince me to buy the PS2...

[M4T5]

Wow this seems to have become a heated debate.

Tires are the vehicles direct connection to the road. Replacing the stock tires with Primacys will indeed resolve many wheel related issues. These soft tires that I think come stock on a Camry are not designed with the same characteristics as the sport tires the M. The main characteristic that give the M is sporty feel and handling characteristics is the front end geometry, the caster is set at ~1/2 of what many of the other Infinitis are set to. Caster cannot be corrected and is not adjustable, the handling capabilities and steering response will be adversely effected if this is removed.

Using a tire like the Conti-trac is a good way to deal with this and always have them rotated and balaced at every other oil change. This will be doing everything you can to keep the tires running smoothly along the road surface and decrease wear. Also having a 4 wheel alignment performed once a year is always a good idea.

I wasnt 100% sure if the caster was adjustable on these cars. I'm really surprised that it is not due to them being rear or AWD driven. Though I will agree that if the cross caster is set at -0.5 then they should usually have a slight...I do mean slight drift (not pull) to the right. When you have negative cross caster it means the car is actually set up to go towards the left. Though this is done this way to compensate for the road crown. Road crown will mostly slope from the middle then go down towards the edges for water run off purposes. Therefore, you set the car up for a drift to the left. Since the road slopes towards the right and your cars alignment specs are set to go left, your car ends up driving straight.I would have prefered some adjustment in this area. Handling does not get affected by slight caster adjustments. Caster was intended to make a vehicle drive straight. Now if caster had enough adjustability you could probably change the front to rear weight distribution some and make steering feel lighter or heavier. I do know some Mercedes cars have enough adjustment in the caster to change the steering feedback.The Camber adjustment will adversely effect your handling characteristics. I would always want some negative camber for a sports sedan or sports car.If you have camber adjustment at all four corners of a vehicle and no caster adjustment, a good alignment tech can set up cross camber to get a vehicle to stop pulling to one side. Some will call this torque thrust adjustments.Anyways, we won't get into that.Just change your tires out to a well known tire that has alleviated the wondering or tramlining. I seen Falken 452's and Conti-trac are 2 tires so far that has helped this issue. I vote on POSTING A TIRE STICKY to give us current and future members access to well known tires voted on to go in the sticky list of a recommended tire to choose from for our M's. No aftermarket sizes, Just the the two OEM tire sizes. (245/45/18 & 245/45/19).ANYONE ELSE THINK THIS IS A GOOD IDEA?

J

[Barrels41]

Steve:

I have posted on other boards for over a year regarding this problem. I have the Conti Contacts for the last 17,000 of 44,000 miles I previously had the steering rack replaced. That helped allot with respect to play in the wheel but did not cure the trammeling. An alignment was also done. The Contis were a huge improvement and also felt much safer on snow and heavy rain. They steering was a bit softer and the ride is softer than the P.O.S. OEM Goodyear RS-As.

I also have suspected the problem is due to the car's design and is not completely curable.

My cure is the lease is over and I am returning it to the dealer tomorrow. I wish I could do more than parrot what other posters have said about the Contis. If you can afford to change tires do it. If your car is new I think there is a secret recall where Infiniti will swap RS-As for Michelins. Sounds like the Primacys will last forever but the sports models drive better.

I hope this helps. I will miss my G35X but I am not leasing another one.

I have another car I can use for 3 months.

Thinking Audi A4 2.0, FX-35, Caddy CT-S (GMAC pushes sales not leases & no backup camera). Rejected Acura TL-4 wheel drive due to unbearable ugliness. 2009 FX-35 is no beauty either. I have never seen one on the road. If the G37X sedan had folding rear seats I could downsize into that hot rod.

[humblepie]

Though I will agree that if the cross caster is set at -0.5 then they should usually have a slight...I do mean slight drift (not pull) to the right. When you have negative cross caster it means the car is actually set up to go towards the left. Though this is done this way to compensate for the road crown. Road crown will mostly slope from the middle then go down towards the edges for water run off purposes. Therefore, you set the car up for a drift to the left.

I noticed that when coming to a stop at a signal to make a left turn (where the road is more flat - as opposed to the lanes on the right), the car would steer heavily to the left at times. I guess this explains it Thanks.

[szh]

I vote on POSTING A TIRE STICKY to give us current and future members access to well known tires voted on to go in the sticky list of a recommended tire to choose from for our M's. No aftermarket sizes, Just the the two OEM tire sizes. (245/45/18 & 245/45/19).ANYONE ELSE THINK THIS IS A GOOD IDEA?

