Tramlining like mad!! Worn tires or more serious..?

[Dennis Moeller]

I have pretty worn tires...only 2mm thread left. The tires have also been used on several track days. Brand: Vredestein Sessanta.

My car is tramlining like crazy and basically is all over the road. It pulls in the steering so bad that I'm afraid to drive with one hand on the wheel except if I'm 100% certain the road ahead is flat. Feels like numerous forces pulling the car side to side in a very random and unpredictable way. Two times I've had near crashes...
Yes, I will be getting new tires one of these day's but could there be something else wrong that I need to adress at the same time?

225/40-18
8.5" Daytona's
B8
H&R 25
R32 rear sway bar (OE up front)
No known damage to the car, undercarriage or wheels
Camber front and rear -1.00 degree
Toe 0.00 up front and 0.05 ish at the rear...

Any suggestions or solely down to bad or used up tires...?

Cheers

 

[Caesium]

Sounds a bit odd, are the roads over there rutted by trucks or something?

I'd say change the tyres anyway as they're more than 90% worn, then see what happens, use your tyre change as part of an elimination procedure.

The settings you have detailed all look okay to me.

 

[s3ollie]

do you have play at the steering wheel?

 

[Dennis Moeller]

Sounds a bit odd, are the roads over there rutted by trucks or something?

I'd say change the tyres anyway as they're more than 90% worn, then see what happens, use your tyre change as part of an elimination procedure.

The settings you have detailed all look okay to me.

Yeah the roads in norway are mostly in a terrible state - odd really in the world's supposedly richest country?? But yeah the roads have these grooves or tracks made by trucks...up to 5cm difference in asphalt height some times...! Very bad before with other cars, but never had this lively a car as the S3...it's extreme how much the car can move side to side if hitting these rutted parts...

do you have play at the steering wheel?

No, no play in the steering.

 

[Caesium]

My 5 series is the same, if I get in the grooves I find it really hard to actually get out of them.

 

[Broken Byzan]

Dennis, the figures stated above would say that there is nothing wrong, but your tramlining could possibly be a symptom that your settings have moved and your guy needs to check again.

Normally its lowered cars that suffer due to increased camber, but yours is better than OE at your chosed ride height so i would deffo get her checked again

 

[s3_kev]

could be down to tyres but also as suggested your setup might have self adjusted and may need tweeking, also did they check and adjust the caster when doing the alignment??
as suggested though change the tyres first

 

[Dennis Moeller]

Dennis, the figures stated above would say that there is nothing wrong, but your tramlining could possibly be a symptom that your settings have moved and your guy needs to check again.

Normally its lowered cars that suffer due to increased camber, but yours is better than OE at your chosed ride height so i would deffo get her checked again

Could the subframe have moved way out of position? It was adjusted when they did the alignment. I feel it became worse in the last two days but that could just be me beeing aware of it and thus extra paranoid...

A new alignment would maybe do the trick. If the settings are way out or different than I requested would I have to fork out the 375 pound sterling or would it go under warranty of the initial alignment?

could be down to tyres but also as suggested your setup might have self adjusted and may need tweeking, also did they check and adjust the caster when doing the alignment??
as suggested though change the tyres first

I did'nt request any specific values on caster but I guess it could be something to think about. I can look at the papers and post the values here...

EDIT:

Any way to see with the bare eye if caster is way out...measure it from side to side to see if the wheel is in the center of the wheel arch or something

 

[s3_kev]

have you actually check the obvious like tyre pressures before you worry about going mad with checking things??
measuring the gaps that the wheel sits into the arch would give an idea of caster yeah but not overly acurate lol

 

[Mr Cooper]

My MINI Cooper S tram lines like mad, most of this is due (like BMW's and others) to using Run Flat tyres - but, my tyres were very worn a little while ago and it tramlined like a steam train, now the new rubber has been fitted, it is vastly improved.

I'd suggest replacing the tyres.

It may be a case that the brand you use have a thick side wall which will only exaggerate the issue.

