High speed wandering

[Craigmri]

Today I noticed that our new Vibe is doing something unusual at speeds over 75 MPH. Once we reach 75 or over the car seems to occassionally wander in the lane even though no steering input was given. There were light winds today but nothing significant enough that should have blown the Vibe around. We have the Base Vibe with 17" alloys w/ Bridgestone Potenza's. I'm wondering if the steering, suspension and alignment make the car "Twitchy" at higher speeds......anyone ever notice this?

[Raven]

Over 75mph, where are you driving, on the Autobahn!!!

[DavidPIL]

Hi Craigmri...I noticed this only after changing the tires from the OEM Dunlops to Continentals. I assumed it was the wider tire following the road grooves a bit more at higher speeds but I'm just not sure. This doesn't happen at any speed below 50-55 or so but is more noticable as the speed increases. Also noticed the steering is a bit more responsive at the slightest move of the steering wheel though the wheels themselves aren't so much so I almost feel like I'm driving an early 1980's Big *ss Buick. I'm still playing around with the tire pressures though and I have smaller width wheels than I should have with the Tires (OEM = 6.5 or 7" - Tire minimum is 7.5"). So, yeah, I notice something similar but with different tires. Maybe soft, but normal for that type of tire, sidewalls on the tires? Check the air pressure to make sure it's close to recommended.Dave

[Craigmri]

Sunny and Dave,The interstates here in Florida have a 70 MPH speed limit so its not uncommon to run 80 to stay with the flow of traffic. I do have the stock 17" potenzas set on the high end in effort to maximize fuel effeciency but I'm going to bring them down to the recommended 32 psi and see if that has any factor in this phenomenon. I'm really hoping this is a correctable glitch to our Vibe cause it sure is annoying to have to constantly make steering corrections.

[DavidPIL]

Hi again Craigmri...I've been running higher pressure as well but mainly because the tire place told me I shouldn't run less that 40 psi in those tires. I checkd a few wheel places and they also recommend more pressure than the car manufaturer recommends for wider tires... I have 235/45R17's so maybe the "no less than 40 psi" is accurate for me. *shrug* Let me/us know if things get better with lower pressure.Dave

[cohocarl]

I have the stock 16" Continentals, and I think the thing is dangerous above 75mph. If there's a crosswind, you better be paying attention to what lane you care to be in. I even put on Hotchkis front and rear sway bars which made it handle like a slot car around corners, but did little to help this "wandering". From info I've been told by a reputable rep, it's mainly due to the tires. I can't wait for them to wear out enough to get a different brand. (not too much longer) I know from experience different tires will make a car handle differently, but I'd be amazed if it's just the tires. Mine is a 5-speed so I'm also wondering if it's a little lighter in the front end than an auto which may contribute to the wandering.This is basically the only complaint I have with the Vibe, although when most of my driving is on I-75 at 75+ mph, it makes for an unenjoyable drive. http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=5635

[Craigmri]

Carl,first let me say thank you for responding and sharing your experience with me. I'm really dissappointed about this problem the more I think about it. We will be doing alot of 75 MPH driving on the local interstates and this issue makes it annoying.I have yet to test the lower air pressure in the Potenzas so the jury is still out in that respect. I seriously doubt however that your Conti's and my Potenza's are the source of this problem. GM and Toyota dont put tires on cars haphazardly. These tires were obviously proven and if they had this kind of wandering caused by a tire there is no way in the world there gonna put them on and sell 10's of thousands of them. In addition, if it were the tire causing this, why arent more people complaining? I believe there is another cause of this problem. I'm not a certified machanic however I consider myself mechanically inclined. Its my opinion that I have either a poor alignment or a faulty steering or suspension piece. If the air pressure test is fruitless I'll be going to the dealer and begin the investigation. Wish me luck!

[RoundUp]

Hmm. Very interesting. I have an AWD with the regular Eagle RSA's (35 psi in front and 32 psi in back). I've never experienced any unusual twitchiness and I do a lot of highway driving at +70 mph. I mean there are problems with crosswinds, but this vehicle has a fairly high roof for a compact car so it is not unusual that you would feel the car being pushed by the slightest winds. (Usually if I can hear the crosswind, then I can feel it as well at the wheel). I used to drive a minivan and I would say that the Vibe has less problems with crosswinds than that.Keep us updated on any findings with your tires. I'm thinking of going to 17" rims next spring and would appreciate any tire advice you can give.

