Ok, first some background. I took my car into the dealership to have a TPS replaced (Right Rear). In the process of replacing it, they scratched all four of my SSR GT3 rims. Obviously, I was pissed, but they quickly admitted fault and said to schedule a time to bring the car in so they could send the rims off to be repaired.

So, the car is in the dealership for a week while the rims are being fixed. I pick the car up on a Friday and quickly notice that my car felt loose (primarily in the rear). I thought at first it was because I haven't driven it all week and needed to get used to it again. Well the next morning I wake up to an almost flat LR tire. So I quickly relate the looseness to the very under inflated tire. After a quick check by Discount Tire on the following Monday they determine the leak is coming from the TPS. So back to the dealership, where they had to replace another TPS. At that time Discount Tire also noticed my rear tires were worn more on the inside then the outside blocks. The insides were nearly bald, so again I think this has to do with the car being loose. So I buy new rear tires (Pirelli PZero), same size as I had before (fronts are on back order). After driving the car with the new rear tires it is still loose, so I now feel that the tires have nothing to do with this. Now for a better explanation of me calling the car "loose". When I'm driving straight at about 60 mph, the rear of the car feels like its moving back and forth to the point where I don't feel like I have solid control of the car which is definetly not how it was before I took the car in for the rims to get repaired. For example, on a highway on ramp I travel often, at speeds of 80 to 90 mph, now with the car in this condition I went at only 55-60 mph and my VDC slip light kept coming on because the car was so loose. Something is definetly not right. Another example of how it drives now, is similar to when you try and put larger tires (width) than the rims could hold. Makes you feel like the car is floating when you trying to turn.

Now I'm baffled at this point as to what might be causing this. The rims are three piece so my first thought is that they took them apart when fixing them and did not properly put them back together, no sure if that could cause the issue I'm experiencing though. The only thing that changed during the dealer visit was the rims were fixed, which is why I'm focusing there first.

Any advice on what might be the issue or where I should start my focus on? Any help is greatly appreciated because I'm not sure what my next step should be at this point other than going back to the dealership or at least talking with the place that fixed my rims (local vendor they outsourced it too).

Thoughts?

Thanks!

 

I don't really have an idea what could be causing it. I would tell the dealership and have somone drive it there, have them diagnose the problem.

 

How many miles were on the car when you dropped it off? Maybe someone drove it? Did you ask Discount while you were there? Does'nt sound good to me. JMO

 

Scott you might look at some of these:

1.Maybe tires got mounted wrong?
2.Did you check tire pressures?
3.Lugs on wheels may need to be re-torqued
4.Possible bent wheel?
5. Tire internals damaged (stiffness)??
6. Tires balanced?

I had a situation where my RR tire was slowly leaking air. Come to find out that the wheel was bent. Well, I guess I was driving on that tire while it was pretty low one day and damaged the insides of the tire. When I aired it back up it drove really rough and felt wobbly out back. I later found out from the repairer that the wobble was most likely from the damaged tire and the roughness from the bent rim. This could be something to look into.....

-Ricky-

 

Thanks for the feedback.

1. I looked at that but it didn't appear that they were mounted wrong, plus this issue has been occuring with both sets of rear tires, old and new.

2. Yes, that has checked out fine on both sets of tires.

3. I watched them torgue these to 85

4. I'm concerned about that, because when I got the car back on that Friday and didn't find out until that next morning that the left rear tires had a bad leak (caused by the dealership breaking the TPS in that wheel). I kept filling up the tire all weekend, until I got it fixed early that next week.

5 & 6. Again, this has occured with both sets of tires. Also, they have been rebalanced several times, because when the rims were repaired they knocked all the weights off so the dealership rebalanced them, and then when the new rear tires were put on Discount rebalanced them as well.

My next test today is to have my girlfriend follow behind me to see if there is any wobble from any of the tires at varies speeds. I'm just at a loss and don't like heading into the dealership with nothing to go on...plus I'm out of warranty.

Thanks! Scott