v3ttel

Hi, new mustang owner here. I recently bought a '14 Mustang (more or less my dream car) and I love it. However, I have noticed that I seem to suffer from extreme tramlining which is very annoying. Any groove or rut in the road (particularly on highways) will force my car off line pretty aggressively. It's also super sensitive to changes in the road surface. It's like any rough asphalt in with grooves feels like I'm driving with a very extreme crosswind. It's hard to keep the car going straight.

The tires and rims are aftermarkets.... Kumho Ecsta 245/50R18. They seem to have a reasonable amount of thread left. The rims seems to be deep-dish style. It's the first time I've experienced any extreme tramlining in any vehicle I've driven, so it's super annoying that it's happening on my new Mustang.

Any tips for how I can eliminate this? Should I get new tires? new rims? Both (if so, any recommendations). The car has very low mileage and otherwise is absolutely spotless and has had servicing every 3K to 5K miles according to carfax. I don't think it's a specific problem with the car, but rather the tires. From what I've read, the tires are always the first thing to change or look at with tramlining. The problem is I don't want to spend $500 or $1200 changing wheels or wheels and rims without being sure they will eliminate the problem.

Any help appreciated!

TheReaper

What steering mode are you using ?

Trumpetlon

Mine turned out to be a blown strut. I replaced both struts and it vanished completely. Good luck with your dream car!!

PonyMuscletang13

Hi, I'm no expert here but I would check any mods done to the car especially suspensions.

First came to mind is the 'Bump-Steer'. There's aftermarket kit to better correct but rarely needed, not too many discussions either. This is on my next mod list though.

Deep-dish Chicago pizza style? lol.
I personally don't have experience with Kumho but heard they're decent brand. I'm not a fan of more than 45 sidewalls on these cars (makes the car too tall) but guess 18" rims makes up for that. I would check the tire wears (inside vs outside) too and so if the alignment is ok.

v3ttel

Thanks, I'll be unbelievably happy with it once I get this annoyance sorted!

The car has very little mileage on it and has been generally very well maintained and regularly service so I think a strut is unlikely (but then again, I more or less clueless when it comes to this problem as I've never had anything like it before!). Any thoughts on how (or where) would be able to check this for me? I've just moved to the US so I don't have a local mechanic I can trust here.

I'm using sport mode, but it's noticeable in all modes (standard, comfort and sport). The feeling doesn't really change in any steering mode.

Yeah, I just googled "bump-steer"...... that's exactly what the feeling is like. I have no idea if any modifications have been made to the suspension, but the car has had a few small mods for sure, not least of which are the wheels. I'm not sure exactly what my next step should be. Should I leave it to a place to check the suspension, alignment, etc? Or should I go straight for new tires (and/or wheels?) If so, any recommendation on what chain might be reliable?

The existing tires do look a little kind of "dukes-of-hazard like" with 245s and the deep alignment! I would happily leave them if they were driving fine. I think they are suspects number one though (without me knowing if the suspension has been modded!)

It's hard to know where to start (especially without a decent mechanic I can trust). I want to try and get it resolved for the least amount of $$$ possible, as all of my cash went into actually buying the car. I'm kind of tempted just to leave into somewhere like Firestone Auto Car, explain the problem and see what they come up with. Having said that, if it is tire related, I'd much prefer pick my own from tirerack.com rather than taking whatever they try to sell me.

shaneyusa

Post some pics of the car. Might help us. Besides gives you a chance to show her off...

I have had off brand tires do this to me, if the cord is damaged those tires can cause the car to be pulled all around, grabbing any runt or rise in the pavement. Can be very squirrelly to drive. But hard to say if that is your issue.

I would probably start with an alignment, and tire balance. Start with the lower cost and work up. The tire shop might also see something when they spin those things.

PonyMuscletang13

I don't mean to discourage but sadly Ford is notorious for cutting corners. There's always a chance of parts to fail regardless of mileage assuming your car has the factory struts. Also if it's indeed the struts, then you'd hear noises and actually can feel it. What you could do on your own is to look for the struts at an angle turn the front tires to sides. Take pics. Usually aftermarket ones have different colors than plain black or have brand names/logos on them (Koni=Orange/Yellow, Bilstein=Yellow, Steeda=Blue...etc).