I have had detailed tire information (not voted on by members though) in the Basic Specs sticky for a long, long time. Although it could probably use a bit of an update by now, I suppose.

Just goes to show our long-held belief/experience by Moderators here at NICO, that people do NOT read the stickies.

Plus, we also have a "member preferred tires" list in a sticky in the Q45 section at NICO ... a bit more hidden away, I suppose, since M members are not likely to look in there.

Z

[striz923]

Just goes to show our long-held belief/experience by Moderators here at NICO, that people do NOT read the stickies.

Z

What are stickies?? j/k couldn't resist

[M4T5]

I have had detailed tire information (not voted on by members though) in the Basic Specs sticky for a long, long time. Although it could probably use a bit of an update by now, I suppose.

Just goes to show our long-held belief/experience by Moderators here at NICO, that people do NOT read the stickies.

Plus, we also have a "member preferred tires" list in a sticky in the Q45 section at NICO ... a bit more hidden away, I suppose, since M members are not likely to look in there.

Z

More people would look at the stickies if they were interesting. The only sticky posted at the M35/ M45/ Fuga forum that interested me was the one about posting pics of our cars. The others are just not interesting enough to look in or post at.If you give build it (helpful stickies), they will come!

J

[beatrice57]

Hi - I just bought a 2007 M35X with 18,000 + miles on it. Wary of the tramlining issue but really liked the car. Took my first trip and coming down an exit ramp, going 65 -70, the car started to steer hard right then left. I had to firmly grasp the wheel and it did straighten out. The rest of the trip it was fine - and I was on back roads in Vermont. There are Michelin MXHXM4 Pilot tires on this car - with not much wear on them. Are these Michelins good for the M35 and the tramlining issue? I guess I should take this to the dealer but before I do that does anyone here have any other advice or suggestions re: tires or other ideas?

Thanks,

[Barrels41]

I had a 2006 M35X on a 36 month lease that ended 2/09. The dealer replaced the steering rack and I put on Conti Contact Extremes A/S. Both fixes helped allot but basically the steering and ride was bad. Mileage horrible also. Otherwise the M was good.

My solution was an Audi A4 with sports package. Many M owners switched to A4's a posted on Audiworld.

[SteveTheTech]

My solution was an Audi A4 with sports package. Many M owners switched to A4's a posted on Audiworld.

Infinitis are not for everyone. Personally I couldn't see leaving a mid level luxury sedan for the entry of another. To each their own though. There are members here who have made the opposite exchange.

Took my first trip and coming down an exit ramp, going 65 -70, the car started to steer hard right then left. I had to firmly grasp the wheel and it did straighten out. The rest of the trip it was fine - and I was on back roads in Vermont. There are Michelin MXHXM4 Pilot tires on this car - with not much wear on them. Are these Michelins good for the M35 and the tramlining issue?

There just seem to be some roads that effect this vehicle under certain circumstances. This can be somewhat addressed with tires and an alignment with an adjust to setting to something just slightly closer to 0 than nominal. That is just my personal experience. I have been fortunate to get a chance to work with many of the members here and some have had this issue. As many of them can attest to certain road surfaces will cause the car to tend to one side depending on the crown of that section of roadway. This is something the M does and is not anything that can be changes without serious repercussions to the overall experience with this particular vehicle.

[Barrels41]

Or course. The M is a much larger car than the A4. But the A4 is much larger than a G35 since the 2009 B8 version. The utility of fold down rear seats gives it more luggage capacity. The back seat of the M is wonderful but not that important to me. The M's mileage was murder in the summer gas price spike of 2008. I recently has a 2009 A6 3.2T loaner and loved it. We have narrow winding parkways in Westchester County, NY the A6 drives like a sports sedan. The M35X drives like a bloated cruise ship. I consider the M35X a dangerous car. My wife and her daughter would not drive it. See the M35X steering defect postings on the Federal Higway safety complaint web site.

[Pinspector]

I don't want to appear as an uninformed dolt, but what are your "stickies" and where can I find them??

[SteveTheTech]

So is the only reason you joined our group to "warn" everyone?

Anyone can post a complaint on a website be it here or the NTSBs site. That doesn't mean much. As an example of you Infiniti looks out for their product they updated the steering rack for a noise on right turns. If there were anything resembling a legitimate concern they would be on top of it before the NTSB even got a chance to investigate that. I've even seen that happen with Nissans pickup trucks.

