Looser steering

[steilkurve]

Hello all. Had my summer tires put on my P85D (ContiSport Contact) at the SC recently. They aligned the wheels at the same time. Been noticing slightly looser steering since then. Checked tire pressure and it's all good. Was wondering, could it be the air temperature? It's still mostly below 40F up here, 45 at best. Could the compound be hardening due to the cold, adhere less to the road and therefore cause that looser steering? Or should I visit the SC?

And yes, steering is set to Sport.

Any thoughts appreciated.

 

[BobV]

Hello all. Had my summer tires put on my P85D (ContiSport Contact) at the SC recently. They aligned the wheels at the same time. Been noticing slightly looser steering since then. Checked tire pressure and it's all good. Was wondering, could it be the air temperature? It's still mostly below 40F up here, 45 at best. Could the compound be hardening due to the cold, adhere less to the road and therefore cause that looser steering? Or should I visit the SC?

It's probably the temperature. Below 50F, summer tires on my P85D are a poor choice; the tire compound gets hard and the tires will routinely skip when pulling out of my driveway or making sharp turns at low speeds. If you have a torque wrench, you can also check that that your lug nuts are set to the proper torque (129 foot-pounds / 21mm socket). If they've loosened up a bit (not unusual if the wheel was taken off and put back on), that can contribute to a feeling of looseness.

 

[steilkurve]

Thanks. Reassuring. First experience with summer performance tires in colder weather. Should be warmer next weekend. I'll see if I notice any difference in steering. No torque wrench but since the SC just put the wheels on, I suspect that isn't it. But again, I'll see what impact the warmth makes.

 

[steilkurve]

So temperature now in the high 50s and I took the car for a spin today. Steering wheel still feels on the loose side. Not so much at low speed or in a pronounced curve. It feels tighter and provides more proper feedback in those situations. In a straight line at highway speeds, however, the wheel feels sluggish. Like an old Oldsmobile almost. So tire pressure is at 42 PSI, receipt from SC when they put the tires on says the wheels are at 175NM and weather is now warmer. What else could cause this? I mean, I received 2.14.66 as the tires were put on. Anyone else noticed steering changes with the update? Or could it be the alignment I received at the same time? Any thought appreciated.