Model 3 LR RWD driving on highway rearend feel like wobbling side to side

[BezosBlue]

Hi

I just took delivery of the model 3 LR RWD last Tuesday.

While I enjoy it, I did notice that on certain area of highway. When speed is over 65mph, I feel its rear end wobble side to side. I don't know if this describe it correctly but it almost feel like you have strong wind from the side which cause the driving feel like this.

It doesn't happen all the time, but I cannot decide if it only happen on that area of the highway or any random area for now.
I'm sure there was no wind when it happened.

Anyone have the same experience? This issue is hard to duplicate to show to the service center.

 

[Inside]

Just as a test... try dropping your tire pressure about 3 PSI in all 4 tires.

 

[67BGTEV]

Hi

I just took delivery of the model 3 LR RWD last Tuesday.

While I enjoy it, I did notice that on certain area of highway. When speed is over 65mph, I feel its rear end wobble side to side. I don't know if this describe it correctly but it almost feel like you have strong wind from the side which cause the driving feel like this.

It doesn't happen all the time, but I cannot decide if it only happen on that area of the highway or any random area for now.
I'm sure there was no wind when it happened.

Anyone have the same experience? This issue is hard to duplicate to show to the service center.

You use your blinkers while changing lanes and you will be alright.. This is because, your lane-change warning is on and if you don't turn your blinkers on, the steering wheels give a subtle feedback.

 

[BezosBlue]

Just as a test... try dropping your tire pressure about 3 PSI in all 4 tires.

I will test it out. It feels like it is mainly due to the road condition.
On my daily commute, I am not getting the same feeling.

 

[BezosBlue]

You use your blinkers while changing lanes and you will be alright.. This is because, your lane-change warning is on and if you don't turn your blinkers on, the steering wheels give a subtle feedback.

It happened when I am driving in my lane. I know what lane keeping is.

 

[Westlake]

@BezosBlue, I see that you're in Houston. I've experienced this consistently on the new section of 290 up near the Grand Parkway with grooved concrete.The first time it happened, passengers got nauseous and we pulled off the road...genuinely thought something was seriously wrong with the car. I've seen it on the same stretch of road as slow as 40mph and as high as 80mph. Lane departure warning is disabled. We have the sport wheels. Tires originally at 46psi, currently at 38psi. No difference. Next time I'm on that stretch I'll do a bug report.

 

[gilscales]

Hi

I just took delivery of the model 3 LR RWD last Tuesday.

While I enjoy it, I did notice that on certain area of highway. When speed is over 65mph, I feel its rear end wobble side to side. I don't know if this describe it correctly but it almost feel like you have strong wind from the side which cause the driving feel like this.

It doesn't happen all the time, but I cannot decide if it only happen on that area of the highway or any random area for now.
I'm sure there was no wind when it happened.

Anyone have the same experience? This issue is hard to duplicate to show to the service center.

If it is a concrete frwy. with the saw cut rain grooves then I get this all the time in certain areas as the the car tends to follow the groves and I feel it as the whole car wobbling slightly side to side, I've had this happen at a certain area of the 605 frwy here in So Cal in almost all of my previous cars

 

[Pegasits]

@BezosBlue, I see that you're in Houston. I've experienced this consistently on the new section of 290 up near the Grand Parkway with grooved concrete.The first time it happened, passengers got nauseous and we pulled off the road...genuinely thought something was seriously wrong with the car. I've seen it on the same stretch of road as slow as 40mph and as high as 80mph. Lane departure warning is disabled. We have the sport wheels. Tires originally at 46psi, currently at 38psi. No difference. Next time I'm on that stretch I'll do a bug report.

Same here in Minneapolis on 394 west of downtown, grooved. All cars I’ve had do this but not to this extreme as in my model 3. I wonder if alignment would fix this.

 

[WilliamG]

Same here in Minneapolis on 394 west of downtown, grooved. All cars I’ve had do this but not to this extreme as in my model 3. I wonder if alignment would fix this.