So how did you get from loving the A6 to owning an A4, and your profile saying saying you have an M.

[Barrels41]

I don't know why my profile said 2009 M35X. I just changed it to formerly 2006 M35X. Forewarned is forearmed. I seen a mulitude of postings on line about M35X's trammeling and dangerous steering.

I was given an A6 loaner when my A4 was in for service.

I would have been keen to lease another Infinti. Loved the tech, dealer, reliability. looks. But it drove like a truck, handled like an ocean liner, drank like an Escalade and sounded like a motor boat. Enough said?

[SteveTheTech]

One of the vendors that comes by my dealer every day or so has a new style A6. It is a pretty car but his has a wicked tick from the 3.2. The car has <10K on an it really sounds like a timing chain type rattle. Although I have yet to peek under the hood because I have no business in there. I was a huge fan of the older RS6, but the interiors are just boring imho and their technology is behind the rest of the market despite their prices being one price point higher than the vehicle. They do have a proven tradition of making well handling overly complex vehicles.

I hope you give Infiniti another look when your A4 is running out of warranty.

Instead of going for an M try a G sedan if you want more performance and something capable of just over a 13 second 1/4 mile that you can usually get for the mid thirties.

I still have to think there may have been something about your former M. I was talking to an owner at work today about this thread and asked him what his thoughts on the steering were (he just bought his second M35x after putting 120k on his 06). He was very candid about the highway lead and said his countermeasure for that was Goodyear Eagle GTs and frequent rotations with N2. More importantly he said he learned to look ahead at the condition of the road. The guy is a traveling rep for something and said without a doubt NJ has the worst highways for the M. However my wifes Acura is dangerously unstable in NJ too and that has a zero camber set with two more degrees of front caster than the M. That's just a random example and is not a rule. Personally I think the sporty suspension and wheel and tire options lead to a potential highway pull, but I would not let some crappy pavement change my mind. I had the pleasure of tearing around the highway in this area in an M6 convertible and that car was a struggle to keep straight even at speed limit speed, on the roads that are fairly worn.

To put a positive spin on it think of it as a true drivers car. The car wants you to pay attention to it, they like it when your hands are on the wheel.

[Barrels41]

I had several G35 loaners when my M was in service. I thought they were great. But the A4 G8 version is now a much larger car than the M37 and the fold down rear seats mean allot to me for traveling and skiing. The mileage is much better. That's not a big dollar deal to me but it is politically better.

I have a new car warranty and prepaid all service for 45,000 miles. The synthetic oil gives a service interval of 5,000 then 15,000. The 2.0 does burn some oil though. If I buy the car after lease I can get a 100,000 mile factory warranty. I am sure Infiniti is less fragile mechanically. Audi seems OK. My wife is on her 2nd 3.2 6 cyl A4 and we never had a problem.

The A4 with 18" wheel sports package rides and handles superbly. The Pirelli P7 summer ultra performance tires are unbelievable unless you have to pay for a new one.

The OEM Infiniti Goodyear GS-As ruin an otherwise decent car. I hear you can demand and get Michelins.

The standard A4 17" wheel version I hear is plagued with a steering vibration problem.

I see the A4 as somewhere between the M and G. That is a good place for me now. Maybe I will have a fourth childhood at 70 and get a S4 or whatever that supercharged A4 6 cyl. is called. Unless I have to get a Caddy with the handicapped tag hanging from the windshield and move to Boca Raton.

[SteveTheTech]

My wife is on her 2nd 3.2 6 cyl A4 and we never had a problem.

And that is where your bias comes from. lol

I agree though that the A4 is in a weird place in its life. Its like the 12 year old who is 6' tall and growing facial hair but still play with Tonka trucks.

Really thought Pirrelli P7s on a car bought to carry skis seems like your going to need some pricey snow tires. Is the awd system a locker style or variable rate?

Prepaid maintenance plans are the way to go no matter what make you choose to get. At least in the case of Infiniti they pay for themselves about half way through the contract. Unlike BMW most manufacturers offer you a maintenance plan instead of saying it is free or no charge. Do not be fooled you are not getting anything free.

The 3.2 isn't a bad engine from the limited experience I have with it I don't think its quite what the 2.7TT was though. I hear those were pricey when they break though, I did some research a while back when one came through my dealer at an unreal price that would make even the biggest Infiniti fan buy something that would require a few thousand dollars in specialized tools to maintain.

