BadAcCLS

I just had a set of 235/45/R17 tires installed on my stock rims, but on the way home while steering back and forth to see how it feels the car almost feels like the back is swinging around loosely. Sort of like the back slides out when I steer the car a certain direction, is this normal, do they just need to be broken in? Could it be the width tire on the stock rim, or sidewall flex on the new tires? Anyone that has experience with wider tires on stock rims please give me some feedback.

cltypeSLOW

how fast were you going...the back end of the CL floats around easy if you dont have suspension mods...

BadAcCLS

Anything over 30mph, the stock michelins seemed twice as solid. Its almost as if the car wants to whip around on me when I swerve. I just went outside and pushed on the side of the car. The sidewalls on the new tires flexes and the car sways back and forth easily. I think maybe the sidewalls may be weak?? I'm not sure what to think, I guess I'm going to bring it back in tomorrow.

GreenMonster

Check the air in the tires. Low air pressure can make the car sway back and forth...

BadAcCLS

35psi in them right now, max is 44psi.

edit: Just filled to 40psi, it's still the same.

Dave

I know when I switched to 235 45 17 all-season tires, I experienced a little more sidewall flex. I also bumped up the air pressure to alleviate this somewhat.

The wider tires had a lot more grip than the stock Michelins however. What brand and model tires did you get?

Your right, it does not sound like it is the air pressure, but some tires do have more sidewall flex than others.

Keep us posted!

2003 CLS six speed
Comptech Icebox

Joe5.0

What kind of tires?

BadAcCLS

Dunlop SP Sport 01 DSST

Slees

oh and by the way. the stock michacraps have the worst sidewall flex i have ever seen.

Joe5.0

Hmm, those dont look like they'd be very soft as far as the sidewall goes, maybe go back to the tire place and show them what you mean, maybe they'll do another set since you're not happy.

I had Dunlop SP5000's on 17x7.5" wheels, and they werent loose at all, I liked them alot. My ex gf has FM-901's in 245's on a 7" wheel, and she likes them also, so I'm not sure,

Dave

Wow, those Dunlops are expensive - You might see if the shop will throw these on in the 235 45 17 size for comparison sake:

Pilot Sport A/S

Ultra High Performance All-Season

Quite possibly the most technologically advanced tire we make, the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S tire offers all-season performance without sacrificing any of the world-class handling qualities that Michelin Pilot tires are known for. The Michelin Pilot Sport A/S utilizes our patented C3M Technology to precisely place three specialized rubber compounds across the tread, allowing exceptional performance in dry, wet and cold weather conditions. The Michelin Pilot Sport A/S also features super strong Aramid reinforcements the same material used in our Formula One racing tires to help maintain the shape of the tire at high speeds.

m&b6speed

^^ i have them and love them. night and day over the stock tires. i'm about to purchase my second set(they lasted 40,000 miles)

BadAcCLS

Would it have anything to do with the original alignment on the car? Do I need to have it aligned for the difference between the stocks and 235s?

ayougo

ok, ive delt with this problem on many car's ive worked with. First things first. Check tire pressure and make sure under nominal conditions, that it around 35 psi (exact) second, check the wear on your tires to see if there is any inside wear or wear on just the middle of the tire ( not good, all the surface area needs to be making contact) third, feel the side walls with you thumb, it should be hard to push in ( you shouldnt be able to push them in 1/32 of an inch ) if they do ask the people who mounted them to check the wall and also ask them how they proceeded in mounting them ( maching etc ) fourth, check suspension make sure the struts and main assembly are tight and do not move side to side. fifth, your tires will give your car that new tire "sway" which means when you stear, your car feels so planted that you experience a signifcant amount of body roll, make sure you car responds to this by taking it to an empty parking lot and testing the limit at which your car feels unstable when taking low speed sharp turns ( test the car safely so you know what to expect in the event of sudden lane change or corner ) sixth. break into a turn and see if the pushes or over steer's. If it pushes then thats to be expected, if it overstears ( rear end goes nutz ) its a suspension quarel. ill do some research on your tire's as well to see if anyone else who's purchased them has any issues.

BadAcCLS

I took the car for a little drive down Lagrange rd going northbound last night, speed limit is higher and there are hardly any cars on it late at night. I sped up to about 80 and then started braking. As soon as I hit the brakes the back of the car swayed (almost as if I were accelerating heavily in a RWD car from a stop), and when I attempted to correct the rear end swung out to the side on me, luckily I was able to catch it. I have a good feeling the problem is sidewall flex causing the initial feeling of the rear end swaying. Why it broke loose when braking, I don't know. This morning a buddy of mine who owns an '01 CL who purchased the '03 rims that were on my car when I bought it and installed 225/45/17 Goodyear eagle RSA's on them let me put his two back rims/tires on my car. We took it for a spin and the rear end was stiff as ever, didn't budge, didn't really roll into turns either. I know it's the tires, just not sure why. I'm taking the car back in tomorrow afternoon for them to look at and testdrive. Thanks for all the feedback.