Likely tires. Here in Seattle, driving across SR99 I would have CRAZY wobbling left and right on the siped concrete in my Golf R with Conti 5P tires. Thankfully in my P3D+ with the Michelins I don’t have that issue. But to me it’s likely just tires. Some are better than others at handling this situation.

 

[Msjulie]

It's called tramlining and it can also effect steering feel in a disconcerting way.. some tires accentuate the feeling too, to add to the fun...

 

[WilliamG]

It's called tramlining and it can also effect steering feel in a disconcerting way.. some tires accentuate the feeling too, to add to the fun...

That’s right. Tramlining. It can be mega annoying, and some tires are WAY worse than others.

 

[Pegasits]

Likely tires. Here in Seattle, driving across SR99 I would have CRAZY wobbling left and right on the siped concrete in my Golf R with Conti 5P tires. Thankfully in my P3D+ with the Michelins I don’t have that issue. But to me it’s likely just tires. Some are better than others at handling this situation.

camber 0 and toe 0 is what I've seen in another forum (my Michelins are brand new in the box! just bought model 3 6/8/2019!). In the old days, the mechanics would align the wheels IMperfectly partly for this tramlining and partly just to keep the wheels "bound" for general stability and less wear. Mechanics today have likely been pressured to make vehicles fuel efficient - therefore the zeroes - plus they don't want to be caught w/ imperfect camber/toe on their work.

 

[Kappelan]

I've experienced the same yesterday and today on our 407etr highway. But only on the certain part of the highway. The concrete part I think and it gets really wobbly, like a strong wind blowing.

It's totally fine on the regular asphalt-covered highways.

 

[KenC]

Yep, grooved concrete, it's a kind of tramlining.

 

[BR666T]

It isn't only on concrete. I experience this consistently at speeds over 120 km/h, and I never drive on concrete. I never felt the "swaying" sensation in other cars on the same roads.

Like other posters, I thought there was a strong crosswind on my first highway drive. Disconcerting.

I thought it also may be because of the 225/45R18 Michelin X-Ice 3 tires I had installed - they are narrower than stock and therefore will be better in the snow. The narrower tires may exacerbate the problem, but it sounds like it happens with stock tires as well.

I plan to drive a friend's RWD M3 with stock size tires to compare (mine's an AWD).

 

[Lisitano]

This is groove wander not tramlining. Tramlining would be if the road is actually pulling your wheel and suspension so you have to counter steer.

Groove wander is a tire incompatibility with the road you’re driving on. Think of it as constant annoying tire deformation. (Almost pre tramlining in a sense, but the forces on the car are to mixed to ever drive the car in one specific direction like you feel when tramlining in a trucks rut on a hill)

In my experience the least likely tires to groove wander are directional tires with tread patterns that are not uniform (hankook ventus) (Pzero all season is a champion at groove wandering, tread pattern is tall soft and circles the tire in multiple small treads)

The mid weight of the ev I think makes the groove wander effect a little more common in tires too.

Also using xl rated tires will help minimize groove wander.

 

[Lisitano]

This is groove wander not tramlining. Tramlining would be if the road is actually pulling your wheel and suspension so you have to counter steer.

Groove wander is a tire incompatibility with the road you’re driving on. Think of it as constant annoying tire deformation. (Almost pre tramlining in a sense, but the forces on the car are to mixed to ever drive the car in one specific direction like you feel when tramlining in a trucks rut on a hill)

In my experience the least likely tires to groove wander are directional tires with tread patterns that are not uniform (hankook ventus) (Pzero all season is a champion at groove wandering, tread pattern is tall soft and circles the tire in multiple small treads)

The mid weight of the ev I think makes the groove wander effect a little more common in tires too.

Also using xl rated tires will help minimize groove wander.

You can get rid of groove wander by going UP or down in size of tire but you can only minimize tramlining by going down.