I am actually a little surprised their 4 cylinder consumes oil, I know have some challenges for google with my Saturday morning coffee. This is a globally marketed engine used by VW in many models if I am not mistaken, and I thought it had been around for a while. Although maybe the 1.8 and 2.0 are not similar.

Doesn't the S4 now come with a V8. Which just isn't the same as some form of forced injection performance V6. However you do get the same interior as a Lamborghini whether that is a good thing or not. The still have that insidious red illumination don't they?

-Sorry for the thread jacking-

[Barrels41]

The 2010 S4 just came out with a supercharged 6cyl. I don't know about the illumination. I was surprised the 2.0T oil light came on at 3000 miles and again at 5000. It is a keep driving one quart low white light. My solution is to keep a quart of VW grade syn oil 10-40 on hand. It doesn't even have a dipstick.

I have been driving for 50 years and never had a problem with any engine. Maybe Dad's Jagaur XKE.......

Plenty of transmission problems though.

With the cost of repairs today I don't like to keep a car out of warranty. If I did it would be an Accord or Civic.

Even my bulletproof M35X needed a full Navigation & top line stereo replacement.

A few weekends skiing in VT only need aggressive all season tires.

I don't know the mechanics of the A4 AWD vs the Infiniti except Audi is a full time system and Infiniti is RWD with 4WD on demand. The 2009+ A4 is re-engineered to have a RWD feel instead of the former A4s FWD feel.

Did learn Audi requires rotors changed every time pads are replaced. I wonder what my local mechanic would say? The brakes are great but dirty-sooty wheel blackening.

[SteveTheTech]

That sounds like an interesting concern. Not having a dipstick and consuming oil. Does the information display have an accurate way of calculating just how much oil the car has or does it just have a level verification mode (similar to BMW)? Having the fwd setup with an underpowered 4 cylinder doesn't really scream highline to me.

Carrying a qt of oil in a new car does not sound like a viable option. I know from reading this forum that the members with the early M45s that have some consumption issue on a few VK models. These guys to do not find this even close to acceptable even on a car that is 3-4 years old. How does Audi get away with this? I know there have been threats of legal action over a nominal amount of oil level drop.

What kind of audio/nav replacement did your M undergo? Are you referring to the update for the Bluetooth module that gets an updated nav control unit because the software is not updateable? Radio issues in the M are very unusual and not at all like the old G35 models.

Infiniti customers made all kinds of noise when the original G first came out and had European style brakes on it that required rotor replacement with each set of pads. These too made copious amount of brake dust a wore fairly quickly, Infinitis answer was to extend a special warranty for 3 years and 36k. From my personal experience with MB and Volvo who both require rotor replacement without question, this type of service is not out of the ordinary. I remember being at MB when an E55 (one of my absolute favorite cars of all time) came in and the owner received an estimate for $1500 for pads and rotors at all four corners. Most euro dealers do not even have a brake lathe.

Every manufacturer has their own little quirks and it is the consumers responsibility to see what works for them.

[dorlandm]

Steve The Tech is awesome! Thank you for your contributions here. I had some Toyo tires on my m35x and they tramlined all over the road! It was hard to keep on the straight and narrow. Then I went with 4 fresh Michelin Pilot Sport tires and the issue was GONE!

I also did have the car alined at the same time, but it was the tires. Sidebar;my friend has 07 Avalanche with Pirelli Scorpions and he has the "Tramlining" issue with that vehicle. Might not just be M35's. For what it is worth.

[SteveTheTech]

Thanks Mark,

You didn't by chance happen to get Pilot Sports that look like the ones below did you?



The PS1s are decent tires but require attention once they get past 10,000 miles or so. Older model G35s used these and had constant noise complaints. The M has a different suspensions geometry and load characteristics but the design of the tire yields itself to featheredging over time. For the best results I find rotating these every service since they cannot (easily) be cross rotated ensures they last longer.

Pirelli Scorpions have a very aggressive tread pattern and especially in trucks with large wheels (increased footprint) they will take to imperfections in the road and cause a much greater effect than the M experiences. These trucks were never designed to run tires like this. The M is not the only car to face this type of concern. Many other sports cars and motorcycles face this issue as well, many people have reported leading conditions in BMW, MB, and Subaru forums as an example. It just has to do with the suspension, steering components, and most importantly tires and wheels.