C5 steering "hunt"
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 44
Likes: 2
C5 steering "hunt"
I don't know what else to call it so I will call it steering hunt, or darting. My C5 has 40k miles and darts in the low areas of asphalt that is a result of wear in the travel lane of a highway. It is very annoying and can be dangerous. Before I take this car to an alignment "professional", I would like to know what typically causes this behavior. Tires are wearing perfectly, inflation is spot on, and it steers great on flat roads. Looking for education, please. Thanks. 
Safety Car
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 4,831
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From: The Voice of Reason!
St. Jude Donor '14
Mine does the same thing. The road has to be bad enough you can see the "ruts" for it to do it though. I wouldn't say mine is dangerous, but it makes me pay more attention on roads like that.
Safety Car
Joined: Mar 2005
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From: Wisconsin
Tech Contributor
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 19,384
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From: Horncastle Lincolnshire, England
2023 C5 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
The OEM runflats are well known for "tramlining" due to the stiff sidewalls. I replaced the OEMs with Michelin AS ZPs and it improved significantly.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 2,479
Likes: 36
One word: runflats. I agree with the others. The OEM runflats are horrible. They become worse as they age. I had a hard time keeping my car pointed straight on grooved and/or imperfect road sections. Once I changed over to conventional performance tires (Hankook V12), the problem completely disappeared. My car now rides straight and true with very little steering input.
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Tech Contributor
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From: Anthony TX
CI 6,7,8,9,11 Vet
St. Jude Donor '08
A proper alignment should be able to eliminate most of your issue.
With very wide tires, it is never completely eliminated. Before your alignment, do a very detailed check of all your suspension components and wheel bearing.BC
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 1,872
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From: Olmsted Falls Ohio
St. Jude Donor '12 thru '24
Had the same problem, and the colder the day the worse it was. I haven't had the car long, and when I checked to date code on the front tires, they were the originals. Yikes! 11 year-old tires!! Have just installed the Ventus V12s and the problem is gone.
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From: Dear Karma, I have a list of people you missed.
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16
Wider tires (especially run-flats) are more prone to tram-lining. Non-runflats and an alignment with a bit more caster helps a lot. Some roads/streets however are just so bad you can't do much with our fat tires.
Instructor
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 163
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From: Reston Manitoba
I don't know what else to call it so I will call it steering hunt, or darting. My C5 has 40k miles and darts in the low areas of asphalt that is a result of wear in the travel lane of a highway. It is very annoying and can be dangerous. Before I take this car to an alignment "professional", I would like to know what typically causes this behavior. Tires are wearing perfectly, inflation is spot on, and it steers great on flat roads. Looking for education, please. Thanks.
Last edited by TotaledmyGN; Mar 1, 2012 at 12:01 AM. Reason: grammer
Tech Contributor
Joined: Oct 1999
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From: Charlotte, NC (formerly Endicott, NY)
As mentioned before check the tie rods at all 4 corners. The Service Preferred Alignment Settings are set toward the performance side. In this chart from a C5 Service Manual toe out is shown as positive while toe in is shown as negative. You want toe in in the rear or the car will be very twitchy. As you can see from the chart the front toe is biased a little toward toe out. Your car may have 0 front toe or some toe out. Try just a little front toe in. As you can -.04 front toe would still be in spec. I found on my C5s and my C6Z that some front toe in usually greatly reduces the tramlining.
Bill
Bill
Last edited by Bill Dearborn; Mar 1, 2012 at 12:11 AM.
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 44
Likes: 2
Wow. This has been a great thread. Thank you all for great suggestions. I may still have original run flat tires, not really sure how to check that but I will. Great alignment chart Bill. Nice to have that so I can tell the alignment "professional" how I want it done.
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 1,872
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From: Olmsted Falls Ohio
St. Jude Donor '12 thru '24
