As the thread says:

My car is lowered and has 20x9 and 20x10 tires (nitto invo's). I have been on this setup for about a year and the car, although not optimal in suspension, has always felt planted at higher speeds and in big turns. I did an alignment about a year ago.

I wore out the rears but the fronts are still good (60% left) so I just got a new set of Nitto Invo rears. Now the car feels a bit light and I get a floating feeling at higher speeds going straight and making faster lane changes on the freeway. I dont like it all- not a stable feeling at all. I running the same psi as I did prior to getting the new tires so Im trying to figure out why this is happening. The suspension has not been adjusted- the only change is the rear tires.

I do think I need to realign the car for sure and I think that should do the trick but why didnt I have this issue prior to the tire change (which I did last week)?

Posting here for obvious reasons: more traffic...

Thoughts?

 

How many miles have you put on the tires? Have you broken them in?

 

Could be because your old tires were actually worn in to the bad alignment leaving a larger unaligned contact patch, and now the new ones have a smaller contact patch from misalignment..? That sounds plausible doesn't it I've had this with incorrect camber before going from a used set to a new set for obvious reasons...I still love your freaking car.!!

And also what Justin just wrote...My Hankooks feel quite a bit less floaty with 1K miles on them now...

 

OK, I'll ask the dumb question..... have you re-checked lugnut torque on those rears?

-G

 

Not much, maybe 200 miles.

Definitely makes sense, alignment time!! Thanks.

I never rechecked but I did watch my tire tech torque them down when put the wheels on. I dont have any vibrations coming from the rear- just that uneasy unplanted feeling. I love to speed so I have to get this fixed or Ill just get a new car

 

You running the Nitto Invo's up front too? Different compound tires, with different load ratings, and different tread patterns can cause odd behavior, at high speeds.

 

Same up front---

 

Start with the least exspensive and have your front tires rebalanced and if it still does it then have it realigned and after that if it still does it then just ride around w a full take if gas

 

I'd bet it's your alignment. Out of balance tires will usually cause vibration, even on the rear.

 

This used to happen on my old car. The tires wear into the bad alignment, and then track correctly. With brand new tires, they’re are trying to go different directions. I suspect you do not have enough toe in on the rear.

I had my E55 aligned when I put on the rear camber arms and they set it to 0 degrees toe. It was not even drivable. Went to a different shop, and they corrected it. Problem solved.

Other option, drive the tires until they wear in

Good to see you posting Vic!

 

Good to hear from you bro... Ill take it to West End Alignment and that should do the trick. It does exactly what you are saying; tries to go in different directions under throttle.

Thanks to all for your input.

 

go see darren

 

add more toe in the back

 

Exactly, spot on. Where can you drive that fast in the OC anyhow??? Never ending construction, congestion, millions of people, clogged highways, ticket happy deficit CHP, etc.

 

I'm not sure if this applies to your setup or not but sometimes when you use a tire that is meant for a wider rim than the one you are using, the sidewall becomes more soft and "mushy" which creates the floating condition you described above

What size rims/tires are you using?

 

My car also feels very floaty after excessive drinking Kidding of course...

 

Vic, since you only changed the rear tires, I'd start by checking the tire pressure first. It could be the alignment ....... but wasn't the car aligned after you lowered it with the new tires (first set) and wheels? Unless you hit something or the tire shop screwed something up, the alignment doesn't change by itself.

One more thing: Are these tires directional? Sorry, I'm not familiar with Nitto Invo's. If they flipped them at installation, it will feel like the way you described it.

 

All of the above are good advice. Another thing is new tires are at full tread depth, thus you have some tread wiggle. Once the tire wears in, it should firm up. You could always do some smokey burnouts to wear the tires. lol

 

LOL the Mexican Toll Roads have their spots- daily no traffic blazing!!


My set up seems normal: 255x30 on a 20x9 and 295x25 on a 20x10... never had issues until the rear tire swap.


Hey bro, thanks for chiming in... the tire pressure is the same as before- 38 psi cold. I dont think the tires are directional but in turn are assymetrical. But there is an outer and inner and I have checked; the tires are mounted correctly.

Im gonna do the alignment and re-balance. Maybe I should just get rid of the car and get a CLS63 with the TT? A simple ecu mod and I get 80 more hp and 150 more TQ.

 

That's a combination of the wear rating of the tire, and how much you abuse it.

 

Yep along with alignment, suspension geometry, and other factors.

 

This, except that I just do not really like what they did to the bodywork...Interior is amazing...

 

I think the bodywork, with the exception of the rear lights (straight from a VW CC).

 

+1

 

Having lived in Socal and now Dallas I can attest that you are constantly hitting "something", like a crap road...My alignment goes out by the end of almost every set of tires...