The 245's tire width are fine. The 50 sidewalls sound to me like SUV tall, not a performance car-like. It sure could provide some nice cushions for comfort. I can't help but to picture the drag-race set up in this. What do you mean by 'deep alignment'?? Please take pics and post.


I would google, yelp, facebook...etc search for the reputable performance (Mustang) shop, and the alignment shop in your area. You could also ask fellow TMS members here who lives in the same area for recommendations. AVOID(!) going to Firestone at all cost. Do NOT go there even if it's just for the tires. Try local America's Tire. They match the TireRack prices.

Try this calculator: Wheel/Tire Size Comparer

PonyMuscletang13

I'd guess you already tried the search option here but in case you missed, check this thread out: Steering and tramlining

The OP stated combination of new tires and alignment fixed the issue. Interesting.

Joeywhat

Some tires will cause this more than others. It's unavoidable with a lot of summer only tires.

Just sayin'

LEXiiON

245/50R18 is what came stock from the factory. So yes, Ford decided to put a 50 sidewall on there cars.

LEXiiON

Bert

LOL, I remember when 60 was considered a low profile tire. Was that really THAT long ago? Wow, I'm getting old . . . .

TheReaper

I think the EPAS has a lot to do with this problem.

5LHO

Before we get all upset with Ford, the car has aftermarket wheels and tires on it. Tramlining most often is caused by the tires but can be caused by the wheels, if the offset is different than stock. Some tires are horrible for this and the low-end stuff on the car wouldn't surprise me that it might be the source of the problem. Also, if the car is lowered in any way, because it's a macstrut car, it can become quite susceptible to this, because of the steering parts becoming misaligned with the control arm.

Try experimenting with some different tire pressures to start. Lower pressures can help with this. Look closely at the tire tread for any signs of uneven wear and report back.

There are other potential causes here but, let's start with the obvious.

EPAS problems DO NOT cause tramlining but, rather high frequency wheel shake, due to the anti-nibble programming.

TheReaper

I'm sticking with my EPAS theory.

Joeywhat

It's not EPAS. Go get into a 65 mustang, and put some brand new summer tires on it, with a very aggressive tread pattern that will inevitably have a solid center rib, and see how that tramlining feels. It'll be just as bad.

Bert

I think you might be onto something there.

Is it the solid center rib that "causes" it?

I gather that some tire/tread designs do it more than others, but haven't been able to figure out what it is about the tread design. It does make some sense to me that it could be related to that solid center rib; which is very firm and would make the tire stick to the road / follow the road more. I can see how a broken/interrupted center section would be more "forgiving."

TheReaper

I run Pilot SS and the thread pattern is far from aggressive.

Bert

Michelin Pilot Super Sport are some of the stickiest street tires going, and do have the solid center rib that we are talking about. The center rib has some small grooves in it, but they don't go all the way across, it is pretty much solid. They also have near solid shoulders.

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...ot+Super+Sport

I guess maybe "agressive tread" means different things to different people; in this context it means more like a track tire than street tire, or closer to a slick.

I lost track and too lazy to read back in the thread; Reaper do you experience the tramlining on your car?

I have Bridgestone S-04's which also have the solid center rib and solid shoulders and they do tramline a bit, I got used to it and accept it as part of life with wide performance tires on the front.

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...+Pole+Position

Joeywhat

Yes, it's largely the ribs that are around the entire circumference of the tire. On flat pavement, that allows for increased stability both going straight and in corners. With grooves on the road it allows the tire to follow the grooves very easily, giving the feeling of tramlining.

My winter tires have never exhibited that behavior. My summer tires, however, are quite awful for it. Just the nature of the game.

TheReaper

[QUOTE=Bert;7023299]
I lost track and too lazy to read back in the thread; Reaper do you experience the tramlining on your car?

Yes. It started after the Pilots rolled 10,000 miles.