Sorry this may get kinda long....

I have a 11 month old TSX 5AT w/ 21,000 miles. A little over a month ago, I got a flat (front passenger side) going 80 mph on the freeway. I pulled over, put on the spare and went to work. Later that afternoon I bought 2 new tires for the front and had them balance all the tires before installation. As I was driving home, I noticed the handling was very bad....lots of play and it seemed like I had to fight just to go straight.

I went back to the tire place the next day and told them the problem. They rotated the tires (put the new ones in the back). It seemed to help, but I still don't feel comfortable with the handling. Especially making big turns at higher speeds (about 45-50mph on freeway exchanges) the car sometimes feels like it's slipping. I have a feeling something is off but I'm not sure what it could be. I've had the brakes and rotors checked but is there anything else I should look at? The alignment seems ok when I'm going straight but the steering wheel just seems a tiny bit looser than before the flat tire (I think although this may just be in my head...).

Thanks for any help

 

Did you inspect the wheel for any damage? A flat @ 80mph is pretty serious and may have had other unforeseen consequences. You may want to have the alignment looked at by a professional shop to make sure everything is within spec.

 

Yeah, I'm planning on getting alignment checked out tommorrow. As for the wheel, I would think that the tire shop that did the balancing would've let me know if the rim was bent or anything. I also did have that rim rotated to the back but the handling problem is still there. I don't know much about this stuff....I was wondering can the alignment get loose? I know it can be off so the car pulls right or left. I wish I knew the problem so I could just get it fixed. I don't want to get ripped off by a mechanic who charges me $$ to try and fix the problem only to find that the problem is still there....

Thanks for your input

 

Are all of your tires the same brand?

 

No the two on the front are the stock tires...the two on the back are yoko 420 (I didn't have time to really research tires...) btw do they check camber settings when the check alignment?

 

Don't ask further. Michelins DO NOT blend in well with ANY other tire brands. You get what happens generally when you mix Michelins with other brands

 

Thanks for the info. I'll look into replacing all tires before resorting to checking alignment.

 

Yeah... don't mix tires. And if you happen to do this, make sure you get as close to OEM spec as possible. Same load, same circumference numbers, etc... otherwise you affect handling.

Also, make sure tire pressure are correct.