 

[Dennis Moeller]

Cheers for all the suggestions lads

have you actually check the obvious like tyre pressures before you worry about going mad with checking things??
measuring the gaps that the wheel sits into the arch would give an idea of caster yeah but not overly acurate lol

Yeah I checked tire pressure yesterday and today. 2.3 bar at each corner. Don't know if that is the most preffered tire pressure but I just tried that out a long time ago and stuck with that since...

My MINI Cooper S tram lines like mad, most of this is due (like BMW's and others) to using Run Flat tyres - but, my tyres were very worn a little while ago and it tramlined like a steam train, now the new rubber has been fitted, it is vastly improved.

I'd suggest replacing the tyres.

It may be a case that the brand you use have a thick side wall which will only exaggerate the issue.

I will see if I can afford to buy new tires this week but if money is tight I will try the wintertires on the car, just to see if things gets normal...

 

[Effect]

do you have play at the steering wheel?

If there is play what is likely to cause it ?
Reason i ask is I have slight play in mine.

 

[bl_1969]

I have the same problem, but it is totally down to the roads in my book.

I live and work in Czech Republic and here the roads are like Norway. When I drive back to the UK...... wham, bam..... problem is gone. It's just the ruts in the road IMHO.... Through Germany and Holland the problem is gone too.... just down to terrible terrible roads.

 

[rich-hill@hotmail.com]

wheel balance maybe? A weight may have fallen off? Getting new tyres would sort this as they re balance the wheel?

 

[s3ollie]

If there is play what is likely to cause it ?
Reason i ask is I have slight play in mine.

Well it could be any of the joints in the column, tie roads ect. but there is an adjuster on the back of the rack that lets you remove the play in the rack. it says in elsa that if you turn the s/wheel quickly back and forth and can hear a knocking then adjust the rack until the noise has gone and the steering still self centers.

 

[ianysm]

I'd say definately tyres. Anything below 4mm and they start to lose steering feel/stability etc. Stop stalling and get em changed!!!

 

[Pooch121]

Not sure if there have been knock on effects as a result but i wud defo say tyres are the cause for the tramlining,

driven a passat with no tread at all and mate it was exactly the same as u were experiencing, shifting left or right due to the slightest bump or slope, even going over a drain can make it feel like ur back end is about to slip out..

 

[Dennis Moeller]

I guess it's down to the tires then afterall. Good for me...Don't want to spend another penny on suspension etc. since it already did cost me a small fortune.

Did some inquiries and it seems like I can get a good deal on Goodyear F1 assymetric.

Thanks lads...

 

[Driven Everything]

Dennis, it's tramlining. We have a new Q3. My wife is the primary driver. She told me that sometimes it feels like it's sliding. I joked with her and asked her if she's been smoking anything before driving. My first Audi was the first gen TT in 2001. The manual 180 HP. I've had a couple of the later TTs and never had any issue like this. And not on a later A4. However, I had a 2015 4C so I know what bad tramlining feels like. I started taking the Q3 out some and it became very apparent that it's a severe case of tramlining. Not tires because due to a flat we've had 2 complete sets of new tires on the car already at under 5000 miles. Currently Michelin Pilot Sport AS are on the car. Problems in the road are what causes the tramlining to occur but it's not what causes the problem. The early 4Cs are known for serious, even dangerous tramlining and after-market parts came out to address it. I later had a 2017 4C which drove beautifully as the problem had been addressed by then. You might correct it with setting alignment outside of factory specs but you shouldn't have to do that. I don't know what's going on with the new Q3 but Audi needs to come up with parts or alignment settings to correct it. In the 4C it was easier to catch and control because the steering is so much heavier. On the Q3 with such lightweight, shopping mall tuned steering, when it goes it's much more difficult to catch. It's frightening. I think you definitely have an issue and I hope you can get if corrected with either suspension settings or spacers, etc. Good luck! I don't think we will hang on to this Q3.