"Tramlining" front end

[dnp]

My '99 LX has 135,000 miles on it and I changed over to the newer factory 18" wheels about 30,000 miles ago. Recently, I have noticed a good bit more of what I call Tramlining than before. What I mean by tramlining is that the front suspension feels like it wants to follow grooves, ruts, etc. in the road and altogether just feels a little more loose in the front end than before. My tires are approaching the point at which they'll need to be replaced, and this sensation may be attributed to that. However, they're by no means worn out, so I'm wondering if this sensation could be attributed to something different.

My question is: at this type of mileage, are these trucks customarily due for things like tie rod ends, steering stabilizers, rack bushings or any other component meant to "tighten up" the steering? I don't believe these factory wheels changed the scrub radius that much (if at all), and the loose sensation hasn't been this noticeable before, so I'm not thinking they're the culprit here. Though this condition is not THAT bad, it is definitely noticeable, so if there's a common fix, I'd like to perform it........anyone have any thoughts on this?

 

[ShottsUZJ100]

I'd not jump to any conclusions until you slap on new rubber. Otherwise you might be chasing your tail (something I'm good at).

 

[agomez]

could be some worn parts up front have a good front end specialist put it on a rack and check for looseness...balljoints, bearings, shocks..ect..

 

[hkeller]

We've got about 90K on our LX and it does this. Started about 15K ago. Feels like your dirving on a road with grooves in the concrete. Come to think of it, ours developed after installing new LTX MS tires.

 

[dnp]

Thanks for the replies so far.

My question was: is there a characteristic wear part or parts that usually need replacing at about this mileage? Also, is there a more effective steering stabilizer that I should consider? I know my wheels/tires/suspension are, essentially, stock, but I've found on other cars that a really effective, heavy-duty steering stabilizer does wonders for on-road (as well as off-road) driving.........

Not trying to reinvent things here, I just wanted to know if rack bushings or tie rod ends or ball joints, etc. are expected to go at around this mileage. Thanks.

 

[calamaridog]

Not trying to reinvent things here, I just wanted to know if rack bushings or tie rod ends or ball joints, etc. are expected to go at around this mileage. Thanks.

I would say that absolutely some suspension components are going to be wearing out after 100k resulting in less than desired performance.

 

[Augie]

What kind of tire do you have? Some thread pattern have more tendency to follow groove.

 

[dnp]

What kind of tire do you have? Some thread pattern have more tendency to follow groove.

I have sort of a sport truck tire: Hankook Ventus in a 285/60-18. The tread is directional and very aggressive, and they've been great tires for the time I've had them (30,000 miles). I suppose my issue could be tire related, but it seems to have come on quicker than I would have imagined from a tire problem (although I DID swap sides of the truck with the tires about 1,000 miles ago. They were starting to wear unevenly on the inside, so I swapped sides with them....yes, I DID keep them rotating in the same direction and I kept them all on the same axle from which they came) HMMMMMMMM, wonder if that could be the culprit?

 

[9toys]

Good posibility it is the directional tires. I had Gatorback radials on a IROC Camero years ago and hated them. Great on smooth clean blacktop, but would follow every contour, rut, ridge or imperfection in the road. Driving it was like driving a motorcycle...you could never relax.

 

[dnp]

Good posibility it is the directional tires. I had Gatorback radials on a IROC Camero years ago and hated them. Great on smooth clean blacktop, but would follow every contour, rut, ridge or imperfection in the road. Driving it was like driving a motorcycle...you could never relax.

In principle, I agree; however, for the first 30,000 miles, these tires have exhibited none of those characteristics. I'm now wondering if a simple swap-of-the-sides has caused some belts / interior construction to go squirrelly on me.......

 

[Augie]

I'm now wondering if a simple swap-of-the-sides has caused some belts / interior construction

You got the answer. The problem is your alignment cause uneven wear. When you swap side it cause the tire to contact only on the inside. This will amplify the tracking problem. This basically the same effect as changing your camber setting from / \ to \ / if you look from the front of the truck.

 

[ThePNWonderer]

I have a 2006 4runner AWD V8 that does the same thing. I have over 200k on it but it’s done it forever. You can swap out anything and everything you want. It’s just the way they are made. At high speeds they tramline. Bottom line-they are better off road than on pavement. Enjoy it.

 

[gregnash]

I have had this in the past on different vehicles with different brand tires. The same thing would happen as they got past the 40-50% tread life remaining portion. What I came to the conclusion was that with the wear, the center grooves (rain grooves, street grooves, whatever you want to call them) tend to expand with the wear. At some point you hit that "nominal width" where all things are equal and tend to grab those grooves in the pavement. This can be exacerbated by how loose or tight your steering is (and what type of driver you are) and other things like the condition of the road (similar to the tires, the grooves in the road will wear down and expand slightly).

So like others have said, I would wait until you throw new rubber on there then start diagnosing further.

 

[CloudCity]

Mine did this when I first got it, had alignment checked twice, but in the end a tire shop simply aired the tires up to a higher psi and that cured it. It could be an artifact of our Oregon roads that are built to be "grippier" due to the rain we get, but when the tires are running at a lower psi they tend to grab the tracks worn into the freeway and tramline all to hell, but once you create a slightly smaller contact patch they don't dig in to the tracks as much and the effect went away in my case.