When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
In previous Vettes I've had it pretty bad so I know the symptoms. My Z that I bought in Feb ~6500 miles started exhibiting a bit of tramlining recently. Tire pressures are fine, may need to get alignment checked OR maybe it's a combination of cooler weather and the fact that the tires have some wear compared to when I first bought it and it was cool outside. Or, maybe it's all in my head who knows.
Car is a daily driver and not tracked.
Just curious if any others out there have tramlining to any degree in their GS or Z06.
"Tramlining is the tendency of a vehicle's wheels to follow the contours in the surface upon which it runs. The term comes from the tendency of a car's wheels to follow the normally recessed rails of street trams, without driver input in the same way that the train does. The same effect is sometimes called Nibbling." (Wikipedia)
And yes, I experience this quite a bit in my new Z. I have not had the car in the warm weather yet, so I had not thought to attribute it to the cold. I would hope my new car has perfect alignment. I'll be interested in other's comments...
My C7 Z06 rarely does it, and even when it does, it is very minor. And Oregon roads are horrible. I am an alignment and tire pressure freak, but others who are also, have issues over the very same roads. I realize that I am one of the fortunate ones.
The wider the tires are, the more any vehicle will do this.
My '05 does it a bit, my '09 Z06 did it a lot, and my '14 Z51 does it a fair amount too, but not as quite as much as the '09.
Alignment does make a difference as noted upthread. The more aggressive the alignment, the more it will tramline. The more everything is set as close to zero, the less it will.
Have only one section of asphalt pavement on a 4 lane divided highway where it is particularly noticeable. Was in my Z51 for 3 1/2 years and is about the same with my Grand Sport. It's in the right lane where heavy log trucks frequently travel. Move to the left lane and it's gone.
Recall I had a similar situation on another stretch of road with my '93 Vette when we lived in town.
Where I mostly travel, on narrow two lane rural roads, some with significant crown for drainage, the Grand Sport tracks straight. Had the car aligned for best tire wear as I don't track. Tech set all toe at centerline, essentially zero and cambers where I specified, near the lower end of the broad GM spec versus the -1.6 degrees some were set from the factory.
Yup, super sensitive to road conditions. I thought that mine was doing “that,” until I discovered that it was merely a section of road that I frequent.
I agree with all the above. Anything setup to drive with this much tire will tram line and also tends to fall down sloped roads.
If you want to minimize it, you want front toe in. But with this much tire the car will always be prone to it. Even on 195 and 205 my fiesta st does it noticeably with 0 front toe.
Noticed it on a few roads but rarely significant. One of the routes I can use to get to the interstate has smooth pavement but with deep, wide grooves from heavy vehicles and on that road it is more like "railroading" than tramlining because those grooves really capture the tires.
I avoid that road with the Z06 but I had to use it a few times recently due to road construction on other routes and I felt like I was driving one of those new self-steering autonomous vehicles
Mine is getting worse so I guess it could be that my alignment has changed recently which is my only real concern here. My Stingray ate some tires from the factory which sucked!!! If my alignment has changed recently I don't want it eating up my remaining tire life on this set.
12-10-2017, 08:42 PM
Do you experience tramlining in your Z06 or GS
Have only one section of asphalt pavement on a 4 lane divided highway where it is particularly noticeable. Was in my Z51 for 3 1/2 years and is about the same with my Grand Sport. It's in the right lane where heavy log trucks frequently travel. Move to the left lane and it's gone. 
