Duke02

iTrader: (2)

Sorry for the delay in getting back. My recommendation to fix it would be to get different tires. In my experience, the Pilot PS2's and the Pilot Sport A/S + have both been MARKEDLY better than the stock dunlops. The question then becomes do you replace them immediately. I lived with it until I needed new tires since they run about $250-300 a pop.

Personally, I'd leave the tires until you need new ones, which shouldnt be too far off. I think I only got about 18k out of my fronts. If it's really bothering you though, go ahead and change them out now

CleverName

I went back to 17" rims to get away from this annoying problem as I drive constantly.... lucky for me it was an acceptable fix because I would not have kept the IS for very long otherwise.

It was just too tiresome to keep in your lane for those long distance freeway trips. I run across the state of Washington regularly, and the IS was my first car that actually left my arms sore and tired at the end of the day. No other car I own (including my 75 GMC truck) bugged me like the IS did.
The only difference the car had was the 18" low pro tires, so I put some 17" and sidewall under there and she drive decently now.

2cents
V

joeker

iTrader: (8)

i would say tire pressure but you should also take a good look at your wheels.. could be some tread pull?

lobuxracer

iTrader: (2)

Alignment - specifically cross caster - can cause these issues as well. My IS F is on 19s and I don't have these issues, nor is it a pain to drive in a straight line for long distances. I drove it from Atlanta to Ft Lauderdale over Christmas and believe me, if it were a pain to drive straight, I'd be on my death bed.

Assuming your tire pressures are correct and your tires are not the root problem, a fair number of owners have had alignment issues related to the front subframe not being properly centered on the chassis. Key indicators this is a problem are a pull to the right or left regardless of tires, and cross camber differences of 0.2 degrees or more. Because the subframe's position affects both camber and caster, getting it correctly adjusted will solve a lot of problems and make the car handle better. Finding someone competent to do this is a whole different problem though.

mslugx

Thanks everyone for their input, I really appreciate them.


Just take it in for an alignment shop, they closely check the car out, it turns out to be a bent spindle problem. I think the previous owner kissed the curb, and that's how the rim rashes got on there. I called the dealer, they quoted me $235.38 for the part. looks like a 500.00 fix for me. It's totally devastating. My question now is, can spindle problem cause the car to wander or feel loose control?

lobuxracer

iTrader: (2)

Absolutely no doubt it can.

willfxp

For me on the freeway, it causes me to drift within my lane. Not terrible, but doesn't look very good for people behind me or any highway patrol.

My rims have some rash too, so I wonder if that could be my issue as well.

lobuxracer

iTrader: (2)

Bent wheels or bent hubs or both will definitely cause handling anomalies. Any bent chassis part is bad.

Sango

iTrader: (10)

Depending if the wheel is bent, you may feel more of a pulsation like feeling at higher speeds if it is bad enough that the wheel is oscillating. Implication is that your tire will eventually be ruined.

willfxp

Excuse to get new rims... oh well!!!

mslugx

what other components can possibly be effected ?


rashes are fine, as long as the rim is not bent or damage.

Caliguy350

iTrader: (5)

Check your brake caliper slide pins. They are known to stick or freeze in rear on these cars. Good luck!!

allst4r

iTrader: (7)

lowprofile tires.. try driving other cars. with low pro tires. u will see its the same. my car only jerks to the right or left when the road is not smooth,

mikeho

I would avoid doing this for several reasons:
1. At 65+ MPH, you're not going to feel any sort of crosswind since most of the wind will be from your car moving forward (unless the crosswind is more than 65MPH, which in that case, I would suggest pulling over and waiting it out because that's some serious and potentially dangerous wind speed!)
2. Trying to open the window and sticking your hand out at 65MPH while your car is already showing signs of swerving is both distracting and dangerous. Just concentrate on driving.

Tramlining is definitely a factor and you get used to it after a while. It becomes instinct. One thing to also check is whether or not the swerving occurs when driving past a 18-wheeler or similar sized truck. Most trucks will create a vacuum at the tail end of the truck, which will pull you towards the truck. Then at the front end of the truck, the air is flowing around the truck and therefore will push you away from it. This is because of the lack of aerodynamics of the truck. It happens all the time for me, especially when driving on I-5 (four lane interstate) down to LA at 75MPH+.

Oh, and I have curb rashes worse than your picture and they don't cause a problem. Make sure you get your tires balanced every time you change or rotate them.

lobuxracer

iTrader: (2)

1. No. You don't need a 65 mph crosswind to feel a crosswind's affect on the car. 25 mph is enough to feel a crosswind especially if you have a steady wind, drive under an overpass (calm) then get hit again as you pass under the thing stopping the wind.

2. If your car is so unstable you can't take a hand off the wheel to open a window, you should not be on a public road until it is fixed. However, opening a window will not give you even the slightest clue if there is a crosswind. Trees and other vegetation is a much better indicator of what the wind is doing unless you are in the high desert and there's nothing external to gauge the wind. In all cases, you can feel wind gusts at a cross angle because the car will want to turn by itself AND you'll feel body roll as a result of the wind. If the car wants to turn by itself and there's no accompanying body roll, it's not the wind.

Curb rash is unlikely to mean the wheel is bent. Usually wheels bend on the inside of the hoop, not the curb side. The easy way to see if a wheel is bent - have the wheel balanced. The tech will be able to see any significant bend in the wheel as soon as it is turning on the balancing machine. They'll also tell you the wheel is bent. If the wheel is sufficiently bent, you'll experience vibration at some speed relative to the bend's severity - more severe bends vibrate at lower speeds.

A bent hub will eventually eat the bearings. If it got whacked hard enough to bend the axle, the bearings are not long for this world - best case, 2k miles and the bearings will be screaming in agony.