Possible Tracking problems on new car?

[flm09]

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Just got my car today! When I did a quick drive before I officially took delivery I did not notice any pulling left or right when braking as the roads were pretty flat where the dealer is. But near my home there are some roads that are not perfectly flat and I noticed at times care is pulling left or right and when I brake to stop at light my steering would either go right or left and sometimes straight.

This is my first car with 19" wheels with low profile tires and when I did forum search people say this could be normal.

Should I be concerned? I guess I will call service tech to check out and of course my tires pressures. My friend drove it too and says his girlfriend has a BMW 328i with 18" wheels and don't notice as much pulling.

Btw I did most of my test driving with the AWD G37 with 18" wheels and never noticed this problem.

Would appreciate your feedback?

[exit9]

First thing is to check the tire pressures. If one is way off it could cause a slight pulling (not sure if the TPMS warns you if the pressure is too high). If all is equal have the dealer check it out. It's possible the alignment is off or you have a dragging caliper on one of the wheels.

[flm09]

I checked tire pressure today only left front at 35 psi rest were at 40, but when I made them all 35 it made the lurching way worst when driving home.

Made call to dealer and they said give it some time to get use to car and try on smoother roads as it is the low profile tires.

Could this be as my friend who also has 19" wheels says his car doesn't pull left or right when driving around town.

What do you think?

Thanks!

[BHB 91]

Mine tracks just fine on smooth roads but when it gets a little rough, I have to pay more attention to track it straight. I have had other cars with low profile tires and had similar experiences. I would also check your air pressure after letting the car sit overnight, too. Not sure when you checked then but when they are hot, it could be off a few pounds and make a difference as well.

I second the suggestion to check the brakes, too. If this is mainly happening while braking, that could be the problem.

[exit9]

I checked tire pressure today only left front at 35 psi rest were at 40, but when I made them all 35 it made the lurching way worst when driving home.

Made call to dealer and they said give it some time to get use to car and try on smoother roads as it is the low profile tires.

Make sure to check the pressure when the tires are cold. Best is to check after it's been sitting overnight. Find an empty parking lot or flat road and try letting go of the wheel. Make a note how it behaves at different speeds. If your phone does video try to record it. Does it tug more when applying the brakes? Is the steering true when driving in a straight line. If you can confidently replicate the pulling set up an appointment with the service dept and drive with the tech when they take it out. Let him/her know how the car behaves (be nice and courteous) and show them the video. If they say it's "normal" ask the service manager that you want to drive another vehicle on the lot with them (still be nice and courteous) to be sure.

Alignment issues are usually easily corrected unless a defect exists in the design. Since your friend's vehicle doesn't do it a small adjustment may be all you need.

[flm09]

Great tips! I will take her out tonite and see what happens! I'll keep you guys posted!

[flm09]

Tested my car out and it seems find even though on some roads you have to be careful as it could dart right or left. I did some research and it seems the culprit could be the oem RE050 tires.

Any input on this?

[rxneo8s]

I have a 2008 G37S coupe. It too tramlines, but only on some roads. I don't think there is much you can do about it. The problem is the 19" performance tires. The roads in NJ are awful and it is a problem I have come to live with.
I had similar problems with my wife's 2008 M35X. The dealer replaced the OEM Goodyears with Michelins and this has eliminated the tramlining almost completely.

[audtatious]

Watch your alignment. I just had to replace two 1yo front tires due to both being toe'd in.

[flm09]

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2010 G37S

*Numbers are in degrees

Left front camber:-0.2
Right front camber:-0.2
Left front caster:4.3
Right front caster:4.2
Left front toe:0.06
Right front toe:0.07

Total toe:0.12
Steer ahead: -0.01

Left rear camber:-1.1
Right rear camber:-1.3
Left rear toe:0.11
Right rear toe:0.09

Total toe:0.20
Thrust angle:0.01

My question is: these numbers are different from the ones published in 2008. Is that ok? For the novice shouldn't left and right camber be same?

Appreciate some feedback?

Thanks!