[jimincalif]

I suspect the tires. I also have the Continentals and have noticed this occasionally, only on grooved roadways while pushing 80 mph.By way of comparison, last time I bought tires for my Lexus ES300, I changed from Michelins to Sumitomos and it started having the same occasional problem on the samed grooved roads at high speed, where it never did with the Michelins, Pirelli and Goodyear tires I've previously had on it.

[shibaman]

I have a base Vibe with oem 17s and Bridg. RE92 tires. I also have Hotchkis sway bars and springs. I just went on a 1000 mile trip and have had no problems with wandering. I went down I5 at 80 mph and the car tracks true even when passing trucks.

[ragingfish]

I had a small problem with wandering for a while, turned out my tires were underinflated and my alignment was off.Corrected the pressure and repaired the alightment. Drives perfectly now!

[meathead333]

quote:I even put on Hotchkis front and rear sway bars which made it handle like a slot car around corners, but did little to help this "wandering". what do those cost and how hard are they to install? i am thinking of a upgrade since ill be in germany and around the autobond.

[cohocarl]

quote:what do those cost and how hard are they to install?If I remember right, they were about $300us for both the front and rear. Rear is easy to install, front is a job.:http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=3790

[meathead333]

ok, thanks for the info. that may be something i may get later on

[Flip-Side]

quote:I suspect the tires. I also have the Continentals and have noticed this occasionally, only on grooved roadways while pushing 80 mph.The Contis on our cars have decent traction and ride, but I agree that they may be a big factor in the "wandering at high speed" issue. Heck, I'm just gonna blame everything on em after my experiences with em. "Hey Flip-Side, you have a tailight out.", someone says."It's those damn Contis again! Damn You Contis...DAMN YOU!"

[DavidPIL]

Ya know, I responded to this post but now I'm not so sure I have the same issue. Yeah, it does feel like the vehicle is being steered a little by wind even though there is very little. I noticed that once I got my new tires, the steering was more sensitive to the slightest movement but only to a slight degree. The car actually doe seem to want to go straight and stay going straight. The OEM Dunlops I had were similar but they weren't as sensitive to slight wheel movements. I did notice however that the dunlops were more sensitive to bumps in the road, especially when accelerating, which caused the vehicle to feel like the steering wheel was moved even though it wasn't. I took that as being a symptom of harder rubber. I think the slight drifting issue might be because of softer rubber and the tread design. For me, the issue is slight... feels a bit more like I'm driving a larger 1980's car or a conversion van.. not completely but slightly in that drifting issue. If I hard steer into a corner, hit the brakes hard or do any type of aggressive driving, I have just as good of grip as I had with the Dunlops, just now I don't feel all the small bumps or feel the steering wheel turn to follow the slightest grooves in the road. Those were some concerns with the Dunlops for me. Yeah, I know that's probably a normal charateristic of a Summer tire but that's why I didn't like em.I've had my alignment checked, it was fixed but that was done within a week of getting the new tires. I'll have it checked yearly, which was a recommendation from someone who has owned a lot of Japanese cars. He says the alignment just doesn't hold. Apparently we're finding this out from some of the other issues I've read about on here. The best thing to do is to just have it all checked out. You should go to an alignment specialist. They may charge you a little to just put it up on the rack to check but at least they should know what they're doing. Have the same place balance and rotate the tires. Again, might cost a little but they should give you better results. Ask them about the tire pressure and see what they say. My tire place told me not to go below 40 psi, I wouldn't recommend that unless someone told you that you should. But have it checked and ask anyway. What can it hurt?Dave

[17tobyracing]

We had the same "wandering" issues with our GT and put new rubber on the car and had the tow-out adjusted. The car is on rails now. Upgrading from the Continental Tires was the first thing I had on my list when we picked the car up at the dealer.

[vibe owner]

My GT has the optional Dunlop 17's, 21,000 miles and rolling, except the one my son blistered the sidewall on a big rock. I also have some aftermarket 16 wheels for studless snow tires -- Semperit Sportgrip, a Continental brand. The snows are directional, speed-rated, and excellent on wet/dry/snow/ice. I will never buy studded snows again.Neither tire has exhibited random wandering, and I've had the Dunlops to 105. But I have noticed the front is sensitive to cross-sloping pavement, a common issue here where studded tires are legal and roads get rutted fast. Road imperfections pull the wheel more than on most cars, and a rut will cause you to track up the side of the rut. So I would buy the theory that the road surface and suspension are contributing to the wandering. But if you are wandering on a new and flat road, it could be the tires, or it could be a suspension problem. See if you can find roads with and without grooves to see if that explains it -- if so, blame the tires.