ayougo

not a problem Alot of the time its just a matter of testing the handling under breaking ( accelerates the issues so you can see exactly whats happening with your car ) it good to know you did these tests and found out what you needed and also good you did them as a safety measure because you didnt want your rear end to take you for a ride when your making quick lane changes ( always good to test the limits of your car in a safe controlled manner. Im glad you fixed the issue and i hope you have fun in the feature with your Cl

ayougo

http://www.1010tires.com/tirereviews...e_reviews.html

just some review on the tire. Ive done more reasearch and found your not the only one with this problem on a heavier car. It seems, although providing great traction, that the tire sticks so well, that the force of any turn or turbulant driving causes the sidewall to flex due to the traction the tire provides without letting go. almost like when you turn hard instead of a little give or chop your tires are grabbing on with its life leaving no forgive on your side wall. Due to its silica based compounds as well the tires side wall are not as strong as other compounds, but provide the best traction for all wheather driving and ride quality

BadAcCLS

A little update for anyone following this thread. I went back in today, and they tell me that it's not the tires, it's the fact of the tire being too big for that car, "they put a specific size tire on the vehicle from the manufacture for a reason, if they wanted you to have a different size they would have installed at the factory." One guy also said that 235/45/17 is not right, I should have 235/40/17 for it to be the correct ratio, that the 45 aspect ratio is MUCH larger than the stock diameter. But the other guy working said no, that's the right aspect ratio to match the stock diameter. So who knows that the hell they are talking about at this place if each person is telling me something different?? Anyone know which person is right?? They are blaming the sway on the bigger size and not the tire itself, and they failed to explain why my buddy who has the same size (235/45/17) only goodyears doesn't have a problem, and why when his were fitted on my car, mine didn't have a problem. Someone help please!

Rock2534

I would say that the one is correct about the 235/45 being the same diameter, you can check here tire size , but that only means that the speedometer and mileage will be the most accurate, it does not mean that size is perfectly acceptable to run. I know many people do use it, but the fact is no tire maker recommends putting that size on a 7 inch rim. Also not all tires seem to look the same even though they are the same size. I've seen ones that seem to have a big sidewall and others that do not. If you do a search you will find a thread where there are lots of pics posted, some look good with 235's, but some look bad in my opinion. I am not familiar with your tire, but maybe it has a bigger sidewall than others, so if that is the case it could result in a lot of tire flex. I would say the only way to know for sure is to try a set of 225's in the same brand of tire and see what the difference is.

nahornb

How about an update? I have read this thread and am contemplating 17x7.5 x45mm offset Alba's with the Michelin 235's on my 2003 cl-s.I will not be dropping it and hope the tires do not rub and yet ride decent. Comments? Thanks !

nahornb

How about an update? I have read this thread and am contemplating 17x7.5 x45mm offset Alba's with the Michelin 235's on my 2003 cl-s.I will not be dropping it and hope the tires do not rub and yet ride decent. Comments? Thanks !

g1underground

iTrader: (1)

You should be fine. I think the stock setup is 17x7 with a 50,51 or 52 offset. 45 offsets work well.

kensukikatayo

I thought the stock offset was +55? Or is that only for the 01-02 Type-S wheels? But 235 is pushing it for a 7 inch wheel, 235 still isn't even recommended for 7.5 inch wide wheels.

nahornb

The stock wheels are 55mm offset; but many places on this site including the FAQ quote that the 235's will fit but get a minimum of 45mm offset on a 7.5 for best performance. If the 235's are on a 7" wheel ; it appears the extra rubber gives sidewall flex ( dependent on tire brand) since the tire was " pinched" or caused bulging on the smaller rim. This gets pronounced in handling at high speeds .

kensukikatayo

Just try to stick to 225's on a 7" wheel. Mine are fine on my stock wheels.

g1underground

iTrader: (1)

Your're right about the offset of the stock wheels, but for the 7.5 the 235's should work with no problem with the 45 offset. The place where I buy my tires here ( Radial Tire Co. ) told me 225's or 235's would work. If you have doubts I would call Tire Rack at 1-800-596-5090 or email them. The staff there is very knowledgable and has years of experience. I have 235's on 7.5 rims with zero problems- no noise, handles great through all types of turns, holds air, no dimples,etc. They work for me

kensukikatayo

235's would be fine on a 7.5 but on the stock 7's that's kinda pushin it and that's prolly why you're having problems. Get some new wheels!

BadAcCLS

I switched the dunlops out for Kumho ASX's in a 235/45/17 and the sway that was there is gone. Now if I could only get my car back from the shop!! They've had it a week now, and I've had a '05 TL. Replacing motor mounts and both drive axles (2nd time).