I bought my 05 rl about a year ago, the dealer put a new set of general gmax tires on when i purchased it. I have had a lot of issues with what I thought was alignment, tie rod etc. Still nothing has been resolved. The car wants to follow every groove and dip in the road, its a little un settling having to fight with a 4000 lb car. Now I'm told I need new tires because its doing what's called tramlining. Has anyone had this issue and if I buy new tires with this resolve it?

 

are they oversized tires or aftermarket wheels?

Good info on the topic here: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete....jsp?techid=47

 

Tramlining is completely normal for certain roads/tread patterns on new tires and has nothing to do with the car. New tires that tend to tramline will not help, but wearing the tires down will. I suggest driving on a different road for a while.

 

No aftermarket mods, all stock heavy, as far as driving on different roads 007spy unfortunately some are un avoidable.

 

Will the tramlining go away as the tires wear? Cause it's driving me crazy I dont know how long I can deal with it

 

one more question, have you checked the PSI?

Are they possibly over inflated?

 

Yes definitely adjusted it several times, tried a little low a little high and right at acura spec didn't seem to make much difference :-(

 

Im going to have the toe adjusted tomorrow because of the new tie rod. I guess I'll see what these guys think. They are a specialty alignment shop these guys have been racing and working on cars for years they are the best around

 

My vote is new tires. If you want to reduce the financial risk, try to find a set of used tires for cheap to test it out before you decide to drop $1k on a set of new tires. Shouldn't be too hard to find a cheap set of 225/55/17's or 235/55/17's.

Don't take this the wrong way but, how bad is the issue really? Is it possible you're being a bit sensitive about it? I would venture to say that nearly every car out there exhibits this habit to some degree. It is a natural effect of a rolling object encountering an uneven surface. It will naturally take the path of least resistance. Heavier vehicles with sportier suspension and wider/lower profile tires will exaggerate the feeling even more. What was your previous vehicle?

 

cool, keep us posted.

 

Well BDogg I had a kia optima before (no laughing) for six years. I may be a bit sensitive to the issue but I am still weighing my options. I have never experienced a car do this before so in my mind I think its a bit extreme. I'll see what the guys at the alignment shop think but I may just start saving for new tires the ones on are pretty noisy too. I can be a bit of a perfectionist.

 

Being a perfectionist is okay. I'm not at all ruling out an issue with the tires or alignment. That said, going from a softly sprung economy sedan with 15" wheels and virtually zero road feel transmitted to the steering wheel to a semi-performance luxury sedan with wide wheels and lower profile tires...

 

Yea I guess I didn't think it would be this noticeable, otherwise the car is in top shape low miles no history of accidents and a full dealer service history. So it has to be the tires right?

 

I have experienced major tram lining on I-10 driving to Houston on brand new tires in Legend #1. It was quite annoying given the extent of the drive. I continue using the tires and it completely went away. How many miles are on this set? I venture to bet that by the time you save up and pull the trigger on a new set, the issue resolves itself.

 

I would say it's more likely the tires than anything in the suspension. Some tires exhibit this behavior more than others. You may also want to see if there is another RL owner in your area that wouldn't mind giving up a few hours of their afternoon to help you with this. Just swap their wheels and tires onto your car and vice versa and do some testing of your own. It would help to limit your financial investment in case it turns out to not be tire related.

 

007spy, there are maybe 4 to 5k on the tires no change so far. BDogg, I have had the dealer and two other mechanics inspect and drive the car and they all agree nothing is wrong with the suspension components or anything else. So I will put up with it as long as I can stand it but it really takes away from the car

 

Like I said, some tires are much more susceptible to this behavior. I think it would be worth your while to find somebody you can swap wheels and tires with for a couple hours to do some testing. If it is the tires, cut your losses now by buying a new set of tires and selling the General's while they're still fairly new.

 

Thanks, I'll let you all know the outcome

 

Had my alignment done this morning, it feels a lot better, they also adjusted the tire pressure. They worked on it for about an hour until they got it perfect and I can tell a major difference. However he did say the tires are to blame for the rest of what im feeling. There are nothing wrong with them its just the type of tire. So I may just end up getting a new set soon.

 

Make sure you do your research. Hopefully by the time you are ready for new tires Michelin has released the Pilot Sport A/S 3 in a 245/50R17. Might also want to consider saving up a bit more and just going with 18" wheels and tires. There really aren't a whole lot of tire options in the stock size. Not too many vehicles came out of the factory with a 245/50R17. In fact, the Acura TL currently the only new car you can buy with that tire size. 245/45R18's provide a lot more tire options.

 

Yeah General tires are pretty bad tires where road feel and wear are concerned, just because of the quality of the tire and the design and material used. As a general rule alignment doesn't cause a pull. Usually, not all the time, what someone thinks is a pull is an offset steering wheel. Tires generally cause pull problems from poor quality or a shifted belt. The way alignment can cause a pull is when caster is out more then half a degree in one direction, which is a lot.

 

General is just a sub-brand of Continental. They make okay tires. Definitely nothing near the quality of a Michelin/Bridgestone/Goodyear product or even Continental themselves for that matter.

 

Left over tires that didn't make the conti cut.

Just like all the low bar tires.